For Tucker Hibbert, snowmobiling is something that has always been a part of his life. His father, Kirk Hibbert, was a successful snowmobile racer in the 1990s and he loved that his old man would compete in both a cross-country race and a snocross event all in the same weekend. And while he looked up to him, he also looked up to his best friend, Blair Morgan, a successful snocross racer himself.
Morgan might have been almost nine years older than Hibbert, but that didn’t matter much. He was a 20-something moderately successful motocross athlete learning to snowmobile, while Hibbert was a teenage sensation believed to be even better than his father before him. Over time the two would master snocross and square off against each other in cities like Duluth, Minn. and Gaylord, Mich. In no time, the two were dominating the sport, winning Winter X Games gold medals at an impressive rate.
Given the age difference, Morgan was a little earlier to put up astonishing numbers, including an unprecedented 84 career professional snocross wins – but sadly his career was cut short. In 2008, the now 38-year-old severed his spine while practicing on a motocross course, which was to be his last race before focusing all his time and efforts on snocross. Those 84 wins were believed to be untouchable.
But now, after competing side-by-side for so many years, Hibbert will have a chance to pass his friend and become the all-time wins leader. So far this season, he’s been perfect through four races and on Friday he’ll attempt to become the all-time wins leader, having racked up his 84 wins in 154 starts.
If Hibbert wants the record, Morgan jokingly has said he must throw a Superman over the finish line of his next victory, the very trick Morgan used to earn the nickname “Superman” almost 15 years ago. All-and-all, it seems Morgan couldn’t be happier to pass the proverbial torch. It’s not a matter of if Hibbert will do it, but rather when he’ll do it – and we expect it to come this weekend. Plus he’s still in his prime. Scary to think how many more win he will add to his total before he’s through.
Ed Miller is a contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @PhillyEdMiller or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
