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Watch History Being Made: Tucker Going for His 100th

A few hours from now, opening ceremonies will commence at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., where rounds five and six of this season’s ISOC National Snocross series begin tonight.

Canterbury is typically a great race venue because of its excellent facility, huge spectator turnout and a track that usually contains one right hand corner, making it more than a simple oval. It’s worth seeing live or on UStream any year, but this weekend holds the possibility of a remarkable achievement: Tucker Hibbert’s 100th career Pro class win.

Tucker Hibbert's first Pro National win at Duluth in 2000. Photo by ArcticInsider.com

Fourteen years and a couple months ago, in his first weekend as a professional snocross racer, Tucker Hibbert came out of the back row to win the Pro Open class at the 2000-2001 season opener in Duluth, Minn., at the tender age of 16.

It was a pretty remarkable achievement, and it might have seemed more historic had he not already won gold at the X Games the winter prior, as a 15-year old semi pro. 

Tucker Hibbert's first Pro National win at Duluth in 2000. Photo by ArcticInsider.com

As I snapped a sequence of images of Tucker with his arms above his head at the finish line, I remember thinking to myself that it looked like he was expressing relief as much as jubilation. Who knows what weight might have already been felt on his shoulders, even then?

In the 14 years since his winning debut as a Pro, Tucker Hibbert has risen his fist in victory a total of 99 times, not counting his eight X games gold medals or FIM World Championship.

When he didn’t step onto the top spot of the podium, he was usually next to it, as evidenced by his 130 top-3 finishes out of 171 Pro National starts. The winning percentage is mind boggling, especially considering his is a sport in which injury hovers as an ever-present possibility.

For nearly 15 years Tucker Hibbert has been rewriting the rules and records about what is possible in the sport of snocross. We may or we may not ever see another snocross racer who wins with such stunning consistency, and whose career lasts long enough to achieve 100-plus victories.

What we do know is that tonight Tucker Hibbert is the favorite to win, and doing so would put him at 100 victories. And then it will be on to 101, 102, 103 and so on… until the day he decides he’s had enough.

Until that happens, each one of us has the chance to watch the all-time winningest snocross racer continue his remarkable march into history. Let’s enjoy the moment and whatever comes of it.

Sometime in the future, we can tell our great-grandchildren about having actually seen the legend.

Thanks for reading.

 

Tucker Hibbert reading about his first Pro win in Snow Week magazine. Photo by ArcticInsider.com

When he stopped by my house last night, I asked him if he remembered that win. He didn’t. So to refresh his memory, he read my copy of Snow Week detailing the win. Then he ate cookies and ice cream.

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6 COMMENTS

  1. John, I saw on the news last night that Tucker was part of a boys make a wish with a new sled and a few laps around the track. That’s a huge victory all by itself. Go Turker!!!

  2. Friday night: We will have to wait for 100 another day….. Started mid pack, worked up to second, had an off running for the leader, finished fourth…. He is human after all… Who knew?

  3. Great racing last night…Tonite should be awesome ! Little cold out there last night, tonite should be a little less brutal for this west coast boy. Tucker is first class all the way. I work for the Co that has sponsored Jeff Gordon for 20+ years. He is a first class individual and I find a lot of similarities between Jeff and Tucker. They are both in it because they simply LOVE to race. Good luck tonite T !!!

  4. Well we know by now that Tucker didn’t get his 100th win yesterday.
    With that being said…was the show he put on coming from 10th place and placing 2nd more exciting than getting the hole shot and running away with the win?
    In my opinion, most of us all know who the majority of the spectators come to see race and should agree Tucker is the best in the business.
    Tucker will get the win soon, I’m sure, and set a record that may last forever.
    There will come a day when Tucker hangs up that helmet and retires as a racer.
    When that day comes, I certainly hope he also announces the start of his own race team!
    Hopefully, Arctic Cat, it’s racers and sponsor support will continue to be the leading edge for many more years to come.

  5. John,
    After watching both the Friday and Saturday night races, it seems to me that Tuckers biggest problem has to do with the hole shot. I’m sure with Steve Houle in the trailer they are working on this but from what I can see, the Polaris drivers have got that hole shot down. I can’t believe that their engines are making any more power and I assume that both Cat and Polaris are using the Team driven clutch. Have you an opinion on what might different between the two sleds?

  6. Yes! despite the fact victory #100 eluded Tucker at Canterbury this year after the final coming from 10th to 2nd against some fast company was awesome to watch! He is the Best!

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