Rilee Nowacyzk is Michigan’s Next Up and Coming Pro-Am Women Snocross Rider
By: Dom Santina
Since she was five years old, Rilee Nowacyzk has found the speed and height of snocross racing thrilling. Now a teenager from Holland, Michigan. Nowacyzk is preparing for her second season of racing professionally in the Amsoil Snocross series as part of the Pro-Amateur Women’s class.
Like many racers, Nowacyzk started her career by racing a 200 cc snowmobile at the grassroots level of the Michigan regional series. She rose through the ranks to reach the highest level of female snowmobile racing. On the regional circuit, she races the pro women’s class and challenges herself by racing in some of the boys’ divisions. However, the big change came from the national circuit, as Nowacyzk was now 14 years old and was required to jump from junior classes to the Pro-Am Women class.
2023-2024 Race Season
On the regional level, Nowacyzk ran a partial schedule in the pro women’s class to earn a second-place finish in the standings. After the halfway point of the season, she switched from pro women to race in the Sport class, which was comprised of a mix of different talent levels. In just four races, she could climb through the points to an eighth-place finish out of 14 riders.
While on the national level, Nowacyzk’s rookie season had its ups, downs, and learning moments. The move to the Pro-Am Women class also meant having a fully powered snowmobile. After years of riding with a throttle block, the transition to full power while flying 20 feet in the air was nerve-wracking. It wasn’t until late into the season that the switch was completely made.
In her first national race, she made it through the last-chance qualifier and into the final, a big accomplishment in her debut. Her confidence grew, and it started to pay off, as she earned her first top-10 finish of the season the same weekend in Ironwood, Michigan.
As the season continued, Nowacyzk often proved she was more of a contender than a pretender. She would back up the top 10 finish with six more throughout the 2023-2024 season. The highlight came during round seven when the circuit traveled to Valcourt, Quebec, Canada, where Nowacyzk earned her career-best sixth-place finish.
While Nowacyzk continued to improve, sometimes it takes pushing yourself to the edge to get to the results you want. That is exactly what happened in the final races of the season. The 2023-2024 race season ended with a showdown between regional racers and the final two rounds of ISOC National series. While trying to compete for both the win in the Showdown and the race win for the national series, Nowacyzk took hard crashes that sent her to the medical trailer. Nowacyzk found herself in the top three off the starting line. However, a tricky rhythm section grabbed a handful of riders and ended their night.
While it was not quite the way she wanted to end her season, Nowacyzk was thrilled with how it went overall:
“ I thought my first year in pro women went really well. It was really cool and a lot different than I was expecting it to be.”
She was now racing against some of the biggest names in female snocross, ones she had watched growing up. That did not make her star-struck, but it did provide some of her favorite memories in her rookie season.
“It was probably in Duluth (Minn.) when I was finishing top 3 in my heats and keeping up with some of the top riders for the first time this season,” said Nowacyzk.
Nowacyzk finished 10th in national points for the 2023 – 2024 season, just 11 points behind a tie for eighth and ninth. She scored 38 points ahead of 11th place rider in the points standings. A very solid showing in her rookie year.
2024 – 2025
As she starts looking towards the upcoming season, Nowaczyk does not have any big goals set, but more just continuing to enjoy her passion:
“ I am excited to just get back on the sled and have fun and try to get a lot faster,” said Nowacyzk.
The national schedule for the 2024-2025 season has not yet been released. However, we know she will continue to race at the regional level as part of the Michigan Snocross.
While there is a whole season ahead, Nowacyzk has never strayed away from pushing herself to get better. So, you can bet to see her line up against some of the boys in her age division, while possibly running pro-women or other classes, depending on how many riders make it to the starting line.
In her second season, Nowacyzk has the opportunity to continue progressing, getting more comfortable, and putting herself on the radar of the national circuit. She will have to contend with a strong top-four in the class, but she could easily sneak out some top-five finishes. She could also be in the running to surprise people by ending up on the podium. However, those familiar with Nowacyzk’s riding ability can see this as a real possibility.
Nowacyzk will be competing for her family team, Nowacyzk Racing, aboard a Polaris. You can follow along with the ISOC National Snocross series on FloRacing. A more local opportunity to watch Nowacyzk race is in the Michigan Snocross series at the Northern Power Race Park in Mancelona, Michigan. You can find all the information for the Michigan Snocross series at Northerpowerracepark.com or on their social media pages. •