2011 Winter X Games report

Team Arctic superstar Tucker Hibbert claimed his sixth Gold Medal at the ESPN Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo., with another dominant display of snocross supremacy. Meanwhile, Polaris pilot Daniel Bodin claimed top honors in both Freestyle and Best Trick.

The King of Snocross

Hibbert’s win gave him his fifth consecutive gold medal and his 10th medal in 12 years. Racing his Monster Energy Arctic Cat Sno Pro 600 with a Speedwerx modified motor and clutching package, Hibbert combined strong holeshots with his typical blazing speed and control to convincingly win his heat race and final. The only drama happened on the first lap of the final, when one competitor jumped the start and another partially landed on Hibbert before veering off the track.

Hibbert shrugged off both incidents, took the lead threw down a series of fast laps before cruising to an unchallenged win. The victory moved Hibbert past Blair Morgan on the all-time win list.

Tucker Hibbert continued his assault on the snocross record books. (Photo by John Hanson)

“This win feels amazing. Every win is special but this one means a lot to me,” says Hibbert. “Beating Blair’s record for most snocross gold medals is really exciting, but I have to thank him for setting the bar high. He helped make me the competitor I am today and I really wish we were still battling on the track.”

Polaris’ Ross Martin earned his second-straight silver medal with a second-place finish. The defending ISOC Pro Open champion has won silver medals at the past two X Games after suffering a season-ending injury in an X Games practice session in 2009. Ski-Doo’s Robbie Malinoski earned the bronze medal and the final spot on the snocross podium. Factory Team Arctic Semi-Pro Kyle Pallin finished an impressive fourth place in the final, leading a team green charge that included Dan Ebert (fifth), Cody Thomsen (sixth), and  Zach Pattyn (seventh). Ian Hayden (Polaris), Justin Broberg (Ski-Doo), and Johan Lidman (Arctic Cat) completed the top 10.

Bodin Earns Double Gold

Just weeks prior to the X Games, Daniel Bodin was invited by Polaris snocross racer and freestyle star Levi LaVallee to train with and compete for Team LaVallee. LaVallee, who has won X Games medals in a wider range of events than any other snowmobiler, was injured practicing for a planned New Year’s Eve distance jump, so he worked closely with Bodin prior to the 2011 X Games at the team’s Minnesota training center.

Bodin had qualified for the Snowmobile Freestyle finals in each of the previous four years, but finished fourth each time. In the 2011 finals on Thursday, January 27, he delivered his greatest performance ever and won the gold medal handily. Justin Hoyer took home the silver, while Caleb Moore flipped his way to bronze.

Three nights later, Bodin was at it again in Snowmobile Best Trick, an event in which each competitor performs one big trick in each of two rounds.

In the first round, Bodin launched his Polaris snowmobile off the tall jump and flipped the sled while sailing 100 feet to the landing ramp. In the final round, Bodin once again flipped his IQ Race Sled off the 100-foot ramp, and this time dismounted the sled and held the seat strap with both hands in a Double Seat Grab.

Caleb Moore picked up his second medal of the competition with a silver, while Heath Frisby earned bronze.

Parsons Tops in Snowmobile Speed & Style

In Snowmobile Speed & Style, which combines snocross and freestyle, Joe Parsons came out of top. It was Parsons’ second gold in the event (2009) and seventh Winter X Games medal. Heath Frisby and Cory Davis finished second and third.