Martin Wins Duluth National Final Sunday

Ross Martin proved that his Friday night victory was no fluke, while three-time defending Pro Class sweeper at Duluth Tucker Hibbert proved he and Arctic Cat have some work to be done as the Amsoil Duluth National wrapped up in northeastern Minnesota Sunday afternoon. It was the first round in what should prove to be a very interesting and competitive ISOC Amsoil Championship Snocross Series this winter.

.         After rugged qualifying rounds and a star-studded LCQ race (which saw Saturday night’s Pro winner Robbie Malinoski fall one spot short of qualifying for Sunday’s final) is was race time. Martin grabbed the Stud Boy holeshot award but ended up chasing Tim Tremblay’s Foremost Insurance-sponsored Ski-Doo down the hill for the first time and, in fact, for the first lap and a half. Behind them, carnage reigned, as first-year Pro Justin Broberg – the surprise No. 1 qualifier based on his excellent heat race results – tumbled in front of the pack while crowd favorite Levi LaVallee and LCQ winner Brett Bender also got caught up in the mess. Other sleds dove everywhere to stay out of the mess. LaVallee and Bender would rejoin the race in the back, but Broberg’s day was done.

.         Up front, Tremblay quickly built a nice lead, with Martin in tow and then a gap back to TJ Gulla (Polaris), Johan Lidman (Cat), Justin Tate (Polaris), Darrin Mees (Ski-Doo) and Dan Ebert (Cat), with cousins Tucker Hibbert (Cat) and Garth Kauffman (Cat) eighth and ninth.

.         It only took a couple of laps for things to change dramatically, and it started up front. Tremblay coasted off the track with an ill-running sled – an engine problem would end his day early and slot him into 14^th spot overall. Moments later, Justin Tate got separated from his sled just short of the start/finish line. Bender pulled off shortly thereafter – he reported having vision problems after his first lap crash.

.         Tremblay’s troubles left Martin all alone up front on his DuPont/Jack Links Polaris, and he didn’t spoil the opportunity. He put down one good lap after another with precision and pulled far ahead.

Ross Martin, right, pictured here with Colorado Rob Powers at Eagle River last year, earned two big victories at Duluth over the weekend. Look for photos from Duluth on this site later this week.

.         Deep in the pack, snocross dominator Hibbert was making a charge. He got a horrible holeshot and had to fight through traffic, similar to Saturday night’s final, but he was making it work. He worked his way past Mees on about lap 9, then sliced past Lidman into third on lap 11. He would spend the next 9 laps in pursuit of Gulla.

.         Gulla was making time on a track that almost ended his career two years earlier. On December 12, 2009, Gulla got separate from his sled in a qualifying race, scrambled to his feet and was running toward his machine when another sled landed on him. He ended up with a fractured skull that kept him off a sled until last November. A couple of weeks after that, he finished fourth here at Duluth last year. [Read more]

Hibbert Scores Season-Opening Stock Victory

It didn’t look good for the king of snocross racing at the season-opening ISOC Amsoil Duluth National. Through heat races, mega superstar Tucker Hibbert didn’t sniff the lead, getting beat in round one by Bobby LePage and then finishing behind both Ross Martin and Tim Tremblay in the second round.

            Then, in the final on a temperate night at the host Spirit Mountain Ski Resort just south of Duluth, Minnesota, Hibbert reacted slow at the starting line and started the race in the middle of the pack. Up at the front? It was TJ Gulla, Martin and Tremblay.

Tucker Hibbert celebrates his Pro Stock final victory at Duluth

          But with money on the line, Hibbert methodically picked his way through traffic on his Arctic Cat, searched for winning lines and took home another victory before a cheering crowd.

            The highest qualifier after the heat races was Brett Turcotte on his No. 16 Boss Racing Ski-Doo. The driver from British Columbia got the all important line choice for the crowded start, but it didn’t work out to his favor. He got caught in a washout and ended up toward the back of the pack.

            Instead, it was the Vermont-native Gulla charging into the lead on his Hentges Racing Polaris. Insiders in the infield and some up on the pit wall were openly cheering – it was one year ago at this very event where Gulla suffered a season-ending and career-threatening injury. Seeing him back on the track was inspirational enough – seeing him in the lead was awe-inspiring.

Another podium shot, another big win by Cody Thomsen

[Read more]

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]

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.

The Pro Stock podium was all Arctic Cat, with Tucker Hibbert at the center, his young friend Dan Ebert on his right and counsin Garth Kaufman on his left.

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]

ISOC Championships To Be Settled This Weekend At Lake Geneva

March 17, 2009
One event remains on the inaugural International Series of Champions (ISOC) Amsoil Championship Snocross Series schedule. For some, it’s the most important race of the season as racers will battle for the biggest prize of all — a year-end points championship. Factory teams and privateers will set-up shop for Nielsen’s Grand Finale March 20-22 at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Tight points margins in several classes mean some riders and teams are feeling pressure to perform.
Perhaps nowhere is that pressure-cooker atmosphere more obvious than in the Pro Super Stock field where Garth Kaufman (Arctic Cat) and Levi LaVallee (Polaris) are tied with 195 points in their quest for the class crown. Arctic Cat’s Ryan Simons is right on their heels with 185 points.
“It should be an exciting weekend,” said ISOC Race Director Bob Coffin. “With our scoring system, a racer has the opportunity to capture as many as 37 points in a weekend … if they win both their heat race and the final. With the points so tight, one bobble or mechanical issue can ruin their chances. It puts a lot of pressure on not just the racer, but the entire crew to perform.”

ISOC racer T.J. Gulla won't be looking back during this weekend's season finale in Lake Geneva, Wis. His sites are set on winning the Pro Open points championship.

The chase isn’t as tight in Pro Open, but five riders are still in the hunt, mathematically speaking. Polaris rider TJ Gulla leads the pack with 198 points and his teammate LaVallee has 185 points. First-year pro Brett Bender has 160 points followed by Cat riders Brett Turcotte and Garth Kaufman.
In Pro Women, the margin is comfortable for Soldotna, Alaska, racer Carly Davis with 209 points. She leads JC Hupe (188 points) and April Moritz (169 points). The trio rides Arctic Cat sleds.

Four riders to square-off for semi-pro titles
The cream of the semi-pro crop have been trading wins and podium positions all season, and the close points race atop the Semi-Pro Open and Semi-Pro Super Stock standings proves it.
In Semi-Pro Open, Quebec hotshoe Tim Tremblay (Ski-Doo) holds an 11-point margin over Minnesota native Bobby LePage (Polaris). Just 15 points back from LePage is Dan Ebert (Arctic Cat), and 20 points back is Swedish sensation Christian Salemark (Arctic Cat).
“The racing action in the semi pro ranks has probably been some of the most closely contested and competitive of the season,” said ISOC Owner John Daniels. “Every week someone new steps up to take the win. Just when you think someone is going to break out from the pack to establish [himself], a crash, mechanical or fresh face comes on strong to change it up again. Lake Geneva will be interesting to say the least.”

Hentges Racing leads Woody’s Team Challenge
Year-end supremacy is more than an individual effort on the ISOC Amsoil Championship Snocross Series tour. Every member of a national race team must bring their “A” game to not only win, but to simply compete. This reality is what prompted the ISOC crew and Woody’s Traction Products to implement the Woody’s Team Challenge. The contest is designed to reward the best performing team for both the race weekend and the season, and with one race left there is $25,000 up for grabs as part of the year-end payout with $10,000 going to the winning team.
Currently the Hentges Racing team, which fields riders Brett Bender, LePage and Gulla, is leading the pack with 801 points, but with points awarded in both pro and semi-pro classes, they can add up quickly and teams trailing Hentges such as Christian Brothers Racing and HC Racing are still in the hunt for the $10,000 top prize.
A lot is on the line and Nielsen’s Grand Finale in Lake Geneva — the last chance this season to see the world’s fastest snocross racers compete. For tickets, information and to study the year-end point standings, visit www.isocracing.com.

Hibbert Sweeps ISOC’s Second National

Tucker Hibbert is off to a perfect start to his season after sweeping the ISOC Ironwood, Michigan, event. He swept the season opener at Duluth, Minnesota's Spirit Mountain Thanksgiving weekend.

Tucker Hibbert continued his win streak in the still young AMSOIL Championship Snocross Season, picking up where he left off in Duluth winning both Pro Main Events driving away. This time however it didn’t come without effort, especially in the Pro‐Open showcase race as Hibbert spun at the start and emerged mid‐pack at the close of the first lap.

The Bad River Lodge and Casino National featured a long .5‐mile track with multiple elevation changes and two dramatic up and down hill runs. Described by competitors as a national motocross type track with multiple lines and passing opportunities, virtually every final featured intense racing throughout the pack.

Such was the case in the Pro‐Open main event, as a string of talented Polaris riders led early but were eventually hunted down by Hibbert. In the early going it was Brett Bender with the holeshot and lap‐one lead only to be ejected while “bombing” the downhill portion of the track. This opened the door for fellow Polaris pilot TJ Gulla, followed by Ryan Simons on his Arctic Cat; Levi LaVallee on a Polaris and Ross Martin also on a Polaris.

But soon Hibbert was on the gas, picking off riders with spectacular set‐ups and passes. Averaging lap times as much as a second faster than his fellow competitors, Hibbert took over the lead by lap 8 and then proceeded to post taillights for the remainder of the 20‐lap final.

[Read more]

AMSOIL Inks Title Deal With ISOC

Superior, Wis. ~ AMSOIL, INC, The First in Synthetics, is happy to announce that they are close to signing a three-year Title Sponsorship package with the renewed snocross racing series, the International Series of Champions, or ISOC.

Starting with the 2008-2009 tour, the new series will be named the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series, with ISOC being the governing body. The AMSOIL Series will consist of a minimum of eight national races, starting with the AMSOIL Duluth National on November 28-30, 2008.

“For more than a decade, AMSOIL has been the leader in snowmobile industry,” said Jeremy Meyer, AMSOIL Race Program Manager. “With winning teams on the track, AMSOIL has also shown a deep commitment to sponsoring race series. That commitment continues as AMSOIL steps into the title sponsorship role with the newly reformed ISOC series.”

ISOC has positioned itself to be the premier North American snocross series in the wake of the dissolution of the World PowerSports Association (WPSA). ISOC will sanction races through out North America, including races in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and Quebec. These events will feature the world’s premier racers, including Dennis Eckstrom, Ross Martin and Tucker Hibbert

“AMSOIL’s commitment to racing and snocross is not only a great thing for ISOC but the snowmobile industry as a whole,” said Scott Lorentz, ISOC Director of Operations. “This partnership will help continue the great momentum and energy AMSOIL has created in our sport over the past 10 years and put in motion a number of ISOC goals to grow racing.”

ISOC is based in Albertville, Minn. and is led by former cross-country racer John Daniels. He also oversees Sled Head 24/7, which creates multi-media news and entertainment for snowmobiling enthusiasts. Sled Head 24/7 has a presence on regional television and radio, on the internet in videos it produces.

ABOUT THE COMPANY: AMSOIL has been the recognized leader in synthetic lubricants since 1972. AMSOIL is title sponsor for Scheuring Speed Sports and is the Official Oil of the Rock Maple Racing and the Canadian Snowcross Racing Association. For more information about AMSOIL synthetic motor oils, call (715) 392-7101 or contact AMSOIL INC, AMSOIL Building, Superior, WI 54880, or go to www.amsoil.com.