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Hibbert 4-peats at X Games

Team Arctic rider wins snocross final going away

Story by Staff, Photography by Alfonse Palaima, Feb. 02, 2010
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If there were any doubt about who would win the ESPN Winter X Games Snocross final in Aspen, Colo., Tucker Hibbert set the record straight with his fourth-straight gold medal performance in the sport’s most visible event. Racing his Team Arctic/Monster Energy Arctic Cat Sno Pro 600, Hibbert turned the 20-lap final into his personal tour de force, winning by 28 seconds over second place.

The gold-medal-winning ride was Hibbert’s fifth career win at the made-for-TV event, and marked his ninth medal since he first won the event in 2000.

Hibbert led a dominating performance by Team Arctic racers at the X Games. Ryan Simons (Team Arctic/Christian Bros. Racing) earned a bronze medal, while Team Arctic/Sportech’s Paul Bauerly finished fifth. Cory Davis, Garth Kaufman and Dan Ebert also reached the final, bolstering Team Arctic’s impressive performance. Arctic Cat engineer Jeff Tweet also represented Arctic Cat at the X Games, racing the Adaptive Snocross event on the Monster Energy Cat.

Tucker Hibbert earns his fourth straight X Games gold.

“This was another great weekend for Team Arctic,” says Race Manager Mike Kloety. “Tucker’s emphatic win at the X Games was as impressive as ever, and Ryan’s third place finish, combined with four other teammates in the final, made it a strong showing.”

While the snocross contingent hauled the most hardware at the X Games, Team Arctic’s cross-country team delivered solid results at the USCC Red Lake 200 in Red Lake, Minn., including nine class victories.

Team Arctic racer and Arctic Cat engineer Brian Dick nailed second place finishes in both Pro 600 and Pro Open classes at the two-day event, while his Christian Bros. Racing teammate D.J. Ekre went for the Ironman award, taking third in both Pro classes and winning the Expert 85 class.

A continuing story at USCC cross-country events is the large entries in the 85-hp classes, where the new Arctic Cat Sno Pro 500 has proven exceedingly capable. At the Red Lake 200, Arctic Cat Sno Pro 500s claimed the top-10 positions in Expert 85 and the top-12 in Sport 85.

“At the Red Lake 200 we showed the depth of our team by winning nine classes,” says Kloety. “This was the first cross-country this season where we didn’t win Pro 600 or Semi Pro 600, but we were close. And to see the growth of the 85-hp classes proves that our Sno Pro 500 has been a huge hit.”

The next National snocross race for Team Arctic is Feb. 5-6 in Farmington, NY (see http://www.isocracing.com/), while the next cross-country is Feb. 13 in Grand Forks, ND (http://www.usccracing.com/).