Kyle Tapio earned King of Kings honors when he squared off against Les Keller and Tom Roby for the Jackson Hole World Championship Snowmobile Hillclimb top honors. Tapio blazed up Snow King’s Exhibition Hill with a time nearly two seconds faster than what he posted in Open Mod, one of three classes he won. Using a pair of tuned-up Arctic Cat M8 HCRs, Tapio won Improved Stock 800 and 800 Mod and he also finished fourth in Improved Stock 1000.
But nobody was happier with a King title that Jackson’s hometown veteran Roby. The long-time Jackson competitor has a history of King titles at various RMSHA events, but 2009 was his first at the World Championship.
Last year’s Stock King and King of Kings winner Keith Curtis opened the King runs, but aborted his mission near the 11th of 14 gates. Chance Buckallew made a full run; Roby was the second to do so and he set a faster time. But Roby was nervous. Curtis earned a second run after wining two stock classes: Stock 800 and Stock 1000. But again, Curtis got a bad line and ended up with a highmark instead of breaking the timing lights.
Arctic Cat driver Les Keller won the Improved Stock 1000 class, giving him a bid for the Improved King. He was the fastest during the King runs, giving him a repeat Improved Stock King victory.
