February 13, 2012 – Monster Energy/Arctic Cat’s Tucker Hibbert battled a tight racetrack, lapped traffic and powerful roost to finish third in the only indoor race of the season Friday night. Nearly 20,000 race fans piled into Pontiac, Michigan’s Silverdome to watch the seventh round of the ISOC National Snocross Tour.

In Hibbert’s first round of qualifying, he went off the course on lap one and fell victim to the slippery concrete perimeter surrounding the racetrack. Traction products in the rubber track of the snowmobile are not allowed at the indoor event, making it nearly impossible to reenter the course. He finished fifth in round one but bounced back with a dominating win in round two making him the sixth qualifier for the 15-rider, 28-lap final.

In the final, Hibbert had a solid drive into turn one but immediately got tangled and pushed sideways. He stayed upright and by lap six he was sitting in fourth but over eight seconds behind leader Tim Tremblay. Hibbert charged through traffic and by lap 16 was riding on Tremblay’s rear bumper. They swapped positions for the lead twice before Hibbert clipped his ski on Tremblay’s track leaving Hibbert tipped on his side and out of contention for the win. He picked himself back up and held on for a podium finish in third place.
You can watch the behind the scenes action from the Silverdome on NBC Sports Sunday, March 11 at 5 p.m. EST.

Tucker Hibbert – Western Power Sports National Pro Open Results
Round 1: 5th
Round 2: 1st
FINAL: 3rd

Tucker Hibbert – #68 Monster Energy/Arctic Cat
“Racing at the Silverdome was intense. I was constantly battling riders and heavy, wet roost. The first turn was challenging all night. I came out of it pretty good in the final after getting hit and pushed sideways. I spotted Tim right away so I figured he was in the lead. Because of the first turn pileup, we (lead riders) got into lappers immediately. I had no idea if I was battling lappers or lead lap riders. My crew did an awesome job giving me my position on my pit board so after a couple laps, I knew where I was.
I caught Tim from a long way back and caught him fast. I knew I had the speed to win. I made a pass then he got me back right away. I passed him a second time but then made a mistake and he got me back. I went for another charge in a corner but clipped my ski on his track and tipped over. I’m happy I still made it on the podium but frustrated I didn’t make my pass stick on Tim because I felt really good. The Monster Energy/Arctic Cat crew has my sled dialed-in right now.”

Resources: tucker-hibbert.com • monsterenergy.com • arcticcat.com • snocross.lab.b2tech.us