Dalton Resident Ranks Third in National Snocross Race
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Sal LeBeau on his machine with his sister, Kenna, in the black hat, and friend Brandon and his sister Alea.
Last weekend, LaBeau raced in the Mount Zion Snocross National race in Ironwood, Mich., the first of eight races in the national circuit series.
Competitions take place across national circuits, attracting racers from various regions and even internationally.
Labeau rides for CT Motorsports, a team based in Upstate New York, on a 2025 Polaris 600R.
This is LaBeau's first time competing on the CT Motorsports team. Years prior, he raced for a team owned by Bruce Gaspardi, owner of South Side Sales and Service in North Adams.
Despite a bad first day on Friday when he fell off his snowmobile and didn't make the final, LaBeau carried on with confidence and on Saturday obtained his first national podium, placing in third for the Sport Lite class.
"I'm feeling good. I'm gonna start training more when I come home, and go to the gym more. And I am really excited, because I'm in 11th right now," the Wahconah High student said.
LaBeau's best time around the track was 33.563 seconds, 5.699 seconds behind first-place racer Ryder Hayes and 1.783 seconds behind second-place Carter vanHorsigh.
During the race, LaBeau also achieved a holeshot — the first racer to get through the apex of the first turn at the beginning of the race.
Overall this year, he is hoping to get in the top five in points.
Individuals in the Sport Lite class are the "best of the best." They practice early in the morning, said Brandon Hyte, former teammate and longtime friend of LaBeau.
LaBeau works very hard and deserves to be recognized, Hyte said.
The racers are ranked through two rounds of qualifying and heat races based on finishing positions and passing points to determine their spots in the finals. The top riders get the "front row," those with lower points are in the back row or eliminated.
Some riders who didn't make it are given an LCQ, or last chance qualifier, to be placed in the back row.
LaBeau qualified sixth for the front row, so he was able to select where he started; some people take the middle left or right sides. He selected the second spot on the left.
He expressed deep gratitude for his family's unwavering support, which enables him to pursue his passion for racing.
"It really got me and my family closer because we always travel together. I like riding snowmobiles. I like hitting jumps. It's fun. [I like the] adrenaline," LaBeau said.
The activity has been a family affair with his dad, Jeremy LaBeau of JRL Construction, who is his mechanic.
He has also received a lot of support from the community and family, including his dad's friend Jason Smegal of J Smegal Roofing and his uncle Robert LeBeau of LeBeau Landscaping.
He has about 21 sponsors total, receiving sponsorships from many other organizations including Polaris, Redline oil, Venom, 139 designs, C&A pro ski, Bernaiche builders, and more.
LaBeau hopes to one day become a pro so that this passion can become his career.
Tags: snowmobiles,
