Press Release –
If anyone questioned what the 2008-09 snowmobile race season would look like, Team Arctic’s results at the ISOC Duluth National snocross delivered a predictable, emphatic answer: We’re the ones to beat.
Four out of 10 class victories, 13 podium positions, a bullet-proof Sno Pro 600 race sled and breakout performances by several racers made that point loud and clear to the announced crowd of 36,000 who witnessed the stunning performance.
Monster Energy/Arctic Cat phenomenon Tucker Hibbert led the charge by completely dominating Pro Super Stock and Pro Open classes en route to his 39th and 40th career victories.
In what was the most dramatic performance by racer in the 17-year history of the Duluth National, Hibbert led every lap of his heat races and finals, leaving zero doubt that he is the fittest, fastest snocross racer in the world.
Joining Hibbert on the podium were Team Arctic’s Ryan Simons, whose second and third place finishes in Pro Open and Pro Stock were career-best finishes at Duluth and make him a leading contender for a championship title.
Christian Bros. Racing teammates Matt Piche, Garth Kaufman and Brett Turcotte proved equally threatening with four top-6 finishes collectively.
Duluth was an emotional race for the Christian Bros. Racing team, with Carly Davis going flag-to-flag to win the Pro Women’s final despite missing most of last season to injury.
Just as stunning was the breakout-performance by Logan Christian who, despite being sidelined with injury the last half of 2008 and moving up from the Sport class, emerged to finish third in Semi Pro Super Stock and fourth in Semi Pro Open.
“Logan and Carly worked incredibly hard to return from injuries,” said team owner (and Logan’s father) Dwight Christian. “Their performances here speak volumes about their determination, and our entire team is proud of them.”
The emotions didn’t end there, as Cory Davis returned to Team Arctic with an emotional second place in Semi Pro Super Stock.
Joining him as a serious class title contender is Christian Salemark, who hails from Sweden and is contesting the national circuit for his second year. Salemark finished third in Semi Pro Open and fourth in Semi Pro Super Stock.
Proving that the Team Arctic juggernaut extends to the “feeder” classes, Cody Thomsen won the Sport Super Stock #1 final, with Cat teammates Jacob Muller and Dusty Miller finished second and fourth respectively.
“Our racers, teams and machines combined for an awesome performance at Duluth,” said Mike Kloety, Team Arctic Race Manager. “Their hard work and ample preseason practice were evident and, with no major injuries to speak of, we go to the next race at Ironwood, Mich., in a solid position to improve.”
In its second season of competition, the Sno Pro 600 race sled had the performance and durability needed to win in the new, longer-format ISOC snocross series.
“Our guys got holeshots all weekend long and were able to attack the always-rough track with confidence,” said Kloety. “The 30-lap finals for Pros and 20-lap Semi Pro finals work to our advantage because the Sno Pro is a compliant, easy-to-ride sled that doesn’t wear out the riders like some other brands’ machines. When you have more power, better suspensions and durability, plus the best racers, the result is a performance like we enjoyed at Duluth.”
