January 28, 2013 – Monster Energy/Arctic Cat’s Tucker Hibbert permanently stamped his name in the record books Sunday afternoon by winning the first-ever gold medal six-peat at a (winter) X Games event at X Games Aspen 2013. Hibbert won his eleventh overall medal in a dominating run against the world’s top snocross riders on a one-minute long track stacked with big air jumps and technical rhythm sections.
Photo credit: John Hanson
Hibbert turned the fastest lap in practice giving him the number one seed for his qualifying round. He rode with aggression into the first turn and entered the first rhythm section third of 12 riders. With the top-five transferring into the final, he knew he was in a safe position but wanted to push his way to the front. By the end of lap two of eight, he moved into the lead and ran away with the win.
After spending time analyzing the track and start line before the final, he chose the second from the inside starting position. He launched off the line, slid into the first corner and got hooked with No. 837 Ross Martin. After momentarily balancing on one ski, he regained control and slotted into second place behind Martin. Near the end of lap one of 16, Hibbert made a clean pass on Martin in the sweeping right corner under the monster 100-ft double. From there, he pulled a gap and settled into the lead to win his seventh gold medal and the first-ever gold medal six-peat.
Photo credit: John Hanson
Next up for Hibbert are rounds seven and eight of the ISOC National Snocross tour this weekend in Deadwood, S.D. where he currently holds the points lead in the Pro Open Championship.
Tucker Hibbert – #68 Monster Energy/Arctic Cat
“The first corner of the main event got intense. I drove in pretty hard, slid sideways and got hooked with Ross (Martin). I thought for a second I was going to get spun around backwards but then realized it was okay. I knew I was second or third out of the first turn so I played it safe in the second corner because I knew there were a lot of guys around and behind me. Once I got around Ross, I kept pushing as hard as a could for a few laps to open a gap. Fortunately, I opened that gap pretty quick then just focused on going fast and not making any mistakes. By the last lap, I figured I was in a safe position so I started fist pumping a little early.
The track was awesome. It was super technical and got really rough, which is not normal for X Games. That mixed with the long lap times made it really fun. We don’t always get those big jumps and rhythm sections at a national event so it makes X different and special.
At first, I was just excited about the win and was thinking about how hard we (the team) worked to get ready. I was relieved a little bit. I didn’t think about the six-peat until people started asking and talking about it. It’s a cool feeling getting the six-peat. Maybe it hasn’t sunk in yet but I know it’s a honor to hold this record and it’s really cool to see Shaun White (Snowboard Superpipe) follow with his six-peat.”
Photo credit: John Hanson
Resources: tucker-hibbert.com • monsterenergy.com • arcticcat.com • xgames.com
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