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February 3, 2014 – Monster Energy/Arctic Cat’s Tucker Hibbert rode with the determination of a true champion at the ISOC National Snocross Deadwood Shootout in southwestern South Dakota. From a caution zone disqualification Friday, to a show-stopping rally from the back of the pack Saturday, Hibbert persevered to maintain his points lead in the coveted Pro Open Championship.

The Days of ‘76 Rodeo grounds featured a sub 30-second track with a mix of man-made and natural snow. The short, tight course caused uncomfortably close racing. Despite winning all his qualifying rounds and putting on impressive comeback rides both main events, Hibbert’s final results were polar opposite.

After ripping the holeshot in Friday night’s final, Hibbert was pushed off the track in turn two. He quickly regained his composure, reentered the course and started his drive to the front of the 14-rider field. On lap 20 of 22, he moved into podium position and striking distance of the lead. The following lap, he clipped a down rider’s sled on the front rhythm section and crashed. He quickly remounted to finish in sixth place. After the race, he learned he was disqualified for jumping through a caution zone and would receive no points for his finish. Unaware of his actions, he reviewed video footage of the infraction with officials and accepted his penalty.

In Saturday night’s final, he lined up on the inside and again pulled the holeshot but quickly found himself on the ground after Kody Kamm delivered a hard hit. Uninjured, Hibbert ran back to his sled while 13 riders flew past him. He put his head down and diced his way around riders with unparalleled determination, bringing the entire crowd to its feet. On lap 17 of 22, he laid down the fastest lap of the night and cut the final three seconds off of Tim Tremblay’s once 13-second lead. Hibbert and Tremblay hit the finish line jump side-by-side on lap 19 and with the inside line, Hibbert had the pull he needed to make the pass. With a clean lead, Hibbert kept charging to win the race by over four seconds.

Image by John Hanson

Hibbert will take his 50-point lead to rounds nine and ten of the ISOC National Snocross tour in Salamanca, New York this weekend. Watch all the action live online at ustream.com/isoc.

Image by John Hanson

Tucker Hibbert – #68 Monster Energy/Arctic Cat
“This weekend was a crazy mix of emotions for me. I had one of my worst races Friday night and then one of my best Saturday night. The tight track made for intense racing and I was not super comfortable all weekend. I’m not a big fan of small tracks and happy to get through the weekend safe and ready for the second half of the season. I wanted to win more than ever Saturday night after being taken out of the lead in the second corner of both finals. I got up and going as fast as I could. I started charging and gauging my progress off the race leader. I rode as hard as I could within my limits and never let up until I had cleared the finish line with the win. Big thanks to my team for sticking with me and staying focused through the wild weekend.”

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A “Tip of the Checkered Flag” to Fenhaus Racing for taking home some W’s in Alexandria!

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January 27, 2014 – Monster Energy/Arctic Cat’s Tucker Hibbert captured his seventh consecutive Snocross gold medal Sunday afternoon with a dominant performance at X Games Aspen 2014. The 12-time medalist is the first winter athlete to win seven back-to-back gold medals and is tied with snowboarder Kelly Clark to hold the most medals in one X Games discipline.

Images by John Hanson

Hibbert immediately set pace on Buttermilk Mountain’s technical counterclockwise track by laying down the fastest lap(44.4 seconds) in Sunday morning’s timed practice giving him number one pick in the 12-rider, 8-lap qualifying race. He was quick off the line in his heat race and led every lap to earn a direct ticket into the final.

With temperatures in the mid-30s and a clear blue sky, 15 of the world’s top snocross riders lined up for the 16-lap final event. Hibbert pulled a massive holeshot down the start straight and nearly high-sided in the 180-degree left-hand turn but kept his sled under control to hit the first rhythm section out front. With every lap, he extended his lead while the track continued to deteriorate and become more challenging. With full control of the race, he backed down to ride the remaining laps smart and smooth to capture his eighth overall gold medal by 13 seconds.

Hibbert and his team will now travel to Deadwood, South Dakota for rounds seven and eight of the ISOC National Snocross tour. Stay connected to tucker-hibbert.com to follow him chase his eighth pro national snocross title this winter.

Images by John Hanson

Tucker Hibbert – #68 Monster Energy/Arctic Cat
“It’s rewarding to get another gold. X Games is a super fun race and an event I’ve been taking really serious for quite a few years. It’s the goal to have everything go as smooth as it did and I’m really excited about it. I felt really confident and comfortable on the track all weekend. I know that confidence comes from the hard work, practice and testing we put in as a team before the race. I strongly believe in our program and it pulled us through this weekend again. The racetrack was pretty technical. The timing sections up the hill were tricky and it was choppy coming down the hill. It was really a mix of everything and one of the more challenging tracks we’ve had at X Games. I’m a racer and I’m motivated to win. I have to keep working hard and doing what I’m doing. I believe I have more years of winning in me and am excited for what the future holds.”

X Games Aspen 2014 – Snocross Final Replay
https://xgames.espn.go.com/video/10356056/monster-energy-snowmobile-snocross-final

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Hat-Tip to Castle-sponsored racer Oliver O. for taking the “W” at the KC Pro West Karlstad Race!

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Is lucky #7 on the horizon? Heck Yes! Go Tucker!

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One of our Castle sponsored racers really put the hammer down at Eagle River!

Michael Lehman placed 4th in Masters Sno Pro 340 IFS X (The trophy is taller than a seven year old!), and placed 9th in Sno Pro 340 IFS X – Both with his 1981 factory racer.

Michael also placed 5th in Semi-Pro Champ, and 5th in the World Championship Semi-Feature (top two go to back row of World Championship) at the derby this last weekend.

Way to go Michael, and keep the hammer down!

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#PolarVortex

Christie Green, Assistant Editor at American Snowmobiler magazine braved the #PolarVortex in her Castle Gear! Check out an excerpt of Christie’s review below.

With snowmobile season in full swing, your honey maybe feeling a little lonely and wanting to jump on the back of the sled for some quality time. Before handing her a pair of your old smelly boots and gear, take her to a local dealer and check out the variety of gear that is now specifically made for her! If she feels comfortable and semi-attractive, riding together will have less nagging and more woo-hoos.

As a woman on the staff, I have noticed the variety of options and fits for female riders has improved over the years. You can now look “cute” at the local watering hole after riding and less like a linebacker. This year’s season started earlier than normal for me, when I attended the New York Shootout with Associate Editor Ross Halvorson. We joked us attending it brought the most snow in the history of the event. With all the snow and temps dipping below zero, the base layers and gear I had on kept me happily filming and photographing all day. In addition, we rode the next day in upstate New York. And I learned that if you are “ejected” off your sled, by accident of course, having padding in the butt of your pant helps alleviate the bruising.

That padding came from Castle’s Fuel G4 pant. Castle’s Bliss jacket and Fuel G4 pant have delivered great resistance to the cold and Polar Vortex we have lived through this year. Wind and heavy wet snow challenged this gear in New York, and the gear just laughed in the face of it! In addition, I have received compliments on the cut of the jacket not looking bulky. An added plus, is this gear has pockets galore! There are so many pockets you can actually forget where you put your cellphone. Not that I would ever have that problem though.

Read more at amsnow.com

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January 21, 2014 – Monster Energy/Arctic Cat’s Tucker Hibbert is determined to make history at X Games Aspen 2014 with his attempt to become the first athlete to win seven consecutive gold medals. Sunday’s Monster Energy SnoCross event at Buttermilk Mountain will mark the 11-time medalist’s 14th appearance at X Games.

It’s already been a record-breaking season for Hibbert. Earlier this month, he eclipsed legend Blair Morgan’s long-standing snocross pro national win record to become the most-winning racer in the history of the sport. Hibbert’s currently six-for-six on the 2013/2014 ISOC National Snocross tour and has a firm grip on points in the Pro Open Championship.

Year-after-year X Games boasts the biggest and boldest track of the season, a course style Hibbert favors. Through timed and race qualifications, the SnoCross field will be cut from 24 to 15 riders. Watch Hibbert race for the gold medal seven-peat live on ESPN Sunday from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

Tucker Hibbert – #68 Monster Energy/Arctic Cat
“I feel really good about how the season is going so far and feel better than ever on the racetrack. Going into X Games, I have a lot of confidence. I know we’re (the team) doing everything we can to be prepared so I’m excited to get to Aspen and ride the course. The X Games track is always my favorite track of the year – big jumps, technical sections and big banked turns.

I take every race very serious, especially X Games. We put a lot of effort into this event and have already been in Colorado for a couple weeks testing at altitude. I feel strong and am confident we have my sled dialed-in.”

Media Opportunity
X Games Aspen 2014 Press Conference – Wednesday, Jan. 22, 3 – 4 p.m. MT
Watch Live Online: www.xgames.com

Tucker Hibbert – At-A-Glance
14th Appearance at X Games
2013: Gold
2011: Gold
2010: Gold
2009: Gold
2008: Gold
2007: Gold
2006: DNQ
2005: Silver
2004: Silver
2003: Bronze
2002: Silver
2001: DNF
2000: Gold

Fast Facts
• Hometown: Pelican Rapids, Minnesota
• 11-Time X Games Medalist
• Seven-Time National Snocross Champion – 86 National Pro Wins
• 2012 and 2010 FIM Snowcross World Champion

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