Will New Swedish Sensation Remind Of The Flying Finn?

Quick: Name your favorite Scandinavian snocross star!

            When most North American snowmobile race fans think of racers from Scandinavia, the first name that pops into their head is Toni Haikonen. The “Flying Finn” came stateside in the mid 1990s and changed our sport with his high-flying, dynamic style that made him a joy to watch on the track.

            What’s even more amazing, looking back at the pictures now, is that Toni made his big impact racing on an F-chassis Ski-Doo. They seemed mildly OK back then (though certainly not as nimble as the Polaris and Arctic Cat race sleds at the time), but go back and look at a photo of one of those behemoths now – would you want to air one of those beasts out?

            Following Toni, we had several snowmobile racers come from across the pond and win a national snocross race here or there. Per Berggren proved he could come up big on occasion, and Tomi Ahmasalo was consistent and stronger than an entire team of oxen. Contributor Lynn Keillor reminded me this morning of Chris Hugo Vangen, a Norwegian racer who came over here for a race, made a splash but then was booted out of the country because his paperwork wasn’t complete to allow him to stay here and make money.

            The last couple of years, we’ve seen a new wave of imports. In fact, last year Christian Salemark and Emil Ohman became the first Swedes to compete at the Winter X Games in snocross since Berggren and Jonas Perrson ran in 1999.

            Well now you’ve got another name to learn: Johan Lidman.

            Earlier this week, Team Sportech Racing announced that the 19-year-old Swede will be racing in the Pro classes this year aboard an Arctic Cat and racing out of their trailer. The full press release is below.

    [Read more]

Hibbert Reasserts Himself At Canterbury

 

Lessons in survival: Don’t get between a momma bear and her cubs; don’t tug on Superman’s cap; don’t try to take food away from Warren Sapp; and don’t antagonize Tucker Hibbert.

            The Arctic Cat racer known as T Train steamrolled the competition Saturday night in rainy conditions at Shakopee, Minnesota’s Canterbury Park, grabbing an early holeshot and winning in truly dominating fashion – crossing the finish line 32 seconds ahead of second-place Dan Ebert to claim his 51^st victory in national snocross racing.

            Hibbert suffered his only defeat of the past season-and-a-half a couple of weeks ago at the ISOC national near Salt Lake City, Utah. He entered this weekend ultra-determined, and it showed. He entered the final as the number one qualifier, and made a mockery of his competition in the final.  

            Off the starting line, the co-holeshots went to Polaris’ Brett Bender, who rocketed through the first turn on the outside, and Hibbert, who used a more central line. While Bender got caught up in some loose snow, Hibbert got traction and rocketed into the next set of turns. In the pack, Ebert traded paint with some other competitors and emerged in third.

            It took another lap for Ebert to move past Bender, but his efforts to chase down his mentor proved very much in vain. Lap after lap, Hibbert gained one or two seconds over the rest of the field, leaving everybody far, far behind. Four laps into the 20-lap final, Hibbert’s lead was 4 seconds. Four laps later, the lead was 8.5 seconds. Four laps after that, the lead was 13.8 seconds – and growing.

            While other racers tired, Hibbert got faster, slicing through lapped traffic with ease. Four laps later? The lead was now 22.3 seconds – and still growing. Ebert, the winning of the cross-country Red Lake I-500 one week earlier on his No. 60 Arctic Cat, ran a very solid race, and outran a very talented field to claim second, but he was no match for Hibbert.

            Bender similarly held third through most of the race and earned podium exposure with a third-place finish. Polaris racer Levi Lavallee held fourth through most of the race but couldn’t hold off a late challenge by Ski-Doo’s Tim Trembley, the winner at Utah who claimed fourth with two laps left and held the spot to the finish. Lavallee ended up fifth.

            The rest of the top 10 were Ross Martin (Pol), Emil Ohman (Doo), Corey Davis (Cat), Robbie Malinoski (Pol) and Matt Judnick (Pol).

            The Pro Open final will be run Saturday at Canterbury.

            In Semi-Pro Stock racing Saturday night, Logan Christian of Fertile, Minnesota, took the victory on his Arctic Cat. Combined with his second in this class at Duluth, third at Milwaukee and foruth in Utah, Christian is setting himself up well in the points race in this class. Justin Broberg finished second, followed by Dylan Martin and Matt Pichner.

Andrew Carlson Wins Elk River Semi-Pro Open

Elk River, Minnesota (January 5, 2010) – Racing your home track  is usually always cause for celebration, but this past weekend such jubilation was held in check for Team Sportech as the challenges of the ERX Motor Park track were heightened by lingering heavy snow dust creating a very difficult  racing environment. Still there was cause for celebration as Andrew Carlson captured his first win of the season in Semi-Pro Open amid very stiff competition.

        With an off-weekend on the national tour, the focus of the snocross racing community turned to the Minnesota Regional ISOC event held at ERX Motor Park in Elk River, Minnesota. Many of the Midwest’s top teams were in attendance taking advantage of the “close” proximity of the event thereby creating a level of competition likened to a national.

[Read more]

Tate, Broberg earn undercard wins at Milwaukee

The Pro Super Stock final at the ISOC National at the Milwaukee Mile is about to begin, but here’s a quick update on the last two finals.

       In the Fox Shox-sponsored Pro Plus 30 Super Stock class, Justin Tate is already threatening to take the season over. For the second time in as many rounds this season, “Tator” easily pulled away to a commanding victory, though at Milwaukee his level of domination even topped what the Scandia, Minnesota-based Polaris rider accomplished last weekend at the Duluth Nation.

       Lap after lap, Tate pulled further and further ahead in the 12-lap final, winning the race by more than 15 seconds over second place Earl Reimer on the No. 100 Ski-Doo.

       Even more impressive, Ontario’s Reimer – a seasoned Pro himself – was the only other driver on he lead lap. Paul Bauerly took the third spot on the podium, after finishing as the lead sled of the only two sleds to finish one lap down. That’s right – in a 12-lap final, Tate lapped all but the top four twice.

       The Semi-Pro Open final featured an early leader, a middle leader and a winner. The holeshot and early leadwent to Justin Steck, the No. 8 qualifier who pulled off to a surprising early lead ahead of a star-studded field. It didn’t last long, though, as he crashed within the first two laps. That handed the lead to Dylan Martin on his Ski-Doo, and he held the point for the next 10 laps.

       Behind him, his Warnert Racing teammate Justin Broberg was clicking off strong, consistent laps and working through lapped traffic with ease. With three and a half lps to go, he claimed the point and eased away from Martin to claim the win. Logan Christian overcame a mid-air paint swapping with Duluth winner Cody Thomsen to finish third, with Thomsen fourth.

       Earlier, Kylie Abrahamson continued her domination of the Pro Women’s class, earning a win ahead of Carly Davis,  with Nikiya Adomaitis claiming third.

Hibbert Completes Pro Sweep In Duluth

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.

[Read more]

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.

Hibbert Wins Pro Stock At Duluth

Tucker Hibbert’s complete domination of the snocross racing world doesn’t look like it’s going to come to a close anytime soon, but his win Saturday night at the season-opening Amsoil Duluth Snocross came after he chased down his child protégé and held off a charge by his cousin.

In the end, it was a one-two-three finish for Arctic Cat, and an all-Hibbert tied podium. The Pro Open final is Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.

The Pro Stock final started with an incredible holeshot by Dan Ebert – the son of legendary Arctic Cat wrencher Russ Ebert, the man who just-so-happened to be Tucker Hibbert’s mechanic in his first 10 years as a racer. Robbie Malinoski slotted into second, and Hibbert third, followed by a hard-charging Brett Bender, who started in the second row. Garth Kauffman and Cory Davis followed.

Ebert built a couple second lead while Hibbert worked past Malinoski by lap four and set his sights on the No. 60 Polaris. It took Hibbert six more laps of following Ebert before his sliced into the lead in turn one as the two approached lapped traffic.

[Read more]

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.

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.

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.

2010 Race Season Kick Off: Quadna Regional

The following story from Sportech Racing tells about the Elk River-based snocross team’s ISOC Regional season opener at Quadna Mountain in Hill City, Minnesota.

The opening round of the ISOC Minnesota Regional series and the 2009-2010 snocross season started with a bang for Team Sportech Racing during the ISOC Minnesota Regional event at Quadna Mountain in Hill City, as both pro rider Paul Bauerly and semi-pro Andrew Carlson looked to be in mid-season form with convincing qualifying efforts and podium finishes in their respective classes. Pro-Women’s rider Taylor Carlson is still on the mend from knee surgery as is expected to return to competition in 3-4 weeks. [Read more]

Tucker Hibbert’s race sled goes down the production line

For the past several years Arctic Cat racing legend and engineer Kirk Hibbert has made a point of selecting the production Sno Pro 600 race sled for his son, No. 68 Tucker Hibbert, with the serial number that ends with “68.” [Read more]

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