Hibbert Lights the Candle at Grand Geneva

Matt Skubic Uncategorized

With only the RAM Trucks Snocross Grand Finale standing between the competitors and a championship, the World’s Greatest Snocross Racers were set for battle in front of a large crowd in Round 15. As the penultimate Pro championship is close in sight, Tucker Hibbert kept it on the main jet Friday night at the RAM Trucks Snocross Grand Finale Presented by Nielson Enterprises. Hibbert once again dominated the competition as he was victorious over the stacked field by an astonishing 13 seconds. With points championships still to be given out, Round 16 of AMSOIL Championship Snocross Powered by RAM continues tomorrow at world renowned Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, WI.

Pro 

Round 1

The Pro races of the RAM Snocross Grand Finale were kicked off with a qualifying race that was separated by only .82 seconds. The heat started off with Hentges Racing teammates, Petter Narsa & Kody Kamm, jumping out to the early race lead. As Narsa lead the field and the reigning champion in second, the 3x Swedish Snocross National Champion shadowed in third. The big demanding track in Lake Geneva featured the longest lap times of the season meaning the riders only received five laps in the qualifying heat races. On lap three, Kamm started to reel in the leader while Adam Renheim moved into fourth after starting the race in seventh. When the white flag flew, Kamm had caught his teammate and tried to find lines to take over the lead and earn five extra bonus points for taking the heat race win. With only one straightaway to go, the two leaders were side-by-side and when the checkered flags flew, Narsa had the very slim advantage over Kamm to earn his first win of the weekend. Kamm would finish in second while Johan Lidman was third. In the final heat race of round one, Montana Jess continued his holeshot streak as he led the stacked field up the first uphill. Jess would be passed early by the points leader and 10x champion, Tucker Hibbert. Hibbert would once again run a near flawless race as he dominated the field by nearly 11 seconds. With Jess slotted down to the second position, Corin Todd and Lincoln Lemieux set there eyes on the new second place rider. Lemieux and Todd would battle closely for the entire five lap main event, with neither of them being able to catch Montana Jess aboard his Arctic Cat. In the battle for third, Todd would hold on to the position as Lemieux bobbled on the US Air Force downhill causing him to finish in fourth.

Round 2

The final round of qualifying for the Pro class showcased the true talent of Polaris privateer rider, Corin Todd. Todd would time the green light perfectly and rocket his Polaris out front to the early lead. Tucker Hibbert found himself in the second spot while Adam Renheim rode in third at the beginning stages of the race. On lap three, Hibbert had found himself on the rear bumper of Todd and was searching hard, to find his way around, to earn the race lead. The two leaders would go back-and-forth for nearly the entire main event before Hibbert powered his Monster Energy/Ram Trucks/Arctic Cat to the lead on one of the three uphills. Hibbert would make it a heat race sweep for the day while Todd finished a close second. Rounding out the top three was Adam Renheim. In the final qualifying race of the day, Kody Kamm was shot out of a cannon and took the holeshot award. Kamm was followed by Montana Jess and Kristoffer Holm. Jess and Holm would battle in the beginning laps of the race before Holm had an issue, allowing Jess to have some “breathing room”. Aboard his red & blue Pirtek Polaris, Kody Kamm had pulled away from his competitors while Elias Ishoel found himself battling with Kristoffer Holm for third. With only 100 yards of racetrack remaining on the final laps, Kody Kamm had an issue dropping him to fourth and giving Montana Jess his first ever Pro heat race win. Kristoffer Holm had a solid race as well finishing in second, and Elias Ishoel finished his qualifying efforts with a third.

Final

With the races in Lake Geneva being the only race that Pro racers see the infamous Joker Lane (Longer portion of the racetrack where riders must go one time during main event) strategy comes into play for the teams. Tucker Hibbert once again grabbed the Studboy Holeshot Award and led the field up the initial hill at Grand Geneva. Hibbert was followed closely by reigning champion, Kody Kamm. The leaders would be side-by-side by the end of the first lap, but Hibbert found smoother lines and once again solidified the early race lead. Kamm’s teammate, Petter Narsa, found himself in third but after an early race crash the Polaris rider fell to the rear of the field. After Narsa’s mistake, Elias Ishoel slotted into third while Tim Tremblay found himself in fourth. The two Ski-Doo riders would battle bar-to-bar for the first half of the race before Ishoel crashed giving over his podium position to Tremblay. Hibbert, Kamm, and Tremblay gapped the field by more then 15 seconds at the halfway point of the race, while Montana Jess and Lincoln Lemieux rounded out the top five. With the laps winding down the top three continued to extend their leads although not taking the Joker Lane yet. Tremblay took the long way around on lap 8 and still found himself racing in third. With two laps to go in the Pro main event, Kody Kamm also ascended into the Joker Lane. Kamm would come out second still with an eight second gap back to the third place rider of Tim Tremblay. Tucker Hibbert’s strategy worked out to perfection as he led the field by over 15 seconds when he took the joker lane on the final lap. After coming back on course, Hibbert still had a large advantage and took the double checkered flags once again. Kamm rode a strong second and Tim Tremblay extended his third place podium streak. The fourth place spot was earned by Corin Todd, who took the Joker Lane on lap two and charged hard late in the race to earn himself a top five position. Lincoln Lemieux also raced hard from a back row starting spot, to finish his day in fifth.

1. #68 Tucker Hibbert

2. #1 Kody Kamm

3. #11 Tim Tremblay

4. #36 Corin Todd

5. #13 Lincoln Lemieux

6. #765 Montana Jess

7. #43 Logan Christian

8. #610 Kristoffer Holm

9. #98 Nick Pattyn

10. #541 Ryan Springer

11. #436 Travis Muller

12. #177 Jake Angove

13. #200 Elias Ishoel

14. #54 Petter Narsa

15. #311 Adam Renheim

2017/2018 AMSOIL Championship Snocross Powered by RAM 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.