With 84 pro national victories and six consecutive Winter X Games gold medals, Tucker Hibbert is next in line to become the most decorated snocross racer in history—and he hasn’t even turned 30 yet.
Did he really have a choice? The son of legendary snowmobile racer and Arctic Cat sled designer Kirk Hibbert entered his first snowmobile race when he was only two and his first snocross race when he was 11. Four years later, he turned pro and became a winning machine.
Not one to keep the glory all to himself, the 29-year-old is quick to point out that it’s with the help of his team that he has become the world’s leading snocross racer. And by team, he also means family. On board with Team 68 is Hibbert’s father slash lead mechanic and his wife Mandi, who acts as his publicist. This season, Hibbert also has his cousin and longtime Team Arctic racer Garth Kaufman helping with the testing and tuning of his race sleds.
The 2012-2013 season was one of Hibbert’s best, but this one will probably top it. After dominating the first four rounds of the 2013-2014 Amsoil Championship Snocross Series, Hibbert had already tied Canada’s great Blair Morgan’s standing record of all-time wins.
Just days after clean-sweeping the podium in Bessemer, Michigan, SnoRiders caught up with the snocross tycoon to see what’s next for him when he does become the winningest snocross racer of all time.
How do you feel being tied up with Blair Morgan?
It's really exciting. Blair’s an awesome guy. We had a lot of fun racing against each other back in the day and to be tied with him for total wins is an honour for me and something that was never a big goal for me but now that I’m here, it’s pretty exciting.
Over the last few weeks, how many hours a week have you spent on snow?
It's different every week. We had a lot of time to practise before Duluth this year. With some colder temperatures and early snow in places, I was able to ride more than I have in years past before Duluth. That’s always kind of a headache, trying to get enough practice in, and this year I felt like I had a lot of seat time before we got there. Before the second round in Bessemer, we had a short week. I think we were only able to ride two days and I spent one day just practising and riding, another day testing with the team and working on making the sled better. Each week is different and depends on what we feel we need to work on to get ready for the next race.
Last summer you started racing motocross again. How was that?
It was awesome. I really enjoy racing motocross. It’s something I’ve done my whole life. I had a few years where I dealt with some injuries in the summertimes and wasn’t able to do much racing and this summer, I was able to get back and do a lot of riding and racing. I’m looking forward to racing again next summer.
Do you think it stepped up your snocross game?
I think it helped a lot. Each year that I’m able to race motocross and ride I feel like the snocross season is always better. The mental side of it is huge and just keeping your brain in the racing mode is a huge benefit. Then obviously the physical end of racing motocross is really demanding and makes it a lot easier when you are coming into the snow season, having a bunch of time on the bike and feeling like your fitness is good.
If you beat, or I should say when you beat Blair Morgan’s record, it means you will be the most decorated snocross racer in history. So what’s next for you?
I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. I’m just going to keep racing and every time I’m out there, I’m motivated to win and try to find ways to be better than the last race. So for me, it’s not really going to change anything. Just going to keep racing. We have a long season ahead of us this year and it started out great, but we have to make sure we stay focused and make sure we are ready every time we are out there so we can be shaking hands at the end of the year.
Do you have a favourite track on the ISOC calendar?
Every year, the tracks are so much different. It’s always dependent on snow conditions and temperatures. It’s hard to pinpoint my favourite track, but X Games is probably one of the best race courses we have all year. They have a lot of snow and they build some really cool jumps and obstacles, so for me it’s always a highlight of the year. As far as the ISOC season, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, is always one of the better tracks for us, which is always the last race of the season. Also Canterbury in Shakopee is a good place to race.
What’s it like having Team Arctic racer Garth Kaufman working with you and the team?
It’s been awesome. Garth is really experienced, with all the racing he’s done over the years, and he really knows his way around a sled and how to work on stuff and make it better. He’s been a great fit for our team. He done a great job so far this season and I think it shows with our results on the track that we have a team that works well together and knows the right things to focus on, and I’m excited for the rest of the season with Garth and the rest of the guys.
Have you and Garth ever gone head to head in a race?
Yes, Garth and I raced against eachother for probably the last seven or eight years, so there have been a lot of races where we have been battling together and this is his first year of not racing, so it’s kind of a change for him.
Is there any friendly competition between you two?
Well, I think with racers there’s always that little bit of competition, but no, it’s been really good so far. We’ve gotten along really well over the years. It’s never been a battle where we’re mad at each other for something that happened on the race track or something. It’s cool.
Where will you be spending Christmas?
I'll spend Christmas in Minnesota with my family and we’re busy back at the race shop getting ready for that next race. After Canterbury, we go to the X Games and then the schedule for ISOC after X Games gets pretty busy and not a lot of time between races, so between now and then we have a little break. So we are going to be super busy preparing for the remainder of the season. It's kind of nice to have some time off, but at the same time we're more busy than ever.
What are your plans for the rest of the day?
Today, I’m heading off to the race shop and going to be working with the guys. We’re just about done getting everything cleaned up and organized after last weekend’s race in Bessemer and now we’ll begin working getting everything ready for the next race in Shakopee. We’ve got a lot of testing and practising to do in the meantime. Mostly the next week we will be doing a lot of work in the race shop. So today I’ll probably be working on snowmobiles.
When do you usually head home at the end of the day?
It depends, but not until late. The last couple of days since we have the break we haven’t been pushing very hard, but most days we’re in the shop until 11:30 p.m. or midnight and sometimes later. We’re pretty much wide open all the time. It’s not a very relaxing job sometimes.
Before you head off, do you have any special thank-yous or shout-outs?
I just have to thank my team for working so hard. This season has been great so far and I couldn’t do it without all the mechanics and everyone working so hard on the team who doesn’t get all the credit they deserve all the time.
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