Levi LaValle performs during Snowmobile Freestyle at Winter X 2018 in Aspen, CO – USA, January 26, 2018.
Longville, MN (January 27, 2018) – Buttermilk Mountain in beautiful Aspen, Colorado has been the host of the Winter X Games since 2002. For 2018, the Winter X Games welcomed back the return of Snowmobile Speed and Style and Snowmobile Freestyle. Team LaVallee’s Levi LaVallee was invited by X Games to compete in both events. This is LaVallee’s 10 year anniversary of starting into the Freestyle world when the opportunity of Speed and Style presented itself back in 2008, LaVallee was intrigued by this new event that was a combination of snowmobile racing and freestyle.
Levi LaValle performs during Speed and Style at Winter X 2018 in Aspen, CO – USA, January 25, 2018.
“I have always loved throwing tricks for the crowd while racing snocross, when I got word that X Games was going to have an event with a mix of racing and tricks, I had the itch to learn how to flip and get some other tricks together. The qualifier competition was a month before X Games and I had nothing to lose, I went out and won that event. It gave me that added confidence and introduced me to a whole new world of competition. I came into that X Games as a newbie and won Gold in Speed and Style and Gold in Freestyle. That is where it all began.” – Levi LaVallee
Levi LaValle performs during Snowmobile Freestyle at Winter X 2018 in Aspen, CO – USA, January 26, 2018.
Thursday was the kick-off to Winter X Games 2018, with the return of Snowmobile Speed and Style. LaVallee started off with solid seeding and earning the top spot for the bracket-style event. In Round 1, LaVallee (1st position) was paired up with Poirier in the 8th place spot. LaVallee advance to the semi-finals where he went against Davis. LaVallee’s run advanced to the final Gold vs Silver round against Turcotte. While LaVallee’s tricks were solid and his speed was faster than Turcotte’s, LaVallee’s tricks were scored close but not enough to earn Gold. LaVallee walked away with an exciting Silver Medal Thursday night.
Friday, Day 2 at Winter X was all about Freestyle, the final day of snowmobile events. While LaVallee looked great in practice, he knew he was stacked against the best snowmobile freestyle riders in the world and he would have his work cut out for him. Freestyle is an event where you get 75 seconds to hit as many ramps as you can, execute your tricks smoothly, and you are given 2 runs to try and out-beat your competitors scores. In LaVallee’s 1st run, he raced the course, was able to get in 8 hits into the 75 seconds and had an awesome run scoring him in the 2nd place (Silver spot). In his second Run, LaVallee went out with the same tricks and executing them flawlessly, advancing his score to 88.00 and secured his second Silver Medal of Winter X Games 2018. Congratulations Levi on an amazing performance!
“There has been a lot of years at X Games, 10 years since I started into the Freestyle disciplines and 16 years competing at X Games. I have earned 13 medals, 7 of them are gold. And these last two Silvers that were earned this year mean more than you know. Huge thank you to my crew, friends, family, and partners who’ve helped me earn these medals. None of this would be possible without your support.” – Levi LaVallee
COMING UP
ERX Eliminator – ERX Motor Park, Elk River, MN – February 2, 2018
Polaris UpsideDownTown – Super Bowl Live, 11th & Nicollet – February 3, 2018 – 1:30PM
Salamanca National – Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino, Salamanca, NY – February 16-17, 2018
PHOTOS / ©WayneDavisPhotography & ©ChristianPondella
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