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 The Finger Lakes Racetrack was once again invaded by snocross fans for day two of the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series Eastern Nationals. The aroma of racing fuel and adrenaline filled the air as the best snocross racers in the world went bar to bar in 88 races all day and into the night. This was the weekend for speed.
While this was the fifth stop on the National circuit, it was the last stop on the tracks for T-Train Tucker Hibbert. All of his competition kept that thought in the back of their minds as each one hoped to be the racer to derail Hibbert, Arctic Cat #68, before he stepped down on his own to turn his attention to motocross for the remaining 2009-2010 season.
In the AMSOIL Pro Open final, the hole shot went to Levi LaVallee, of Longville, MN, Polaris #108, but the Train poured on the steam and got out front at the get-go. The drivers didn’t give in and instead stepped it up and put the pressure on Hibbert.
 Ross Martin of Pleasant Prairie, WI, started in the middle of the pack and battled his way up to second-place. With hard work, he focused on his lines. In front of his hometown crowd, Brett Bender of Colden, NY, Polaris #19 forged his way up from the last row to get to the third place position. The order stayed the same and at the checkered it was win number 55 for Hibbert, Martin took second and Bender took a well-earned third. Hibbert thanked the fans for a great season and said, “I’m going to go home and sit on my couch for a while.”
After a hard day of racing, the track was beaten down as 15 riders started out for 16 laps in the Air Force Semi Pro Super Stock #2. Mike Bauer of Owen, WI, Polaris #717 got off an awesome hole shot. Within the first two laps, riders started bumping and bobbling. The pressure was on.
Kyle Pallin of Ironwood, MI, Arctic Cat #324 grabbed a handful of throttle and didn’t let go. The most exciting race of the day was the battle between Pallin and Bauer only inches away for over half the race. Logan Christian of Fertile, MN., Arctic Cat #443 was breathing down Bauer’s neck.
The top three stayed in that order for the remainder of the race, but it was bumper to bumper, near passes and lap traffic that created the heart pounding exciting race to the checkered.
On the podium it was Pallin with a well-earned first place, Bauer in second and Christian in third.
The next stop will be race number six in Salem, NH for the HK Powersports New England National on Valentines weekend Feb 12-14.
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