Some of the best snowmobile bench racing occurs in the summer months, when the pace and pressure to perform have notched down considerably and there’s a spirit of reflection that bubbles up and into conversations.
While shooting this heritage video for FOX Shox last summer with Kirk and Tucker Hibbert, the father-son duo took a break and sat on each other’s respective race sleds.
Kirk climbed on Tucker’s ISOC National winning 2014 ZR6000R SX mod sled (right), while Tucker threw a leg over Kirk’s 1993 I-500 winning ZR440.
Of course the two remarked about the size differences between the two sleds, as well as rider position, seats, ergonomics and such.
Kirk joked that he could scoot around pretty good on either sled, but he wondered if Tucker would be able to work his magic on something as old as a ’93 ZR.
Some good-natured teasing ensued.
Then they switched and got on their own sleds. There was a bit of laughter at the difference they felt switching between the two.
I can tell you from having sat on each of the sleds myself, that the differences are glaring, maybe even a little bit comic. The most noticeable is how much higher you sit on a new machine.
Tucker made some crack about how there can’t be many things that are better about an old ZR compared to a new one. Maybe not anything!
It took Kirk 0.372 of a second to reply…
“Here’s something you can’t do as well on a new sled as you can an old one.”
There was no arguing with that.
My memory is a little fuzzy, but Kirk may have even said something along the lines of, “If we raced cross-country against each other with these sleds, this is how I’d wait for you at the finish line.”
(I don’t know about you, but I think Kirk looks pretty normal on either sled. But Tucker looks a bit goonish on the older ZR.)
Thanks for reading.
I raced a few times with Kirk in snocross,he was darn fast then,and i am sure he is still to this day. He just has that special sit in lean on that 93,and he looks ready to romp on it.
Well the real winner is pretty obvious… with either on board it’s Arctic Cat ftw.
That old 93 was just as technically advanced in 93 as the new ZR is today!! That old ZR was a corner carving beast in its day!! I still love to drive my 97 ZR 440 on the trail once and a while!! Just glued in the corners! Great article John!!!
I still have a 1995 factory sled in storage. I bought it off one of the factory sponsored racers after the season. That sled was amazing back in the day! Some day I hope to get it sorted again and back on the trail. 🙂
Having fun is what it’s all about go get em guys take home the Gold
it would be pretty dang close!!!
In tight woods with small to medium bumps, NOTHING trumps the old ZR’s for speed and fun. You could go so fast with so little effort and the feeling was
like dancing. Good dancing.
But the trails always turn to crap and you always want to go faster in all conditions. The new taller, deeper suspended machines are the perfect setup for most all conditions.
I think tucker will win, is younger and have a little less fear to be a little more daring
The new ZR would win. Tucker is younger so he also would
I grew up watching Kirk tear up Spirit Mountain in Duluth MN and watching Tucker these days it would be a close race.
Kirk would win because a man with a mullet like that never loses. At anything.
I don’t know who would win but I do know seeing these pictures of two of the biggest snowmobile racing legends. Is pretty cool both amazing talents and both Arctic Cat loyalists awesome!
Anybody know where I can find a new windshield for my 93′?