hibbert comes through pack to claim stock morgan nabs mod wins at canterbury
Amsnow
Tucker Hibbert put in perhaps the drive of his career in a wild come-from- behind charge in the Pro Stock final on Sunday, Feb. 23, at Canterbury Park in the seventh round of the World Snowmobile Association's (WSA) Snocross Worldwide Championship (SWC) presented by Ford Trucks. And in the Pro Open final at the third annual Castle Sales/HJC Manufacturer's Cup, presented by Bud Light, Ford Trucks, Arctic Cat, Polaris, Ski-Doo, Yamaha and Hentges Construction, Blair Morgan out dueled Shaun Crapo for the win. Morgan's win Saturday night helped Ski-Doo claim the prestigious Manufacturer's Cup for the second consecutive year.
In the Manufacturer's Cup the points are combined for the top two finishers per manufacturer to decide the Cup winning brand. A series of single-brand heats and a last chance qualifier created the final field of 14. Justin Tate (Amsoil Polaris) and Mike Island (Bud Light Ski-Doo) jumped to the front with Morgan (Coldwave/Oakley Ski-Doo) third and Hibbert (Chevy Trucks/Speedwerx Cat) again slow off the line and in eighth. Island had a major wobbly that he saved, but he started to drop back as Trevor John (Chevy Trucks/Gore Tex Cat) and Tomi Ahmasalo (Formula XPS Ski-Doo) moved past. Tate fended off Morgan for some time, but Morgan eventually slipped inside exiting the fourth turn (of five), and as Tate tried to fight back on the outside he hooked the berm with his ski and dismounted. Hibbert and Crapo (Team Industries Polaris) were on the charge, and Hibbert eventually moved into second. With John in third and Ahmasalo fourth, even with Morgan leading, the combined points would be close. But then Crapo proved the spoiler as he drove an inspired final lap, and slipped past both for third, and Ahmasalo followed him through, so his fourth combined with Morgan's win was enough for Ski-Doo to defend their title. That podium proved most familiar all weekend.
On a very cold Sunday where riders' hands were clearly feeling the affects, the Ford Trucks Pro Stock final turned into an instant all-time classic. The on-form Tate tied Morgan for top qualifier, while Hibbert again struggled in the heats. At the green, Crapo nabbed the Sportech Holeshot Award, but Morgan quickly moved into the lead, while Hibbert slipped into third past Tate. Crapo was again proving his recovery from his broken leg at Duluth was complete, as he kept Hibbert at bay lap after lap, while Morgan disappeared into the distance. When Hibbert finally slipped past Crapo, nobody in attendance could have possibly thought he had a realistic chance.
But no one told Hibbert! He put his head down, and started executing a series of triple, triple, triple runs down the massively whooped-out backstretch, and started taking huge chunks off Morgan's lead. Morgan caught some traffic, including John's Cat, and appeared to only be slightly held up, and when Hibbert hit the same group, he slipped through a little quicker. Catching monstrous air lap after lap, Hibbert caught Morgan midway down the backstretch on the outside, Morgan protected, and Hibbert executed a great outside-in move entering the turn, got underneath Morgan, hit the hammer, and scooted past. He crossed the finish line in first, and promptly caught an edge approaching the first turn with two laps to go, and suddenly Hibbert and sled were almost on their sides, and it looked like he was coming off. Somehow, almost miraculously, he saved it, never coming off the sled and getting it righted, and did it quickly enough that Morgan couldn't get past. Hibbert then drove two very fast final laps to seal the win, arguably the best of his career. Crapo claimed another very impressive third, while Carl Kuster (Coldwave/Woody's Ski-Doo) moved to fourth with Ahmasalo fifth.
The Bud Light Pro Open final was also a great battle. Crapo's confidence was going through the roof, and he blasted to another Sportech Holeshot Award, with Morgan second, Brad Pitlik (Custom Axis Shocks Ski-Doo) third, Kuster fourth and Hibbert stuck in sixth. This time it was Morgan that experienced the speed of Crapo, as he not only fended off Morgan lap after lap, he actually began to stretch the margin. His pace eventually slackened, however, and he later admitted he got really pumped realizing he was pulling away, it affected his breathing, and he started to suffer some arm-pump. Morgan eventually moved by and into a lead he'd hold to the finish. Hibbert was on the move as well, and bringing Levi LaVallee (Red Bull/Team Industries Polaris) with him, getting first Pitlik, then Kuster, who promptly had an off. So for the third consecutive time on the weekend, the podium finishers were the same, with Morgan winning, Hibbert second, and Crapo with his third straight third. LaVallee saved fourth, and Island claimed fifth.
On Saturday, Bobby Barycki (Sticker Dude/Goodwin Perf. Cat) claimed his fifth Reima Semi-Pro Fan win of the season, and Wyoming's Steve Martin (Formula XPS Ski-Doo), second in points to Blair Morgan Racing's Steve Taylor prior to Taylor's injury in New York, won the Fox Racing Shox Semi-Pro Open feature for the third time, extending his points lead. The Olah Racing Arctic Cats of Robbie Malinoski and Ryan Simons were second and third In Sunday's Amsoil Semi-Pro Stock final, points leader Matt Judnick (Spy Optics/Dodge Trucks) brought home a huge win for Polaris, with Malinoski showing his form at Valcourt was no fluke with yet another podium in second, and Martin in third.
The SWC is deep in the final stretch run, with three more back-to-back weekends to conclude the season. The next round of the SWC is next weekend, March 1-2, at the new Menominee Casino Superstars Of Snocross at the Shawano County Fairgrounds in Shawano, Wisconsin, in between Wausau and Green Bay on the Wisconsin Highway 29 corridor. The ninth round of the championship, the Ski-Doo Michigan Challenge, will be the following weekend, March 8-9, at the Otsego County Fairgrounds in Gaylord, Michigan. The final round of the 10 race tour will once again occur on the now legendary course at the Nielsen Enterprises' GRAND Finale at the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa in Lake, Geneva Wisconsin, March 14-16, with the awards banquet that Sunday night.
For information on lodging and gaming for the next round of the championship in Shawano, Wisconsin, please go online to www.menomineecasino.com, and for additional information on the Shawano area, go online at www.shawano.com. For more information on the WSA, the SWC and other affiliated series and schedules, please go online at www.wsaracing.com.