Hibbert Extends Win Streak & Jacob Yurk Earns First Victory

Matt Skubic Uncategorized

AMSOIL Championship Snocross Powered by RAM moves West into legendary Jackson, WY. Surrounded by the Teton Mountains and the nostalgia of Snow King Mountain, Jackson is the new home for Rounds 3 & 4 of the National Snocross circuit. The Jackson Hole Snocross National Presented by Country Cat will be a true test for the Worlds Greatest Snocross Racers. The track at Snow King Mountain is settled at over 6,300 feet above sea level making it hard for riders and teams to become acclimated. Tucker Hibbert is coming off a perfect weekend in Duluth where he was able to win both of the Pro finals. The Pro Lite class featured both of the Factory Arctic Cat riders of Travis Kern and Daniel Benham taking the win in Rounds 1 & 2. The inaugural Jackson Hole Snocross National Presented by Country Cat brought out large numbers of fans who enjoyed the beautiful weather and scenery at Snow King Mountain. The racing will be epic here in the Teton Mountains as the Worlds Greatest Snocross Racers come to town. Will we see Tucker Hibbert continue his winning streak or will reigning Pro Champion Kody Kamm or Lincoln Lemieux make a run at the 10 time champion?

 

Pro Lite

Round 1

The first Pro Lite heat race in Jackson, WY saw Round 1 winner Travis Kern take the holeshot up Snow King Mountain and lead the entire 7 lap qualifier. Jake Yurk was able to pass Korbyn Anderson late in the race and take the second position while Anderson rounded out the top three. The Pro Lite points leader coming into Round 3 was Martin Moland. Moland struggled in the first qualifier of the day, finishing fifth. The second heat of Pro Lite had five riders in the back row of the starting line, due to riders jumping the start before the light went green. One of these riders was Aki Pihlaja who made the best out of the back row start and was able to earn his first Pro Lite heat race win of the weekend. Zak Mason had the early lead, but was passed by Pihlaja causing the Polaris rider to finish second. Nisse Kjellstrom took his Woodies Racing Arctic Cat to a third place in Round 1. The final heat race of Round 1 showcased Alexander Berglund, as he led his first laps of the 2017-2018 season. Berglund was later passed by Round 2 winner Daniel Benham who went on to win this qualifier. Berglund continued on to finish second place while Evan Daudt took home third.

Round 2

The second round of qualifying started off with Korbyn Anderson nailing yet another holeshot. Korbyn was able to lead the entire race flag-to-flag. Dylan Jansen was able to finish Round 2 off with a second while Nisse Kjellstrom finished with another third. Factory Arctic Cat teammates Daniel Benham and Travis Kern took first and second in the second heat of Round 2. Fellow Arctic Cat rider Jake Yurk was able to finish off the top three, giving Arctic Cat 1-2-3 in the second heat. The final Pro Lite heat race of the day saw reigning Champion Aki Pihlaja pass Pro Lite rookie Hunter Patenaude and run away with the victory, Patenaude was able to hold on to the second position while Zak Mason held on to third.

Final

The 15 racers headed to the line for Round 3 of AMSOIL Championship Snocross Powered by RAM wondering who would be the next victor in this already stacked field. Jake Yurk grabbed the holeshot and embarked on his way up Snow King Mountain with Nisse Kjellstrom and Daniel Benham close on his tail. The top three stayed in line for the opening laps of the race before Benham passed Kjellstrom four laps into the main event. Hunter Patenaude started the race in 6th and was making moves and found his way into the fourth position. Reigning Pro Lite Champion Aki Pihlaja did not have the best of starts and worked his way through the field to find himself in the top five. Round 1 winner Travis Kern had a great bar-to-bar battle with Pihlaja but the leaders were too fast today to be caught. Jake Yurk would lead the entire race flag-to-flag for his first career Pro Lite win. Fellow Arctic Cat riders Daniel Benham and Nisse Kjelstrom rounded out the podium spots. Patenaude and Pihlaja would finish up the top 5. The points leader coming into Round 3 Martin Moland had a mechanical issue late in the race causing him to finish the race in 15th.

1. #727 Jake Yurk

2. #221 Daniel Benham

3. #27 Nisse Kjellstrom

4. #208 Hunter Patenaude

5. #128 Aki Pihlaja

6. #201 Travis Kern

7. #63 Zak Mason

8. #21 Cole Cottew

9. #413 Evan Daudt

10. #17 Korbyn Anderson

11. #144 Max Taillefer

12. #72 Dylan Jansen

13. #114 Alex Berglund

14. #46 Andrew Lindholm

15. #75 Martin Moland

Pro

Round 1

The first Pro heat race at Snow King Mountain had Tucker Hibbert pick up right where he left off. Hibbert led the entire race giving him 5 extra bonus points for the Pro heat race win. Johan Lidman rode a strong second the entire race, staying within striking distance of the leader Hibbert. Kyle Pallin rounded out the top three. The second heat of Round 1 showcased the speed of the Hentges Racing Polaris’. Petter Narsa nailed a big hole shot over a stacked heat but was passed early by teammate and reigning Champion Kody Kamm. Kamm and Narsa took the first two spots while Kristoffer Holm finished in third. This heat race gave Polaris a 1-2-3 sweep.

Round 2

In Round 2 the black Monster Energy sled of Tucker Hibbert grabbed another huge holeshot and ran away with the win. Tucker goes 1-1 in his qualifying races giving him an automatic bid to the final. Lincoln Lemieux crossed the finish line in fifth after the first lap but was able to charge hard and finish the second round of qualifying with a second. Rounding out the top three was Johan Lidman. The final pro qualifier once again showcased the speed of the Hentges race sled. Kody Kamm and Petter Narsa finished in first and second while Logan Christian muscled his way to a third in Round 2 heat two.

Final

The moment the fans have been waiting for, the Pro final. The main event started off with Johan Lidman nailing another great holeshot in Jackson, WY. Johan put his Arctic Cat up front early with Kristoffer Holm following close in tail. The two riders would battle closely as Logan Christian started to make a charge towards the front of the pack with his third place start. Kyle Pallin was running in the fourth position before having an issue on the downhill which caused him to come off the track and which allowed Lincoln Lemieux and Kody Kamm by the #324 Polaris. Kristoffer Holm made some mistakes  halfway through the race taking him out of contention and outside of the top nine. 10 time Champion Tucker Hibbert did not have a good start. He started the race in the 9th position and had moved up to 7th at the half way point of the race. The leaders were still the same with Lidman leading, Logan Christian in second and Kody Kamm in third. With four laps to go in the race, Tucker Hibbert charged his way to fourth while the top three all were within one second of one another. Johan Lidman had to slow up due to lap traffic which allowed Christian to take over the lead and Kody Kamm to move into second. Kody Kamm received a black flag with three laps to go making him drop back a few positions. While the lead is changing back and forth up front, Tucker Hibbert takes a huge gamble on the downhill and moves his way into second place. The white flag is in the air and Logan Christian is out front with the 10 time champion only one second behind. On the uphill the two stay close meaning only one corner stands between the two riders and the checkered flags. Tucker Hibbert makes a swoop move to the inside and nudges Christian out of the way. Tucker Hibbert would win Round 3 of AMSOIL Championship Snocross in dramatic fashion. Christian would take home second and Kody Kamm in third.

1.#68 Tucker Hibbert

2. #43 Logan Christian

3. #1 Kody Kamm

4. #52 Johan Lidman

5. #11 Tim Tremblay

6. #13 Lincoln Lemieux

7. #311 Adam Renheim

8. #54 Petter Narsa

9. #324 Kyle Pallin

10. #610 Kristoffer Holm

11. #541 Ryan Springer

12. #36 Corin Todd

13. #248 Brett Nastala

14. #177 Jake Angove

15. #98 Nick Pattyn

In the Pro AM Women’s class, Malene Anderson would take the win on her #93 Arctic Cat while the Ski-Doo rider of Megan Brodeur finished in second and Emilia Dahlgren would finish third.

2017/2018 ISOC National Snocross Tour Schedule 

Duluth, MN // November 24-27, 2017

Jackson Hole, WY // December 8-9, 2017

Shakopee, MN // January 5-6, 2018

Deadwood, SD // January 19-20, 2018

Salamanca, NY // February 16-17, 2018

Mt. Pleasant, MI // February 23-24, 2018

Dubuque, IA // March 9-10, 2018

Lake Geneva, WI // March 16-17, 2018

About ISOC Racing

The International Series of Champions (ISOC) is the premier snowmobile race organization in North America, sanctioning AMSOIL Championship Snocross powered by RAM events in addition to affiliating with nine regional circuits. Visit snocross.com for more information, fan and racer memberships, schedule details and listings for 17 exclusive one-hour shows on CBS Sports Network. A live stream link during events is free to fans at snocross.com/livestream.