January 6, 2014 – Monster Energy/Arctic Cat’s Tucker Hibbert continued his undefeated season by sweeping rounds five and six of the ISOC National Snocross tour at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn. Hibbert recorded his 85th Pro National snocross victory Friday night, eclipsing Blair Morgan’s long-standing record to become the winningest rider in the history of the sport.
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- Image by John Hanson
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- Image by John Hanson
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- Image by ArcticInsider.com
Both Friday and Saturday, Hibbert entered the Pro Open finals as the number one qualifier, giving him top choice for starting position each 15-rider main event. He ripped the Stud Boy Traction holeshot in Friday’s final and rode nearly mistake free en route to his record-breaking victory. Saturday night, he faced his biggest challenge of the season after No. 837 Ross Martin took early control of the race. Halfway through the 14-lap contest, Hibbert began a three-lap charge to crush Martin’s three-second lead. In striking distance of Martin, Hibbert went wide in the only right-hand corner of the track, giving him a hard pull into the upcoming rhythm section to make a clean pass. Once up-front, Hibbert quickly gapped Martin to ride the remaining laps unchallenged.
With his performance in Shakopee, Hibbert now has a 53-point lead in the ISOC Pro Open Championship. As the national tour takes a month break, Hibbert will turn all his focus to X Games Aspen. The 11-time X Games snocross medalist will travel to Colorado this week to train and test for the world’s premier action sports event. Hibbert’s attempt to become the first athlete in history to win seven consecutive gold medals will be televised live on ESPN Sunday, January 26.
Tucker Hibbert – #68 Monster Energy/Arctic Cat
“Breaking Blair’s record was cool because it brought up a bunch of memories of racing with him. We had the best battles. He pushed me hard and taught me a lot about race strategy. It’s exciting to have the record but honestly, it’s not about records for me. I just want to do the best I can every time I’m on the track.
I never anticipate having a perfect weekend so when it happens, it’s rewarding. Saturday’s final was a challenge. Ross got out front early and was riding strong while I was struggling to find a consistent groove. I was fast in some sections then would make a mistake and it’d throw off my rhythm. Eventually, I put my head down and focused on riding my lines. Once I did that, I reeled him in pretty quick. I saw the opportunity to make the pass but it took me two laps to get a clean drive into that right-hand corner. After I took the lead, I got into a few lappers but for the most part, I was able to keep pushing and riding the lines I wanted to.
I’m excited for X Games. It’s a cool challenge to get ready for that race. The track is always big and fun to race on. There’s a lot of pressure to win with the seven-peat on the line but I’ve had pressure to do well at X for most of my career. The goal is to win and I’m ready to do what it takes to make it happen.”
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