SPICE IT UP
Hey there, Cross Country adventurers! Get ready to add some new spice to your local riding crew because the 2025 GASGAS EX models are here! Picture this: high-performance motorcycles that not only let you have a blast on the trails but also elevate your entire weekend into a thrilling dirt-filled escape. Whether you‘re tearing through forests, conquering hills, or cruising through open terrain, our versatile machines are your ticket to an adrenaline-fueled rides with your buddies. #GetOnTheGas
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Mar 8-9: Trials Training Days
Mar 14-16: Downhill Southeast Mtn Bike Race
June 23-26: Family Camp
June 27-29: AMA/NextGen Mototrials Youth & Women's Regional Championship
June 30 - July 3: Invitational Teen Camp
Aug 8-10: 15th Annual Red Bull Kenda
Tennessee Knock Out Extreme Enduro
Oct 18-19: 33rd Annual 58K Fall Trial (STRA)
Dec 6: Xmas Toy Trial - Fun Gate Trial
July 26-27 September 13-14
November 1-2
www.ryanyoungtrialsschools.com
* All dates are subject to change Ryan Young Trials Schools at TTC: January 25-26 February 22-23 April 12-13 May 3-4
EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / ADVERTISING MANAGER: STEPH VETTERLY
STEPHANIE@ONTHEPEGSMAGAZINE.COM
CONTRIBUTORS
Brian Pierce // Seat Time Future7Media
Joerg Mitter - Red Bull Content Pool Isalen Cooper
Joshua Schucker
Macy Cooper
Kayla Bolton
Mack Faint
Heather Wilson
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On the Pegs is covering the events, personalities, and machinery of GNCC, enduro, trials and more with beautiful photography in a free monthly digital magazine.
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Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Manuel Lettenbichler takes his fourth consecutive Red Bull Erzbergrodeo win, one away from the record set by KTM ambassador Taddy Blazusiak.
Ilove a good hybrid trail tire. Having a gummy compound to help in slimy situations is great for a technical trail ride or enduro. But what happens if a hybrid trail tire actually sucks in wet conditions? That’s what we’re going to discuss in this hybrid tire review.
The Tusk Talon Hybrid Tire came out in the middle of 2023. I purchased it from RMATV in January of 2024 with the intent of using it during my time racing the BJEC Series. Unfortunately, that never happened, but I did whip it out for the TSCEC Barnwell MTN Enduro at the end of 2024, and then again for the 2025 White Rock Enduro. The miles I put on the Talon Hybrid, and the conditions I rode it in, have told me a lot about this hybrid gummy tire.
WHAT IS A HYBRID DIRT BIKE TIRE?
Gummy dirt bike tires started creeping into the picture in the 2010’s as Hard Enduro grew in the United States. Manufacturers were playing with different tire compounds to create a tire that could find traction on any surface. As the different gummy compounds started to flush themselves out, tire manufacturers started trying different tread patterns. This would allow riders to have different patterns for different types of terrain.
Kenda was one of the more aggressive tire manufacturers of the time, and they brought their gummy compound from the Equilibrium to the tread pattern of the Kenda IBEX in 2017. This tire was then, and still is today, the quintessential “hybrid tire”.
As other manufacturers created hybrid dirt bike tires,
TUSK TALON HYBRID TIRE REVIEW
NOT THE GUMMY TIRE YOU’RE LOOKING FOR
NO-BS PERFORMANCE REVIEW OF THE TUSK TALON HYBRID TIRE AFTER TWO MAJOR ENDUROS — WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE BUYING
riders wanted a tread pattern that could dig into loamy dirt and have better braking capabilities. To accomplish this, we saw multiple plies of rubber being applied in specific parts of the tire. IRC evolved this to a two ply + breaker carcass structure of the VE33S Gekkota to help with
sidewall rolling and underload braking. What a world we live in!
To me, these are the two tires that the Tusk Talon is competing with in the “hybrid dirt bike tire” market.
BRIAN PIERCE WORDS & PHOTOS
HOW DOES THE TUSK TALON HYBRID STACK UP?
The tire I purchased is a 110/100x18, but they also have a 120/90x18 as well. My biggest concerns when mounting up this tire for the Barnwell Iron MTN Enduro was how well it would get traction and how well it would be at braking. Since the Talon is bi-directional, I swapped it around to run it the other way for the White Rock Enduro. It’s worth mentioning that at Barnwell I was on the Sherco two-stroke, and at White Rock I was on the GasGas fourstroke.
The current available sizes, 110/100x18 & 120/90x18, and the tire's weight, 13 lbs, is comparable to other hybrid tires. The longevity of the tire is as expected. The 150+ miles we put on the tire shows wear, but being a soft compound, that’s expected. The throttle and braking of the tire is decent for a soft compound. Tusk added stiffer side-walls which helps with tire roll and braking. The open tread pattern does shed mud well.
The grip of the Talon Hybrid is wear and it doesn't keep up with tires like the IBEX and VE33S. As a soft compound “gummy” tire, yes, it conforms nicely to objects on the trail. The Talon falls short though in wet conditions. Just like the Tusk Recon (Seat Time Review), the “gummy compound” Tusk uses loses all grip when the tire gets wet, or when the obstacles are wet. This kills the reason to purchase this tire because these are the areas we want help from a gummy tire. A gummy tire, whether it’s hybrid or not, should EXCEL in wet and slippery conditions, not become a hindrance and a liability.
If 90% of your riding is in dry conditions, the Talon will be a great hybrid tire for you. If you need it for slick, slippery conditions, I would steer you toward the IBEX or VE33s.
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
When the Tusk Talon Hybrid Tire originally came out, it was around $60. Due to inflation and talk of tariffs, we’ve seen the price rise closer to that of the IBEX and VE33S on RMATV. If Tusk and RMATV find another location than China to get these made, and the price comes back down, it’ll be a viable option again for riders in drier terrain.
As for now, I still have a Kenda IBEX in the garage waiting for another go after the Black Buffalo NEPG mudder. The GasGas has been mounted up with Dunlop MX34’s, front and rear, for the year so far. I do miss the Michelin Starcross 6 Med/Soft rear I ran last year. I think it MAY be better than the MX34 rear, but I’d want to do a true comparison to state that fact.
Click or scan to watch Brian's YouTube video
www.seattime.co
Click or scan to watch
Dirt Bike Line Choice & Riding with Patience
featuring Barry Hawk
WORDS & PHOTOS
BRIAN PIERCE
After my US Sprint Enduro race weekend in PA, I wanted to understand the format more, but also learn from one of the best. Being that Barry Hawk was in my class on Saturday, and royally kicked my ass, I wanted to learn why. Sure, he’s Barry Hawk, but what does he do different on course that helps make him Barry Hawk. The video breaks down the key points Barry and I discuss, and the podcast audio is the full interview. There are tons of nuggets in the audio for all dirt bike racers.
AMERICAN LINES VS EUROPEAN LINES
Having watched footage from the International Six Day Enduro for years, and having talked with the likes of Ryan Sipes and the late Kurt Caselli, I thought I had a decent grasp on how those courses were ridden. Brian Storrie also tried
to help me understand how I needed to attack more and pick different lines. But it wasn’t until I was on a proper grass track at the US Sprint Enduro that I realized the truth—I’ve been hearing it, I’ve been seeing it, but I still have no idea how to actually ride it.
Barry Hawk brought this up early in our interview and broke it down as American Lines versus European Lines. He had faced the same struggle I was dealing with, back in the early 2000s when Juha Salminen came over to race the GNCC Series. Barry had to figure out why Juha was consistently beating them. What he discovered was that Juha, like many European riders, didn’t just ride fast—he rode smart. His lines didn’t look aggressive, they didn’t sound fast, but the results told a different story.
European riders, especially the EnduroGP racers of today, approach a course with strategy in mind. They might not hit one particular corner in the fastest way possible, but that’s because they’re setting up for something later. Barry compared it to a pool player setting up a shot two or three moves ahead. For me, it felt more like chess—looking at how the course fits together, not just what’s right in front of you.
PATIENCE ON COURSE
Towards the end of the cross test loop, we had some fun off-camber turns that rolled up and down the Pennsylvania hillside. Throughout the course of the weekend, they formed a nice rut, but it was high and on the inside of the turn. I asked Barry if he leveraged that rut, or if it was too high in the turn for the line he wanted to take.
He said he knew he always wanted to take those ruts, but he had to be patient—he couldn’t “rush the rut.” His plan was to come from the outside, or center, of the track and work his way into the rut. Once in it, he needed to stay patient, so he didn’t pop out and have to adjust from a precarious spot in an awkward off-camber section of the track.
It was interesting, and honestly refreshing, to hear him say he had to remind himself to be patient there. I’m pretty sure we all know that “being patient” for Barry Hawk is still a fast pace, but hearing him say those turns weren’t ones for 110% effort gave me a different perspective. “Smooth is fast” is coming to mind.
THE OFF-CAMBER TURN
There was one off-camber turn before we started all the downhills that never
Brian's YouTube video
formed one of the ruts we just discussed. This turn was a loooong, sweeping left-hander that cut hard toward the end. I felt like I was tiptoeing through it, so I thought it was a good one to ask Barry about.
It felt good to have Barry agree—he didn’t like that turn either. It had such an odd angle and was shaped just right to feel really precarious. He said he would stay to the outside or center on entry, then cut hard to the inside so that by the end of the turn, his elbow was scraping the tape. That was the complete opposite of what I was doing. I was almost scraping the tape at the beginning, then fading wide on the exit.
But this was the perfect corner to bring up setup.
Barry’s line gave him a better setup for the next right-hander and kept him off the steepest part of the hill. My approach had me creeping into the corner and then trying to get on the gas too late. That meant
I had to cut momentum again to make the next turn at the top of the climb. This single corner kind of summed up everything Barry and I had been talking about.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
The only way to get better at this is to practice it. For me, that means building more grass tracks or racing more crosscountry events. I enjoyed my US Sprint Enduro weekend, but I don’t see myself making any across-the-country drives just to practice these techniques.
The National Enduros are my focus this year, and for that I need more comfort on the GasGas in singletrack. Brian Storrie has still been helping me behind the scenes, but it’s probably time we make another video.
www.seattime.co
Looking to the right, you can see the outside line that Barry, and the Pros, would have been taking to cut to the inside.
erzbergrodeo 2025 conquering the iron giant
WORDS
PHOTOS
STEPH VETTERLY
FUTURE7MEDIA, JOERG MITTERRED BULL CONTENT POOL
In the remote Austrian town of Eisenerz, where the vast iron ore quarry known as the Iron Giant dominates the horizon, Erzbergrodeo 2025 unfolded as one of the most dramatic tests of endurance and skill in the world of motorcycle racing. With more than 1,000 riders arriving from 43 countries, the event is a pilgrimage for off‐road enthusiasts who thrive on the unpredictable marriage of nature’s fury and human grit. In a format that began with the Iron Road Prologue qualifiers and culminated in a brutal oneday main event, Erzbergrodeo 2025 reminded us that every second, every twist of the throttle, and every decision on those treacherous tarmacized trails is a battle against not only the competition but the very forces of nature.
The dual-structured weekend began with the Prologue—a grueling qualifying round run over two days that would determine the top 500 riders destined for the main event on Sunday. Over two days of racing, conditions shifted dramatically. Day one offered the smoother track conditions that allowed riders to put down some blistering times and set a benchmark for the event. Here, Spain’s five-time Enduro World Champion Josep Garcia stole the show by posting the fastest overall time, with Italian Andrea Verona closely behind and
Dakar Rally champion Daniel Sanders making a significant impression in third place. These early numbers, however, were soon overshadowed by the relentless realities of the course and the competing need to conserve energy for Sunday’s impending battle.
Day two introduced a dramatic twist to the prologue narrative. After a morning of incessant rain, a sudden burst of "baking sunshine" replaced the gloom, offering riders a brief respite—if only to reveal the true adversary: the track itself. After the onslaught of over 1,000 riders the previous day, the track was battered, its once pristine surface now marred by the relentless passage of machines and men. Even the top contenders, Garcia and Verona, admitted to taking a slower pace as they sought to preserve their physical fortitude for the main race rather than risk injury on the treacherous surface. Meanwhile, riders such as Cody Webb, who had arrived burdened by bike set-up issues and the psychological residue of a crash in the previous year’s prologue, found themselves languishing in the standings despite a respectable 37th fastest time on day two. For many, the numbers on the clock were secondary to the larger, ongoing narrative of survival and strategy that defines Erzbergrodeo.
Perhaps the most intriguing storyline to emerge in the
prologue was the ascent of Carson Brown. After a lessthan-stellar performance on day one, Brown “pulled a blinder” on the second day by clocking a time identical to Dominik Olszowy’s repeat performance from day one. This unexpected surge propelled him into the top 10 overall, a significant achievement that not only reshuffled the provisional standings but also provided him with the coveted front-row starting position for Sunday’s main event. This dramatic turnaround epitomized the unpredictable nature of Erzbergrodeo, where battles are not always won by the favorites but by those who can seize opportunity in the chaos.
When the sun rose on Sunday, the stage was set for a main event that would test every fiber of a rider’s being over a 35-kilometre circuit. The layout of the course was as formidable as ever, a blend of massive climbs, rocky descents, and punishing technical sections like the notorious Carl’s Dinner and the final hard hill climb— Lazy Noon. On this day, only the fastest 500 riders, having survived the grueling qualifiers, would dare tackle the Iron Giant. Every rider, whether they had started from the front or had emerged as a dark horse from deep in the pack, carried the weight of both personal ambition and the storied legacy of Erzbergrodeo.
Taking command of the day was none other than Manuel Lettenbichler, the formidable rider for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. Already a multiple-time winner at Erzbergrodeo, Lettenbichler’s mission was clear: to dominate and extend his legacy. The race began with an aggressive pace, with everyone striving for a lightning-fast start. Billy Bolt of Husqvarna, known for his fearless riding, initially seized the early lead, powering his TE 300 hard through the opening sections of the course. However, as the riders approached the famed Carl’s Dinner section—a notoriously unforgiving part of the course—Bolt’s early advantages began to slip away. It was here that a critical mistake by Bolt allowed Lettenbichler to take over the race lead.
In the chaotic battlefield that is Erzbergrodeo, nuance and precision are as important as speed. With Bolt’s stumble providing a crucial opening, Lettenbichler capitalized on his rivals’ hesitations. He methodically chased down the leader and navigated the technical sections with a measured blend of aggression and caution. Even as a heavy rain shower began around the 80-minute mark, reducing traction and further complicating the race conditions, Lettenbichler appeared almost impervious— focused entirely on his objective. His performance in
ABOVE : The pass for the lead - Lettenbichler and Bolt
BELOW : Jonny Walker
the latter stages was marked by a near flawless ride, as he expanded his advantage to an astonishing gap of over 12 minutes by race’s end.
While the battle for first place was largely decided
by Lettenbichler’s masterful riding, a fierce contest ensued further down the order for second and third positions. Billy Bolt, who began with the intention of defending his early lead, found himself gradually encroached upon by
a cadre of hungry competitors. Notably, Teodor Kabakchiev and Mitch Brightmore engaged in an epic duel over a single decisive section of the course. Their struggle for the final podium spot was so intense that the gap between them was measured in a mere two seconds—a razor-thin margin that reflected every heartbeat, every micro-adjustment of throttle and brake.
Adding another layer of narrative complexity was the performance of riders who refused to be defined by a poor starting position. Graham Jarvis, the venerable veteran of hard enduro racing, overcame the chaos of a second-row start with classic skill and determination. Caught in early queues in the remnants of tree sections and rocky passages, Jarvis methodically picked through the field, eventually climbing his way to a respectable eighth place finish. “Another flag, but no prize money this time,” he quipped, a wistful nod to his storied past and a subtle reminder that Erzbergrodeo is as much about the journey as it is about the prize.
Not all were content with simply riding hard—some
sought to redefine the limitations of modern machinery in this extreme environment. Jonny Walker, representing the Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team, delivered one of the most memorable performances of the day. Riding the nearly stock Triumph TF 250-E, Walker’s ambition was to demonstrate that a production-based four-stroke could hold its own against a field dominated by modified two-strokes. His journey, however, was not without its compromises. After admitting that he had opted for a mousse setting that proved too hard in the slippery tree sections, Walker explained, “What an amazing race! The bike was absolutely brilliant and didn’t miss a beat. Considering I’ve only had it for two weeks and took it straight from the launch, it’s been faultless. The only thing I would have changed is my mousse – not knowing what to expect, I think I had it a little too hard and that put us at a bit of a disadvantage later on in the trees where you really need the traction, especially after the rain. Honestly, this feels like a win.” His forthrightness and technical insight highlighted the fine balance between innovation and tradition—a theme that pervades Erzbergrodeo.
The statistics from the day paint a picture of an event that spared no expense in testing its participants. With only 14 riders managing to cross the finish line within a strict four-hour time cut-off, every moment on the 35-kilometre circuit was a contest with both the clock and the capricious terrain. This year’s event also saw remarkable performances from the unsung heroes—the riders who started with far less hope of success but who, through a combination of courage and strategic genius, managed to defy expectations. One such example was Gilbert Boam, who remarkably advanced from a starting position of 750th to clock the 28th best time in the Prologue. Such feats of individual
brilliance underscore the unpredictable, stirring nature of Erzbergrodeo, where adversity is met with sheer determination.
By the end of the race day, the results reflected the dominance of a few, but the narratives of the day were many. Manuel Lettenbichler’s commanding victory, finishing in 2 hours 49 minutes 17.58 seconds, was a statement of technical perfection and mental resilience. His achievement, now four consecutive wins at Erzbergrodeo, positions him tantalizingly close to equaling the record of five wins set by KTM ambassador Taddy Blazusiak. “It feels amazing to take the win here at Erzberg again. Nothing in hard enduro is guaranteed and I was definitely feeling the pressure here, even before the race. I got a good start, but Billy’s pace at the front was really fast and it took me a while to catch him. I knew when we got into the trees, I’d have a good chance to make a push for the lead. I think Billy made a couple of mistakes and I was able to get ahead. After that I just kept my head down and focused on getting through every section without any issues. The track was perfect this year, I really enjoyed it, and the fans have been incredible as always. That’s four in a row now – I’ve got one more to get to equal Taddy and then a few more wins to beat the record. I’m already looking forward to next year, it’s such an amazing event.” His measured words resonated with fans and competitors alike, reaffirming that in a race where every error can cost a career, consistency is the ultimate key to success.
Billy Bolt’s runner-up finish, with a time of 3 hours 1 minute 57.565 seconds, was equally compelling—a tale of determination that saw him recover from early setbacks. Bolt’s narrative was punctuated by moments of vulnerability, as he recalled, “It was a tough one, I knew after a good start that I had to push hard from the off. I
got a little bit tired on the first section of Carl’s Dinner, needing a couple of goes at it and burned a bit of energy there, and that’s where Mani gapped us.” While his performance left him 11 minutes adrift of Lettenbichler, Bolt’s candid admission and his tireless fight on the course resonated with the unspoken truth of Erzbergrodeo: every second matters, and every mistake is as instructive as it is costly.
As the day wound down and the roar of engines faded amid a gathering hush, the spirit of Erzbergrodeo lingered like a powerful afterimage—a blend of sweat, dust, and the ceaseless human urge to conquer. The event not only showcased the breathtaking skill and mental fortitude of the top riders but also served as a living testament to the beauty and brutality of hard enduro racing. With challenges ranging from unpredictable weather and an eroded track to technical malfunctions and split-second misjudgments, every rider emerged with a story, and every story became part of the tapestry of Erzbergrodeo lore.
As preparations begin for future editions of this monumental event, the spirit of Erzbergrodeo continues to burn brightly. Riders,
teams, and fans alike know that each new challenge brings with it not only the possibility of record-breaking achievements but also the further evolution of a sport where skill, dedication, and passion are inextricably woven together. Erzbergrodeo 2025, in its refinement of chaos and beauty, stands as a vivid reminder that the greatest races are those that push the boundaries of what is possible, challenging both man and machine to transcend their limits.
In the end, Erzbergrodeo 2025 was a masterclass in survival, strategy, and the sheer will to compete. It was a day when every rider—whether crowned champion, a valiant contender, or an underdog who defied the odds—wrote a chapter in a saga that will undoubtedly inspire future generations. And as the Iron Giant prepares to bear witness to another edition in the years to come, its rugged terrain will continue to be a proving ground for the bold, the brave, and the eternally passionate.
ABOVE : Ryder LeBlond BELOW : Cody Webb
BRAVING THE MUD & THE RAIN
ISALEN COOPER FUTURE7MEDIA WORDS PHOTOS
round 3
japan
Toni Bou (Montesa) tightened his grip on the premier TrialGP class of the 2025 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship after taking both race victories on the opening day of pointsscoring competition at round three – the Taisei Rotec TrialGP of Japan – while in the TrialGP Women and Trial2 classes series leaders Berta Abellan (Scorpa) and Harry Hemingway (Beta) both extended their advantages.
With the majority of sections at the iconic Mobility Resort Motegi plotted on super-steep wooded bankings studded with rocks, the venue can be extremely challenging at the best of times. However, torrential rain made today’s event even tougher as the rich soil turned to mud that was then dragged onto the slick boulders, keeping grip to a minimum and forcing the cancellation of the Power Section at the end of the day.
Heading to Japan with an early series lead after taking victory in seven of the eight races staged so far, Bou – who is aiming to claim an amazing nineteenth consecutive TrialGP title this season – put on a masterclass of wet weather riding with his inch-perfect precision helping him to find traction where none appeared to exist.
A sensational single mark on section two where all his rivals collected maximums gave the thirty-eight-year-old Spaniard an early lead in the day’s opening race and as the downpour continued he eased clear with his total of eighteen on observation and two on time giving him victory by a comfortable sixteen from his compatriot Jaime Busto (GASGAS).
For the entire race Busto had been involved in a fierce fight for second with Gabriel
Toni Bou
Marcelli (Montesa) and looked to have the upper hand until his younger Spanish rival recorded an incredible clean ride on the imposing section eleven. It was a moment of brilliance that drew cheers from the three-thousand-strong crowd braving the elements and set up a dramatic finish, but when both men collected maximums on the final section Marcelli had to settle for third on forty.
A five-time vice-champion, Abellan was tipped to dominate this year’s TrialGP Women title fight following the retirement of reigning champion Emma Bristow, but she has encountered considerable resistance from Italian rival Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) who started the day just seven points adrift.
This advantage was slashed to four points when the eighteen-
(Sherco) had clearly not read the script.
The twenty-six-year-old Spaniard took victory in race one by a single mark from his compatriot Miquel Gelabert (Honda) on the electric machine with forty-six-yearold Japanese legend Kenichi Kuroyama (Yamaha) – a championship contender in the 1990s – taking a very popular third on his electric motorcycle a further two marks adrift.
year-old overcame a maximum on the opening section to win race one from Abellan by six marks before an eight-mark gap to third-placed Alessia Bacchetta (GASGAS) who finished four in front of a tie-break for fourth won by Kaytlyn Adshead (Sherco) from Denisa Pecháčková (TRRS) from the Czech Republic.
Abellan was back in control in race two, overhauling Adshead in the final few sections to finish two ahead of her British rival on a total of thirty-five with Bacchetta third on fortythree. Rabino lost ground in the championship in fourth on forty-five, one mark ahead of American rider Maddie Hoover (GASGAS).
“The first race was not good for me, but the second was much better,” said Abellan. “I hope tomorrow the weather improves.”
Following the opening two rounds the fight for supremacy in the closely-contested Trial2 class had developed into a two-rider battle between Britain’s Harry Hemingway (Beta) and Billy Green (Scorpa), but Arnau Farré
With Hemingway finishing sixth – one position and one mark ahead of Green – it allowed Gelabert to close on the two championship leaders, but the pair reasserted their dominance in race two with Hemingway’s total of twenty giving him the win by one mark from Green with Gelabert finishing another mark behind in third to record the day’s best overall performance.
“It’s super-nice to be on the top, both for the team and for me,” said Gelabert. “Conditions were very hard today and we struggled a lot, but we got the win.”
Veteran Italian Matteo Grattarola (Beta) was in podium contention for the first half of the race before dropping back to fourth on forty-six, five clear of Spain’s Alex Canales (Montesa).
With heavy rain still falling the second race became a fight for survival but, as we have seen countless times before, Bou thrives in challenging conditions and despite intense pressure from Busto his total of twenty-eight saw him take his second win of the day by five marks.
“Today has been amazing for us and it is always special to win here,” said Bou. “The conditions have been very difficult, but I am happy with my riding and happy with victory.”
TOP : Harry Turner (211)
LEFT : Benoit Bincaz (273)
RIGHT: Jaime Busto (69)
Marcelli had also been in contention until a maximum on section nine ended his challenge and he recorded another third-placed finish on a total of thirty-five that put him nine clear of Gelabert who denied Britain’s Jack Peace (Sherco) of a career-best fourth on a tie-break.
With a pair of hard-earned race wins apiece from Sunday’s main programme already in the bag, both Bou and Abellan arrived at the event-ending Power Section – back in play after bad weather caused its cancellation yesterday – with forty-point maximums and both skipped their way to an extra bonus point just to underline their dominance at the Mobility Resort Motegi.
With Saturday’s heavy rain giving way to much more favourable weather that helped draw a sizeable crowd of almost five-thousand spectators, conditions were better – although tacky mud meant grip was still at a premium up the steep bankings and over the smooth, imposing rocks that comprised many of the sections and scores were high.
On a roll from his pair of race wins the day before, thirtyeight-year-old Bou seized an immediate lead in the opening race when he was the only rider to make it to the end of section one and, after the entire field failed section two, a sensational single dab on three – where all his rivals incurred their third consecutive maximums – gave him a lead he never looked likely to relinquish.
After finishing second twice yesterday, Jaime Busto (GASGAS) pushed the reigning champion hard in the mid-section of the race, but his eventual total of forty-three was eight behind his compatriot and just one ahead of third-placed Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa).
Picking up their close rivalry where they left off yesterday, Aniol Gelabert (TRRS) and Italy’s Matteo Grattarola
(Beta) ended the first race of the day locked together on fifty-one with the Spaniard taking fourth on a tie-break.
Race two was a very similar story with Bou establishing an early lead before posting a winning total of twenty-six, but this time his team-mate Marcelli was going headto-head with Busto and an inch-perfect ride on the tenth section – where Busto incurred a maximum – gave Marcelli second by a solitary mark on thirty-seven.
“I have enjoyed the races today,” said Bou. “It is an amazing country with amazing fans and I am very happy to
win as it is very important for the championship.”
Even on high-scoring days the TrialGP class remains incredibly competitive and, after coming close yesterday, British class newcomer Jack Peace (Sherco) claimed a career-best fourth when he won a three-way tie-break with Frenchman Hugo Dufrese (Beta) and Grattarola on a total of forty-seven.
In TrialGP Women, five-time championship runner-up Abellan remains on course to take her first title and after tasting defeat at the hands of Italian rival Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) in Saturday’s
opening race she started today looking determined.
Rabino seized the early advantage, midway through the lap Abellan drew level and she then extended her lead far enough that even a three on the final section where eighteenyear-old Rabino needed a dab gave her victory by a single mark on nineteen.
Highlighting the pair’s current dominance, third-placed Alessia Bacchetta (GASGAS) from Italy finished the race on thirty-three, one ahead of Britain’s Alice Minta (Beta) and three clear of Kaytlyn Adshead (Sherco).
Abellan strengthened her hold on the class in race two with the twenty-five-yearold leading from the get-go before opening up a ten-mark advantage over Rabino to win on twenty-one with Adshead taking third on thirty-four, one ahead of a tie-break for fourth won by Minta from French rider Alycia Soyer (TRRS).
“Today I am very happy,” said Abellan. “I love Japan and to win both races here today and strengthen my championship lead feels very special.”
Competitors in the TrialGP and TrialGP Women classes then pitted themselves against the terrain and the clock with an additional championship point on the line in the Power Section. Last to go in TrialGP Women, Abellan skipped her way through to win from Adshead before Bou took an audacious, untried line with a dramatic jump between two rocks seeing him take victory by almost two seconds from Busto.
Trial2 is traditionally close and competitive and today’s action continued this trend with Britain’s Billy Green (Scorpa), the champion in 2023, taking victory in the opening race with his total of thirty-four leaving him a single mark ahead of championship leader Hemingway who beat Miquel Gelabert (Honda) into third on a tie-break.
Hemingway returned to the top in race two with a score of twenty and with French rider Benoit Bincaz (Electric Motion) dropping twenty-two to push Green into third by a mark, the nineteen-year-old former Trial3 champion further extended his title lead.
“I’m absolutely over the moon,” said Hemingway. “Japan has always been a tricky round for me and I have never really got my head around it so I’m buzzing to leave here with the championship lead.”
EVENT RESULTS
TRIALGP
DAY 1
1. Toni Bou (MON)
2. Jaime Busto (GG)
3. Gabriel Marcelli (MON)
4. Aniol Gelabert Roura (TRS)
5. Matteo Grattarola (BET)
6. Jack Peace (SHR)
7. Alex Canales Martos (MON)
8. Hugo Dufrese (BET)
9. Pablo Suarez Jambrina (MON)
DAY 2
1. Toni Bou (MON)
2. Gabriel Marcelli (MON)
3. Jaime Busto (GG)
4. Jack Peace (SHR)
5. Matteo Grattarola (BET)
6. Aniol Gelabert Roura (TRS)
7. Hugo Dufrese (BET)
8. Pablo Suarez Jambrina (MON)
TRIAL2
DAY 1
1. Miquel Gelabert (HON)
2. Harry Hemingway (BET)
3. Arnau Farre (SHR)
4. Billy Green (SCO)
5. Sondre Haga (GG)
6. Benoit Bincaz (EM)
7. Kenichi Kuroyama (YAM)
8. Harry Turner (SHR)
9. Jarand Gunvaldsen (TRS)
10. Jack Dance (GG)
DAY 2
1. Harry Hemingway (BET)
1. Billy Green (SCO)
2. Miquel Gelabert (HON)
3. Benoit Bincaz (EM)
4. George Hemingway (BET)
5. Sondre Haga (GG)
6. Arnau Farre (SHR)
7. Kenichi Kuroyama (YAM)
8. Jack Dance (GG)
9. Harry Turner (SHR)
TRIALGP WOMEN
DAY 1
1. Berta Abellan (SCO)
2. Andrea Sofia Rabino (BET)
3. Kaytlyn Adshead (SHR)
4. Alessia Bacchetta (GG)
5. Alice Minta (BET)
6. Denisa Pechackova (TRS)
7. Maddie Hoover (GG)
8. Alycia Soyer (TRS)
9. Martina Gallieni (SHR)
10. Alicia Robinson (BET)
DAY 2
1. Berta Abellan (SCO)
2. Andrea Sofia Rabino (BET)
3. Kaytlyn Adshead (SHR)
4. Alice Minta (BET)
5. Alessia Bacchetta (GG)
6. Alycia Soyer (TRS)
7. Maddie Hoover (GG)
8. Alicia Robinson (BET)
9. Martina Gallieni (SHR)
10. Denisa Pechackova (TRS)
ABOVE: Arnau Farre (219)
round 4
france
Staged around the beautiful coastal town of Calvi on the north-west tip of the Mediterranean island with eleven of the twelve sections plotted on the nearby mountainside, huge boulders provided a suitable test for the best riders on the planet and threatened to cause a surprise in the premier TrialGP class where sublime Spaniard Bou – who has displayed dominant form so far this season –stuttered as early as section three in the first of the day’s two points-scoring races.
The thirty-eight-year-old’s maximum on the series of massive under-cut steps on his first visit was matched by all his rivals apart from veteran Italian Matteo Grattarola (Beta) who needed just a single dab and Britain’s Jack
Peace (Sherco) who made it through with the loss of two, leaving Bou in a four-way tie for third with his compatriots Jaime Busto (GASGAS), Pablo Suarez (Montesa) and Alex Canales (Montesa) as Grattarola led the field from Peace.
With his sights set on an unparalleled nineteenth consecutive title, Bou’s ability to keep a cool head is legendary and following his failure on section three he added just one more mark in the next six sections to move into a clear lead as his rivals all added at least one further maximum to their totals.
A maximum on section ten threw a late lifeline to his opponents, but Bou’s total of three marks in the final two
sections increased his final score to fifteen to put the result beyond doubt with the drama then switching to the fight for the remaining podium positions.
Grattarola was looking good for his second runner-up race finish of the season, especially after he sailed through section ten for the loss of just a single mark, but a five on section eleven proved costly and he ended up third behind Peace who, in his debut season in TrialGP, produced a careerbest performance to take second by a single point on a score of nineteen.
Spain’s Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) started the day third in the championship and although he ended the race in fourth on twenty-two marks, he still pulled back two vital
points on Busto who had been in contention for the win until a run of three consecutive maximums in sections nine, ten and eleven pushed his score up to twenty-three.
Bou had another scare in the second race when he collected a five in section two that had been cut from the course for the opening race while a loose boulder was secured. With Busto, Marcelli, Gelabert and Grattarola all staying feet-up here and Peace collecting a single mark, the pressure on the record-breaking champion – magnified by scorching temperatures – was intense but, once again, Bou kept his cool.
Reeling off clean after clean, Bou chipped away at the scores of the riders ahead of him, but when he incurred
BELOW : Gerard Trueba (250)
big crash in section two, but I recovered well so I’m superhappy.”
to suffer muscle cramps, losing twenty-four marks in the final six sections to end the race in sixth on twenty-nine.
Hemingway held the Trial2 points lead at the start of the day and he extended it with a narrow one-mark victory in the opening race ahead of Spain’s Arnau Farré (Sherco) with home hero Benoit Bincaz (EM) taking a very popular third a further three marks behind on nine.
The nineteen-year-old British rider’s championship ambitions were boosted further when his compatriot Billy Green (Scorpa) and Spain’s Gelabert – who began the day in second and third in the standings – came home fourth and fifth, but his hopes of doubling up on day one were thwarted in race two when a maximum on section three put him on the back foot.
a five on section nine his hopes of victory looked to have disappeared. However, race leader Busto also took a maximum here, as did Grattarola who was tied with Bou, so with three sections to go Busto still held a four-mark advantage.
Bou reduced the deficit to three when he took a single dab on section ten and it was his turn to be handed a lifeline when he cleaned
section eleven and Busto and Grattarola both collected maximums before sealing his second victory of the day with a clean on the rocky coastal defences of section twelve and claiming the extra point up for grabs in the timed Power Section.
“I had a very good first race and the twenty points are very important for the championship,” said Bou. “I started the second lap with a
Busto hung on for second on thirteen, two adrift of Bou, with Marcelli – whose clean on section eleven had dragged him back into podium contention – taking third on fourteen, three clear of Grattarola and ten ahead of fifth-placed Gelabert.
Carrying momentum from the opening race, Peace had started strongly before the unrelenting Mediterranean sun finally got to him and he began
Competing on Honda’s allnew RTL Electric, Gelabert seized the early advantage and never looked threatened as he eased clear to claim his third race win of the season on just three marks lost, half the score of second-placed Farré who recorded the day’s best combined results.
“I’m very happy with today with just two mistakes on the big steps of section three,” said Farré. “The bike has worked very well and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Green, the 2023 champion, won a tie-break for third with Hemingway on a total of eight and Bincaz came out on top of a three-way tie-break for fifth on nine.
A revelation this season in Trial3, rising American star Land has been turning heads in his championship debut and the class leader continued to make waves when he parted with just two marks to comfortably win the first race of the day by five from Norway’s Jorgensen with Japanese rider Jin Kuroyama (Sherco) third on nine.
ABOVE : Toni Bou (1) BELOW : Pablo Suarez Jambrina (33)
RIGHT: Miquel Gelabert (256)
Jorgensen returned the compliment in race two with his score of two half that of Land before an eight-mark gap to Britain’s Harison Skelton (Scorpa).
“Today has been beautiful and this venue is amazing,” said Jorgensen. “I’m just so happy with the result.”
Sunday was another hot, sunny day on the north-west tip of the Mediterranean island, but defending champion Bou kept his cool in a tense opening race despite relentless pressure from fellow Spaniard Jaime Busto (GASGAS).
With the rest of the field collecting early maximums, thirty-eight-yearold Bou and his twenty-seven-yearold rival went head-to-head with only a single mark separating them until Busto incurred a five on section eight, situated on the steep and rocky mountainside overlooking the town, when he slipped off the side of a sharp-tipped boulder.
With the pressure off, Bou cruised to victory on just three marks lost as Busto’s maximum threatened to put him within striking distance of thirdplaced Matteo Grattarola (Beta), but he held his nerve to take second on fourteen, three ahead of the veteran Italian.
All-action Spanish rider Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) started the day third in the points table, but he was forced to concede more ground to second-placed Busto in the championship when he came home fourth on twenty-one, just two ahead of Britain’s Jack Peace (Sherco) who was riding with a new-found confidence following his solid performance on Saturday.
Bou started race two in dominant fashion and after the first nine sections he looked in complete control with just two marks lost compared to Busto’s total of eight at this point. However, uncharacteristic back-to-back maximums from the eighteen-time champion reduced the deficit to a single mark with just section twelve left to ride.
A long and twisting hazard plotted on Calvi’s rocky coastal defences, Busto went clean to shift the pressure back on Bou before the sport’s most decorated rider of all time put the result beyond doubt with a precise clean of his own.
Holding a solid third with three sections remaining, a five on section ten threatened to spoil Grattarola’s second race of the day, but he held his nerve to take another third-placed finish ahead of Marcelli, although this time it went to a tie-break after both riders finished on a total of twenty-one.
Also going down to a tiebreak, Peace continued his run of great form in fifth after ending the day on twentyeight, the same total as Spanish rider Aniol Gelabert (TRRS).
The day ended with the Power Section – an against-the-clock race over a series of concrete blocks – where Busto secured the extra championship point up for grabs.
“This weekend has been close to being perfect,” said Bou. “I have lost just a point in the Power Section so I am superhappy. It has been an amazing weekend.”
The competition in Trial2 has been fiercely fought all season with Britain’s Harry Hemingway (Beta) able to pull out a slim advantage heading into Corsica, but today belonged to Gelabert who swept both races on the all-new RTL Electric machine.
The twenty-seven-yearold from Barcelona won yesterday’s second race and on Sunday morning he picked up where he left off with his first race total of just four earning him victory from compatriot Arnau Farré (Sherco) by three marks with Italy’s Francesco Titli (TRRS) third on eight.
Home favourite Benoit Bincaz (EM) maintained his run of good form in fourth on ten, one mark ahead of Hemingway, but 2023 champion Billy Green (Scorpa) – who started the day in second in the championship – lost ground on the series leader when he ended the race in eighth on fourteen.
Race two was a four-rider fight with Hemingway holding
the advantage after staying clean through the first eight sections with Gelabert and Spanish rider Gerard Trueba (Beta) on one and Farré on four. With the leaders’ scores remaining incredibly low, the slightest lapse in concentration would prove pivotal and it was Hemingway who faltered when he dropped two marks on section nine.
That was all Gelabert needed and he kept his composure to claim victory on just a single mark, one ahead of Hemingway and two clear of Trueba with Farré fourth on four before a seven-mark gap to Bincaz, but Green’s hopes of regaining his title suffered a body blow when he was unable to complete the race.
“Today has been unbelievable,” said Gelabert. “I have ridden very well and I couldn’t be happier with the team. This class is very tight and the pressure is intense so I am very happy.”
After running one-two in yesterday’s races, Trial3 championship leader Ryon Land (Sherco) dominated today with back-to-back victories extending his advantage at the top of the points table.
The American teenager claimed a comfortable win in the first race of the day with
his score of two putting him six clear of Alessandro Ame (Beta) who was two ahead of his fellow Italian Fabio Mazzola (Beta).
Land then produced a faultless clean performance in race two to take his second win of the day with Britain’s Harison Skelton (Scorpa) finishing as runner-up on a single mark, one ahead of Norway’s
Jonas Jorgensen (Beta) who maintains his second place in the championship chase.
“I told myself this morning that I needed to push as hard as I could and that’s exactly what I did,” said Land. “I felt incredible this morning and I knew I could do better, although I was shocked to go clean in race two.”
EVENT RESULTS
TRIALGP
DAY 1
1. Toni Bou (MON)
2. Jaime Busto (GG)
3. Gabriel Marcelli (MON)
4. Matteo Grattarola (BET)
5. Jack Peace (SHR)
6. Aniol Gelabert Roura (TRS)
7. Pablo Suarez Jambrina (MON)
8. Hugo Dufrese (BET)
9. Alex Canales Martos (MON)
DAY 2
1. Toni Bou (MON)
2. Jaime Busto (GG)
3. Matteo Grattarola (BET)
4. Gabriel Marcelli (MON)
5. Jack Peace (SHR)
6. Aniol Gelabert Roura (TRS)
7. Hugo Dufrese (BET)
8. Pablo Suarez Jambrina (MON)
9. Alex Calales Martos (MON)
TRIAL2
DAY 1
1. Arnau Farre (SHR)
2. Harry Hemingway (BET)
3. Miquel Gelabert (HON)
4. Billy Green (SCO)
5. Benoit Bincaz (EM)
6. Gerard Trueba (BET)
7. Francesco Titli (TRS)
8. Sondre Haga (GG)
9. George Hemingway (BET)
10. Alexandre Ferrer (HON)
DAY 2
1. Miquel Gelabert (HON)
2. Arnau Farre (SHR)
3. Harry Hemingway (BET)
4. Benoit Bincaz (EM)
5. Francesco Titli (TRS)
6. Gerard Trueba (BET)
7. Marco Mempor (TRS)
8. George Hemingway (BET)
9. David Fabian (BET)
10. Jone Sandvik (SHR)
CASALES & SMAGE SPLIT WINS AT NEBRASKA
Rounds 5 and 6 of the AMA NATC National MotoTrials Championship Series, Presented by Trial Store USA, saw Montesa Honda’s Jorge Casales and FactoryONE Sherco’s Pat Smage split wins on a challenging low-scoring trial in Nehawka, Nebraska.
Hosted by the Midwest Trials Association (MWTA) at the Rock Riders Quarry, over 130 riders took to the limestone and shale sections. Despite appearing to be rather lengthy sections, which typically require riders to use every moment of their 90-second time limit, the sections had nice flow to them, allowing
competitors a straightforward ride from start to finish. Now, that’s not to say it was easy. The ground still held on to some of the rain that had fallen in the days leading up to the event, and after a few riders, rocks became slick from the humidity and a light coat of mud. Other sections deteriorated throughout the day as the sandstone and limestone broke after a few rides and smaller rocks would easily spin out.
Casales, who competes on the international stage in the FIM TrialGP circuit, kept in tight, nail-biting contention with Smage both days. After looking at the final results,
it’s easy to say that these two riders are on another level than the rest of the field, which makes for an even more stressful competition as even one small mistake could cost them the win. Casales dropped only a single point on the opening lap to Smage’s 3. With both riders cleaning every section on the second lap, it came down to the final sections of the day. The Montesa Honda rider would take two dabs, and an unfortunate single point kept the Sherco rider from the top step. Casales ended with 3 points on the day to Smage’s 4.
“Today was really hard because Pat [Smage] is really
strong,” explained Casales. “He rides very well. I’m happy to have a stronger rider with me. To be honest, I didn’t like the sections; they were beautiful, but the level for me was too easy. It’s too easy to do easy mistakes. The last lap, I had a lot of pressure; I made a mistake in section 2 or 3 and I thought I lost. Pat also made a mistake, so I knew I had to finish the lap [clean]. I think today’s [win] is very important for the championship because now I have more options to win if something happens.”
Slow and steady was the plan of the day for FactoryONE Scorpa’s Alex Myers. Starting off with two unfortunate 5’s in
STEPH VETTERLY
WORDS & PHOTOS
sections 2 and 5 did not set the stage for success, and at the end of the first lap, Myers was sitting in last place. Once again, another pair of maximum points in the same sections in the second lap saw him set to stay in last place, but a finicky 3-point final section by Trials Superstore’s Murphy Aaron saw the Scorpa rider move up a position. Finally finding his groove in the third lap, Myers turned in a loop score 9 points better, rocketing up to take the final step on the podium with 37 points, only a single point better than Trials Superstore GasGas USA’s Josh Roper.
“It’s kind of an odd feeling, to be honest,” started Myers. “I went into the second loop and didn’t think I was riding that hot. I don’t really know what happened. I just kept riding and not caring; my third loop was killer, and somehow I ended up on the podium. I’m happy that I did, but it’s definitely an odd feeling. I think there’s still work to be done for tomorrow to guarantee that I can make it to the podium again. I think it was a bit of a lucky result for me [today].”
In the Women’s Pro class, Trials Superstore GasGas USA’s Maddie Hoover took a nice lead on the opening lap, dropping only 4 points. Beta’s Alicia Robinson had an unfortunate start to her day, dropping a full 5 points in the first section when her rear tire caught hold and broke the section ribbon. She was able to clean up all but one of her mistakes on the second loop, and a few more missteps on the second lap by the GasGas rider put the two ladies tied on 10 points going into the final lap. Hoover would finish 2 points ahead on the day, with both women classified within the top 4 riders on the blue line.
“The sections were on the easier side, but they were still tricky” said Hoover. “I was able to have a pretty solid first lap, then got a bit relaxed on the second. I managed to keep my cool for the final lap and minimized the silly mistakes we had on previous laps.”
“Today was very hot, hotter than it would be at home [in England],” explained Robinson. “My day didn't start very well; I five'd section 1 because I snapped the ribbon. Apart from that, I had some really good rides, but that five ruined my day. Tomorrow's a new day. The sections were really good and this place is really cool.”
LEFT : Pat Smage
RIGHT : Alex Myers (top), Jorge Casales (bottom)
The Expert class saw former Beta USA Pro rider, Alex Niederer, easily sweep the win, finishing with only 10 points on the day. Electric Motion USA’s Keith Wineland made an outstanding showing on his EM; with loop scores of 10, 4, and 6, Keith is proving that the electric trials bike is not only a viable option in the sport, but seriously competitive when in the right hands. FactoryONE Sherco’s Max Glueck rounded out the podium with 48 points.
Sunday’s competition was even hotter, with temperatures reaching towards 90 degrees. Once again, points were low, and the win came down to a single mistake in section 10. Riders had to traverse up and down a very uneven field of large limestone rocks set into the hillside. Coming through the section on the first loop, Smage was able to clean the section. Casales got off line about halfway up the rocky hillclimb, put his foot down to save the ride but ultimately slid backwards, dismounting the bike to save himself from falling and earning himself five points. After both riders cleaned their second loop, it all came down to the final sections. Smage had a lot of pressure, sitting at a completely clean day, and dropped only a single point, the only point he would take. Casales finished with 6 points for second place, with Alex Myers once again rounding out the podium. The rest of the Pro field would mirror results of Saturday, with Trials Superstore GasGas USA’s Josh Roper taking fourth, FactoryONE Sherco’s Will Myers in fifth, and Trials Superstore’s Murphy Aaron in sixth.
“I thought the sections were pretty enjoyable,” said Smage. “There were a couple that were on the long side and we could’ve used a few less splits, but the obstacles in the sections were able to be ridden smooth, which is why I think I enjoyed them. They
rewarded precision, which is something I really work on a lot. There was one section that was the hardest of the day, and I knew the whole day came down to that section on the last loop, since I knew what the rest of the sections looked like. You had to be really precise, and I put too much pressure on myself and ended up taking a point. Overall, I’m happy being able to manage the situation I was dealt this weekend and finish that strong. I didn’t want to give up, and some things ended up motivating me even more. I was able to handle everything better than I expected and better than I would have in the past.”
“It was definitely a lot easier today,” said Roper. “The sections were still hard, but it was really easy to make little mistakes. Unfortunately, in section 11, I went through and cleaned the whole section, but when I got to the end I learned that I had broken the ribbon. That’s really what ended the day for me right there on the first lap. The other two laps were pretty decent, just little mistakes here and there, but overall I felt much better on the bike today than what I did yesterday, so that was a huge improvement.”
“Nebraska was pretty good,” said Will Myers. “Sections were right up my alley; I actually enjoyed them quite a bit. They were a good mix of technical and big stuff and I didn’t feel like anything was out of line. A couple of them on Saturday were a bit long, but that’s fine; you kind of need a long one in every event. They did a good job here. I’m really happy with the sections and I think this club should be proud of what they did.”
“Saturday started out really good,” explained Murphy Aaron. “I had two solid first laps, but my third lap I just fell apart; I couldn’t hang on and just let it all go. I doubled my points. It was not good. On
TOP TO BOTTOM : Murphy Aaron, Josh Roper, Maddie Hoover
OPPOSITE : Alicia Robinson (left), Cash Blumhorst (right)
Sunday, I just got focused and was consistent – I went 10-1110 with one bad call on the second lap and broke a tape. It was good, though; I was close to Will [Myers] and the closest to fifth place that I’ve been all season. I’m pretty happy.”
Once again in Women’s Pro class, Maddie Hoover was able to fend off Robinson to take the win, making an outstanding showing by cleaning laps 2 and 3, finishing with only 2 points on the day. Robinson would have some small dabs throughout a few sections to finish with 8 points. Out of the 18 riders on the blue line, the women would claim the best rides of the day with Trials Superstore’s Barrett Poupore taking the third-best ride with 11 points.
Other notable outstanding rides included Owen Fields
taking Sunday by storm and cleaning every section throughout the day in the tightly-contested Junior Clubman class. Caiden Villand would drop his only point on the day in section 4, to take second place with Tyce O’Niell and Cash Blumhorst tied on 8 points for third place – O’Niell would win the tie breaker due to Cash dropping the first point. It should be noted that this weekend was Blumhorst’s first-ever National showing; earning two solid fourth-place finishes with the help of his minder, Eric Olmstead, is an impressive opening to what is sure to be an exciting career in the sport.
The final round of the 2025 season will be July 19-20 in Tippecanoe, Ohio, at Lightning Raceway.
PRO
WOMEN'S PRO EVENT RESULTS
SATURDAY
Jorge Casales (MON) - 3 pts
Pat Smage (SHR) - 4 pts
Alex Myers (SCO) - 37 pts
Josh Roper (GG) - 38 pts
Will Myers (SHR) - 43 pts
Murphy Aaron (GG) - 58 pts
SUNDAY
Pat Smage (SHR) - 1 pt
Jorge Casales (MON) - 6 pts
Alex Myers (SCO) - 14 pts
Josh Roper (GG) - 19 pts
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
Maddie Hoover (GG) - 2 pts
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TOUGH LIKE RORR
It’s been called America’s hardest hard enduro, the Erzberg of the US, and cursed by many that have failed to finish the grueling five-hour event. Finishers are few throughout the event’s eleven-year run. Main events often conclude with five or less people seeing the checkered flag. Of course, we are talking about Tough Like RORR, a Premier event on the AMA US Hard Enduro (USHE) schedule. As for the 2025 iteration, there were four finishers, but you already know that. In this age of instant gratification through social media, the race to publish the results of popular events is on pace with the race itself. No more waiting for the weekly airing of Motoworld or the new issue of Cycle News to hit the newsstands, your phone probably told you who won before the ribbons and arrows were pulled from the course. So, rather than recap the race for the top riders, let’s talk about something a bit different. What drives an individual to subject themselves and their machine to an event with a reputation of
sidelining ninety-five percent of the field before reaching the final checkpoint?
For the thirty-or-so Pro Class riders, that answer is relatively easy. While some of the other drive factors to be described below may certainly apply to these elite riders, many are chasing higher goals to which Tough Like RORR is a component. Most of these folks are confident that they possess the skills, experience, equipment, and intangibles to finish an event of this caliber as they compete for the elusive USHE title, a factory ride, sponsorship, media coverage, etc. The purse is quite attractive too, as Reading Off Road Riders (RORR) often pushes the envelope on total purse within the hard enduro realm. Trystan took home a check for $10,000 for his victory this year along with checks being handed to the riders filling the top forty positions. But, what about the other hundred that scuffled to make the main event, or the hundred more that didn’t make it beyond the qualifier races?
ROUND 7
JOSHUA SCHUCKER STEPH VETTERLY WORDS PHOTOS
LEFT : Thorn Devlin
Like many other nationally touring AMA series, the USHE circuit is not exclusively a professional level competition. Points are collected and championships awarded for a plethora of amateur classes through A, B, C, Age, Women’s, and even Youth classes. Certainly, there may be several racers within this group seeking experience and building towards their aspirations of reaching the professional ranks, but everyone has a trophy to chase, everyone has points to gather. In the event format, which uses a qualifier race to collect the first 120 riders destined for the main event, and a last chance qualifier to set the final ten spots, class standings are determined from a combination of qualifier and main event finishes. So, if no C-class riders made the main event, the winner would be determined by the qualifier placings, providing extra motivation to ride well throughout the weekend. Still, are the smashed expansion chambers, cracked clutch covers, broken plastics, bent brake rotors and dented skid plates worth a plastic trophy?
Often a rider enters the weekend with a specific goal in mind. Outside of any class placement or comparative assessment, these are more holistic and primal “I just want to” type goals. “I just want to…finish the main, finish one lap, reach the first checkpoint, qualify for the main, finish the qualifier, make it through a particular section…”. You
get the idea. But perhaps the biggest of them all, “I just want to say I did it”. Like Blackwater of years’ past, to this day, a certain reverence is applied to anyone that competed in that famed West Virginia cross-country. A similar mythos is foisted upon those “crazy” enough to tackle any hard enduro race, let alone one with a reputation of single digit finishers. These drivers are intrinsic in the two hundred plus competitors entered in the 2025 event. It is proven again and again in interactions between RORR members working the course and the riders. Riders often shout, “thank you” and “this is awesome” as they pass by. I warned a few riders near the end of the last chance qualifier, “You have ten minutes left before the race ends, and you’re just about to enter “409” (a notoriously difficult rock section). You probably won’t make it through in time. Do you want me to show you the easy way back to the pits?” To which the obviously wearied rider fresh off a seven-
mile beatdown enthusiastically exclaims, “No way! I want to try it!”. That’s the spirit!
Or the handful of riders willing themselves through “A Little Bit Off”, the last true hard obstacle preventing them from finishing lap one, only minutes from the five-hour main event time limit. Barely a few yards more and a half mile of chill hare scramble trail to saying they made a full lap. Here, at this exact spot and moment, the top four began to make their way toward the finish where a surprise awaited them. The leaders closing in on and lapping our gaggle of haggard warriors were directed to divert from the lap one course and head up the face of the imposing mountain of boulders that make up “A Little Bit Off” and “409”. The folks just trying to survive lap one looked upon the course switch with fear and awe, “Do I have to do that?!”. “No, no, that’s only for lap two…keep going, you’re almost there!”. These folks could have easily given up and taken a front row seat to watch Trystan, Cody, Will, and Ryder tackle “Sad But True”. But relieved they didn’t have to follow Trystan
uphill, they pushed on, willing themselves to accomplish their goal of completing one lap at Tough Like RORR. Magnificently, the crowd of spectators gathered there were cheering with equal vigor for these riders as they were the leaders. Heros both.
Last but not least, this is more than a race, it is an adventure. Fittingly, in the lead up to this year’s event, course masochist…err…designer, Rob Mohn stated as much in the American Hard Enduro Podcast. This is a race crafted foremost with the racer in mind, aimed fully at creating an adventure for them to experience. There is nothing else like the Tough Like RORR experience due to the unique and diverse landscape of the region where the race is held. The event property is just a few miles from the town of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. Take a drive through this town or either direction down Route 209 and you will see the stark reminder of the region’s heyday as a top producer of anthracite coal. Millions of years ago, shifting tectonic plates collided and folds of sedimentary rock rose toward
THIS PAGE: Billy Robertson (top), Ben Miller and Mary Ann Antoine (bottom) OPPOSITE : Stephen Thaxton (top), Boden Riddle (bottom)
the sky creating what is now known as the Appalachian Mountains. Within the folds of rock, trapped organic matter eventually formed into hard coal formations typically found in veins along the ridges of the mountain. While mining still takes place locally, the topography of the area is dominated by remains of a massive industry starting near the town’s inception in the early eighteenth century and carrying on through the mid-nineteenth century. Within this valley there is very little ground that hasn’t been manipulated by man or machine. While it may be hard to recognize as trees, brush, and nature reclaim the terrain, the area is a variety of massive piles of overburden, boulders, and waste culm pulled from the earth through the extraction of anthracite coal. Deep gashes are carved, often in the form of multiple pits stretched along the mountain side in parallel where several veins of coal formed within the folds of rocks. Leftovers from massive drag line shovels stripping the coal from the bedrock. But enough with the geology lesson, all that is to say, the property is uniquely tailor made for hard enduro.
The course is designed to exploit these unique features accordingly. The ridges, spines, and piles are used extensively in sections known as “Shawn of the Dead”, “Uncle Joe’s Garage”, “409”, “A Little Bit Off”, “Lunatic Fringe”, “Costa Rica” and others, posing challenges ranging from traversing a boulder field to climbing a seemingly unwalkable hill of massive rocks to tight roping a spine above breathtaking drops. A fear of heights is a poor prerequisite for this event. Reserved mostly for the main event, riders fight through the aforementioned multitude of strip mine pits, with each offering its own spin on the experience. The atmosphere of the pit named “Not Again” is surreal, with its massive sheer face of bedrock dominating the lefthand periphery for hundreds
of feet into the sky countered by the almost tropical feeling of encroaching foliage in the undulating, unforgiving terrain left behind as the drag lines of yore tore the aptly named Mammoth Vien from the earth. It is visually arresting and otherworldly. Venturing to the highest elevations of the property, sections such as “Wrong Side of Heaven”, “Panama”, and “Nightmare” explore the parts of the property not scarred by the coal industry. However, Mother Nature proves to be just as crafty in creating hard enduro terrain. Here eons of erosion have washed away topsoil and exposed the folds of bedrock that formed the Appalachians leaving impressive formations of rock. Riders are challenged to navigate seemingly impossible routes through these formations by whatever means necessary. Difficult, absolutely…but the visuals are befitting an adventure. An adventure into the remains of an industrial era that is stunning and whimsical, an adventure bolstered by the colorful names created for its characteristic sections, ones our predecessors on this property would never have guessed would be explored at this level on a dirt bike.
The adventure is further curated to ensure that all skill
levels are given an appropriate “bang for the buck”. The skill level of the top-tier professional hard enduro riders is so impressive that in order to challenge them, the course would be far too difficult for some amateur class riders to attempt. As such, the weekend’s events become progressively harder. The qualifier races are meant to be a challenge, but within reason that the majority of participants can have a respectable chance of completing the race. The same goes for the main event, with lap one being easier than lap two, and elements through each lap increasing
in difficulty. Following this approach, the intent is to provide a generous amount of potential riding opportunity to everyone willing to enter the event. This makes sure the “I just want to say I did it” competitor truly got a chance to experience the adventure that RORR aims to provide. And, at the end of the day, “I just want to say I did it” is the memory the majority of the field was after in the first place.
So, are you ready to say “I did it!”? Are you “Tough Like RORR”? Let’s find out in 2026.
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KEYSTONE CHALLENGE 2025
HART DOMINATES, REDEMPTION EARNED, LEGENDS TESTED
Trystan Hart rolled into Round 7 of the 2025 Bullet Proof Designs US Hard Enduro Series, presented by IRC Tire, with unfinished business. One year ago, Tough Like RORR handed him one of the season’s most gut-wrenching defeats. But this year, the FMF KTM rider made no mistakes, seizing control early and never letting go en route to a decisive third career win at one of the most difficult hard enduros in America.
“Maybe the best I’ve felt all year,” Hart admitted after the race. With injuries in the rearview and his bike dialed in, he took the lead from the drop and held it through 30 miles of brutal terrain scattered across the old coal mines of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. “I pretty much had first the whole
race, other than one time Ryder [LeBlond] got in front of me. I got him back pretty quickly. The next three hours, I didn’t see anyone.”
Tough Like RORR wasn’t just another stop on the calendar— it was the first leg of the grueling Keystone Challenge double-header, capped by the Locked n Loaded Hard Scramble. Course organizers, the Reading Off-Road Riders (RORR), lived up to their punishing reputation, crafting a route that blended well-worn legends with surprise elements few anticipated. Rain earlier in the week threatened to turn the course into a slog, but the ground soaked it up, delivering a dry, fast, yet still vicious test.
In Saturday’s qualifier, Hart narrowly beat out Cody Webb and Will Riordan, with just
10 seconds to spare. Only 120 of the fastest made it through, with 10 more wildcard entries completing a separate sevenmile shootout for Sunday’s race. By Sunday, 130 riders lined up—10 wide—for two laps over infamous sections like 409, The Wall, and Wrong Side of Heaven.
Hart snatched the holeshot and never looked back. Behind him, Rockstar Husqvarna’s Ryder LeBlond managed a brief stint in the lead before Hart surged back ahead. As the field ground their way through boulder-strewn forests and vertical hillclimbs, the front-runners—Hart, Webb, and Riordan—spread out, each locked in a solitary struggle.
For Cody Webb, the 2025 race was a redemption arc of a different sort. Last year,
he was the only rider to finish Tough Like RORR, collapsing afterward from heat exhaustion. This year?
“The conditions were pretty dang good... It’s been crazy cool right now, so I think that played a big part in today’s race and keeping us able to push harder without falling apart.” Riding without an electric start and on a bike he admitted wasn’t ideal, Webb managed to wrangle second place, 13 minutes behind Hart.
“I wish I could’ve done a little bit better, but at the end of the day, I still don’t think I could’ve beat Trystan. If you’re the first guy through Panama and some of those sections, it makes a huge difference. I think another big thing was last year was a lot of new stuff and it completely downpoured, so virigin terrain with that. This year had very
STEPH VETTERLY
WORDS & PHOTOS
few new sections and it was ridden in reverse, so a lot of it was packed in; we didn’t have years and years of leaf pileup. It was a really good course today, I thought. It was a great mixture of a little bit of everything. As I was out there, I was thinking ‘This is pretty good. For how terrible RORR always is, I’m having an ok time.’ [laughs]”
The second lap introduced fresh torture with segments like Hart Attack, Hart Break, and the sadistically named Nightmare trio. And just as riders thought they were in the clear, RORR added a final twist. As a treat for reaching the section named Brain Damage quickly enough, a brand-new section called Sad But True was unveiled within the last mile of the course. Not only was this section newly created, it wasn’t fully ribboned in for riders to notice during their pre-race course walk. Webb was the only rider to consider that this would happen, as the club planned to do the same last year. Sad But True had similar rocky terrain to 409 but sent riders in a series of ascents and descents, dangling the carrot that was the finish line just after the section’s exit.
Riordan rounded out the podium in third, continuing a streak of improving performances. “This year, I’ve been trying to get to the front and then push and have a high pace, but with this race being the way it is, so technical and long, I was just cruising; we all were. I wasn’t too stressed. The whole second lap, which was nearly three hours, I was by myself the whole time. It was honestly hard to stay focused because it was pretty lonely.” But the FactoryONE Sherco rider avoided mistakes, rode clean, and kept cramps at bay—a major improvement over previous years. His calm demeanor and calculated approach paid dividends. “Trystan and Cody are so good in this technical stuff, so I wouldn’t say I knew I wasn’t
going to beat them, but I’d like to finish as close as I can to them. I was trying to ride my own race. Last year, we pushed a lot and it was not enjoyable at all. This year, it was really good. You had to be “on” to make everything, and I still made mistakes and still messed stuff up, but up until that last section, it was pretty enjoyable.”
Back at the top, Hart reflected on the effort: “It was probably perfect because had it rained or been really hot, it would’ve been brutal... It was a little easy in some sections, but allin-all, I think they did a good job.” His criticism was light, and it was clear the demons of 2024 had finally been exorcised. “This is one race I feel like was stolen from me last year... Happy to be at this and racing again tomorrow.”
Webb’s emotions ran deeper. The KTM veteran didn’t shy away from the mental toll last year’s race had taken. But 2025 brought closure. “This year, the weather was nice, the course was great. It was a wonderful day of suffering on my dirt bike.”
It’s a theme that repeated across the podium: pain, solitude, surprise—and ultimately, satisfaction.
The race still lived up to its fearsome name, but it didn’t cross the threshold into despair.
Amid the pro drama, the amateur ranks saw their own stories unfold. Makana Barger captured not just the overall amateur win, finishing seven of the 12 checks, but also his first career win in the series—a major moment in his budding hard enduro career. In the Pro Women’s class, Canadian rider Katie Hall-Leah took the win, launching herself into the championship lead with a commanding performance.
“My main race went super well,” said Barger. “I had a couple minor mistakes, but just kept chugging along. Near the
end of my race, I saw Niko, which definitely made me push harder. I’m super stoked to have taken the win. I would say today was an 8 out of 10. It’s a fun race, but also very torturing.”
“It started out great,” said Champion Brick’s Tucker Miller of his main race. “I was feeling really good and got through 409 just fine. I started on the third row and just kept picking people off. Shortly after [409], I ended up
OPPOSITE : Trystan Hart THIS PAGE : Cody Webb (top), Will Riordan (bottom)
in the bottom of a little gulchtype thing. I think I spent almost 15 minutes trying to get out of there. I had a good time here. It was definitely harder than Kairos, which I enjoyed, but I think of all the races so far this season, I like this race the best.” Miller would finish ninth in the A class and 31st overall.
In the Youth 12-15 class, six riders made it into the main race. Thad Bredekamp was able to pull the holeshot off the start but ran into a bottleneck in 409. “The bottlenecks were pretty bad,” explained Thad. “I had to fight my way around people and ended up hitting lines that were way harder than I expected just so I could get around. I cracked a radiator hose in the rock section just after 409. About two miles down the track, my bike started to overheat. When I checked, I realized that the rock had put a hole in my hose and I had lost all my coolant. I dumped a bunch of water in and tried making it to the second checkpoint, but my bike wasn’t doing so great, so I ended up pulling off the course. I would say this is definitely the hardest race so far this year.”
Bentlee Bredekamp looked like he was off to have a phenomenal race, but his tire
had other plans. He was able to take the lead shortly after the start but was forced to make a pit stop when his tire came off the rim. After getting back to the track and making his way up to third place, it happened again. Another fix and back to racing – but when it happened yet again, Bentlee took it as a sign that he was done racing for the day and called it quits. “This is probably one of the hardest races I’ve done,” said Bredekamp. “But it was really fun.”
Graham Kobak was able to come back from a fifth-place finish in Saturday’s qualifying race to take the win in the final, over 10 minutes ahead of Chase Delong in second. Tucker Edmondson would round out the Youth 12-15 podium.
And that’s the paradox of tough enduro—a place where riders suffer alone, find transcendence in exhaustion, and somehow still ask for more.
Round 8 of the 2025 Bullet Proof Designs US Hard Enduro Series, Presented by IRC Tire, once again delivered a masterclass in endurance and technical skill at the Locked n Loaded Hard Scramble in Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania. Situated just 30 minutes north of the notorious Tough Like RORR venue, this race epitomized the diverse challenges that hard enduro has to offer. With a blend
of long, sweeping sections and short, technical hurdles, the race set the stage for a memorable showdown amid unpredictable conditions.
The course was meticulously designed with a unique structure: a 16‐mile opening lap followed by two shorter 8‐mile laps, each laden with its own set of challenges. While the first lap provided ample opportunity for riders to clock high speeds on drier rock gardens, the latter laps were transformed by the delayed drainage from earlier rains. The persistent moisture coated the terrain with slick mud, turning loose hill climbs and rock gardens into a test of precision where even a few inches of progress could decide the outcome.
At the gun, it was a battle of initial tactics as established contenders launched into a contest for the holeshot. FMF KTM’s Trystan Hart and FactoryONE Sherco’s Will Riordan were quick to make their presence felt. Riordan’s decision to take a wider line opened the door for Hart, who sliced through the early pack and headed into the trees with confidence. As Hart recalled, "I had a pretty good start. Will
THIS PAGE : Makana Barger (top), Thad Bredekamp (bottom) OPPOSITE : Ryder LeBlond (top), Cody Webb (bottom)
[Riordan] was the first one in the corner, but he pushed wide, so I was pretty stoked to cut under him and lead the first 30 minutes." This early maneuver set the tone for a race where split‐second decisions and aggressive riding would be the difference between victory and falling behind.
The first lap witnessed a shifting of the lead as Rocky Mountain Yamaha’s Cody Webb emerged at a critical juncture. After the initial 8 miles, Webb surged ahead on the approach to an endurocross section, positioning himself for the technical challenges ahead. With an upcoming trip to compete at Red Bull Erzbergrodeo, Webb had two different bikes ready to go to help minimize prep time. Webb admitted that the engine he chose to race Tough Like RORR would’ve been a better call, as he found himself spinning out more than he wanted, especially on the first lap when the rocks were dry. Webb admitted, “Today, the bike was spicy. I was spinning more than I wanted to, especially first lap when the rocks were dry, those guys left me and I was just spinning in place wondering what was going on.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder LeBlond was able to make a pass for the lead going into the latter half of the first lap, but lost time and his advantage in a hillclimb when Hart was able to fly up cleanly.
As the race transitioned into its later stages, the conditions worsened dramatically. The second and third laps, which used portions of the opening lap’s latter section, became a study in deteriorating traction. Mud saturated every line, and familiar rock gardens transformed into deceptive obstacles with little stability. Riders were forced to adapt quickly, discovering innovative lines as they fought to gain any advantage. Their progress could often be measured only in incremental gains—"six inches at a time"—a phrase that perfectly
encapsulated the grinding nature of the challenges they faced.
Throughout the race, Hart displayed calm composure and tactical brilliance. Methodically, he extended his early advantage to almost 30 minutes by the checkered flag. Reflecting on his ride, Hart remarked, "Got it done today. 1-1 on the weekend. I think that’s my third Keystone. I don’t think I’ve ever lost this race; I’ve won it every year it’s happened." His words conveyed not only a measure of satisfaction but also the weight of a legacy built on consistent performance in the face of adversity.
Cody Webb’s narrative, meanwhile, was one of relentless adjustment and reflection. Known for his high-octane, engine-braked style, Webb admitted feeling akin to "Ryan Dungey, just the Diesel out there chugging it lower rpm." He detailed his struggles, especially on the first lap, saying, "I definitely
had my engine brakes on a little too hard. I was struggling out there." The technical rigors of Sugarloaf, exacerbated by dry rock sections initially and a subsequent deluge of mud, left him seeking better traction and lines. Despite falling back by over five minutes at one point, Webb’s experience in the field eventually allowed him to use his trials skills to negotiate the most treacherous rock gardens.
Webb’s self-analysis extended further as he recounted the nuances of the race. "Some parts were a little bit better, but for the most part, everything in the beginning with Tombstone was just beat," he explained, referring to saturated lines and unpredictable momentum. Webb detailed his tactical moves, describing how he approached key sections in rock gardens and even managed to overtake Will Riordan on the final lap by
capitalizing on better lines. His willingness to experiment and adapt under pressure underscored the unpredictable nature of the toughest terrains in hard enduro.
Will Riordan offered his own perspective on the challenges of the day. Content with a podium finish, Riordan commented, "I’m happy with a podium, of course; I love being up here." However, he admitted that the final lap tested him to the limits: "I really struggled just with how slippery it got. I feel like my mousse was a bit stiff." His remarks highlighted the finely balanced nature of technical riding, where tire traction and bike control could rapidly deteriorate in a downpour of mud. Despite these setbacks, his steady performance ensured that he maintained his place among the top contenders.
Not far behind, Ryder LeBlond of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing recounted one of the day's most arduous experiences. "Today was pretty bad; it was probably one of the toughest races I’ve ever done, not as far as obstacles, but I couldn’t go anywhere with it being so slick," he lamented. “I pretty much pushed the bike for the last 16 miles, it felt like. I didn’t ride it much; I’d go two feet, go in a hole, push out of the hole, go another two feet, go in a hole… It was just a rough day.” Even as fatigue set in and focus waned, he battled mechanical issues—a snapped throttle cable—that threatened his race. "Luckily it was just the return one. There are two on the Husqvarnas, so I just cut that and was able to make it to the finish," he explained, underscoring the sheer persistence required to endure such a relentless test.
The race also provided platforms for up-and-coming talents. In the amateur division, Niko Piazza from Dalton Gardens, Idaho, overcame the challenging course to top the standings from the third checkpoint. Maverik Thaxton followed closely, with Jobel Coronado
completing a hard-fought podium finish. Just outside the top-3 was Makana Barger, who felt he may have burned himself out from Tough Like RORR.
“I’m not super stoked with my results,” Barger said. “I feel like I can work on a lot of stuff. I need to work on more chunky rocks because lots of stuff moves under you here. I need to work on finding traction and how to get around lappers because they’re always in the way. That’s what slowed me down, I feel like. I still had fun, but it’s hard because you’re tired from the day before but we’ll see next year.”
In the Women’s Pro class, Canadian Katie Hall-Leah once again established herself as a strong competitor. Rieju USA’s Rachel Gutish was able to pull almost a twenty-minute lead over Hall-Leah despite having broken her finger at the National Enduro round the day before but dropped back after the rock gardens in the Stairway sections. Katie was able to push one checkpoint further by the end of the fivehour time limit, pushing past
the challenging section known as Tombstone and riding through the enduro transfer.
Reflecting on the Locked n Loaded Hard Scramble, the event proved to be a solid test of precision and consistency. With a course
marked by persistent mud, challenging rock gardens, and ever-changing technical demands, every rider had to rely equally on skill, strategy, and endurance. In the end, success depended as much on thoughtful riding as it did on outright speed.
EVENT RESULTS
TOUGH LIKE RORR
PRO
1. Trystan Hart (KTM) 2. Cody Webb (YAM) 3. Will Riordan (SHR) 4. Ryder LeBlond (HSQ)
5. Kawelo Huddy (KTM)
6. Quinn Wentzel (RJU) 7. Ryder Guest (KTM) 8. James Flynn (BET) 9. Braxton Hintze (SHR) 10. Logan Bolopue (SHR) AMATEUR
1. Makana Barger (KTM)
2. Niko Piazza (HSQ)
3. Jobel Coronado (KTM) 4. Leiber Ponce (GG)
5. Maverik Thaxton (KTM)
6. Coran Calvert (SHR)
7. John Kroll (KTM)
8. Ayden Marinchek (KTM)
9. Tucker Miller (KTM) 10. Reimy Abreu (SHR)
LOCKED 'N LOADED
PRO
1. Trystan Hart (KTM)
2. Cody Webb (YAM)
3. Will Riordan (SHR)
4. Kawelo Huddy (KTM)
5. Ryder LeBlond (HSQ)
6. Ryder Guest (KTM)
7. Kamakana WaiwaioleKahalepuna (KTM)
8. Branden Petrie (BET)
9. Braxton Hintze (SHR)
10. James Flynn (BET)
AMATEUR
1. Niko Piazza (HSQ)
2. Maverik Thaxton (KTM)
3. Jobel Coronado (KTM)
4. Makana Barger (KTM)
5. Coran Calvert (SHR)
6. Leiber Ponce (GG)
7. Ayden Marinchek (KTM)
8. Jared Fortner (BET)
9. John Kroll (KTM)
10. Josh Prigan (KTM)
Quinn Wentzel (5) and Tobin Miller (117)
Gear: helmets, jerseys, pants & protectors
Parts: Jitsie, OEM plus various aftermarket parts
Bikes: Beta, Electric Motion, Vertigo & TRS
GRANT DAVIS TAKES OVERALL WIN IN INDIANA
WORDS PHOTOS
KAYLA BOLTON MACK FAINT
The Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, finished up its seventh round of racing, AMSOIL Hoosier, on Sunday afternoon with continued sunny, warm and dusty conditions in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
It was Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Steward Baylor who snagged the $250 Landers KTM Holeshot Award once the race started and would lead the way for the first couple of laps. FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Benjamin Kelley would be lurking behind Baylor, making the pass for the lead on lap four. Kelley would continue to push forward trying to gap himself and the rest of the field.
Unfortunately for Baylor, he would suffer a mechanical issue and be unable to complete the race of five laps of racing.
Kelley would continue to push out front, but the XC2 250 Pro defending champion, FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Grant Davis, was pushing himself to the extreme behind Kelley to catch up at the front. Davis was already leading the overall on adjusted time but would physically catch Kelley and make the pass on him for the number one spot on the track.
Davis would lead the way as the checkered flag came out, earning his first overall win of the season, fifth XC2 class win all while physically leading the pack. Kelley would hold on to finish second overall on the day and first in the XC1 Open Pro class.
“I felt pretty good the first three quarters of the race, but after that, I was struggling,” said Kelley. “The track was really hard and fast, and I was getting kicked and bucked, I was sliding all over the place. I did the best I could. I had 15 seconds on Grant, physically, so he already had
me in the overall, so I really pushed hoping I could do something in that last hour and pull away, but like I said, I was struggled even worse. Once he caught me, I did my thing for a few more miles. I actually let him by because I thought if I could latch on, he could keep me rolling. I was able to keep him in my sights the last lap and a half and that was good because I had to stay ahead of the other XC2 guys. So yeah, P2 overall. A good bounce back from the last race.”
“Yeah, honestly, I’ve been working so hard all year and I’ve been pretty pissed off the last couple of races that I’ve been losing out on these overall wins,” said Davis. “Ben just gives it to me on that last lap every time! These last two weeks I’ve been working on myself to figure out what I can do different to get it done. So, I normally get to those XC1 guys and then take a breather. This time when I got to them, I was just hammering them. I tried to get by them as fast as I could. I caught up to Ben and he actually let me by which was nice. I started getting a little gap on him but the last lap I hit a water hole and completely ruined my goggles. I had to run the last lap without goggles, so that was tough but other than that I’m really pumped on my day. This paddle tire I’ve got on the back is the move, I’m telling you! I worked with the WP guys for a few weeks and got some stuff figured out before Ohio. But obviously
Ohio, I didn’t show that, I rode bad. This weekend I was pretty mad. I was like ‘I’m either winning or I’m going to be dead.’ It worked today. I didn’t even hit the ground once today. I’m pumped on that.”
More XC2 250 Pro competitors would make their way towards the front as FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Angus Riordan would battle his way to finish third overall on the day and second in his class after making the pass with just a couple of turns before the finish line. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cody Barnes was running third before the last lap pass from Riordan took place, Barnes would rebound and finish fourth overall and third in the XC2 class.
“I was happy to get the holeshot, first time in a long time so my mechanic was happy with that,” said Riordan. “Then I crashed like an idiot a mile in. Lost the front and I went back to fourth place.
LEFT : Jordan Ashburn (3) RIGHT (clockwise) : Kailub Russell (557), Liam Draper (198), Ben Kelley (530), Cody Barnes (990)
It was hard to make up the time on Grant after that, and then I had Cody Barnes up my clacker the whole last half of the race and I was stressing. He nearly dove inside of me there, but I was able to hold him off.”
After starting outside of the top five, AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper continued charging towards the front of the pack, with just three laps remaining Draper had worked his way up to second in the XC1 class. Draper would be unable to catch Kelley or Davis to battle for the lead position. Draper would cross the line second in class and fifth overall at round seven in Indiana.
Indiana native, Phoenix Racing Honda’s Michael Witkowski would have a good race as he battled his way to fifth in class and then up to third with just three laps to go in the race. Witkowski would round out the top three XC1 Open Pro class finishers, while finishing sixth overall on the day.
Liqui Moly Factory Beta Racing’s Josh Strang has continued to run within the top five in the XC1 class, and in Indiana he would come through to finish fourth in class and seventh overall on the day. Flatrock Motorclub GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jordan Ashburn found himself running third on the opening lap, but he would ultimately come through to take fifth in the XC1 class and eighth overall at Ironman Raceway for the AMSOIL Hoosier GNCC.
Two top contenders, Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Craig Delong and AmPro Yamaha’s Kailub Russell did not get good jumps off the line and would struggle from those starts for the majority of the race. Delong would come through to cross the line sixth in the class and ninth overall, while K. Russell came through to round out the top 10 overall finishers and take seventh in the XC1 class.
In the XC3 125 Pro-Am class it was Bonecutter Off-Road/ GASGAS-backed rider,
Jonathan Johnson, leading the way from start to finish through the dry Indiana trails. Marionville Powersports/ Hinson/Fly Racing’s James Jenkins would have a consistent race as he came through second in the class, while Jayson Crawford would have to work his way up from a fifth place start to round out the top three finishers in the XC3 class.
The AMSOIL Hoosier Top Amateur honors would go to Joseph Cunningham who came through to finish 13th overall on the day as he took home the 250 A class win. Gavin Simon would finish 14th overall and take second in the 250 A class, earning himself the second spot on the Top Amateur podium. Third on the Top Amateur podium would go to Van Adams of the Open A class as he took the win and finished 19th overall.
As the morning race got underway it was Phoenix
Racing Honda’s Tayla Jones grabbing the $100 Landers KTM WXC Holeshot Award. It didn’t take long for Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Rachael Archer to make her way into the lead position as they came through timing and scoring on the opening lap. Archer would continue to push the pace, leading the way and earning her fourth win of the season.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Korie Steede would battle back at the front to finish second on the day, while AmPro Yamaha’s Danielle McDonald came back from a first lap crash to finish third in the WXC class. Unfortunately for Jones, while out on the second lap she would suffer a crash that would take her out of the rest of the race.
EVENT RESULTS
XC1
1. Ben Kelley (KTM)
2. Liam Draper (YAM)
3. Michael Witkowski (HON)
4. Josh Strang (BET)
5. Jordan Ashburn (GG)
6. Craig DeLong (HSQ)
7. Kailub Russell (YAM)
8. Ricky Russell (TRI)
9. Lyndon Snodgrass (HSQ)
10. Thad Duvall (KTM)
XC2
1. Grant Davis (KTM)
2. Angus Riordan (KTM)
3. Cody Barnes (HON)
4. Josh Toth (KAW)
5. Brody Johnson (HON)
6. Toby Cleveland (HSQ)
7. Nicholas Defeo (KAW)
8. Jhak Walker (BET)
9. Michael Delosa (YAM)
10. Hunter Bush (KAW)
WXC
1. Rachael Archer (KAW)
2. Korie Steede (HSQ)
3. Danielle McDonald (YAM)
4. Shelby Turner (GG)
5. Addison Harris (KTM)
6. Carly Lee (KTM)
7. Kaitlyn Lindsey (HSQ)
8. Emma Hasbell (BET)
9. Addison Elliott (KAW)
10. Tayla Jones (HON)
RROUND
3
TOTH TOPS CHEROKEE NATIONAL ENDURO
RED BEAR RACING KAWSAKI TEAM SWEEPS PODIUM
HEATHER WILSON MACK FAINT WORDS PHOTOS
acers returned to the woods at the Rocky Mountain Cherokee National Enduro after a break of more than three months. Cherokee Cycle Club had more than 450 competitors line up for the Redline Oil AMA National Enduro Series, presented by MSR and Beta Motorcycles.
After torrential rain the night before the event, the National Enduro Promoters Group delayed key time by an hour and took to the woods to make course adjustments. With cool and comfortable conditions, the day kicked off with a 7-mile section, followed by an 8-mile section. Racers tackled slick, polished red clay with exposed roots throughout part of the day, but it tacked up nicely as time elapsed. The third test was a shorter one, at 4.5 miles, as racers attempted to edge out their nearest rivals. The following test was an 8-mile stretch, followed by 6.5- and 5.5-mile sections to round out the day.
LEFT : Josh Toth (34A)
OVERALL PODIUM
Rocky Mountain Red Bear Racing Kawasaki Team Green swept the overall podium. Throughout the day, Josh Toth was lighting it up aboard his KX250X, taking a clean sweep by winning every test presented to him in Georgia. The reigning champion loves muddy conditions and wasn’t about to let even his teammates sneak in a test win.
“When I saw the rain coming last night or on the radar, I just got excited,” said Josh Toth. “I've ridden here for a sprint enduro in the wet, and I put a hurting on them then, so I knew it's my kind of track… I knew I could do it. Conditions, like Stu [Baylor] said, were unreal, and the course was just a blast. There were a couple gnarly sections, but for the amount of rain we had -- just unbelievable conditions. I've been itching to get to an enduro. Obviously, we had Louisiana canceled, and it's
hard to beat Stu at Sumter. So, I've had a long time to just sit and wait for this one, but I'm glad to get in the swing of things and be back enduro racing. I just really enjoyed it all day and had fun.”
After his win at Round 1, Red Bear Racing Kawasaki teammate Steward Baylor Jr. was motivated to keep the momentum going. The NE Pro1 competitor claimed second through the opening test and third in Tests 2, 3 and 4. He finished out the day with two second-place test results.
“It was a damn good day,” said Steward Baylor Jr. “I was coming in a little under the weather this week… I'm getting old, and my body is falling apart from doing this for so long. I rolled my ankle for like the third time in a year. Outside of that, the trails were fun. I just told Alan [Randt] this was probably one of the most fun Cherokee enduros I've ridden ever. This was
actually my very first win [in 2002]. I've been riding here a long time, and I’ve got to say that was some of the most fun trails today.”
Rounding out the podium was yet another Red Bear Racing Kawasaki rider: Grant Baylor. Although he had a bobble in the first section, taking fifth in NE Pro1 and seventh overall, he quickly recovered to take second in the next test. He then went 4-5-3-3 on the day.
“It was a pretty good day -- a little slippery out there with the rain coming in this morning,” said Grant Baylor. “I went out there and made the best of it. I’m still just riding a little bit timid with the leg. You know, scared to dab it and tear it up again. I just tried to get out there and get through the day -- keep it on two wheels. I fell over twice today. Other than that, it just it was a good day. Just tried to go out there and make some progress and get back into the swing of things. I'm happy to be up here on the podium.”
NE PRO2 PODIUM
The Red Bear Racing Kawasaki Team didn’t just have a stellar day in the NE Pro1 class; the team also saw Nicholas Defeo earn the NE Pro 2 win by nearly a minute. Aside from the second test, which he was the runner-up in, he captured class wins in all other sections.
FMF KTM Factory Racing Landers' Angus Riordan captured second in class. The Australian went 3-1-2 in NE
Pro2 to start the day aboard his KTM 250 XC-F. In the fourth section, he took fourth and pushed his way up to second in the next test. He scored third in the final test.
Chase Landers, backed by Landers KTM Amateur Racing, powered his way through the six tests to earn the last step of the podium. He went 2-3-4-2 before ending the day with a fifth and seventh in class.
WOMEN’S ELITE PODIUM
Yet another Red Bear Racing Kawasaki teammate claimed a premier class win. Rachael Archer, the reigning Women’s Elite Champion, finished more than three minutes ahead of her nearest rival. She said she particularly enjoyed Tests 4 and 5, describing them as “fun and flowy.”
Round 1 winner Rachel Gutish put her Rieju in the secondplace spot, despite possibly breaking her finger in Test 2 and battling through the pain the remainder of the day. She was third through the first three tests before taking second in the last three of the day.
Although Enduro Engineering’s Shelby Turner collected the opening test win aboard her GasGas, she faced stiff competition throughout the day that made it challenging to score any
more test wins. With 2-2-3-3-3 results the rest of the day, she still managed to round out the podium.
TOP AMATEURS
Lane Whitmer, who captured the AA class win and seized 17th overall at Round 1, backed it up with another AA class win and 12th overall this
weekend. The GasGas rider took first in class through all six sections.
Tennessee’s Brayden Baisley collected the 250A class win and placed 15th overall. The Husqvarna rider won all but one test throughout the day.
Angus Riordan (29A), Nicholas Defeo (24A), Steward Baylor Jr (33A), Rachel Gutish (18A)
EVENT RESULTS
OVERALL - PRO 1
1.
OVERALL - PRO 2
OVERALLWOMENS ELITE
Josh Toth (KAW) 2. Steward Baylor Jr (KAW) 3. Grant Baylor (KAW) 4. Ricky Russell (TRI) 5. Ben Kelley (KTM)
6. Ryder Lafferty (HON) 7. Evan Smith (YAM) 8. Jack Mentha (HON)
1. Nicholas Defeo (KAW)
Angus Riordan (KTM)
Chase Landers (KTM)
Jhak Walker (BET)
Will Sievenpiper (KAW)
Ryan Piper
Hunter Smith (KTM)
Caleb Baltimore (KTM) 9. Hunter Bush (KAW)
Trevor Hulin (KTM)
1. Rachael Archer (KAW)
Rachel Gutish (RIE)
Shelby Turner (GG)
Brooke Cosner (KAW)
Emma Hasbell (BET)
Addison Elliott (KTM)
GRANT DAVIS BACK ON TOP IN PENNSYLVANIA
KAYLA BOLTON MACK FAINT WORDS PHOTOS
FMF KTM Factory Racing
Lander’s Grant Davis found himself back on top yesterday, June 1, at the Parts Unlimited Mason-Dixon GNCC in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania. After rain fell early in the weekend, conditions seemed to tack up throughout the course by Sunday afternoon at Round 8 of the Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, which seemed to create a rough and tiresome racetrack as the world’s fastest off-road racers lined up.
After taking he win two weeks ago, Davis kept the momentum rolling into Pennsylvania as he battled through from the second row in the XC2 250 Pro class to earn his second overall win of the season. Davis now holds the lead in the overall points standings as the series heads to Snowshoe at the end of June.
FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Benjamin Kelley didn’t get off to a great start, having to
work his way to the front from a seventh place start on the opening lap. Once Kelley was up front though, he would continue to push his way through the course trying to place enough of a gap over the XC2 competitors. However, a last lap crash saw Kelley lose those couple of seconds as he came through the finish to earn his fifth XC1 Open Pro class win of the season, and second overall.
Rounding out the top three overall finishers of the day was Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Steward Baylor as he came through second in the XC1 Open Pro class. Baylor would work his way up front after a fifth place start on lap one. As the race wore on Baylor would continue to push himself trying to close the gap between himself and Kelley. Unfortunately, Baylor was unable to catch Kelley and
PREVIOUS : Grant Davis (922)
would finish second in class and third overall on the day.
XC2 competitors, FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Angus Riordan and Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cody Barnes would once again battle for a better overall and class podium positions. Riordan and Barnes would battle back-and-forth throughout the whole race, with Riordan being able to hold off Barnes to grab second in XC2 and fourth overall. Barnes would be right behind Riordan to finish third in XC2 and fifth overall on the day.
Coming through sixth overall and third in the XC1 class was Flatrock Motorclub GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jordan Ashburn. As the race got underway, Ashburn would have his work cut out for him as he had to work his way through from an eighth place start. Ashburn would continue to push throughout the race,
THIS PAGE : Cody Barnes (990), Shelby Turner (550), Josh Strang (7), Addison Elliott (924), Steward Baylor Jr (514), Ben Kelley (530)
making the necessary passes to round out the XC1 podium.
AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper would hold the lead for the first two laps of the race but unfortunately fell back to third and then fourth by the time the checkered flag flew, earning seventh overall and fourth in class.
After running second early in the race, Enduro Engineering Triumph Racing’s Ricky Russell would come through to cross the line fifth in class and eighth overall on the day.
Finishing ninth overall, sixth in XC1, was Phoenix Racing Honda’s Mike Witkowski. Throughout the duration of the race, Witkowski would have a consistent flow going through the Pennsylvania and West Virginia terrain at the MasonDixon GNCC.
Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Josh Toth would come through to round out the top 10 overall finishers on the day, while also earning fourth in XC2. Unfortunately for Lyndon Snodgrass after earning the $250 Landers KTM he would suffer a mechanical issue after completing three laps.
Coming through to take the XC3 125 Pro-Am class win was Marionville Powersports/ Hinson/Fly Racing’s James Jenkins who also earned himself the $100 Lojak Cycle Sales XC3 Holeshot Award. Jenkins would battle through to make a last lap pass and
overtake the lead once again to take the win.
Bonecutter Off-Road/ GASGAS-backed racer
Jonathan Johnson would battle back-and-forth with Jenkins for first, but he would ultimately come through to finish second in the class. Jayson Crawford came back from starting fifth in the class to round out the top three on the podium at round eight.
Taking the Parts Unlimited Mason-Dixon GNCC Top Amateur honors was Joseph Cunningham as he finished 16th overall on the day, while taking home his sixth 250 A
EVENT RESULTS
XC1
1. Ben Kelley (KTM)
2. Steward Baylor Jr (KAW)
3. Jordan Ashburn (GG)
4. Liam Draper (YAM)
5. RIcky Russell (TRI)
6. Michael Witkowski (HON)
7. Thad Duvall (KTM)
8. Kailub Russell (YAM)
9. Craig DeLong (HSQ)
10. Josh Strang (BET)
XC2
1. Grant Davis (KTM)
2. Angus Riordan (KTM)
3. Cody Barnes (HON)
4. Josh Toth (KAW)
5. Brody Johnson (HON)
6. Jhak Walker (BET)
7. Trevor Maley (KTM)
8. Michael Delosa (YAM)
9. Nicholas Defeo (KAW)
10. Jason Lipscomb (YAM)
1.
2.
3.
class win of the season. Chase Landers would finish 17th overall on the day, and second in the 250 A class, as he sat second on the Top Amateur podium on the day. Third place in the 250 A class went to Gavin Simon and third Top Amateur honors as he finished 19th overall.
In the AM Bike race, it was Ethan Harwell physically coming through timing and scoring first in the Sportsman A class. However, Colton McQuarrie continued to battle through to be awarded the AM Overall win as he was the first finisher in a national points paying class. McQuarrie
WXC
McDonald (YAM)
4. Shelby Turner (GG)
5. Ava Silvestri (GG)
6. Carly Lee (KTM)
7. Addison Harris (KTM)
8. Addison Elliott (KAW)
9. Eden Netelkos (YAM)
would finish first in the 150 B Schoolboy (12-17) class at the Parts Unlimited Mason-Dixon.
After earning the $100 Landers KTM WXC Holeshot Award, Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Korie Steede continued to push her way through the Mason-Dixon line terrain. Steede would lead from start to finish, earning herself the WXC class win and second overall in the race. Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Rachael Archer made her way into second in the WXC class early on in the race, but she would be unable to make a push for the win at round eight. Archer would cross the line five seconds behind Steede for second in class and third overall on the day. AmPro Yamaha’s Danielle McDonald held onto third place in the WXC class for the duration of the race, earning her third WXC podium finish of the season.
Korie Steede (HSQ)
Rachael Archer (KAW)
Danielle
Jhak Walker (719)
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