Monster Energy interview: X Games & snocross racing star Tucker Hibbert

Tucker puts the tread to Europe’s best snocross racers in winning the 2010 FIM Snowcross World Championships in Mala, Sweden

By Pat Schutte

Photos courtesy of Tucker-Hibbert.com

CORONA, Calif., (April 1, 2010) – You’d think dominating the Winter X Games (fourth-straight Snocross gold medal) and running undefeated on North America’s premier snocross tour – the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series (ACSS)  – there wouldn’t be much else to prove on a sled for Monster Energy’s Tucker Hibbert. The X Games draws a global crowd and the ACSS is considered by most in the snowmobile industry to be the world’s premier snocross proving grounds.

Hibbert, on the other hand, wanted to make a statement to the world.

This past weekend he and his Monster Energy-backed Arctic Cat team were in Mala, Sweden, for the 2010 FIM Snowcross World Championships in order to challenge Europe’s best on their home snow and under their rules – rules that Hibbert and his team would find were far different than the ones he races under here in the States and in Canada.

Coming away victorious (1st/1st/2nd in three motos), Hibbert only instilled further what the European snocross (or “snowcross”) fans already knew: Hibbert’s the best in the world at what he does.

Monster caught up with Tucker at his home in Minnesota and got him away from his beaver hunting adventures (seriously) just long enough to get a report on last week’s event in Sweden.

Monster Energy: Hey, you hammered everyone over here on snowmobiles this year. When did you figure it was time to go battle Europe’s best?

Tucker Hibbert: Oh, about a month-and-a-half or so before the event. That gave us quite a bit of time to get prepared, do some testing and some practicing. Get all of our ducks in a row.

Monster Energy: Talk a bit more on that. We understand the rules for American snocross racing versus European snowcross racing are decidedly different.

Tucker Hibbert: There’s definitely some differences in not only the equipment, but also the race courses. Higher speeds mean a lot of testing on different suspension settings – quite a bit different than how we’d normally set the sled up. The courses over there are a lot choppier, a lot rougher than over here. We also had to run different fuel, 95 octane, which amounts to pump gas. A lot of engine and exhaust testings to get those settings right as well. So just getting set up was kind of challenging.

Monster Energy: And you had to leave Stud Boy at home. And we’re not talking about your buddy/mechanic, Rob.

Tucker Hibbert: (Laughter) No studs (in the sled’s track), which made it a little bit different. But that wasn’t as hard to get used to as I expected it to be.

Monster Energy: Did the FIM contact you to come do this or did you reach out to them?

Tucker Hibbert: They’ve (FIM) been trying to get me to come over and race their world championship race for a few years now. Just never worked with my schedule and, up to this year, wasn’t something I guess I was really into doing. This year they put a lot of efforts into the event and are basically trying to build it into a Snowcross Des Nations. So it’s really getting big and this year it just worked for me to go.

Monster Energy: So was it worth it?

Tucker Hibbert: I was very impressed.

Monster Energy: Mandi (Tucker’s wife) said as soon as you guys got off the plane you got mobbed by European powersports industry reporters and photographers.

Tucker Hibbert: It was really cool to see the media coverage of the event. It’s definitely a step above what we have in the States. X Games obviously is huge, well-covered and organized – and this event was on par with X Games I would say, as far as the structure. And the people over there are into snowmobiling and I have a lot more fans over there in Sweden, Finland and Norway than I knew about.

Monster Energy: We hear your Russian fans are the craziest.

Tucker Hibbert: Yeah, for sure. Team Russia was intense. They were serious, didn’t mess around and they were fans – hanging around with us, I wouldn’t say ‘mobbing us,’ but they were always right there. It was cool.

Monster Energy: Talk a little bit about the motos. From what we gathered they seem to have really suited you and your fitness level, more in tune with motocross’ 30-minute motos than the ACSS-type sprints you’re used to.

Tucker Hibbert: The length of races was definitely better. We did three motos and combined them, like they do at the Motocross Des Nations. Different than what I’ve done here, had to figure it out and learn as I went with the scheduling and how the whole event was laid out. But yeah, I was really pumped on the longer motos and longer track. We had 1:10 lap times, which was longer than the X Games (50 seconds to 1:05). Our normal national courses are right around 30 seconds a lap, which tend to be pretty small when you’re racing around for 20 minutes.

Monster Energy: Was the course jumpy like the X Games course?

Tucker Hibbert: The course in Sweden had a lot of small jumps and rhythm sections and it got really rough. They didn’t groom it to where the jumps were set up nicely like doubles and triples. It was just a huge mass of jumps – kind of like how Southwick (Mass.) gets for motocross, really nasty and changing all the time. X Games has more smooth, nicely formed jumps that are all pre-set and they keep grooming them and keep them the same all day long. Whereas this course in Sweden totally changed all the time.

Monster Energy: So were you changing your lines all the time?

Tucker Hibbert: Yeah, the track really changed a lot. And that was made even more difficult due to the poor visibility. Snowing, overcast with flat light – really hard to see. A challenge to find better lines and ways to get around the track that were fast.

Monster Energy: How much did you end up winning by? Was it the typical Tucker run-away we’re used to seeing or did the Europeans have something for you?

Tucker Hibbert: There was definitely some guys there that were fast. Their style of racing is different with the course changing all the time. It slowly got less technical and more high speed and rough, which is the style of racing I normally don’t do as well on. I’m more of the technical, smooth, figure out good rhythm kind-of-guy where the Europeans figure out how to go fast when it’s just really nasty and rough. So I was fast at the beginning of the day, before the jumps got all torn up.

Monster Energy: What’s you do in your qualifiers and motos?

Tucker Hibbert: Had a huge lead in my qualifier, then it got red flagged – but I won it anyway. In my first moto I got a bad start, 12th or 13th, came all the way to the front and won by 13 seconds or so. Second moto I got the holeshot and battled with a couple guys, one guy from Sweden led a few laps, then I got by him and won that moto by quite a bit. The last race I was out front, one of the other Sweden riders caught and passed me. I stayed with him for a little while, then backed it down a little bit and let him go. By that time the track was really nasty.

Monster Energy: We heard on the podium celebration (see photos) the promoters treated you like you’d just won the Kentucky Derby. And not the jockey, but the horse.

Tucker Hibbert: (Laughing) Yeah, it was crazy. I ended up with two trophies, some glass plaque, a gold medal and then this huge wreath with a big bow on it they hung over my neck. I was pretty weighted down. Things just kept coming and I was trying to hold my trophy up with that thing around my neck, holding an American flag while trying to drink a Monster – I could barely stand up – I felt like a horse! (laughter)

Monster Energy: That’s awesome. So now that the snow’s finally gone in Minnesota (we think), sleds are parked and the beaver population on your property is under control, you fittin’ to throw your leg over a dirt bike here soon?

Tucker Hibbert: I’m ready for a change of pace. A lot of success and fun on the snowmobiles, but it’s getting warm out now and I’m ready for motocross.

Monster Energy: You training up in Minnesota or heading down to Texas?

Tucker Hibbert: I’m probably going to stay here, weather’s really good right now. Hopefully we don’t end up with another big snowstorm – you can never count that out in Minnesota until about June.

Monster Energy: When and where are you going to debut at the nationals?

Tucker Hibbert: I would say my first national will probably be RedBud, maybe go do one or two Monster Canadian MX Nationals.

Monster Energy: Excellent. Best of luck with your training and we’ll look forward to seeing you on a dirt bike here real soon. And congrats again on your big win in Sweden.

Tucker Hibbert: Thanks. Monster was out in full force at the FIM Snocross World Championships. I had no idea we were that big over there.

And even bigger now thanks to Tucker!

Monster Energy supports the scene. Be it snocross, off-road, rally, rock crawling, MX, MotoGP, ski, snowboards, freestyle snowmobiles, trials, boardercross, SX, surfing, BMX, go-karts, pit bikes, mountain bikes, PWC racing, off road, rally, insane distance jumping, road racing, supermoto, FMX, skate, wake, surf – name it – seems athletes and bands are rockin' Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out the types - Original Monster Energy, Lo-Carb Monster, Monster Assault, Monster's fruit juice hybrids dubbed Monster Khaos, Monster Ripper and Monster MIXXD, the ground-breaking Java Monster and X-Presso Monster premium coffee & cream drink line supercharged with Monster Energy's blend, 3 oz. Monster Hitman Energy Shooters, Monster Import, and the new nitrous oxide injected Nitrous Monster. Tucker Hibbert digs ‘em - so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterarmy.com and www.monsterenergy.com