Bosum sleds his way to victory in season’s first event
A Cree rider finished atop the podium as the 2018 snocross season got underway in late January.
Nathaniel Bosum of Oujé-Bougoumou powered his 600cc Arctic-Cat to victory in the Pro 2 category at the Grand Prix Snocross Shawinigan, the first of seven events on this year’s SCMX snocross circuit.
Bosum has high hopes for the 2018 snocross season. The 28-year-old has his eyes on the 2018 riders’ championship after finishing fifth overall on the SCMX Pro standings in 2017. A rider since the tender age of 15, Bosum first discovered snocross after several years of competitive motocross racing.
“I was riding motocross since I turned five,” Bosum told the Nation. “I turned pro when I was 15, and before that every winter I went to Florida or Georgia to train, but each year it started to get more and more expensive. So eventually we made the decision to stay home because of education.”
While school came before motocross, it did not put an end to Bosum’s racing career. With the help of older brother Reggie, an accomplished snowmobile rider, Nathaniel filled the void by getting on a sled.
“It was the sport in our family,” continued Nathaniel. Indeed, Bosum’s other brother, Curtis, has also been active in competitive snowmobile racing. Meanwhile, Reggie, a long-time cross-country racer, is currently assisting his son Trevor in launching a budding snow rally career.
After leaving high school, Nathaniel stepped away from snocross for several years while pursuing a post-secondary education in marketing communications, but has steadily deepened his involvement in the sport after returning to action three years ago.
“My first season back I was limited by injury, so last year was my first full season, and things are going pretty good,” he said.
While the additional preparation paid dividends in his season-opening victory in Shawinigan, Bosum struggled at the second SCMX event of the season in Saint-Henri-de-Lévis, turning in a disappointing ninth-place finish, but remains confident going into the most important event of the circuit in Valcourt during the second weekend of February.
Held annually since 1983 and hosted by Bombardier, the Grand Prix Ski-Doo de Valcourt brings together over 30,000 spectators for a weekend of snowmobile, snocross, ATV and oval ice racing. In addition to riders from Quebec, the event also features riders from Ontario and the US, presenting Bosum and other Quebec riders with their biggest challenge of the season.
The SCMX circuit continues in Saguenay on the weekend of February 24-25 before moving on to Roberval March 3-4, and Baie-Comeau March 10-11, before wrapping up the season with La Soirée des Champions in La Dore on March 24-25.
Snowmobile action is also set to get underway in Eeyou Istchee during the months of February and March.
The Chisasibi Snowmobile Challenge runs February 15-18, with a $50,000 first prize going to the winners of the two-man cross-country race. The action moves to Mistissini on the weekend of February 23-25 for this year’s Mistissini Cross-Country Championship. The annual Cross-Country Festival Folifret gets underway on March 3 with a 345-km race through boreal forest, and a popular 60-km event for antique snowmobile enthusiasts.