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The US Women's World Trophy ISDE Team is a force to be reckoned with. Brandy Richards, Rachel Gutish, and Korie Steede won the 2025 event over 35 minutes ahead of their competition. The win puts them tied with Australia on the all-time win list at six victories.
BELOW : Josep Garcia secured an unprecedented fifth consecutive victory at the 2025 International Six Days Enduro Photo: Future7Media
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hollow point hard enduro
DUST, HILLS, AND DEBUT BATTLES IN WELLSVILLE, OH
WORDS & PHOTOS
STEPH VETTERLY
The debut of the Hollow Point Hard Enduro in Wellsville, Ohio, instantly cemented itself as one of the defining moments of the 2025 AMA East Hard Enduro Series. Promoter and pro rider Quinn Wentzel brought the series to one of the country’s most legendary training grounds, a place synonymous with punishing hillsides, sprawling rock gardens, and creek beds that can swallow a bike whole. Riders had long whispered about Wellsville’s potential for an East Series round, and when Wentzel announced his latest event, expectations ran high. By Sunday evening, with the powder still hanging in the air and bikes lying in the pits caked in silt, those expectations had been exceeded.
The conditions were dictated by the weather. A summer drought had left the Ohio hillside bone-dry, stripping away the grip that riders rely on in the eastern woods. By
the time Saturday’s amateurs had completed their first lap, the track had already begun to break down into a haze of dust, a powdery surface that billowed with every twist of the throttle. It only worsened when the Pros lined up Sunday, the powder choking visibility and sapping traction on climbs that were already intimidating when damp.
The course itself stretched 13.5 miles and read like a greatest hits compilation of hard enduro obstacles.
Wentzel, drawing from his trials background, peppered in features that would test balance as much as horsepower. “High Voltage Hill” rose in brutal three-tier fashion, with each crest luring riders into false hope before revealing another sheer climb. “Full Metal Jacket” was a Proonly section that combined a vertical punch with an
RIGHT : Rockstar Energy Husqvarna's Ryder LeBlond (513)
off-camber traverse midway up, where mistakes meant sliding back into chaos. And perhaps the most iconic of all, the “Big Waterfall,” a thirtyfoot vertical rock face, drew spectators in droves to see who would dare attack it.
Amateurs and youth competitors got first crack at the course on Saturday. The initial plan had been two laps, but when B-class front runner Davin Shike ripped through his opening loop in just 59 minutes, organizers knew the riders could handle more. The race was extended to three laps, and Shike never faltered. He crossed the line in 3 hours 11 minutes, a commanding 18 minutes ahead of Gage Hill, with Jose Julian Hernandez Rios claiming third. “I thought it was really fun,” Shike said afterward. “I liked how it was fast, but there was some technical stuff, too. I slipped out on a ledge at one point, but other than that, my race went smoothly. I pulled the holeshot so I didn’t have to deal with any of the dust. I just rode my own race and made it to the top.”
Hill, who finished second, was equally upbeat if a bit more critical. “I thought the race
was really nice, smooth, and pretty easy. It was really flowy. I feel like it could’ve been a little harder, but I had fun. The slanted logs going down the hills were pretty sketchy.” Rios, rounding out the podium, praised the layout: “I loved the course. There were some parts that were a bit easy, but there were some good technical bits. It was a little complicated, but
I was able to make it through to third.”
Other amateurs echoed a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration. Youth class winner Bentlee Bredekamp, just outside the overall podium in fourth, was humbled by terrain he couldn’t train for at home. “It was really hard. There were a lot of big hills.
We don’t have hills in Iowa, so I don’t know how to practice them. The rocks were really slippery. Things just kept getting more slippery every lap.” Veteran racer Scott Martin, 36, gutted out fifth overall despite a mechanical gremlin. “It was a really good race. It was really challenging – a lot of big hills, a lot of big rocks, a lot of off-camber stuff. I had a couple bad falls where the bike fell on me and I couldn’t get it off. Then my shifter got stuck in first gear. You can’t go fast in first. I was stuck in first for a while, then finally got it into second. I was exhausted, but I kept pushing. Quinn did an excellent job putting this race together. It is primo.”
For the Bredekamp family, the Hollow Point Hard Enduro turned into a weekend of challenges, perseverance, and a few silver linings. Derrik Bredekamp rode to an impressive second place in the B Vet 30+ class despite battling a failing battery in the final hour. “The race went great. We had some good battles with some riders; I’m not sure who they were, but we were back and forth,” he explained. “The hillclimbs were epic; they just didn’t stop. I just had a super fun day overall. This is probably one of my favorite races. The hills, the rocks, the creek, there were elevated hanging logs, and triple logs and double logs. It was just fun.” When his battery finally died, Derrik resorted to bump-starting the bike in a rocky ravine, pushing it until he finally coaxed the motor back to life. Even with the setback, he still came away smiling, calling the course one of thhis favorite races.
His son, Thad, raced in the Youth 12–15 class and showed similar grit. After pulling the holeshot and leading for the opening mile, his bike’s battery died, leaving him dependent on a kickstarter they had installed just before the
TOP : Thad Bredekamp (2999)
LEFT: Rocky Mountain Yamaha's Cody Webb (2)
event. “I was able to finish, but I wasn’t able to kickstart my bike easily and it would take me about 20 minutes every time I tried,” Thad said. He also discovered he had run out of coolant on Powerline Hill but pushed through regardless. “Other than that, it was pretty fun. It was a good race, great course. I hope they put it on next year.”
Georgia Eversole shined in the Pro Women’s class, completing a lap and securing the win with a smile. “I absolutely loved the course,” she said. “It was a really great mix. I didn’t struggle the whole day. I had a good day. It was very technical. I loved the hillclimbs; they were amazing! It was very exhausting, but nothing was so big that I couldn’t do it.”
Saturday night’s Prologue turned the spotlight on the top names. A short, spectatorfriendly sprint with logs, offcambers, and a rock ledge to decide Sunday’s starting order quickly became a fan favorite. Cody Webb, on his vintage Yamaha, yanked the holeshot, fist-pumping the crowd. But Ryder LeBlond controlled most of the race, his smooth lines and dust-throwing pace keeping Jordan Ashburn at bay. It wasn’t until the final off-camber that Ashburn snatched the win, blitzing past LeBlond in dramatic fashion. “That was chaos,” Ashburn laughed. “It was a lot of dust. Ryder got hung up on the last ledge and I just splattered up it. Somehow I found enough traction and that was it.”
Sunday morning brought the main event: sixty Pro and A-class riders staring down two laps of Wentzel’s gauntlet with a four-hour time cap. The early pace suggested no one was going to escape. LeBlond, Ashburn, and James Flynn swapped positions constantly, each mistake instantly punished. “No one could really get away,” LeBlond explained. “I cleaned the last couple of hills, just sent it up every one of them because I wasn’t sure if it was going to
be a two or three lap race. Luckily, I got away, but the rest of the race, James and Jordan, we were all so close. We kept switching positions the entire time. It was pretty nuts.”
Ashburn described the battle as pure mayhem. “It was complete chaos. I was all over the ground everywhere, flopping around in the silt, battling with Ryder and James the whole day. That last lap, every time we’d get to a hard section, we were wheel to wheel passing each other back and forth. Ryder slipped away at the end, but it was a heck of a battle.” For a rider better known for GNCC, Ashburn was grateful simply to be competitive. “I’m still riding with the young kids – I’m an old guy. I have fun out here and I’m just super thankful.”
Flynn, who guided his IRCbacked Beta to third, admitted the fight taught him plenty. “It was awesome just trying to keep up with Ryder and Jordan and learn from them, learn the lines. Going into the second lap, I kind of lost my rear brake and I kept blowing corners in the single track, so I had to slow up a little bit and try to stay smooth. It was fun.
The course was unreal. I’d give it a 10/10.”
Behind them, Cody Webb was mounting one of the most talked-about rides of the weekend. Lining up on a 1995 Yamaha WR250 he had bought on Facebook Marketplace, Webb struggled to fire the bike at the start and left the line dead last. Things only got worse when he bent his chain guide and knocked the chain off. But Webb’s second lap was a reminder of why he remains one of America’s great extreme enduro tacticians. He charged forward with the fastest lap of the day, 1 hour 17 minutes, clawing back
positions to finish fourth. “The first lap, I didn’t like much about the track at all. The second lap got burnt in and rode way nicer. I liked riding the creeks. They weren’t overly difficult but they flowed pretty well. I’m trying to bring the Japanese bikes back into the sport with Yamaha this year on my own team, so I thought it’d be fun to take the old-school bike out here.”
Rounding out the top five was Ryder Guest, who relished the toughness of the layout. “It feels like I passed the whole pack except for the top five. My favorite part of the race was that it was true hard enduro. A
TOP : Georgia Eversole (170) RIGHT: Derrik Bredekamp (2420)
lot of the races, it seems like, are not what we come all the way to the east coast for, so for this race to be proper hard and relentless is what we like. Coming from Hawaii, that’s how it is, the trails are hard, so to be in the gnarly stuff all day was super fun.”
Even those further back left with stories worth telling. A-class competitor Drew Kirby recalled tackling the thirty-foot waterfall. “By the time I got there, there were several bikes on the bypass. After Jarrett Mohn gave me some top-notch instructions, I sent it up the waterfall and made it to the top! I wasn’t quite sure why the crowd went so crazy but I soon found out I was just the third person to make it up, only Jordan Ashburn and Cody Webb were able to make it before me. That definitely gave me a boost of confidence.” Later, Kirby’s race nearly ended when his bike chased him down 12 Gauge Hill. “Luckily, I walked away without any injuries. Definitely one of the scarier crashes I’ve had in a long time. I was able to complete one full lap and ended up second place in 40A and 25th overall.”
Stories like Kirby’s illustrated why the Hollow Point mattered. This was a race where amateurs got to test themselves on the same terrain as their heroes, and where Pros fought wheel-towheel until the final climbs. Wentzel’s decision to stay behind the clipboard rather than chase series points
allowed him to focus entirely on building a course that racers would remember, and from all accounts, he delivered.
By late Sunday, with LeBlond celebrating victory and riders still shaking dust from their gear, the consensus was clear: the Hollow Point Hard Enduro was already a classic. As Flynn put it, “The course was unreal. So many different sections; I could tell that Quinn spent weeks out here putting it all together, and I really appreciate all the hard work he put in.”
With the AMA East Hard Enduro Series now turning its attention to Fallen Timbers in Little Hocking, Ohio, the Hollow Point leaves behind a powerful legacy. It debuted with all the chaos, grit, and triumph a hard enduro should, setting a new benchmark for the series. Whether it was Shike’s dominant amateur ride, Ashburn’s last-lap Prologue
heroics, Webb wringing the neck of a three-decade-old Yamaha, or LeBlond’s cool precision on the final hills, the inaugural Wellsville event delivered everything fans hoped for: a dust-choked, hill-climbing, crowd-roaring celebration of extreme off-road racing.
EVENT RESULTS
PRO/A OVERALL
1. Ryder LeBlond (HSQ)
2. Jordan Ashburn (GG)
3. James Flynn (BET)
4. Cody Webb (YAM)
5. Ryder GUest (KTM)
6. Kamakana WaiwaioleKahalepuna (KTM)
7. Mason George (HSQ)
8. Coran Calvert (SHR)
9. Makana Barger (KTM)
10. Tobin Miller (KTM)
AMATEUR OVERALL
1. Davin Shike (GG)
2. Gage Hill (KTM)
3. Jose Julian Hernandez Rios (HSQ)
4. Bentlee Bredekamp (HSQ)
5. Scott Marting (HSQ)
6. Tucker Edmondson (KTM)
7. Jose Luis Rodriguez (KTM)
8. Jake Campbell (BET)
9. Chase Delong (GG)
10. Graham Kobak (SHR)
TOP : Flatrock Motorclub GasGas' Jordan Ashburn (3)
LEFT: American Hard Enduro's Drew Kirby (228)
FROM HOLESHOT TO HEARTBREAK
THE WILD RIDE AT ROUND 10
KAYLA BOLTON MACK FAINT WORDS PHOTOS
Round 10 of the Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, the Dunlop Buckwheat 100, concluded on Sunday, September 7 under sunny skies and warm late-summer conditions. The scenic West Virginia terrain set the stage for an intense day of racing, as the world’s fastest off-road racers battled through fast fields and challenging woods sections in pursuit of crucial championship points.
Fans lined the course to witness bar-to-bar action, and the Dunlop Buckwheat 100 GNCC delivered yet another thrilling chapter in the GNCC season. With a new start procedure in place, the top 20 in overall points standings from the XC1 and XC2 classes lined up on the front row, with remaining XC1 and XC2 competitors on row two.
As the green flag flew high in the sky it was FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley blasting off the line earning the $250 Landers KTM XC1 Open Pro Holeshot Award, with FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Grant Davis
hot on his heels earning the $150 Landers KTM XC2 250 Pro Holeshot Award. But as the top 20 riders pushed their way towards the woods, Davis would find himself on the ground scrambling to get back on his bike before the rest of the field got too far away.
Kelley would hold the early lead, but he would struggle a bit throughout the race. The battle was on throughout the duration of the three-hour race, as lead changes seemed to be happening every lap and the top riders were just mere seconds apart from each other. AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper would make his way up front and hold the lead for three laps, with Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Steward Baylor making the pass for the lead before a miscalculation on the last lap put him back to 11th overall at the end of the day.
Davis would continue to push himself after a crash off the start and would defy all of the expectations by claiming the overall win, his third of the season, as he triumphed against the fastest racers in the world. Davis now sits first in the overall National
Championship standings with three rounds remaining.
Flatrock Motorclub GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jordan Ashburn delivered a steady performance at the Dunlop Buckwheat 100, riding with consistency from start to finish to secure the XC1 Open Pro class win. While Ashburn managed the demanding conditions with control and pace, Draper continued to fight hard to keep pressure on throughout the grueling threehour battle. Draper held strong despite the intensity of the race, ultimately crossing the line in second place in class, and third overall on the day.
Fighting at the front for majority of the day was Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Craig Delong. On the opening lap, Delong would find himself running second and would continue to push himself to stay at the front for the next six laps. Delong would cross the finish line third in XC1 Open Pro class, and fourth overall on the day.
Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cody Barnes would come through to clinch second in
the XC2 250 Pro class after working his way through the pack from a fifth place start on the day from the front row. After holding the early lead, Kelley would struggle to find comfort throughout the demanding three-hour race. As he continued to give his all, Kelley would cross the line fourth in XC1 and sixth overall on the day, scoring valuable points towards the National Championship.
Both Liqui Moly Factory Beta Racing’s Josh Strang and Phoenix Racing Honda’s Mike Witkowski would battle back from outside of the top 10 on the first couple of laps, to finish fifth and sixth in XC1, while coming out with a seventh and eighth overall place finish at round 10 in West Virginia.
Coming through to round out the top three in the XC2 250 Pro class was FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Angus Riordan. After running at the front of his class for the opening lap, Riordan would fall back a bit and take some time to try to make it towards the front again. Rounding out the top 10 overall finishers was AmPro Yamaha’s Kailub Russell. As Russell maneuvered his way through the West Virginia woods he would battle at the front of the pack for the first half of the day. For Russell he would ultimately fall back to ninth and push his way forward to finish seventh in class and 10th overall on the day.
As the XC3 125 Pro-Am class took off it was Isaiah Brown earning the Lojak Cycle Sales XC3 Holeshot Award to start the day. However, it wouldn’t take long for James Jenkins and Jonathan Johnson to make their way into the front of the pack and battle for the first couple of laps. Johnson would make the pass into the lead on lap three, and after that he would not look back as he continued to push forward. Johnson would come through to take the class win, while Jenkins held onto second in the class. Jayson Crawford would have a consistent race as he came through to round out the top three finishers in XC3.
ABOVE : FMF KTM Factory Racing Landers' Grant Davis
RIGHT (top to bottom) : PM race start, Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green's Steward Baylor, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna's Korie Steede
The Top Amateur honors would go to Joseph Cunningham as he came through 16th overall on the day, while earning the 250 A class win. Cole Whitmer would come through 18th overall, earning himself the second spot on the Top Amateur podium. Whitmer also earned the Open A class win. Van Adams would come through to finish 19th overall on the day, rounding out the Top Amateur podium, and finishing second in Open A.
Rockstar Energy Factory
Husqvarna Racing’s Korie Steede powered her way to victory at The Dunlop Buckwheat 100 GNCC, showcasing her speed and composure against a strong field. FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Brandy Richards and AmPro Yamaha’s Danielle McDonald pushed her every step of the way, keeping the pressure on throughout the race and making for an exciting battle at the front. Despite their best efforts, Steede held firm and crossed the line first, while Richards and McDonald followed close behind to secure second and third. The podium reflected not only Steede’s determination but also the fierce competition and depth of talent in the WXC ranks.
As the Youth Bike race got underway on Sunday morning, Travis Lentz would grab the early lead in the race as well as in the YXC1 Super Mini Sr. (14-15) class. Lentz would continue to maximize his lead as he pushed himself through the slick morning conditions. Lentz would come through to earn his ninth overall and YXC1 win of the season, strengthening his lead. Cooper Duff would come through second overall and in the YXC1 class, while Phillip Arnold would fight back and finish third overall on the day and first in the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. (12-13) class. Lucas Skelton would round out the top three YXC1 finishers, while Ace Tokar and Gavin Harwell came through second and third in the YXC2 class.
Other winners in the youth bike race included: Trevor Harris in the 85 Big Wheel (14-15) class, Caleb Johnson in the 85 Big Wheel (11-13) class, Tucker Aldrich in the 85 (12-13) class, Hunter Jones in the 85 (11) class, Tripp Lewis in the 85 (7-10) class, Davey Fairfield in the 65 (10-11), Kane Morrison in the 65 (9) class, Cash Knecht in the 65 (7-8) class, Sahara Robinson in the Girls Super Mini (1216) class, Vaida Lavergne in the Girls 85 (7-13) class, Maura Tsakanikas in the Girls 65 (7-11) class and Nathan Cygnarowicz in the Trail Rider (7-15) class.
The Progressive GNCC Racing Series continues on September 19-21, 2025, in Beckley, West Virginia with The Rocky Mountain ATV/ MC Mountaineer GNCC. This round of racing will be GNCC Racing’s Salute to First Responders – and host the Mowgli Memorial Dog Show on Saturday evening.
EVENT RESULTS SEASON RESULTS
XC1
1. Jordan Ashburn (GG)
2. Liam Draper (YAM)
3. Craig DeLong (HSQ)
4. Ben Kelley (KTM)
5. Josh Strang (BET)
6. Michael Witkowski (HON)
7. Kailub Russell (YAM)
8. Steward Baylor Jr (KAW)
9. Grant Baylor (KAW)
10. Ricky Russell (TRI)
XC2
1. Grant Davis (KTM)
2. Cody Barnes (HON)
3. Angus Riordan (KTM)
4. Brody Johnson (HON)
5. Jhak Walker (BET)
6. Nicholas Defeo (KAW)
7. Toby Cleveland (HSQ)
8. Jason Lipscomb (KTM)
WXC
1. Korie Steede (HSQ)
2. Brandy Richards (KTM)
3. Danielle McDonald (YAM)
4. Rachael Archer (KAW)
5. Ellie Winland (YAM)
6. Addison Harris (KTM)
7. Carly Lee (KTM)
Overall
1. Grant Davis - 217pts
2. Ben Kelley - 209pts
3. Angus Riordan - 160pts
4. Cody Barnes - 152pts
5. Steward Baylor Jr - 149pts
6. Liam Draper - 140pts
7. Craig DeLong - 114pts
8. Jordan Ashburn - 114pts
9. Kailub Russell - 107pts
10. Michael Witkowski - 106pts
WXC
1. Rachael Archer - 257pts
2. Korie Steede - 244pts
3. Shelby Turner - 162pts
4. Danielle McDonald - 147pts
5. Carly Lee - 136pts
6. Tayla Jones - 130pts
7. Addison Harris - 111pts
8. Addison Elliott - 103pts
9. Brandy Richards - 101pts
10. Ellie Winland - 92pts
ABOVE : Flatrock Motorclub GasGas Factory Racing's Jordan Ashburn
BOU MAKES IT NINETEEN!
WORDS PHOTOS
STEPH VETTERLY FUTURE7MEDIA & PEP SEGALES
round 7
Great britain
The curtain fell on the 2025 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship with a dramatic weekend at Geddington, a brand-new venue in the East Midlands of England that proved to be as punishing as it was spectacular. With boulders, steep banks, and towering concrete pipes creating a man-made gauntlet inside a narrow, wooded valley, the stage was set for champions to be crowned and legacies to be written. Under clear skies and before a large, enthusiastic crowd, the final round delivered on every promise. Titles were decided, rivalries were settled, and new stars etched their names into the history of the sport.
At the heart of it all was Spain’s Toni Bou, who once again showcased his relentless dominance. The Montesa rider sealed his unprecedented nineteenth consecutive TrialGP title in emphatic
fashion, but the weekend was not only about Bou. Britain’s own Harry Hemingway gave home fans a reason to roar by locking down the Trial2 crown. Berta Abellan, a fivetime silver medalist, finally struck gold in TrialGP Women. Rising American talent Ryon Land capped his debut season with the Trial3 championship, while Italy’s Sara Trentini secured the Women’s Trial2 World Cup. Geddington, as a first-time host, could hardly have hoped for a richer script.
BOU’S MASTERCLASS: A CHAMPION’S TOUCH
Even after nearly two decades at the top, Toni Bou continues to deliver performances that blend flawless technique with tactical brilliance. Day one at Geddington saw him put on a clinic. By the fifth section of the opening race— an unforgiving sequence of jagged rock steps capped by
Toni Bou
a sheer climb with almost no grip—Bou’s clean execution had already given him a commanding lead. While rivals floundered, the 38-yearold made it look routine. His final score of just three was fourteen marks clear of his Montesa teammate Gabriel Marcelli.
Race two turned into a nailbiting duel between Bou and Marcelli, with both finishing
on twelve. Bou reflected with characteristic humility: “It’s amazing to win the championship by winning the races. I had a big fight with my teammate to the end of the second race and I’m superhappy.”
The weekend didn’t end there for Bou. On Sunday, already assured of the crown, he attacked the sections with his usual intensity. A maximum
HEMINGWAY’S HOME GLORY IN TRIAL2
While Bou provided the inevitable at the sharp end of TrialGP, the most emotional moment of Saturday came when Harry Hemingway clinched the Trial2 crown on home soil. Entering the round with a healthy points cushion, Hemingway handled the pressure with composure. A first-race score of three gave him victory by a single mark over Spain’s Arnau Farré. In the second race, Hemingway and Farré were inseparable on three apiece, with the Spaniard taking the day overall on tie-break. But when Miquel Gelabert was forced to retire, Hemingway’s championship lead became unassailable.
on the final man-made section in race one only delayed the inevitable, as he still beat Marcelli by two. Then, in the last race of the year, he closed out the season with a thirteenmark score, three better than Jaime Busto. Bou also took the Power Section win for good measure. “I am super-happy to end this season with wins in both races and the Power Section,” he said. “Thank you to my team for making it possible – I think it has been a fantastic season.”
With his nineteenth consecutive crown secured, Bou has further distanced himself from the rest of the field, setting a standard of longevity and dominance unmatched in motorsport. Yet behind him, the next generation is gathering strength. Marcelli continues to evolve into a consistent threat, Busto maintains his resilience, and Jack Peace, the British hopeful, closed the year with enough grit to edge out Aniol Gelabert for fifth in the championship.
“I can sleep tonight,” Hemingway joked after sealing the deal. “It has been a fairly stressful week. I had a good points lead, but nothing is guaranteed so I’m over the moon to get the job done a day early and in front of all my family, my sponsors and my home fans. The crowd has been unbelievable today.”
Sunday’s racing brought mixed fortunes for Hemingway. Britain’s Jack Dance and Billy Green impressed with strong rides, and Farré completed a weekend double, elevating himself into third overall for the season. Hemingway’s sixth and third on Sunday weren’t his best rides of the year, but the job was already done: he was crowned champion, standing tall in front of the Geddington faithful. For British trials, Hemingway’s triumph marked a proud moment of resurgence.
ABELLAN FINALLY TURNS SILVER TO GOLD
Few stories resonated more deeply than Berta Abellan’s. For five seasons she had stood on the second step of the podium, tantalizingly close to the ultimate prize. At
TOP : Jonathan Heidel (275)
LEFT : Miquel Gelabert (256)
RIGHT: Ryon Land (324)
Geddington, she finally erased that frustration. Day one was tense, with Abellan losing the opener to Denisa Pechackova by two marks before rallying with a flawless ride in race two. That tied her with the Czech rider for the day, but the Spaniard’s Power Section bonus kept her in control of the championship fight.
On Sunday, Abellan’s approach was calculated. With a commanding points advantage, she could have cruised to the title, but champions rarely settle. Her first race score of twenty secured the crown, but she returned for the season finale with a superb four-mark ride to defeat her main rival Andrea Sofia Rabino by twelve.
“Finally, my dream has come true,” she said, her relief and joy evident. “I’m very grateful for all the support I have had from my team, my supporters and my sponsors and I am so, so happy.”
The breakthrough was richly deserved. Abellan not only became the new FIM Women’s Trial World Champion but also closed out the season as the dominant force in her category.
Britain’s Kaytlyn Adshead and Pechackova rounded out the podium fight, with American veteran Maddie Hoover scoring a season-best fifth earlier in the weekend.
LAND’S SPARKLING DEBUT: A NEW AMERICAN CHAMPION
If Abellan’s win was about perseverance, Ryon Land’s Trial3 triumph was about arrival. In his very first season in the world championship, the 16-year-old American showed poise beyond his years. Entering Geddington with a comfortable lead, Land rode smartly. A third-place finish in Sunday’s first race— behind Jonas Jorgensen and Jin Kuroyama—was enough to seal the crown. He wrapped up the year with a sixth in the final outing, his only finish outside the top five all season.
“I’m lost for words,” Land admitted after clinching the
title. “To become only the second world champion from America feels amazing and we’re going to go full gas on 2026 and hope for the best. Thanks to Sherco and my family and everyone who has supported me.”
Land’s consistency was remarkable. While Britain’s Harison Skelton thrilled home fans with a double victory on Saturday and another win Sunday to secure second in the championship, the American’s early-season form gave him breathing room. Japan’s Kuroyama and Norway’s Jorgensen also starred across the weekend, but Land’s name now goes alongside Bernie Schreiber’s in the short but prestigious list of American world champions.
TRENTINI ADDS TO ITALY’S LEGACY
Italy’s Sara Trentini had arrived in Geddington with the Trial2 Women’s World Cup within her grasp. She wasted no time in converting opportunity into achievement. Saturday’s one-four scores stretched her advantage over Margaux Pena, and even with a fourth-place overall on Sunday—her worst of the season—the title was hers. “I tried to win today; I liked the sections more than yesterday,” Trentini said. “It is a really good feeling to take the title and I am very happy.”
Britain’s Matilda Arbon gave the home fans more to cheer with a victory in race one on Sunday, while Norway’s Maria Ersland impressed in
the second. Yet across the year, Trentini’s steadiness proved decisive. With her championship sealed, Italy once again celebrated a new world-class talent.
GEDDINGTON DELIVERS A WORTHY FINALE
As a venue, Geddington earned rave reviews. The compact valley layout allowed fans to follow the action closely, while the blend of natural climbs and man-made obstacles tested the riders without compromise. From Bou’s masterful saves on slick rock to Skelton’s nerveless ride in front of his home crowd, the course gave the sport’s drama a fitting stage.
It was also a weekend for the fans. Thousands packed the
paddock and lined the steep banks, cheering every clean and groaning at every five. The atmosphere underscored trials’ enduring appeal in Britain, a country with deep roots in the discipline. For the organizers, the event was proof that new venues can reinvigorate the calendar.
LOOKING AHEAD: THE TDN IN ITALY
With the 2025 season complete, attention now shifts to the FIM Trial des Nations in Tolmezzo, Italy, on September 20–21. National pride will replace individual ambition as teams battle for supremacy. For Bou, Abellan, Hemingway, Land, and Trentini, the glow of their newly secured titles will carry them to the team competition, where the sport’s camaraderie and collective spirit take center stage.
CONCLUSION: A SEASON FOR THE AGES
The TrialGP of Great Britain provided a finale worthy of a championship that has seen legends extend their reigns and new names rise. Bou’s nineteenth crown reinforced his status as the greatest in history. Abellan’s longawaited gold brought a career full circle. Hemingway gave British fans a homegrown hero. Land reminded the world that America can produce champions. And Trentini added another chapter to Italy’s trials heritage.
Trials, with its delicate balance of finesse and bravery, once again delivered unforgettable theater. The 2025 season ended not just with winners but with stories that will resonate far beyond the valley of Geddington. As the paddock shifts toward the TdN and the promise of 2026, one truth remains: the art of trials continues to evolve, but its essence—the pursuit of perfection on impossible terrain—endures.
TRIALGP
1. Toni Bou (HRC) - 556pts
2. Jaime Busto (GG) - 459pts
3. Gabriel Marcelli (HRC) - 428pts
4. Matteo Grattarola (BET) - 350pts
5. Jack Peace (SHR) - 296pts
SEASON RESULTS
6. Aniol Gelabert Roura (TRRS) - 295pts
7. Alex Canales Martos (MON) - 248pts
8. Hugo Dufrese (BET) - 197pts
9. Pablo Suarez Jambrina (MON) - 165pts
10. Jorge Casales (HON) - 44pts
TRIALGP WOMEN
1. Berta Abellan (SCO) - 383pts
2. Andrea Sofia Rabino (BET) - 342pts
3. Denisa Pechackova (TRRS) - 249pts
4. Kaytlyn Adshead (SHR) - 236pts
5. Alice Minta (BET) - 225pts
6. Alessia Bacchetta (GG) - 219pts
7. Alycia Soyer (TRRS) - 177pts
8. Maddie Hoover (GG) - 160pts
9. Martina Gallieni (SHR) - 138pts
10. Alicia Robinson (BET) - 136pts
TRIAL2
1. Harry Hemingway (BET) - 435pts
2. Miquel Gelabert (HON) - 379pts
3. Arnau Farre (SHR) - 364pts
4. Billy Green (SCO) - 362pts
5. Benoit Bincaz (EM) - 298pts
6. George Hemingway (BET) - 285pts
7. Sondre Haga (GG) - 228pts
8. Jack Dance (GG) - 222pts
9. Harry Turner (SHR) - 175pts
10. Gerard Trueba (BET) - 131pts
TRIAL3
1. Ryon Land (SHR) - 331pts
2. Harison Skelton (SCO) - 302pts
3. Jonas Jorgensen (BET) - 295pts
4. Jin Kuroyama (SHR) - 295pts
5. Fabio Mazzola (TRRS) - 226pts
6. Alessandro Ame (BET) - 173pts
7. Oriol Garcia Campano (BET) - 157pts
8. Marco Laure (GG) - 148pts
9. Angel Llopis Tarrega (SHR) - 144pts
10. Max Dance (GG) - 80pts
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BOLT STRIKES IN TUSCANY
WORDS PHOTOS
STEPH VETTERLY FUTURE7MEDIA & COURTESY ABESTONE
The Tuscany Apennines have always held a certain mystique for hard enduro riders. Steep riverbeds, moss-slick rocks, and thin mountain air create a crucible that exposes the strongest and breaks the unprepared. After a pause in the international calendar, the Abestone Hard Enduro roared back in 2025, reaffirming itself as one of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship’s most demanding and atmospheric stops. When the dust settled, it was Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt who stood tallest, edging out Manuel Lettenbichler in a breathtaking duel that had fans pressed against the barriers of the X-Loop arena.
From the moment the paddock opened in the Val di Luce, it was clear this would be
more than just another race. Thousands of fans poured into the ski resort town of Abetone, turning mountain roads into rivers of vans and trailers. Riders representing 20 nations made the journey, with the world’s elite squaring off alongside hungry amateurs in Silver and Bronze categories. It was a full-throttle celebration of everything that defines hard enduro: worldclass skill, grassroots passion, and an unforgiving natural stage.
The event opened with Saturday’s one-hour sprint race, a format that rewarded raw pace but punished mistakes instantly. Bolt wasted no time setting his intent, attacking the rocky stream crossings and vertical forest climbs with the kind of authority that has defined
LEFT : Billy Bolt
his career. He controlled the pace from the front, refusing to yield as the course funneled into the first appearance of the X-Loop.
The X-Loop, a 500-meter gauntlet cut into the heart of Abetone, has already become legend in the hard enduro world. Ladders of boulders, ledges slick with dust, and sharp ascents created a gladiatorial coliseum where victory or collapse unfolded in full view of the spectators. Bolt mastered it, carrying his momentum to the finish and locking down the win, along with three valuable championship points and pole position for Sunday’s main event.
Lettenbichler, always methodical, played the long game. Shadowing Bolt through the forest and over the open alpine meadows, he crossed the line in second, securing a front-row start and making it clear the battle for victory would not be a one-man show.
If Saturday’s sprint was a spark, Sunday’s Gold Final was a bonfire. Two hours of relentless punishment awaited the top class, sending them
over lap after lap of Abestone’s fiercest terrain before funneling them once again into the X-Loop. Bolt launched off the line aboard his TE 300 and quickly established an advantage, but Lettenbichler’s KTM 300 EXC was never far away.
What followed was one of the fiercest head-to-head battles the sport has seen this
year. The pair traded blows across the mountainside, sometimes separated by mere seconds, sometimes swapping positions outright. Every river crossing, every rootlaced climb, every moment of hesitation threatened to swing momentum.
“It’s been a great weekend,” Bolt admitted afterward. “To win Saturday’s race and now the main race on Sunday is brilliant. I can’t ask for much better than that. All weekend I never felt overly comfortable with the track—it kept pushing you out of your comfort zone. But I worked hard, limited mistakes, and that paid off.”
Lettenbichler’s push was equally relentless. At times he nosed ahead, trying to impose his rhythm on the race. “What a race!” he said. “We were swapping the lead so often, and Billy rode really well. I almost had him at the end—we even came together when I tried a block pass. It wasn’t quite enough. But I haven’t enjoyed a battle like that in a long time.”
In the end, the decisive moment came in the X-Loop. With fans screaming from the rocks, Bolt summoned one final surge, clearing the most treacherous obstacles with precision and speed. Lettenbichler lunged but couldn’t quite match the pace. Bolt emerged with breathing room, carried it to the finish, and claimed his first victory of the 2025 season.
While the duel at the front stole headlines, the battle for third added its own drama. Mitch Brightmore, representing GasGas X-Grip, held firm against waves of pressure to secure the final podium step. The young Brit’s resilience marked him as one to watch as the season unfolds.
For the home crowd, it was the efforts of Italians Sonny Goggia and Mirko Pedretti that drew roars of approval. Though outside podium contention, their fearless attacks on sections like “Ram Line 2” and “Inferno” ignited local pride and underscored how deeply the sport is woven into Tuscany’s spirit.
Abestone is not just for the professionals. The Silver and Bronze categories once again proved the lifeblood of the event, showcasing riders who balance day jobs with dreams of testing themselves on one of the hardest courses in the world.
In Silver, Sherco rider Connor Atkinson emerged victorious after seven brutal laps, chased by Spain’s Sandra Sandra on a Beta and Fernando Soler Garcia on a TM. Their grit mirrored the determination of the pros, while Tommaso Laghi and Pinol Mesa Pol added to the international flavor of the class.
Bronze delivered its own fireworks. Italy’s Gabriele Iacchetti triumphed on a GasGas, with Husqvarna’s Daryoosh Ghorbani of Iran and KTM’s Franco Schiavi completing the podium. The margins were razor-thin, the stories deeply personal, and the applause every bit as loud.
Not to be overlooked was the contribution of women. Spain’s Sandra Gomez once again reminded the world of her pedigree, dominating Woman 1. Eva Tauber and Cristiani Alessandra followed, with Alessandra’s ride through Woman 2 drawing special admiration from Italian fans who understood the significance of her effort.
The fourth edition of the Abestone Hard Enduro wasn’t just a race—it was a festival. Sunshine bathed the mountains, fans packed every accessible vantage point, and local businesses embraced the influx of energy and passion.
Founder Michele Bosi was quick to credit the collective
effort that made it possible: “Abestone is an event that surprises me more every year. Exceptional courses, a warm and enthusiastic audience, and a top-level organization made the 2025 edition a true success.”
The municipality of Abetone, the Val di Luce community, and a small army of volunteers
turned the race into a celebration of sport and region alike. The partnership with EICMA further cemented its stature, blending the promotion of motorcycle culture with mountain tourism.
For Billy Bolt, the victory was a statement. After his runner-up finish at Romaniacs and the elation of winning
at Tyne Ride, standing atop the Abestone podium confirmed that he is back to his best and ready to challenge for the world crown. For Lettenbichler, the narrow defeat did little to dent his championship lead but served as a reminder that the season remains wide open. With four rounds still to come, the duel promises to only intensify.
For the fans, Abestone’s return was everything they had hoped for. A crucible of endurance and artistry, staged in one of the sport’s most picturesque backdrops, it proved once again why hard enduro is more than racing—it is a test of spirit. Tuscany provided the arena, the riders delivered the spectacle, and the 2025 edition etched its place as one of the defining weekends of the season.
CLICK/SCAN
TO WATCH THE OFFICIAL RACE REVIEW
1. Billy Bolt (HSQ)
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM)
Mitch Brightmore (GG)
James Moore (KTM)
Graham Jarvis (HSQ)
Matthew Green (KTM)
Will Riordan (SHR)
Wade Young (GG)
Sonny Goggia (KTM)
Felix Bähker (BET)
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Stars & Stripes Shine
US Women's Victory Ties Record Books
The 99th running of the FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) in Bergamo, Italy, delivered the kind of drama, resilience, and triumph that define the sport at its very core. From the rain-soaked opening special tests to the sun-drenched crescendo of the Day Six Final Cross Test, the event tested riders’ skill, endurance, and composure. In the end, it was the host nation, Italy, who rose to the top of the World Trophy standings on home soil, while the United States Women’s World Trophy team stamped their authority on the international stage once again, securing a record-tying sixth crown.
Six hundred and sixty riders from thirtythree nations lined up at the start ramp in Bergamo on Sunday, August 24, as rain clouds turned the picturesque Italian hills into slick, treacherous terrain. Italy’s Samuele Bernardini was the early star, taking the first special test by seven
seconds over teammate Andrea Verona. But it was France, defending World Trophy champions, who steadied their nerves after the opening challenge, clawing into the lead and finishing Day One with a thirtyfour-second advantage over Italy.
For the Americans, the men sat in fifth after a steady showing, while the Women’s World Trophy squad of Brandy Richards, Korie Steede, and Rachel Gutish made a bold statement. Sweeping the top three individual positions in their class, they carried a commanding near-sevenminute advantage into the week. Richards summed it up: “For the team it was incredible to finish Day One as the first three riders. For sure, it’s the start we were hoping for”.
Spain’s Josep Garcia, chasing his fifth straight individual ISDE crown, showed blistering pace, but crashes left him clinging to a seven-second lead over France’s Leo Le Quere. Verona, Bernardini, and Julien Roussaly rounded out a fiercely competitive top five.
As the week wore on, the balance of power shifted. By Day Four, the competition was deep in the rugged Val Seriana loop, with Italy finding another gear. Verona and Bernardini thrilled the home fans, extending the Italian World Trophy lead to over six and a half minutes. Behind them, Sweden fought past France to snatch second, led by Mikael Persson’s consistent podium-caliber riding.
In the Junior World Trophy, Italy, France, and Australia engaged in a nail-biting duel. The Italians continued to lead, but France took the Day Four win, proving the fight was far from over. For the United States juniors — Grant Davis, Cooper Jones, and Mateo Oliveira — it was a gritty week, battling Spain for fourth as they tried to keep touch with the European powerhouses.
On the women’s side, the Americans were nothing short of unstoppable. Four straight day wins left them cruising toward a sixth career title, with a thirty-oneminute advantage by the close of Day Four. Richards and Steede repeatedly traded individual test wins, while Gutish’s consistency kept the trio untouchable.
Day Four also brought worry when Josep Garcia injured his right hand in the second test. Despite the pain, the Spaniard refused to relent, finishing just four seconds behind
PREVIOUS: Rachel Gutish (302), Team USA
LEFT: Cooper Jones (25), Team USA
ABOVE RIGHT: Luca Colorio (775), Team Italy
BOTTOM RIGHT : Day 6 - the long-awaited motocross race
his quest for history.
By the time the Final Cross Test at Covo MX Track rolled around on August 29, Italy’s World Trophy lead was unassailable. Verona, Bernardini, Manolo Morettini, and Morgan Lesiardo paraded in front of thousands of home fans to seal a historic triumph. “Everyone rode really well and did the job to the best of their ability. To race with this level of support in our home 6DAYS® Italia and win is just incredible,” Verona said from the podium.
Sweden capped their late-week charge by cementing second, while France settled
for third. The United States men finished fourth after a valiant push from Johnny Girroir, Cody Barnes, Josh Toth, and Dante Oliveira. Spain rounded out the top five.
Italy’s juniors delivered double joy for the host nation, holding off a furious French assault to claim the Junior World Trophy. Alberto Elgari, Manuel Verzeroli, and Kevin Cristino’s consistency was rewarded with deafening cheers from the Bergamo faithful. France, winners of several mid-week days, had to settle for second, with Australia completing the podium. The American juniors took fourth, a commendable result against seasoned opposition.
If Italy owned the World Trophy headlines,
Verona that day. “I was tested a lot, but I never gave up hope and fighting,” Garcia reflected later. That grit would prove decisive in
the American women once again owned their category. Richards, Steede, and Gutish entered the Final Cross Test with a thirty-five-minute cushion and left as six-time champions. Their performance tied Australia for most Women’s World Trophy victories all-time, though the U.S. has dominated the 2020s, winning four of the last five editions.
For Richards, it marked a third consecutive individual title. Steede took second overall, while Gutish claimed fourth, highlighting the team’s depth and dominance. Gutish, savoring her fourth ISDE crown, said, “We gave it everything we had all week, and to win the race by the margin that we did shows how much effort we put in”.
Australia’s Danielle McDonald was a standout, taking third in the overall
individual standings at just eighteen years old, while France’s women battled hard to secure the final step of the team podium.
Amid Italy’s triumph and America’s continued supremacy, Josep Garcia quietly etched his name deeper into the ISDE record books. The KTM star secured his fifth consecutive individual overall victory, an achievement unmatched in the event’s storied history. Despite the hand injury mid-week, Garcia’s resilience never wavered. He fended off Verona’s late push to finish atop the standings once more. “It’s a special moment to win the overall victory for the fifth time,” Garcia said. “It’s not been an easy week, I was tested a lot, but I never gave up hope and fighting”.
Verona settled for second, with Bernardini ensuring two Italians filled the overall podium. Persson finished fourth for Sweden, while Lesiardo made it three Italians in the top five. In the classes, Garcia topped Enduro1, Verona took Enduro2, and France’s Julien Roussaly emerged victorious in Enduro3.
Beyond the national trophies, the Club Team competition carried its own weight. MC Italia A, fueled by Luca Colorio, Davide Mei, and Valentino Corsi, stormed to victory by over five minutes. The American Rabaconda squad of Joseph Cunningham, Cole Whitmer, and Thorn Devlin earned a silver medal, one of the best club results for the U.S. in recent years.
Gottbros Team claimed the Veteran Club Team crown, while Randy Mastin Memorial, the sole Women’s Club Team entry, took top honors. Canada also had a breakthrough, with Shelby Turner grabbing her first special test win on Day Four, lifting her squad to sixth in the Women’s World Trophy.
The 2025 edition of the ISDE will be remembered as both a celebration of history and a preview of the future. Italy, powered by a generation of rising stars and backed by raucous home support, proved untouchable in the World and Junior Trophy battles. The Americans, already carving out a dynasty on the women’s side, equaled the record books and showed no signs of slowing down. Garcia cemented his place as perhaps the most dominant individual in ISDE history, while young talents like McDonald and Cristino hinted at a bright horizon for the sport.
From the opening day’s slippery chaos to the triumphant podium ceremonies, Bergamo delivered a vintage ISDE spectacle. As the dust settled, eyes turned toward 2026, when the 100th edition of the Six Days will take place in Portugal. The centenary promises to be even bigger — but for now, Italy and the United States can revel in their 2025 glory.
Top to Bottom: Manuel Verzeroli (165, Team Italy), Albin Norrbin (142, Team Sweden), Dante Oliveira (23, Team USA)
1ST PLACE: TEAM ITALY
WORLD TEAM RESULTS WOMEN'S WORLD TEAM RESULTS
• Samuele Bernardini
• Manolo Morettini
• Morgan Lesiardo
• Andrea Verona
2ND PLACE: TEAM SWEDEN
• Mikael Persson
• Max Ahlin
• Albin Norrbin
• Axel Semb
3RD PLACE: TEAM FRANCE
• Theophile Espinasse
• Hugo Blanqoue
• Leo Le Quere
• Julien Roussaly
4TH PLACE: TEAM UNITED STATES
• Josh Toth
• Cody Barnes
• Jonny Girroir
• Dante Oliveira
5TH PLACE: TEAM SPAIN
• Sergio Navarro
• Alejandro Navarro
• Julio Pando
• Josep Garcia
1ST PLACE: TEAM UNITED STATES
• Brandy Richards
• Rachel Gutish
• Korie Steede
2ND PLACE: TEAM AUSTRALIA
• Jess Gardiner
• Danielle McDonald
• Madison Healey
3RD PLACE: TEAM FRANCE
• Lafont Lorna
• Justine Martel
• Mauricette Brisebard
4TH PLACE: TEAM ITALY
• Francesca Nocera
• Sara Traini
• Asia Volpi
5TH PLACE: TEAM GREAT BRITAIN
• Katie Walker
• Nieve Holmes
• Elisabeth Tett
JUNIOR TEAM RESULTS
1ST PLACE: TEAM ITALY
• Alberto Elgari
• Manuel Verzeroli
• Kevin Cristino
2ND PLACE: TEAM FRANCE
• Thibault Giraudon
• Romain Dagna
• Leo Joyon
3RD PLACE: TEAM AUSTRALIA
• Kyron Bacon
• Korey McMahon
• Angus Riordan
4TH PLACE: TEAM UNITED STATES
• Grant Davis
• Cooper Jones
• Mateo Oliveira
5TH PLACE: TEAM SPAIN
• Alex Puey
• Albert Fontova
• Yago Dominguez
Hometown Hero HART WINS RED BULL OUTLIERS
MATT MUSGROVE COURTESY US HARD ENDURO
Red Bull Outliers returned to Canada as the country’s most prestigious Hard Enduro race, with their local US Hard Enduro Champion, Trystan Hart, taking the win in a commanding fashion. Located in the Canadian Badlands near Steveville, Alberta, the terrain is unlike any other race in the world. Steep hills and
technical coulees challenged racers of all skill levels, drawing over 320 athletes from Canada and the United States. Earlier this year, Red Bull Outliers became a US Hard Enduro Series Exhibition race, further tying the North America offroad communities a bit tighter.
Red Bull Canada and Shane Cuthbertson from RAD 2.0 have been working on this event for the past year, and it showed! The entire event was well organized, providing the athletes a great racing experience, volunteers on every corner, and bringing a lot of amenities to spectators.
The format adjusted a bit from year’s past. as both days were at the Badlands venue and every athlete raced a short loop Prologue on Friday morning, seeding their times and placing them in the appropriate start rows. The eight classes were divided into three categories and courses; Pro, Expert, and Amateur. The first main race of the weekend was on Friday afternoon, consisting of the Amateur and Pro Women classes racing on a similar 8 km course to the Prologue. 130 racers gathered at the bottom of the first hill, mass starting in several waves. The 2 hour race was a hit among the spectators, who were taking school buses to the Red Bull Oasis viewing area. Since this race revolves around steep hills and canyons, there was no shortage of lines of riders trying to make it up multiple sections of each hill. There were a lot of riders assisting each other, as the stakes were high on these slippery slopes. The top three finishers of the Amateur race were Blaze Crowe finishing with an impressive five laps, Christian Shaw, and Tanner Sessa. The top three finishers of the Pro Women's class were Corey Ireton, Magalie Larouche, and Oshi Hampson.
On Friday and Saturday afternoon, the AMA Motoclimb Super Series hosted Open Bike Exhibitions on the "Taddy" hill near the Red Bull Oasis. Hundreds of spectators gathered to
smell nitromethane and see steel paddles in action, as the sport's presence has been dormant in Canada for nearly three decades. Some of the MSS stars, such as 2025 MSS Champion, Tristan Alexander, Austin Teyler, Aaron Pierson, Ryan Wyatt, and more shook the canyons with huge horsepower.
On Sunday morning, the three expert classes left in a similar mass start, but with a 2.5 hour time limit. The event team added harder sections on
course for the 115 racers, and about double the spectators showed up to watch them get through a tougher course. Jordyn Gosteli won the Expert Overall, with Phillip Kirk and Kendall Smith finishing in 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
The Pro Main Event started in the afternoon, with 30 athletes taking off all at once to compete on the toughest Red Bull Outliers course of the weekend. Trystan Hart, the 2025 US Hard Enduro Series Champion, was sick leading up to the race and felt the pressure as it was his hometown race. Cody Webb was also present, racing a Yamaha YZ450FX for his first time in a hard enduro. Several other top-10 USHE athletes, and Canadian Motocross star, Blake Davies, were some of the other favorites.
In a predictable fashion, Trystan Hart grabbed the holeshot, and from there, didn't lose his lead the entire race and averaged 21 minute laps. Cody Webb settled into second place, and also would remain there the entire race. Both Red Bull athletes were having a great race, making nearly every hill and not crashing once.
The real battles were behind the front two. KRD Hui's Ryder Guest was sitting in 3rd place for the first couple laps, with IRC Beta's Branden Petrie right on his tail in 4th. A collision between the two resulted in mechanical issues for the both of them, setting them back several places. A three-way battle for third place started to form, between Fantic USA's Braxton Hintze, IRC Beta's James Flynn and 2025 USHE A Class Champion, Niko Piazza, who was also making his Pro Class debut. Flynn also was suffering a starter issue, so was trying his best to keep up with a strong Hintze.
Red Bull Outliers opened a final section for the top racers, dubbed Xtinction, which
towered above the Red Bull Oasis and had thousands of spectators lining the bottom. Trystan Hart was the first to enter Xtinction, which consisted of several ups and downs that were some of the steepest these guys have seen in competition. On the final hill, Hart spent a few minutes tick tacking his way up, and crossed the finish line in just over 2 hours with a huge roar of the crowd. Webb was about 12 minutes behind, and also made great work on the hill with his YZ450FX, finishing in second. Hintze and Flynn were battling for a couple laps, only 15 seconds apart from each other, and were given access to finish on the final hill. They were neck and neck, until Flynn didn't make the first hill successfully, allowing Hintze to pull away to the final hill, a couple minutes ahead. Hintze was nearing the top, when a charging Flynn made short work of the hill, actually passing Hintze by inches at the top. But Hintze had the preferred line and went
through the finish line only 10 seconds ahead of Flynn, capturing the crowd with one of the most dramatic finishes the US Hard Enduro Series has had all season. This was also the first Pro podium for the 17 year old Hintze, and Fantic's first podium in a Pro hard enduro event.
Red Bull Outliers was a great display of these hard enduro athletes, and the entire event team hosted a very successful and entertaining event.
EVENT RESULTS
1. Trystan Hart
2. Cody Webb
3. Braxton Hintze
4. James Flynn
5. Niko Piazza
6. Ryder Guest
7. Branden Petrie
8. Blake Davies
9. Mathew Baumann
10. Tyler Baumann
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BATTLE IN THE DUST
RUSSELL MASTERS LEAD BELT
HEATHER WILSON SCHILTZ MACK FAINT WORDS
ith three rounds remaining in the 2025 season, the Redline Oil AMA National Enduro Series, presented by MSR and Beta Motorcycles, headed to Missouri where intense heat and dust were the theme of the day, as racers struggled to maintain a clear line-of-sight.
The Missouri Mudders put together six sections, totaling nearly 44 miles, for competitors at the Red Line Oil Lead Belt National Enduro to tackle. Two 6.5-mile tests opened the day. Racers then took on two 8-mile sections. Nearing the end of the day, racers carved their way through a 7.5-mile section before concluding with a 7-mile test.
OVERALL PODIUM
After a podium finish at the prior round boosted his confidence, Enduro Engineering Triumph OffRoad Racing Team’s Ricky Russell claimed the overall in Missouri after dominating the day aboard his Triumph 250x. He won all but the last test, taking second to finish out the day. It marked the NE Pro1 rider’s first-ever National Enduro win and also signaled the first individual race win for Triumph in the series since the early 1970s.
“I finished the Rattlesnake [National] with a good win on that last test,” said Ricky Russell. “I just knew that if I could just do that today and just ride like I know how, we’ll
be good. I got out there, and it was definitely dusty and tricky. So, you got to know where to push and where to kind of back off and not take the chances. I got sketchy a few times, but I held on to her. No crashes until the last test where I crashed twice. Almost had the sweep on the day, but Grant [Baylor] snuck in there and got that sixth test win. I’m really happy to get this done, though. It’s my first-ever NEPG win, so I can’t really complain… I’ve been on the podium here and there quite a bit but was never able to click off that win. So, I’m really happy to do it the way we did today.”
Grant Baylor of Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green went 4-4 in NE Pro1 through the first two
Ricky Russell (35A)
tests. He then picked up the pace and collected a pair of second-place results through the next two sections. He went 3-1 to round out the day, taking away Russell’s chance of a clean sweep on the day.
“Ricky [Russell] was on rails all day today, and it was a battle for second place between me, Ben [Kelley] and my brother [Steward Baylor Jr.],” said Grant Baylor. “I’ve come here over the years, and I know this place is sketchy and it’s one of those that can jump up and bite you really quick. So, my goal today was just to get through in one piece. You couldn’t really see anywhere where you’re going out there. It was all just blind dust. There was a couple spots of clear trail there in like test five and test six. It got a little bit more rocky, so the dust wasn’t as bad. It was a long day out there struggling with the heat and the dust. I hadn’t been that hot on a dirtbike in years, man. I mean, it was pretty brutal out there towards the end of the day… I got a test win at the end of the day and that was cool. Hadn’t won a test in one of these in a couple years. So, I’m excited to be back in the mix with the guys and get up here on the podium again.”
FMF KTM Factory Racing Team’s Ben Kelley opened the day with a strong second-place finish. He followed it up with 2-3-4-2 results before taking third in the last test of the day in Missouri.
“The first half of the day, I was pretty solid,” said Ben Kelley. “I was right there in the fight. I was sitting second a lot. Then in test four, I had a pretty big crash. I’m lucky to be okay. I had another solid test five. Then test six, I was -- I think -- eight seconds down on Grant [Baylor] for second. So, we were having another close battle for that second-place spot, and I think I just overrode it a little bit. Tried a little too hard. I had two crashes out there. And man, that test was tough. It was super tight, super physical and it was a long hot day.
But yeah, overall, I’m happy with the way I rode. Just a few mistakes but happy to come away from here with another podium finish and be in the fight again.”
NE PRO2 PODIUM
With the NE Pro2 win at the Red Line Oil Lead Belt National Enduro, Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Nicholas Defeo secured his fifth podium of the year while also taking fifth overall. He kicked the day off with a test win before going 2-4-2-2-1 on the day, as he battled visibility issues amid the dusty conditions.
Beta USA’s Jhak Walker also collected his fifth podium of the season, taking second in class with 5-4-2 results through the first three tests. He snatched the NE Pro2 wins in Tests 4 and 5 before rounding out the day with a runner-up result.
Kawasaki-mounted Will Sievenpiper of Georgia rounded out the NE Pro2 podium. Fifth in the opening test, he went on to earn fourth in Test 2. He pushed his pace in the third section to take a runner-up finish, then claimed wins in the next two tests. He capped the day with a secondplace result in the final test, despite experiencing a loss of braking power after he sheared off the rear master cylinder.
WOMEN’S ELITE PODIUM
Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Rachael Archer never fell below second on the day. The Women’s Elite reigning champion went 1-1-2-2-2-1 to earn her third win of the year. She swapped places with Enduro Engineering’s Shelby Turner throughout the day.
Although Turner has yet to collect a win this year, she’s been close. She was just 17 seconds off of Archer on the day. The Canadian has notched five podiums this year,
including this round, aboard her GasGas.
Brooke Cosner of Maryland rounded out the Women’s Elite podium on her Kawasaki. Consistency was key, even while she battled the scorching heat, as she took third through every test in Missouri.
TOP AMATEURS
Notching his fifth 250A class win of the year, Missouri’s
James Jenkins also claimed 13th overall aboard his Kawasaki. After taking third in class for the first test, he went on to top every test for the remainder of the day.
TJ Gould of Arkansas won the AA class and secured 14th overall. The Sherco rider went 2-1-1-1-2-1 on the day in his class.
Rachael Archer (19A), Jhak Walker (21A), Will Sievenpiper (27A)
If you’re into old bikes, Vintage Motorcycle Days needs no introduction. However, if instead your connection to pre-currentmodel motorcycles is limited to the odd magazine article referencing machines from “back in the day”, VMD is an event you have to experience in person.
Held each July at the sprawling, 380-acre Mid-Ohio Sports Car Facility, the event this year drew an estimated 80,000 attendees over its “official” three-day run. That is, while general admission access begins on Friday, racers and swap meet vendor begin flooding in on Thursday, with some even managing entry on Wednesday.
What takes place at the event? In a word – everything. Mid-Ohio is primarily a world-class road racing course, and its 2.4-mile, 15-turn layout is considered one of the best, most challenging circuits in the U.S. However, during Vintage Days, weekend-long motorcycle road racing on this famous course
is supplemented by Motocross, Cross Country, Observed Trials, Pit Bike Racing, and at nearby Ashland County Fairgrounds, vintage flattrack racing on the facility’s famed, half-mile pea gravel oval. And that’s just the racing!
In addition to competition taking place virtually every minute of each day of the event, Vintage Days features America’s largest motorcycle swap meet, giant vendor displays, manufacturers demo rides, seminars, bike shows, riding tours of the road course, road tours outside the facility, a “wall of death” stunt show, riding demonstrations, and much, much more. In short, there’s never a dull moment at VMD.
In addition to the huge number of general attendees, you cannot believe how many people bring bikes out to race. Virtually every class, in every event, all weekend long, are packed! The road racing paddock this year for example was absolutely jammed, with not an inch to spare. Friday’s Cross Country competition was spread out over four races, with multiple classes within each, all with a large number of entries. Saturday’s Vintage and Post-Vintage Motocross races all featured packed starting gates. Dozens of riders in most cases, in each class. Saturday night’s Pit Bike races likewise brought out many, many entrants and a huge number of spectators.
Sunday
continued the MX races, running Evolution and Revolution classes, plus the day included Observed Trials competition.
The weather. In short, it’s Ohio, in July. Almost guaranteed to be blazingly hot with high humidity, and –better make sure your awning or EZ-Up is well-secured, because thunderstorms are an absolute staple at Vintage Days. I’ve been attending the event for many years and can recall but a single year or maybe two which were both (relatively) cool, and dry. 2025 was no exception. We arrived early Thursday morning, set up camp in the
Motocross pit area, and by early afternoon there was a reported heat index of 96 degrees. Friday was a bit cooler for the Cross Country races, and the woods course featured near ideal riding conditions. Saturday started out beautifully for Motocross but by mid-day, sure enough, ominous dark clouds rolled in and just as the first classes were rolling out for their second motos of the day, nearby lightning strikes brought everything to a halt. And then the rains came, and lasted for a couple of hours. By the time things eased up, the formerly near-perfect Mid-Ohio MX course had turned to a sodden, muddy mess. Worse, there remained insufficient daylight hours to run all the second moto classes. As a result, first moto scores were final for the day. Sunday was wet but featured no additional rain or thunderstorms. The excellent MX track crew got the natural-terrain course cleaned up quite nicely, but Observed Trials competitors were faced with some pretty sloppy conditions out in the woods. And, over the course of four loops the Trials riders put in, conditions in each section became increasingly difficult throughout the day.
In addition to individual race and class honors, the AMA each year awards an overall Vintage Grand National Championship and a Senior Vintage Grand National Championship to those riders with the highest combined finishing positions in Cross Country, two class of Motocross, and Observed Trials. This year’s Senior
champion is Dennis Burnett, while Quinn Wentzel, riding out of The Vintage Movement shop, earn his seventh, and third consecutive VGNC.
Beyond the racing, Vintage Motorcycle Days has become quite the spectacle regardless of what specific interest you may or may not have involving old bikes. Consider those estimated 80,000 attendees, many of whom set up camp with giant campers and motorhomes – all jammed into Mid-Ohio’s available parking/camping areas. I looped around the entire facility on Saturday afternoon and found not a single open space, anywhere, to camp or even park. How Mid-Ohio is going to address the everburgeoning attendance for this event is anyone’s guess. Plus, gaining access to the track can be its own challenge. From our vantage point at the far West end of the MX pits, and in fact of the entire facility itself, we could see at times, traffic backed up along the two-lane county road leading
LEFT : Rieju USA's Quinn Wentzel taking to the motocross track on his CanAm (inset) and the trials course on his Yamaha TY on the way to winning the 2025 Off-Road Vintage Grand National Championship
TOP : Many-time Women’s National Vintage Champion, Laci Horvath # 996, beat out most of the men in every one of the races in which she competed over the weekend. Here she is, showing how it’s done, leading into the first turn.
to Mid-Ohio as far as the eye could see. Plus, a late arrival to our group announced there was traffic backed up the other direction all the way to the adjacent town of Lexington, some two miles away. Speaking of looping around and checking things out, regardless of what the AMA’s or the facility’s regulations are as they pertain to personal transport, as a general rule, the place is awash all weekend with folks traveling to and fro aboard all kinds of vehicles. Small motorcycles, due to their maneuverability and ease of parking are typically the chosen means to get around to all the attractions featured at Vintage Days, although golf carts (available to rent) are also popular.
In more recent years in particular, things have gotten a bit out of hand with folks having a bit too much fun riding around the facility on their little bikes. The infamous “barrel races” are a story in themselves, plus the AMA has taken steps to restrict access to the swap meet and the upper camping area to limit excessive twowheel traffic and impromptu racing, which endangers
both the riders themselves as well as pedestrians and campers. And then there is the burn out pit and party areas. Woodstock level? Some might say Vintage Days is getting there.
By and large, VMD is rivaled only by Birmingham, Alabama’s Barber Vintage Festival in terms of size and scope. However, the two events are absolute polar opposites. Barber is much fancier and genteel, with extensive restrictions on facility access and personal transport within. Mid-Ohio by comparison is the Wild West. And don’t forget the mud. Barber – zero mud. MidOhio – after Saturday’s rains, the non-stop movement by hundreds if not thousands of riders, scrambling about every accessible inch of the property, left the entire facility a sloppy, sloppy mess.
No matter these circumstances, if you’ve attended Vintage Days in the past, you’re most certain to be absolutely intent on returning each year. If you’ve not seen it for yourself though, the event truly is something you must experience firsthand.
This 1980 125 Elsinore could just as easily be displayed in a museum, but instead is on the track, doing what it was built to do.
Quinn Wentzel with the spoils of his weekend's racing.
RIGHT (top to bottom) : the woods course was a sloppy mess after the rains
