Hibbert Two-for-Two at Monster Energy Motocross Nationals
(June 23, 2008) - Tucker Hibbert piloted his Monster Energy/Yamaha to his second overall win in two appearances at round four of the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals in Regina, Saskatchewan. Hibbert will now return to The States for the remainder of the summer but is leaving Canada with an impressive 1-1-2-1 record in the MX2 class.
In moto one, Hibbert landed a third place start behind Clearbrook/Yamaha’s Kyle Beaton and KTM/Royal Distributing’s Eric Nye. Beaton took the early lead with Hibbert and Nye in tow. On lap five, Hibbert charged too hot down a hill into a high-banked corner, blew over the berm and off the track, losing seven seconds and a position to Nye. Hibbert refocused and in two laps passed Nye and set his sight on Beaton. The last three laps of the moto were bar-to-bar as Hibbert gave it his all trying to find a way around the leader. When the checkered flag flew, he came up short and had to settle for a hard fought second.
Hibbert was determined to get the holeshot in his final moto but once again was beat to the line by Beaton. The two Yamaha riders had an intense battle for the first two laps of the race then Beaton went down hard, taking himself out of the moto. Hibbert inherited the lead but was now threatened by Nye, the current series points leader. Hibbert held a three second lead on Nye for a few laps then gradually picked up the pace, gaining one to two seconds on him every lap until the end of the race. Hibbert finished with the fastest lap of the moto and a 16-second gap over Nye.
Hibbert will take this weekend off to prepare for his return to the AMA Toyota Motocross Lites Championship July 5-6 at Red Bud Track & Trail in Michigan. Check out www.tucker-hibbert.com for his complete schedule along with race reports, photos, videos and newsletters written by Hibbert himself.
Tucker Hibbert – #29
“I feel really good about the weekend. I had to ride really hard after making a big mistake in the first moto. I couldn’t catch Kyle Beaton but came really close and feel good about the way I rode. In the second moto, I really wanted to get the holeshot. It was my main focus and I had a good gate but was slow the first couple of feet off the gate and ended up in third. I passed Beaton for the lead but got passed back right away. It was intense racing the first couple laps then all of a sudden Beaton crashed hard right in front of me. I felt bad for him and was bummed out I wasn’t able to finish racing him. I focused on keeping the lead - riding fast, consistent laps and getting the biggest gap I could on Eric Nye. I tried some different lines, rode with more intensity and was able to finish with a pretty comfortable lead. The past two weekends have been a lot of fun and a huge confidence builder for me. So far, this is my best season yet and I can’t wait to get back to The States to see how I can finish there.”
Resources: www.tucker-hibbert.com • www.monsterenergy.com
www.cmrcracing.com • www.amamotocross.com
