Hibbert Back On Top With Sunday Canterbury Victory

Tucker Hibbert at Canterbury. Photo by John Hanson provided by Tucker Hibbert race team.

A day after mechanical problems in the final relegated him to making laps and staying out of the way, snocross superstar Tucker Hibbert was back with a vengance on Saturday at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, earning his fifth victory of the season in six finals on the ISOC Amsoil Championship Series. Below is the story from the ISOC race circuit. 

 

T-Train is Back on Track at Round 6

A packed house at Minnesota’s No. 1 horse racing track and card club – Canterbury Park – was treated to two exciting days of the Pirtek Snocross National Presented by Jimmy Johns. Round 6 showcased the momentum of Daniel Benham in the Pro Lite class. Benham grabbed the early lead and would lead the entire race flag-to-flag. The young Arctic Cat rider had now won 3 of 6 main events this season. Look to see the No. 221 up front all season long in Pro Lite. The premier class of Amsoil Championship Snocross Powered by Ram featured some of the best racing of the year. Tucker Hibbert battled from the third position to first to earn his fifth win of the season. Tucker rode a flawless race after passing Petter Narsa and never looked back. The Pirtek Snocross National Presented by Jimmy Johns was a great success and we look forward to the remaining five weekends and 11 rounds of Amsoil Championship Snocross Powered by Ram.

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The Pro Lite podium from Shakopee, Minnesota, on January 6, 2018.

Pro Lite

Round 1

With the anticipation high for Round 6, Jacob Yurk picked up right where he left off from day one. Yurk earned yet another holeshot in the first heat race but was passed early in the race by reigning Pro Lite Champion Aki Pihlaja. With Pihlaja and Yurk separating themselves from the rest of the field, Marcus Ogemar rode steady in the third position. With only two laps to go in the seven-lap qualifier Yurk took advantage of Pihlaja’s mistake and took his Arctic Cat to victory. Pihlaja finished in second while Ogemar was third.

In the second heat of round 1, Daniel Benham had the advantage over the rest of the field. Swedish rider Nisse Kjellstrom settled into the second position with Andy Lieders close during the early stages of the race. Round 5 runner-up Hunter Patenaude was able to move past the No. 57 Lieders to earn himself another top 3 finish. Benham took the win with ease as Nisse Kjellstrom finished second. The final heat race in the first round was an all-out Cat fight. The top three riders of Travis Muller, Andrew Lindholm and Travis Kern are all Arctic Cat-supported riders. Muller jumped out to the early lead and was able to gap himself from the rest of the field. Muller was able to power his way to a win with Lindholm in second and Kern third.

Round 2

Jacob Yurk once again started the second round of heats with the early lead. He would run away from the field for his second heat race win of the day. Max Taillefer also had a great holeshot coming out in second, but a mechanical issue took him out of the race. Andrew Lindholm slotted into the second position and Zak Mason third. Lindholm and Mason finished the race in those positions. The second heat race showcased the talent of Nisse Kjellstrom. Kjellstrom battled for the early laps of the race with Aki Pihlaja. As the race progressed Pihlaja got the best of Kjellstrom and solidified the heat race win. Kjellstrom ran a strong second as Daniel Benham would finish third. The final qualifying race of the weekend for the Pro Lite class saw Travis Kern jump out front early and lead the entire seven-lap qualifier. Travis Kern struggled in Round 5 but appears to be a favorite for Round 6. The second and third positions were filled by Ski-Doo riders Marcus Ogemar and Hunter Patenaude.

Pro Lite Final

The Pro Lite riders arrived at the starting line for their final race of the weekend for Round 6 of the Pirtek Snocross Nationals Presented by Jimmy Johns. The start of the race began with yet another holeshot from an Arctic Cat rider. Daniel Benham was able to get out to the early lead. Andrew Lindholm battled hard for the lead for the first few laps but give the advantage to Benham.

In third position sat reigning champion Aki Pihlaja, who is still looking for his first win of the season. Round 5 winner Jacob Yurk was sitting in the fourth position as the race started to set a groove. Yurk was on a roll right now and was setting his eyes on Pihlaja. The second through fourth positions were separated by only 1.9-second gap at the halfway point of the racer. Fellow Ski-Doo riders Hunter Patenaude and Marcus Ogemar were going bar-to-bar for three consecutive laps battling for the 6th position.

As the race progressed and the battles got tighter the lead of Benham grew large. Pihlaja moved past the young rider Lindholm for second. With two laps to go fourth place rider Jacob Yurk moved past Lindholm to put himself into podium contention. With only one lap to go Benham extended his lead and progressed to the double checkered flags for his third win of the season. Pihlaja worked hard to finish second and Round 5 winner of Jacob Yurk earned the final spot on the podium.

1.#221 Daniel Benham

  1. #128 Aki Pihlaja
  2. #727 Jacob Yurk
  3. #46 Andrew Lindholm
  4. #27 Nisse Kjellstrom
  5. #201 Travis Kern
  6. #58 Marcus Ogemar
  7. #208 Hunter Patenaude 
  8. #57 Andy Lieders
  9. #63 Zak Mason
  10. #114 Alex Berglund
  11. #302 Viktor Herte
  12. #17 Korbyn Anderson
  13. #436 Travis Muller
  14. #75 Martin Moland
The Pro class podium from Shakopee, Minnesota, on January 6, 2018.

Pro Class

Round 1  Qualifying            

With the sun set and the bright lights of Canterbury Park shining on the historic racetrack, the Pros stepped up to the elevated start line for their first round of qualifying for Round 6 of the Pirtek Snocross National Presented by Jimmy Johns.

In heat one Logan Christian jumped out to the early lead but was passed quickly by Corin Todd. Jake Angove and Logan Christian battled early in the race for the second and third positions with Kody Kamm close behind. Jake Angove made a mistake in the US Air Force whoop section forcing him to the rear of the field. Kamm took advantage of the rookie’s mistake. As the checkered flag flew the privateer rider Todd took the win.  Christian was finish in second and Kody Kamm third.

Johan Lidman would be the first to cross the finish line on the first lap in heat two but Tucker Hibbert was able to squeeze by in the first corner. HIbbert pulled ahead of the field as Lincoln Lemieux and Johan Lidman competed for the second position. The race would remain the same as Hibbert took the win, with Lidman second and Lemieux rounding out the top three.

Round 2 Qualifying

Once again Johan Lidman and Tucker Hibbert jumped out to the early lead in the first heat of round 2. Fellow Arctic Cat rider Lohan Christian settled into the third position. On the third lap Hibbert was able to pass for the lead. This pass by the 10-time champion forced Lidman back to second. This race featured a great battle for third. Christian and reigning Champion Kody Kamm battled bar-to-bar for the entire race. In this race the edge went to Christian. Hibbert once again took the win with Johan Lidman putting together another impressive run with a second.

In the final heat of qualifying for the weekend,  Ryan Springer had debatably his best start of the season. The Jimmy Johns rider jumped out to the early lead with Lincoln Lemieux battling hard in second. During the third lap the hard charging Lemieux passed for the lead and didn’t look back. While Lemieux started to pull away the third place rider of Kyle Palling also started to set his eyes on second place. Rookie Jake Angove also started to make his move through the field and found himself in the battle for second. As the three way battle for second continues, Lemieux was able to take the win with ease. Kyle Palling crossed the finish line in second, with Ryan Springer in third. 

Final

As the light went green for the Pro final, Petter Narsa grabbed a hand full of throttle and was able to have an early advantage on the other 14 drivers. Narsa would lead the first six laps of the main event before being challenged by the “goat” Tucker Hibbert. Hibbert would play “cat and mouse” with the #54 Polaris, which eventually was bettered by the 10-time champion.

As the early laps ticked off Hibbert led the field over Petter Narsa in second, Kyle Pallin third and Lincoln Lemieux fourth. Tim Tremblay and Kody Kamm did not have the best of starts and find themselves having to battle through the field. The two pre season championship favorites found themselves in 8th and 9th position. Also at the half way point of the race, Narsa had a mechanical issue forcing him out of the race.

With the laps winding down for the last race of the weekend at Canterbury Park,  Hibbert crossed the finish line and earn his fifth win of the season. Kyle Pallin battled hard with Narsa early in the race allowing him to earn his first podium of the season in second. Lincoln Lemieux was third. Logan Christian rode hard and battled flu-like symptoms to solidify a fourth-place position. Rounding out the top was Polaris Privateer Corin Todd.

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1.#68 Tucker Hibbert

  1. #324 Kyle Pallin
  2. #13 Lincoln Lemieux
  3. #43 Logan Christian
  4. #36 Corin Todd
  5. #1 Kody Kamm
  6. #11 Tim Tremblay
  7. #177 Jake Angove
  8. #311 Adam Renheim
  9. #541 Ryan Springer
  10. #52 Johan Lidman
  11. #610 Kristoffer Holm
  12. #248 Brett Nastala
  13. #98 Nick Pattyn
  14. #54 Petter Narsa

Pro Am Women

Red plate holder Megan Brodeur extended her points lead as she earned the win in Round 6. Malene Anderson charged hard through the field to finish second while Inanna Hauger rounded out the podium positions.

Pro Am Plus 30

Points leader Paul Bauerly swept the weekend here at Rounds 5 & 6. Bauerly battled with Iain Hayden who later finished the race in second. USXC star Wesley Selby earned a third place podium spot.

 

 

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