Tuckker Hibbert swept another weekend of Pro Open snowmobile snocross racing on the Amsoil Championship Snocross series, this time in Salamance, New York. Below are the press releases from the host ISOC race circuit, h the Friday night final shown first, then the Saturday night final.
FRIDAY NIGHT ACTION
SENECA ALLEGANY RESORT & CASINO – SALAMANCA, NY. (February 5, 2016) — The U.S. Air Force Snocross National in western New York has become a favorite on the schedule for many of the riders and has produced some great racing in past years. Like many areas in the country, normal weather patterns have been anything but normal, in a region that is commonly layered with white in the winter months, the snow is non-existent. However, the ISOC Track Crew was hard at work to get the snow made for a great show in front of the fired up east coast fans who braved the cold temps for some red hot AMSOIL Championship Snocross racing in Round 9.
Coming directly off a record setting 9th Gold Medal at the X-Games in Aspen, Co. last week, Tucker Hibbert(68) is going to be looking to build his points lead in Pro Open while Elias Ishoel(200) is hoping to close the gap as he gaining ground on points leader Montana Jess(765) in the Pro Lite ranks.
PRO LITE
HEATS AND LCQ –
Tight bar-to-bar racing in the heats where top points riders battled for qualifying on this fast track. Elias Ishoel(200) looking really strong and smooth with a 2nd and 1st, points leader Montana Jess(765) with two 4th place finishes and Jake Angove(177) looking very strong as the top qualifier with two 1st place finishes. Cole Cottew(21) came up through the LCQ followed by Kyle Rau(25), Korbyn Anderson(17), Michael George(307) and Jacob Blanshan(132).
FINAL –
In front of great Friday night crowd, the young guns line up for the final run of the night. Montana Jess(765) who is starting in the 6th qualifying spot is feeling some pressure to hold onto the points lead with Elias Ishoel(200) moving his way up the points ladder and hoping to be in striking distance after this weekend. Out of the gate with the Stud Boy Hole Shot is Montana Jess(765) and off to an early lead followed by Jake Angove(177) and Christian Brothers Racing, Tyler Adams(705).
Big battle up front as Angove challenges Jess through the FXR Turn, Angove goes to the inside to try for the pass but cannot make it stick. Off to a bad start was Elias Ishoel(200) who came off the sled through the U.S. Air Force front stretch sits in last with a lot of ground to make up. As Ishoel digs deep to work through the field the race up front continues with Angove and Jess where on lap six, Angove made the pass to take the top spot.
Picking off riders and moving up to fifth by lap eight, Ishoel is on the fast track to the podium. Ishoel was able to find the patience in Deadwood that he needed to pencil in a flawless weekend, but tonight there is no patience in sight as he charges hard to find a spot on the podium. But charging hard can also lead to getting tired quicker and often leads to mistakes, as Ishoel comes towards the front stretch on lap nine, he gets catapulted Super Man style from his sled in the front stretch rhythm section, while Maxime Taillefer(144) who was in third also is off his sled.
As the laps wind down, Jake Angove(177) continues to lead the race to the checkers followed by Montana Jess(765) and Daniel Benham(221) finishing up the podium. After some great racing with action from start to finish, the Salamanca crowd was on their feet cheering on the young guns. Angove was on-point and grabbed the big win, “After all the work you put in, it feels amazing.” explained Angove.
PRO LITE FINAL RESULTS –
- Jake Angove (177) – Judnick Motorsports
- Montana Jess (765) – Jess Racing
- Daniel Benham (221) – Factory Arctic Cat
- Tyler Adams (705) – Christian Brothers Racing
- Cole Cottew (21) – Cottew Motorsports
- Maxime Taillefer (144) – Amsoil/Air Force/Ford
- Kevin Wallenstein (122) – KW RACING
- Michael George (307) – Woodies Racing
- Travis Muller (436) – Cottew Motorsports
- Nick Pattyn (98) – Stud Boy Racing
- Elias Ishoel (200) – Warnert Racing
- Korbyn Anderson (17) – Anderson Racing
- Jacob Blanshan (132) – Blanshan Racing
- Kyle Rau (25) – Rau Racing
- James Johnstad (14) – Cottew Motorsports
PRO OPEN
HEATS AND LCQ –
Grabbing the top qualifying spot was Tucker Hibbert(68) who walked away with two first place finishes. Kyle Pallin(324) also strong in qualifying with a 1st and 2nd place finish. Corey Watkinson(173) took a big ride in the air off the start landing him the in LCQ, where he did not transfer to the Final.
FINAL
Pushing the limits with each round in the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series is Tucker Hibbert(68) who has had a great season as we get to the mid-point now has a 76 point lead over the field with Tim Tremblay(11) in second and Adam Renheim(311) in third.
On the line and out of the chute it is Jake Scott(42) who grabs the Stud Boy Hole Shot on the outside line, followed by Tucker Hibbert(68) and Tim Tremblay(11). After a first-ever podium finish in Deadwood, Scott tries to hold of Hibbert, but is unable to after Hibberts makes a clean pass through the FXR Turn on lap two.
While Hibbert checks out from the field, the big race is mid-pack with Ross Martin(837), Kyle Pallin(324) and Tim Tremblay(11) all battling bar-to-bar, Pallin makes the pass on Martin on the inside line through the FXR Turn and settles into fourth. Tremblay and Pallin now setting their sights on Jake Scott(42) who has held onto second coming into lap eleven. Pallin makes a big charge on Scott to make the pass followed by Tremblay.
With the laps winding down coming from mid-pack, Logan Christian(43) has found a fast line and has quickly moved in to challenge Tim Tremblay(11), making a hard charge on the final lap, Christian made the big pass down the back stretch and thru the Arctic Cat Turn and onto the checkers for third. Another big win for Tucker Hibbert(68) and a huge finish in second for Kyle Pallin(324).
Every single win for any rider is a hard fought battle from start to finish, from the hours spent preparing the sled to the checkers in the air. “Every time I go out there on the track I am thankful for the opportunity, I give it all I got.”, explained Tucker.
Bring the big smile to the box, Pallin ran an incredible race and worked hard through the field, “It is such a relief, I am so grateful to be up here. The last couple of years I have had a decent amount of success, this year it has been kind of hidden from me, It feels so good to be back up here.” explained Pallin.
The hard charger of the night was Logan Christian(43) who came through the field from back in the pack and found what it took to bring the Christian Brothers Arctic Cat to a podium finish. “It was a fun race, put my head down and made some passes. There is a big crew behind us and it takes a lot of work to get up here, can’t thank everyone enough.” said Logan.
PRO OPEN FINAL RESULTS –
- Tucker Hibbert (68) – Monster Energy / Arctic Cat / Ram Trucks
- Kyle Pallin (324) – Mystik, Loctite, Polaris, Red Bull
- Logan Christian (43) – DOC 360 /Arctic Wear / Arctic Cat
- Tim Tremblay (11) – Amsoil/Air Force/Ford
- Adam Renheim (311) – Boss Racing
- Jake Scott (42) – Jess Racing
- Ross Martin (837) – Judnick Motorsports
- Corin Todd (36) – Leighton Motorsports
- David Joanis (115) – ROYAL DISTRIBUTING/Arctic Cat/Arctic Wear
- Lincoln Lemieux (13) – Amsoil/Air Force/Rockstar
- Mathieu Morin (27) – Ingles Performance
- Ryan Springer (541) – Carlson Motorsports
- Mikko Osmo (463) – Team Southside Polaris Mystik Lubricants FXR Racing
- Pieti Puhakka (168) – Team Southside Polaris Mystik Lubricants FXR Racing
- John Stenberg (259) – Warnert Racing
SATURDAY RACING PRESS RELEASE:
PRO LITE
HEATS AND LCQ –
Jake Angove(177) puts on another solid run in qualifying grabbing two wins getting him the number one qualifier. Elias Ishoel(200) was able to find the rythym today after a tough day in Round 9, Ishoel secured a spot on the front line in the Final as the number three qualifier and points leader Montana Jess(765) also having a good day grabbing a 2nd and 1st in qualifying puts him on the line as the number two qualifier.
Green, green, green and they are off the line towards the U.S. Air Force front stretch, it is Jake Angove(177) with the Stud Boy Holeshot, around the FXR Turn and over the AMSOIL Finish Line Jump, Montana Jess(765) moves into 1st followed by Angove and Daniel Benham(221). After a tough start, Ishoel sits back in 7th, but is starting to make his move early on and gained three spots on one lap with a 36 second lap, only one second off the pace of Tucker Hibbert(68) in the Pro Open Final.
After a bobble on lap four by Angove, Ishoel was able to capitlaize and push hard through the Ski-Doo Corner to move into 2nd. Down the back stretch they go and Angove makes the move back into 2nd through the Arctic Cat Corner, but answering the challenge, Ishoel overtakes Angove again down the U.S. Air Force front stretch.
Up front Montana Jess(765) begins to get into lapped traffic and gets bound up through the FXR Turn, like a bullet out of a gun, Ishoel is there railing around on the outside line and fires past Jess for the lead.
Laps winding down and Daniel Benham(221) moves into challenge Angove for a podium sport, but Jake is able to hold off his efforts and put the Judnick Motorsports Polaris on the box two nights in a row with a 3rd place finish. Points leader Montana Jess(765) also able to bring home a podium finish in 2nd and the red hot rocket, Elias Ishoel(200) pulls the whole race together and stands on top of the box in 1st place.
“I would just like to thank everyone on my team, and everyone who came out to support me, it’s good to have a good night tonight, I crashed in the start last night and crashed when I tried to pass those guys when I was in fourth.” explained Ishoel.
PRO LITE FINAL RESULTS –
- Elias Ishoel (200) – Warnert Racing
- Montana Jess (765) – Jess Racing
- Jake Angove (177) – Judnick Motorsports
- Daniel Benham (221) – Factory Arctic Cat
- Cole Cottew (21) – Cottew Motorsports
- Kevin Wallenstein (122) – KW RACING
- Korbyn Anderson (17) – Anderson Racing
- Travis Muller (436) – Cottew Motorsports
- Michael George (307) – Woodies Racing
- Tyler Adams (705) – Christian Brothers Racing
- Jacob Blanshan (132) – Blanshan Racing
- Nick Pattyn (98) – Stud Boy Racing
- James Johnstad (14) – Cottew Motorsports
- Maxime Taillefer (144) – Amsoil/Air Force/Ford
- Stephen Turchanik (228) – US 27 MOTORSPORTS
TOP FIFTEEN MID SEASON POINTS STANDINGS –
- Montana Jess – 356
- Jake Angove – 333
- Daniel Benham – 316
- Kevin Wallenstein – 307
- Maxime Taillefer – 288
- Elias Ishoel – 283
- James Johnstad – 257
- Cole Cottew – 228
- Michael George – 214
- Tyler Adams – 207
- Travis Muller – 202
- Travis Kern – 180
- Korbyn Anderson – 179
- Zak Mason – 160
- Nick Pattyn – 150
PRO OPEN
HEATS AND LCQ –
Some big names out with injuries for the qualifying rounds, or riding injured and the overall field is getting thinned out. Hibbert was dialed in once again and dominated with two first places finishes for the top qualifier. Corin Todd(36) riding with a sore back, ran into some unfortunate luck as he got tangled up with David Joanis(115) and went off the sled putting him in the LCQ but would transfer to the Final. Lincoln Lemieux(13) aboard the U.S. Air Force/AMSOIL Polaris was on a rail and landed the second qualifer position and Tim Tremblay(11) pulling in the third qualifying spot.
Stacked and ready to fire, the field is set and waiting for the ISOC Starter to set them loose, Lincoln Lemieux(13) nails the Stud Boy Holeshot with Hibbert on his heels who would take the lead on the first lap going through the FXR Turn. After coming through the LCQ, Corin Todd(36) makes quick ground and gets into the number three position and challenges Lincoln Lemieux(13) for second.
As Hibbert continues to extend his lead on the field, Corin Todd(36) now falling back two laps down by lap six putting Kyle Pallin(324) up in third with Lincoln Lemieux(13) staying in second. Logan Christian(43) who just came off a podium finish in Round 9 moves up into third after Pallin was black flagged for passing under a yellow flag and had to move back two spots.
Pallin would regain the two spots and begin to challenge Christian for the final podium spot and make the pass on the final lap after Logan got caught up in lap traffic. Bar-to-Bar, Pallin and Christian drag race down the back stretch, high over the AMSOIL Finish Line Jump Pallin moves into third, up front Hibbert takes the checkers once again, followed by Lemieux in second.
Adding another clean sweep to the resume, Hibbert comes away with back-to-back wins in Salamanca, “I just found some really good lines out there, the snow conditions today were really rough, it made it tricky, you didn’t know what the sled was going to do, but we got the sled dialed in, everything was working good.” explained Hibbert.
After looking great all weekend, Lincoln Lemieux(13) landed the Air Force/AMSOIL/Rockstar sled in the runner up spot, “Yesterday I had a little trouble, but we got a good start today, stayed in second. I tried to catch up to Tucker, but got into lapped traffic early that took me awhile to get through.” said Lemieux.
Bringing home another podium finish for the LaVallee Team, Pallin fought hard to regain composure after being penalized two spots, “That race was crazy, I rolled like Levi LaVallee – fast but squirley! I was off the track here, and off over there, I was just happy I stayed on and happy to be on the podium.” expressed Pallin.
PRO OPEN RESULTS –
1. Tucker Hibbert (68) – Monster Energy / Arctic Cat / Ram Trucks
2. Lincoln Lemieux (13) – Amsoil/Air Force/Rockstar
3. Kyle Pallin (324) – Mystik, Loctite, Polaris, Red Bull
4. Logan Christian (43) – DOC 360 /Arctic Wear / Arctic Cat
5. Adam Renheim (311) – Boss Racing
6. John Stenberg (259) – Warnert Racing
7. Tim Tremblay (11) – Amsoil/Air Force/Ford
8. Corey Watkinson (173) – Watkinson Motorsports, Arctic Cat
9. Andrew Carlson (151) -CARLSON MOTORSPORTS
10. Jake Scott (42) – Jess Racing
11. Ryan Springer (541) – Carlson Motorsports
12. Zach Pattyn (99) – Stud Boy Racing
13. Corin Todd (36) -Leighton Motorsports
TOP FIFTEEN MID SEASON POINTS STANDINGS –
1. Tucker Hibbert – 463
2. Tim Tremblay – 373
3. Adam Renheim – 355
4. Kyle Pallin – 336
5. Lincoln Lemieux – 336
6. Logan Christian – 319
7. Corin Todd – 304
8. David Joanis – 281
9. John Stenberg – 279
10. Kody Kamm – 235
11. Jake Scott – 234
12. Ryan Springer – 234
13. Petter Narsa – 225
14. Corey Watkinson – 220
15. Andrew Carlson – 198
UP NEXT
On deck is Rounds 11 and 12 for the RAM Trucks Snocross National Presented by Soaring Eagle Casino and Resourt in Mt. Pleasant, MI.
Tune into www.snocross.com for the all the action on the LIVE Stream and check us out on the Social Media channels (Facebook – Twitter – Google Plus – Instagram – You Tube – Pintrest).
ABOUT ISOC RACING
The International Series of Champions (ISOC) is the premier snowmobile race sanctioning organization in North America and sanctions national AMSOIL Championship Snocross, in addition to affiliating with nine regional circuits. Visit www.isocracing.com for more information, fan and racer memberships, schedule details and more.
