Last year's stars returned to their winning ways at the first round of the WPSA National season at the WPSA AmsOil Duluth National at Spirit Mountain, Nov. 23-25.
Arctic Cat's Tucker Hibbert demonstrated why he is the rider to beat, qualifying first in both Pro Super Stock and Pro Open and flat out whipping the field in the Pro Open final. The battled-tested Polaris IQ race sled proved to be the dominant snowmobile of the weekend though.
Armed with effective set ups and the proven IQ platform, Polaris Judnick Motorsports racer and reigning WPSA Pro Open Champion Ross Martin ran away with the Pro Super Stock final while his fellow red riders filled the top 10 in both Pro classes. But the Polaris success didn't end there; Hentges/Polaris Racing's Brett Bender nabbed the Semi-Pro Super Stock victory while teammate Bobby LePage triumphed in Semi-Pro Open. In all, the Polaris crew won 8 class finals during the course of the weekend.
For the past 16 years, the Duluth National has kicked off the U.S. snocross racing season and is perhaps the most highly anticipated and one of the most coveted races of the season. As a race that helps set the tempo for the season, it has produced epic racing through the years. The fans and media get to see the new riders and new teams in action for the first time.
Ross Martin tops Pro Super StockPolaris Judnick Motorsports racer Ross Martin charged hard out of the gates at last year's Duluth classic, achieving a rare feat by capturing both Pro Open and Pro Stock finals. At this year's race, Martin was on the gas again. In Pro Stock, he took victory in one qualifier and in the second, qualified second behind Hibbert. When the green flag flew in the final, Martin grabbed the holeshot with Arctic Cat teammates Carl Schubitzke and Ryan Simons in hot pursuit. But back in the pack, Scheuring Speed Sports/AmsOil rider D.J. Eckstrom was slicing through the field and eventually passed Simons for second.
But Eckstrom wasn't the only Polaris pilot on the move. Avalanche/Polaris Racing's Mike Schultz catapulted up the order, overtaking Hibbert and Schubitzke as he climbed into third. By mid-distance, the front-runners were established at the front of the field. Martin firmly controlled the lead and took the checkered flag with a significant margin over second-place Eckstrom and third-place Schultz. But Polaris hadn't just claimed the podium. T.J. Gulla and Levi LaVallee claimed fourth and fifth respectively and proved that the Polaris teams had the IQ chassis dialed in. Tucker Hibbert came home in sixth with teammate Simons in eighth.
The Ski-Doo contingent suffered through several problems in qualifying, including overheating brake discs and malfunctioning throttles cables. Blair Morgan soldiered on to finish seventh and Robbie Malinoski took ninth.
Hibbert's Pro Open dominationMonster Energy/Arctic Cat's Tucker Hibbert raised the bar in Pro Open qualifying winning his three qualifying heats to claim the top qualifying spot. After a poor start in the last qualifier, Hibbert clawed his way from the very back of the field, picking off riders one by one, and cruising to the win. After a lackluster performance in Pro Stock, Morgan captured a third, a win, and second in qualifiers to claim the No. 2 qualifying spot.
In the final, Ross Martin once again bolted off the line and grabbed the holeshot, followed by D.J. Eckstrom, Blair Morgan and Hibbert. With a clear track ahead of him, Martin again opened up a healthy lead of about 4 to 5 seconds. Within a few laps, Martin and the other leaders were threading through the riders at the back of the pack. Hibbert and his Pro Open sled were working extremely well as he was clearly the fastest sled on the track. By the time Hibbert had worked his way past Eckstrom into second, Martin had built a 4-second lead. But the part-time snocrosser set a blistering pace and started to reel in Martin. By about lap six, Hibbert had caught Martin and was looking for a way through. The reigning Winter X champion, running unique lines, patiently waited to make his move.
Heading up the hill, Hibbert roared into the lead and kept up his scorching pace. While the factory Cat rider performed his disappearing act at the front of the pack, LaVallee was carving through the field but had to contend with some unique problems. His goggles had moved out of position and came in contact with his eyes obscuring his vision. It got to the point that he took the goggles off and rode without any eye protection. But LaVallee continued to march up the order and eventually took second away from Martin. At the checkered flag, Hibbert crossed the finish line with about a ¼-lap margin over LaVallee in second with holeshot-artist Martin in third. While the Arctic Cat pilot claimed victory, the Polaris squad posted another impressive performance taking the second through eighth spots. Morgan, who was second in the early going, faded to 11th, and three fellow Ski-Doo riders finished behind him.
Yamaha's factory effort endured a tough learning weekend as they worked on their machine with riders Steve Taylor and Yuji Nakazawa. Unfortunately, they failed to qualify for the final. Fans were able to experience the Yamaha Racing Communications Center (YRCC) where they could have their photo taken sitting on the Factory FX Bytro race sled with the Yamaha Snocross girls. Visitors can download their autographed stock photo at
www.yamaha-motor.com/snocrossfanphotos. Race fans were also able to get autographs from Factory snocross racers and Freestyle superstar Jimmy Blaze during their visit to the YRCC.
Kylie Abrahamson of the Avalanche Racing Team is the reigning WPSA Pro Women's champion, and started this season's defense on a winning note by taking first at Duluth in the Pro Women Super Stock class. She is in top shape for another title run this season.
The next race is scheduled for Jan. 11-13, 2008, at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn.