NICE… IOWA NICE
AMA Extreme Championship Hits Heartland
T
here is nice and then there is “Iowa Nice” — it even says so on the billboards. Spragueville, Iowa, and McGrath Motorsports were the unlikely hosts for the Iowan Hard Enduro, the second round of the 2021 Kenda AMA Extreme Championship. “You don’t think of Iowa for extreme races, but it proved to be pretty cool,” said third place finisher Colton Haaker. “The course was a little easier than some of our events, but it made for some really fun racing. We were able to battle between obstacles rather than resting.” According to Wikipedia, “Iowa Nice” is a cultural label used to describe the stereotypical attitudes and behaviors of residents of the state, particularly in terms of the friendly agreeableness and trust shown by individuals who are otherwise strangers. Overall winner Trystan Hart found the crowd supportive as his day progressed, 2020 winner Quinn Wentzel, not so much as he started with a nice holeshot, but eventually carded 10-10 finishes for 10th overall. “The day started off horrible with ninth in hot laps and a derailed chain,” Hart said from the top of the podium. “I was fired up for the first moto and came out charging, ultimately winning the sprint. In the final, Cody and I went back and forth most of the race and we had some really good battles. I’m happy to end up with the overall win!”
80
With a race format consisting of a hot lap and two separate motos for the pro racers, Sherco’s Cody Webb struggled because conditions were “too nice” — “It was a pretty simple course for a hard enduro and the conditions weren’t on our side. In moto one, I got a bad start and just couldn’t get around those guys. I tried a few times, but just couldn’t make it happen and settled for fourth.” For moto two, race directors added more technical sections to challenge the final 32 riders. With that, Webb was able to charge to a lead early in the race, only to suffer some issues mid-race, which allowed for the chasers to close the gap and make it a race. Webb responded by throwing down a blistering pace during the latter stages of lap two to take the moto win by 6 seconds over Hart. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Haaker had a solid day, finishing third overall with a pair of hardfought 3-3 finishes. “I had a huge loop-out in the second race and fortunately, I was not hurt and my bike was okay, so I was able to get going again and challenge Trystan and Cody until the very end where I missed a turn,” said the reigning AMA EnduroCross Champion. In race one, Haaker got off to a good start and quickly put himself into the lead, ultimately finishing third. In the final race, he got off to a fourth-place start but he
