Hibbert Completes Pro Sweep In Duluth

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The T-Train kept rolling Sunday at Spirit Mountain in Duluth, Minnesota, as Tucker Hibbert rolled over the competition in the Pro Open final.

Hibbert, 25, was unbeaten last year in ISOC racing action, and he started this season with the same dominating style, winning every time his Arctic Cat sleds took to the track. He now has 48 wins as a Pro on the national circuit.

Originally slated for the traditional Thanksgiving weekend but postponed due to unseasonably warm weather, weather today on the shores of Lake Superior was cold, making the racetrack hard and fast with thick snowdust that challenged the racers.

The early lead in the 22-lap Pro Open final was claimed by Robbie Malinoski, riding his first weekend as part of the Amsoil Schuering Speed Sports team in the Amsoil sponsored Pro Open class at the Amsoil Duluth National on the Amsoil Championship Snocross Series across the harbor from Amsoil’s headquarters in Superior, Wisconsin.

Pressure? Maybe, but the real pressure was being mounted by Hibbert. Within a couple of laps Hibbert moved into the lead and never looked back. He ended up winning the final by eight seconds, but it was never close, as he built a full straight-away lead within the first eight laps and then held it through lapped traffic.

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Sunday morning notebook in Duluth

It’s Sunday, and we’re getting ready to head to the track. Here are some quick notes from yesteday:

• Tucker Hibbert’s victory in Pro Stock is his 47th Pro victory in the national snocross scene, according to ISOC officials. Even more impressively, it continues an unbeaten string for the racer that goes back a couple years. He won every regular season Pro final he entered last year, and won the ESPN Winter X Games before leaving to go chase his motocross dreams.
• Today is the Pro Open class, but it likely will be run without the defending points champion, TJ Gulla. Gulla left the track on a stretcher yesterday afternoon after being hit in the head by a passing sled as he scrambled to get off the track after a crash. Unofficial reports say that Gulla did wake at the hospital and does have use of all of his limbs, which is obviously fabulous news after a scary looking crash.
• The crowd is down slightly here in Duluth due to the move from Thanksgiving weekend until now due to the weather, but it’s still quite impressive. And the biggest crowd, we’re sure, will show up today.
• Check back later today for a rundown of Pro Open and Semi-Pro Stock — we’ll be posting updates from the media room right at Spirit Mountain.

Pro Preview: Snocross Racing Kicks Off In Duluth

Will Tucker Hibbert continue his unbeaten string?

Will defending points champions TJ Gulla (Pro Open) and Levi Lavallee (Pro Stock) show some early season muscle? Maybe Brett Bender’s start will continue to rise, or Garth Kaufman will fight his way to the front.

Tucker Hibbert will look to repeat at Duluth

And what about Robbie Malinoski, running his first race on the black Amsoil sleds in front of the Amsoil brass at the Amsoil Duluth National on the Amsoil Championship Snocross Circuit? You want to talk about pressure!

The track is built, the pits are filling and the racing is about to begin on the national snocross scene. It’s time to line up the sleds and separate the tough talk from the BS. Let’s take a look at the leading competitors, then go to our Message Boards to make your predictions:

No. 68 – Tucker Hibbert: The sport’s most talented driver competed in four race weekends last year and won all eight finals. He then claimed X Games gold on his Arctic Cat before leaving the sport for motocross.

No. 44 – TJ Gulla: Claimed his third class championship last year, though he won only two races on his Polaris. Strong, consistent veteran driver from Vermont.

No. 108 – Levi Lavallee Accomplished and personable snocross and freestyle star who earned the Pro Stock points title last year and finished third in Pro Open. Minnesota driver has a new Polaris team this year.

No. 48 – Garth Kaufman Had 11 top 5 finishes last year en route to second in points in Pro Stock and fourth in Pro Open on his Arctic Cats. This former acclaimed freestyle video star has proved tough to beat on the track as well.

No. 19 – Brett Bender Second-generation racer finished second in Pro Open points last year and is considered a rising star for Polaris. The Boston, New York, native won three Pro finals last year en route to the ISOC Rookie Of The Year award.

No. 57 – Ryan Simons Alberta native qualified for every Pro final last year and had two podiums at this Duluth track last year. Finished fifth in Pro Open points and fourth in Pro Stock on his Cats.

No. 2 – Steve Taylor Veteran racer returns to Ski-Doo this year after competing the past two years on Yamahas. Strong showing at last year’s X Games shows this BC native still has a ton of talent.

No. 4 – Robbie Malinoski Former two-time Pro points champion switches to the Schuering Speed Sports team this year, and most expect this Saskatchewan racer to do very well on the black sleds.

2007-08 points champ Ross Martin returns from injury this year.

No. 837 – Ross Martin

Don’t forget about this Polaris racer – he’s a two-time Pro Open points champion who is coming off an injury. Wisconsin racer is hungry to get back in the action.

No. 93 – Iain Hayden Talented Canadian is flying the Yamaha flag again this year, meaning he’ll only be in the Pro Open class. Definitely worth watching. Update Hayden will not be at Duluth this weekend — he’ll be attending a CSRA race instead.

Other Notables: Hometown boy Bobby LePage (No. 244 Pol) moves up to a full-time pro this year, as does Paul Bauerly (No. 24 Cat), Cory Davis (No. 160 Cat), Christian Salemark (No. 8 Doo), Dan Ebert (No. 60 Cat), Wes Selby (No. 15 Cat) and Tim Tremblay (No. 11 Doo). European champ Emil Ohman (No. 27 Doo) makes his North American debut at Duluth, while speedy up-and-comers Zach Pattyn (No. 99 Cat) and Andrew Johnstad (No. 255 Pol) shouldn’t be overlooked, not should Matt Piche (No. 51), who moves from Cat to Polaris this year. Parker Brown (No. 119 Pol) is aiming to be the next big thing from the mountain west, while Matt Judnick (No. 58 Pol) looks for more consistent finishes.

Ready to make your picks? We’ll have a little selection pool on our Trash Talkers Message Board for Sunday’s Pro Open final. Make your picks by late Saturday to enter — you could win a prize but, more importantly, bragging rights.

Polaris Racers Win Both Semi-Pro Classes at Duluth, Earn Podium Spots in Both Pro Classes

Bobby LePage, Dylan Martin Open ISOC Season With Semi-Pro Wins

Posted on Behalf of Polaris Industries

MEDINA, MN (Dec. 1, 2008) – Polaris racers swept the Semi-Pro classes and earned podium positions in both the Pro classes at the ISOC season opener held November 28-30 in Duluth, Minnesota. Polaris racer Bobby LePage (Hentges Racing) won the Semi-Pro Open class and Dylan Martin (Martin Racing Inc.) won Semi-Pro Super Stock.

Levi LaVallee (Hentges Racing) took second place in the Pro Super Stock final and was one of four Polaris racers in the top 10. In the Pro Open final, defending class champion Ross Martin (Judnick Motorsports) finished third, one of six Polaris racers in the top 12 at Duluth. In Pro Women’s Super Stock, defending class champion Kylie Abrahamson (Avalanche Racing) finished second.

“Everybody has stepped up their game for this season, and our guys will definitely be facing tough competition at every race,” said Polaris Racing Manager Tom Rager, Sr. “It’s good to get a race under our belts and see where we stand. We’ve got plenty of work to do, but we still feel a lot of our guys should have very strong seasons.”

Pro Finals Run 30 Laps: The AMSOIL Duluth National held at Spirit Mountain was the 17th annual snocross season opener held in Duluth. It was the first race with ISOC as the national racing sanctioning body, and the changes ISOC implemented included Pro finals that lasted 30 laps.

In Pro Open, Martin posted the highest Polaris finish, followed by: Shaun Crapo (Scheuring Speed Sports) in seventh; TJ Gulla (Hentges Racing) in ninth; Matt Judnick (Judnick Motorsports) in 10th; D.J. Eckstrom (Scheuring Speed Sports) in 11th; and LaVallee in 12th.

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