Freestyle Qualifier: Billings, MT

"Going BIG in Billings" was the motto for the weekend. Billings, Montana was host to the first of two Snowmobile Freestyle qualifiers for this years X GAMES 12. With over a month long break in his snocross schedule, and already practicing tricks for Speed & Style, Launchin Levi LaVallee thought he should give it a try. Levi took advantage of the practices and it showed during his first run where he threw down an impressive run leaving him with a score of 95 out of 100. Levi was pretty shocked after finding out that he was in 1st place with a 9 point lead over second, mostly because he isn't a freestyler; he is a professional snocross racer, who was competing against some of the top guys in the sport. Levi blitzed through the 3 kicker ramps set at 70ft and the comp ramp set at 90ft successfully landing a backflip, rock solid, cliff hanger and many more. Levi's goal was to make it into the top four and get into the Freestyle event at X Games, since that goal was accomplished after the 2 rounds, he decided to take his run down a notch in the head-to-head comp. Even without the flip in his run he was able to win the comp. Yup, a snocross racer, competed in his first freestyle competition and ran away with a win.

With qualifying for Freestyle out in Billings, Levi is now the first athlete to compete in all 3 snowmobile events at Winter X Games. Mark that into the history books. Levi has his work cut out for him with Speed & Style, SnoCross, and now Freestyle - But he wouldn't have it any other way. Congratulations Levi for making Winter X Games History.

Amsoil Duluth National: Duluth, MN

Sunday was the day I was looking forward to – MOD Sled time! After qualifying I was the third seed behind Tucker and Blair. I came off the line good but I was a little hesitant in the first turn so I came down the hill in 4th or 5th and it was crazy in the bottom turn- sleds all over the place. I lost a few spots but after a few laps I got them back. Then I found a sweet line going up the back straight and started picking guys off. DJ Eckstrom in 3rd, Ross Martin in 2nd and then I started gaining on Tucker in the lead. My buddy Muttin, who runs my pit board and our crew chief Tim Bender were freaking out pointing at Tucker screaming “Get him!” I was pretty reved up to put a charge on and try to battle with Tucker but it went down hill from there. My goggle strap fell below my helmet so my goggles got way loose and started bouncing all over the place. I tried grabbing the strap in the air and getting it back on my helmet but it wasn’t happening so I decided to pull my goggle completely off. BAD DECISION!! I got behind a lapper and I was getting peppered. I couldn’t do a thing. Tucker stretched it back out and I stayed in second.

It was a bummer my strap fell down but at the same time I am stoked to finish second. I felt like I was riding good and our equipment was awesome so hopefully we can carry that momentum into our next race.


Sunday was the day I was looking forward to – MOD Sled time! After qualifying I was the third seed behind Tucker and Blair. I came off the line good but I was a little hesitant in the first turn so I came down the hill in 4th or 5th and it was crazy in the bottom turn- sleds all over the place. I lost a few spots but after a few laps I got them back. Then I found a sweet line going up the back straight and started picking guys off. DJ Eckstrom in 3rd, Ross Martin in 2nd and then I started gaining on Tucker in the lead. My buddy Muttin, who runs my pit board and our crew chief Tim Bender were freaking out pointing at Tucker screaming “Get him!” I was pretty reved up to put a charge on and try to battle with Tucker but it went down hill from there. My goggle strap fell below my helmet so my goggles got way loose and started bouncing all over the place. I tried grabbing the strap in the air and getting it back on my helmet but it wasn’t happening so I decided to pull my goggle completely off. BAD DECISION!! I got behind a lapper and I was getting peppered. I couldn’t do a thing. Tucker stretched it back out and I stayed in second. It was a bummer my strap fell down but at the same time I am stoked to finish second. I felt like I was riding good and our equipment was awesome so hopefully we can carry that momentum into our next race.

Speed & Style

We’ve all seen Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael, Blair Morgan and countless other riders throw a trick off the finish line jump when they see the checkered flag flying, but have you ever seen any one throw a trick in the middle of the race? I remember freaking out when Travis Pastrana threw a nac nac a few years back in the middle of a heat race while he was battling with Kevin Windham but other then that I can’t think of to many other times seeing something like that. Well, throwing a trick in the middle of the race pretty much sums up Speed and Style. It is a combination of snocross racing and freestyle snowmobiling. SWEET right?? Absolutely!! Two riders, head to head, one rider hitting ramps while the other rider weaves between the ramps then the two riders meet up and race through a snocross portion of the track back to the beginning and then the riders switch lines and do the opposite they did the first lap. Riders will be judged on their tricks in the freestyle portion and judged on their race time. So basically you race head to head through a snocross course with some kicker ramps in it, throwing tricks off of them to better your score. X Games has invited me to compete in this new event pending me showing them a video of me throwing some tricks. Well I had some tricks, ok very few tricks so I needed to practice and learn some new stuff in a hurry. First, I needed to build a landing and get a ramp. I called Red Bull and like always they came through HUGE getting me a new freestyle ramp from SCS. Now I need a landing, so I hauled any and every pile of dirt that wasn’t already a jump or landing from my land and pushed it up. Being there isn’t any snow I needed to score some wood chips to cover the landing with. my neighbor Jeff Jebson (owner of Beaver Tree Service) is the guy that saves you from getting a unexpected sky light in your house from that Nasty tree that is leaning over your roof.

So after he cuts the nasty tree down and saves it from tipping over on your house he chips it up and hauls it away. I talked to Jeff about getting some chips and he was super cool and started having his guys dump their chips over at my place. Almost got everything dialed except the plastic glides for on the ramp so I called Mike from Caliber Products and he hooked me up with everything I needed to get my ramp up and running.

After finally getting my dialed and being able to jump at my house and visiting Justin Hoyer a couple times (Gnarly Freestyle Snowmobiler) and having him help me with some stuff I was able to get some tricks under my belt and send a video to the Xgames people. I was a bit nervous but they got back to me and said I was good to go!!! So I am officially in the new snowmobile event at X Games Speed and Style. I just want to thank Dane from Red Bull for the Ramp, Jeff from Beaver Tree Service for the chips, Mike from Caliber for the plastic and Justin Hoyer for letting me stay at his place and helping me out a ton with freestyle. Thanks Guys.

Foxtastic!!

Want to know how rad FOX SHOX is? This is how rad FOX SHOX is- they bring a sick Honda Crf 150 equipped with Fox’s new Forks and rear shock to my house and say thrash on it. Um… ME FIRST! ME FIRST! They had the suspension all set up for an adult so it was perfect for Chris (Kafka), Bobby LePage, Ben Hayes (FOX SHOX Mad Man) , and myself. Ben gave me the heads up when he was going to come up with the bike a few days in advance so I was getting pretty amped up to ride it. As usual something always goes wrong- 2 days of rain. My tracks were hammered from all the rain. Big water holes every where, greasy slime on the faces of the jumps, not exactly the ideal riding conditions but we didn’t care, we were stoked to get the chance to beat on the little bike. Right away I felt comfortable on the 150, maybe the fact that I’m about as big as the 12 -15 year old kids that the bike is made for had something to do with that. lol. I starting doing some doubles and built up doing a triple by the end of the day. I landed it perfect the first try so then I was all revved up so I get every one to watch me on the next attempt. I tried clicking it up a gear this time cause I was ringing it out the first time I did it so I roll it on and the bike said “I don’t think so”. It bogged and sent me into the lawn dart position, I was sweating bullets cause I thought for sure I was going over the bars but the New Fox Forks soaked it up and I kept on truckin like nothing happened. It was awesome- one avoided face thanks to the Fox Forks. Lol. We all had a pile of fun ripping on the little bike and I just want to thanks Fox Shox and Ben Hayes for making it possible.

Summer ReCap: Longville, MN

After last race season I was ready for wake board season for a couple reasons, first my boy Eddie from Hyperlite hooked me up with a sick new Shaun Murray Wake board and boots, second Midwest Mastercraft from Crystal Minnesota said they were willing to set me up super good on a new Mastercraft X 2!! In many people’s eyes, as well as mine, Mastercraft is the best wake/ ski boat made so I was way stoked that they were going to help me get into one. Andy and Dan took care of me right from the get go from selling my previous boat, to giving me the run down on how everything works and what to watch for, etc. on the new boat. On top of that, they have just about anything you could ever want when it comes to water sports at the store. They were by far the best dealership that I have ever dealt with. So I leave Midwest with a beautiful new X2 and I can see storm clouds in the distance. I figured sure enough I’m going spend my first two days with the boat inside my garage cleaning it after it gets hammered from the storm. But the Big Guy helped out and held the storm off for the three and a half hour drive home until I got it inside. I was PUMPED!! So that was in the beginning of June and basically from June into August I was out on the lake wakeboarding like it was my job. I was easily out in the boat at least 5 days a week. After riding the wake the Mastercraft puts off and how smooth the new board was I couldn’t get enough of it. As far as wakeboarding goes I suck pretty bad but I made a lot of progress this year learning some new tricks and getting better at some of the fundamentals. But in the end I just enjoy getting out on the lake with friends and having a good time.

Hay Days 2007: Forest Lake, MN

Snowmobiles racing on dirt and grass, crazy freestyle riders doing sick tricks on sleds, bikes, and four-wheelers, every snowmobile part and sled you could ever imagine, along with tons of people having the same thought running threw their heads, "I can't wait for it to snow!!" Hay days does the same thing to me every year, makes me wish I was riding my sled some where. Every year, Polaris has most of their riders come out and sign autographs at their booth so I was invited to come and do that again this year. I enjoy doing the autograph sessions just to talk with all the people about racing, sleds, etc. Also at Hay Days, Fox Shox had their annual gathering of all their sponsored teams and friends at their booth, where I talked to them and ate great food. They are a great bunch of people, super chill and just like having fun. Jeff from Fox Shox set me up with a Float shock for my 110 mini bike towards the beginning of the summer and it works so good. You can flat land the crap out of it and it is as smooth as butter, so I was telling him how nice it works for riding and flipping. Other then that, I went around and talked with some of my sponsors and friends who are involved within the sport and checked out all the new stuff coming out for this winter. From the looks of things, it should be a good one. LEvi

Camino . . . El Camino: Longville, MN

Like most Snocross racers, I am aware I won't be able to do it for ever. As of lately, it seems like the thing to do is to switch over to car racing- Carmichael, McGrath, and I just read that Windham is looking to do the same when he is done with motocross. So, I figured I would follow in their foot steps and try a little car racing. My good friend Muttin, my teammate Chris, and myself went in on 4 El Caminos to start practicing for our car racing careers. Our first time out didn't go as planned when my car caught on fire and started a grass fire (fortunately Fire Fighter Chris has fast feet and was able to stomp the 5ft by 5 ft fire out). While Chris was extinguishing the field fire my Dad and I were trying to put the car fire out. Using the Bobcat I ripped the hood up so Dad could hit the flames with the fire extinguisher. It looked like he almost had it when the fire extinguisher ran out. Being the knowledgeable fire fighter that I am, I knew it was time to take action so I decided to use the smother technique, burying the whole thing with dirt. It's too bad, it was the fastest car of the group. Lol. Before our next race I pushed all the sod up so we were running on dirt so we didn't lose any more cars to fire. The first race was a tight one with Muttin taking third in White Lightning, Chris Taking the Silver despite the hood popping up in the first turn and getting a flat during the race. I stepped up and started my car racing career off with a bang winning my first big race. Next time you see me I'll be passing Dale Jr. in my El camino at Daytona. Lol. Yeah sure.

Parts Unlimited 2007 Showcase: Janesville, WI

Every Year Parts Unlimited has all there dealers and Athletes out to their Head quarters in Janesville, Wisconsin for a fun weekend to show what they are all about. My teammate TJ and I were invited out this year to check things out and sign some autographs. It was amazing seeing the Factory with all the Conveyer belts and rollers winding through all of the inventory. Every sled, dirt bike, atv, and motorcycle part you could imagine. As I looked at all the parts and clothes I just kept thinking how rad it would be to play supermarket sweep in this place- not just to get all the stuff but its three levels high so you could be climbing up and down all conveyers while scoring all the stuff. Lol I was able to meet and hang out with quite a few of the other Parts Unlimited athletes which was great. I want to say thanks to Bruce Schumacher and the rest of the Parts Unlimited crew who took such good care of us while we were out there. Thanks

Mexico: Travis Pastrana & Nitro Circus: Rosarito, Mexico

After X games, I went down to Mexico jet skiing with Travis for a Nitro Circus shoot. The plan was for Travis and me to try backflipping a jet ski off the ocean waves. I actually felt alright about this when asked to go down there cause I figured you were landing in water so how bad could it be. We met a bunch of crazy Freestyle Jet Ski guys that were flipping, barrel rolling, and do al kinds of gnarly stuff off the waves, so I figured we could get some tips for our flip attempts. I go out and try riding around on one and wow, stand-up jet skis are way harder then they look. I could barely keep the thing moving with out tipping over and being ripped off it. I realized that we were in like 5 feet of water and I figured between the fact that I couldn't go with out crashing for more then 100 ft and being in that shallow of water had me thinking about lawn darting in to the ocean bottom. TP said screw it and went for it. He landed underneath the Jet Ski and didn't even come close. At that point, I said no way. If TP failed that bad, I didn't have a prayer. So, I ended up dong some tubing behind a 3 seater water craft in the waves, which was pretty sick. Later, I found a surfboard some one had brought with and I was bound and determined to learn how to surf. I caught a couple waves and went for a little bit but surfing wears you out cause you are constantly paddling, but it was a fun time trying to learn. Overall, the whole trip was good time. It's always a blast going out with TP and the Nitro Circus because you never know what you are getting yourself into. Later

Summer X Games Thirteen 2007: Los Angeles, CA

Going out to LA for Summer X is something I really look forward to each year. The Red Bull crew takes care of their athletes like no other at big events and X games was no exception. It all started out with a Red Bull party on Tuesday which was awesome cause a bunch of athletes were there- Shaun White , Ryan Sheckler, Tanner Hall, Travis Pastrana, and Robbie Maddison to name a few. Then for all the X games events, Red Bull had a suite for us to hang out in, get some food, and watch the action. On top of that, there are always different people swinging in. I had a really good time with my friend Byron (the Drummer from Pennywise) in the Suite as well as Robbie Maddison (free style rider) who was suppose to be in the action at X but was injured shortly before so he was a spectator with the rest of us. I get so jacked up watching all the different events cause I have tried most of them (and failed miserably) lol and to see the different athletes do the craziest of things with such ease just floors me. On the last day of Summer X, I got invited to go down to Mexico with the Nitro Circus to ride jet skis in the ocean, so be sure to check the story from there. Later