KTM 300 XC-W
KTM 300 XC-W
KTM 300 XC-W
KTM 300 XC-W
Please make no attempt to imitate the illustrated riding scenes, always wear protective clothing and observe the applicable pro visions of the road traffic regulations! The illustrated vehicles may vary in selected details from the production models and some illustrations feature optional equipm ent available at additional cost.
KTM-supported rider, Shelby Turner, secured her sixth EnduroCross championship title at the final round of the series in Reno, Nevada.
PHOTO BY JACK JAXSON
The Del Valley Trail Riders came together for a very important cause. Read more about the "Ride Out the Darkness" fundraiser ride on page 64 of this month's issue.
PHOTO BY STEPH VETTERLY
RIDE OUT THE DARKNESSPG
GOBBLER GETTER ENDUROPG 92
64
Observing the Trials and Enduro community with a single-track mind.
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Steph Vetterly
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courtesy of FIM HARD ENDURO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
A revised schedule will see the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship take place across seven rounds in 2023.
In light of economic and political conditions around the world, WESS Promotion GmbH have decided to adjust the 2023 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship calendar and reduce the number of races to seven.
Faced with record, 40-year-high inflation rates, among other factors, the goal of this reduced schedule is to help ease financial costs for riders, teams, and organizers, as well as us as championship promoters. This adjustment will ensure that the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship can move in a healthy direction so all involved can best navigate the financially challenging years ahead.
However, the reduction in rounds of the championship does not mean that the series is giving up its international standing. There will still be events outside of Europe. We will continue our obligation to those organizers whose commitment
has contributed to the impressive development of the championships.
For the future, and specifically for 2023, this means that we will reduce the calendar to seven races. Events that cannot be accommodated in 2023 will be considered in 2024 or thereafter. Furthermore, we will race once in North America each year, but alternate between Red Bull Outliers in Canada and Red Bull TKO in the USA.
It is also planned that the 24MX Getzenrodeo and 24MX Hixpania will alternate as the Championship’s final event.
In summary, WESS Promotion GmbH is acting proactively, making necessary adjustments in a timely manner for the good of all involved in the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship and thanks those who have and continue to support the championship.
Round 1: Xross, Serbia - May 17/18/19/20
Round 2: Red Bull Erzbergrodeo, Austria - June 8/9/10/11
Round 3: Red Bull Abestone, Italy - July 7/8/9
Round 4: Red Bull Romaniacs, Romania - July 25/26/27/28/29
Round 5: Red Bull Outliers, Canada - August 26/27
Round 6: Roof of Africa, South Africa - September 28/29/30
Round 7: 24MX GetzenRodeo, Germany - November 3/4
PRIME STADIUM, promoters of the FIM EnduroGP World Championship, together with the FIM, are pleased to confirm the dates and locations of the 2023 FIM EnduroGP World Championship. Bringing together several races that featured in the 2022 series with well-established events that have previously hosted EnduroGP competitions, the sevenround series will start in Italy for the first time ever.
Beginning in Italy in early April and finishing in Portugal in early October, the championship will kick off with two stand-alone races –round one in Italy and round two in Spain. Then, the series will feature back-to-back rounds three and four in Finland and Sweden, followed by another stand-alone event in Slovakia. The championship will conclude with back-to-back rounds seven and eight in Portugal.
Italy and the rugged mountains of the San Remo/Arma di Taggia region will host the opening round of the 2023 FIM EnduroGP World Championship. Round two of the 2023 series will take place in Lalin in northwest Spain, the venue of
the opening round of the 2022 championship.
For 2023 the FIM EnduroGP World Championship will feature a Scandinavian tour as the series returns to Finland and Sweden on consecutive weekends at the end of May and the beginning of June. Visiting the enduro heartlands of Heinola in Finland and Skovde in Sweden, the series’ most northerly events will take the championship past its mid-way point.
Following a three-week break, the EnduroGP series will return to action on the first weekend in July as it makes a return visit to Gelnica in Slovakia, home to the fifth round of the 2022 series and an event that unquestionably proved its worth in 2022 with its spectacular forestbased special tests. The event originally scheduled to be held on July 7-9 will not take place.
Bringing the championship to a close with back-to-back competitions in Portugal, Valpacos and St Andre/Santiago do Cacem will play hosts to rounds seven and eight.
Round 1 - Italy - San Remo/Arma di Taggia - 31 March-2 April
Round 2 - Spain – Lalin - 5-7 May
Round 3 - Finland – Heinola - 26-28 May
Round 4 - Sweden – Skovde - 1-3 June
Round 5 - Slovakia – Gelnica - 30 June-2 July
Round 6 - Portugal – Valpacos - 7-9 July
Round 7 - Portugal – St Andre/Santiago do Cacem - 6-8 October
It was announced in late November that Vertigo and Jaime Busto had decided to part ways after four years of success. The 24-year old has seen victories in TrialGP (finishing the 2022 season in second place behind Repsol Honda's Toni Bou), X-Trial (finishing third behind Bou, first, and TRS' Adam Raga in second), and the Spanish National
Championship (securing the title win for the second year in a row).
Vertigo wishes Jaime the best in his professional future, and thanks him for his contribution to the expansion of the brand during four seasons full of success.
Shortly after Vertigo's announcement, GasGas released their own, welcoming Busto to the GasGas Factory Racing team. With a contract of "at least two years," Busto will compete in both the indoor and outdoor world championships, as well as defend his Spanish National Championship title, aboard a 2023 GasGas TXT GP 300.
JAIME BUSTO: “I’m so excited to join GASGAS for next season. It’s a brand with Spanish heritage and that’s really important, but also the whole structure and dynamic of the team looks really strong. The bike itself is great and I know the plan is to keep on developing and improving all the time. For 2023, my goal is to improve on my results from this year. I want to be more consistent and in the fight for the win at every single race. The whole GASGAS vibe fits my style really well, and I’m hoping that by working hard together we can achieve some greats results next year.”
GASGAS Factory Racing Trial Team Manager: “It means so much to sign a rider like Jaime Busto to the team. Obviously, he is capable of securing top results and so our plan is to give him everything he needs to do that. But Jaime also fits the GASGAS brand perfectly, and together I truly believe we can achieve great things. His results in 2022 have been excellent – third overall in X-Trial and second in TrialGP – and so looking ahead to the next two seasons, our plan is to keep on growing the team structure to be even stronger and enable Jaime to continue fighting for world championship titles. Jaime joining the team is just one part of a big plan to put GASGAS right at the top of the trial world, and I can’t wait for the new season to begin.”
The Rieju Racing project continues growing, little by little the MR300 is positioning itself in enduro’s world, and the brand is making a big bet for next season by incorporating the French rider, Léo Le Quéré, who will race in the E3 category, participating in the World Enduro Championship, the French Enduro Championship, and also the Spanish Enduro Championship, whenever the dates allow it.
Léo Le Quéré:My ambition with Rieju is to take the brand to the highest level, to be French champion and to be on the podium in Grand Prix. To have occasional Grand Prix wins in E3 and to develop the brand in France, that's what Rieju wants, to show the brand in Grand Prix.
It's a great pleasure to work with Rieju, I see that it's a big family that is very involved. I will do my best to make the brand shine.
Miquel García, Team Manager: Des de RIEJU we are very happy with the incorporation of Léo Le Quéré and we hope, together with the French rider, a next season with great results and continue to position the brand in the Enduro world.
After winning both World Championships this season, as well as the Constructors’ Championship, the Repsol Honda Trial Team is working to improve on next season’s results even further.
The Repsol Honda Trial Team, the most successful team in the history of the Trial World Championships, is already busy preparing for the 2023 season. After winning both the TrialGP and X-Trial World Championships thanks to Toni Bou, and with new rider Gabriel Marcelli taking fifth place in both competitions, the team is now setting its sights on the highest goal, both for the riders and for the brand.
The Repsol Honda Trial Team lineup will remain unchanged for 2023. The team has confirmed Toni Bou and Gabriel Marcelli as the two official team riders for the new season starting next year.
Toni Bou, with 32 world titles to his credit, is all set to face the new challenges ahead of him: that of improving himself as he goes in search, for yet another season,
of the two titles at stake. Gabriel Marcelli, meanwhile, will be aiming for regular podium finishes at the highest level of competition.
TAKAHISA FUJINAMI Team Manager"2022 was a great season, but we are going to try to make 2023 even better. The team has worked hard and very well throughout the year, not just the winter, because if there is one thing our team has, it is that we constantly strive for perfection.
Toni has had a spectacular year, winning both world titles, as we are used to, with really good trials, leaving the title practically in the bag before the final trial in Italy, after never having finished off the podium. Gabriel, in his first year as a team rider, has improved a bit on previous seasons, but it is also true that I had expected a bit more. I am confident that next year he will be one of the regular podium finishers and will improve even further on this season's final ranking, in both the outdoor and indoor competitions."
Congratulations to Scott Boyer for winning the Beta Cup aboard his Beta 2022 250 RR Race Edition. Scott had a great season at the National Enduro while competing in the A 45+ class. The battle for the Beta Cup came down to the last round where Scott was able to finish eight points clear of the rider in second place. He claimed the title of Beta Cup Champion by earning the most points in his class compared to anyone else in their class competing on a Beta Motorcycle. With the victory, Scott gets his choice of any 2022 Beta RR 2-Stroke model for free.
"The NEPG season was a good one but tough. The season started off slow with not-so-good results but pulled it together after the 2nd round. I had a lot of fun riding my Bonecutter Off Road Beta this year. Everything came down to the very last round. It was a little stressful but I knew all I could do was ride my own race. I would like to say thanks to Beta USA for having the Beta Cup. It is an awesome program!"
- SCOTT BOYER"What Beta is doing with the Beta Cup for the riders of the National Enduro Series is second to none.
They make a great motorcycle and all you have to do is race one and get the most points vs anyone else to win a brand new Beta 2 stroke! If you are going to be racing the series anyway, head down to your local Beta Dealership and check one out. We highly recommend any of the models Beta offers to chase for the Beta Cup. We have named 4 champions so far with this year being the tightest battle yet. Congratulations to Scott Boyer and enjoy your new Beta. We can’t wait to see who will be the next Beta Cup Champion."
- LOGAN DENSMORE, NEPGThe Beta Cup is back in 2023 for the 5th year in a row at the National Enduro Series! Rules for the Beta Cup are simple. Ride any Beta Motorcycle in any class that you qualify for. The rider that earns the most points in his or her NEPG class
will win the Beta Cup along with a brand new Beta RR Motorcycle. This will give any rider a chance, whether they are an A, B, C, Schoolboy, or Women’s Rider.
When entering your events you will simply sign up for an existing class in the National Enduro Series. Submit your entry by email to info@nationalenduro.com to be entered in the Beta Cup. Email your Name, Class, Address, Phone Number, a photo of you, and what Beta Motorcycle you will be riding. Entry submissions must be received by the NEPG before any points will be added to the Beta Cup Season Race.
• 2019 - Alexis Phillips
• 2020 - Kylie Harris
• 2021 - Jhak Walker
• 2022 - Scott Boyer
The 2023 AMA US Hard Enduro Series schedule has been announced, and it includes 10 hard enduro races stretching across the United States, from Hawaii to Pennsylvania. In addition to the schedule announcement, USHE has adjusted the series format by including a Premier Championship that will focus on the Pro and Pro Women classes, while the existing AMA West and East Regional Championships remain. Six out of the 10 AMA Regional rounds will carry points for the USHE Premier Championship, which determines the overall Pro and Pro Women Champions. There will be one drop round for the AMA West Regional, and no drop rounds for the AMA East Regional and USHE Premier Championship. This new format will create separation between both AMA Regional Championships, which remain AMA Tennessee KNowckout qualifiers, while giving the Pro and Pro Women a separate overall Championship to be featured in.
The USHE Premier Championship and AMA West Regional Championship will kick off at the King of the Motos in Johnson Valley, CA. This high-profile race will again be part of the King of the Hammers festivities, and remain a challenging GPS-based desert race. The first new AMA West Regional event of the year will be IRC Endurofest-Hawaii on the North SHore of Oahu. Hawaii is not only a hard enduro paradise, but there are at least a couple hundred racers in the Hawaii Motorsports Association who don't get the chance to race on the mainland or qualify for TKO. This event will give Hawaiians that opportunity.
A couple weeks later, the Grinding Stone Hard Enduro will again send racers up and down the gnarly sandstone mesas in Page, Arizona, and host both Championships. Another new face to the series will be the Snake Bite Hard Enduro in Lubbock, TX, which has no shortage of steep hills, rocks, and gnarly terrain.
The USHE will then head east to the Battle of the Goats in North Carolina, which last ran in 2021 and was missed by many during the 2022 season. This will be the third round of the Premier Championship and first AMA East Regional round. The second AMA East Regional will be the Fallen Timbers Hard ENduro in southeast Ohio, known for it's impossibly slick mud and having the closest Pro battle of the 2022 season between Trystan Hart and Ryder LeBlond.
On Memorial Day weekend, two Pennsylvania races partnered up for a three-day mega event, both serving as USHE Premier CHampionship and AMA East Regional rounds. Tough Like RORR is widely known to only get a handful of finishers and paid out a whopping $35,000 at the 2022 race. RORR will run their race on Saturday and SUnday. The Shotgun Hard Enduro debuted in 2022, but became very popular with all the racers as it was compared to a never-ending rock garden. The Shotgun Hard Enduro is only 45 minutes from RORR and will be held on Monday. Racing both events iwll be incentivized and an overall weekend purse will be build up for the top Pros of the weekend.
The Champhionships will then head back west to race at the ski resorts. The Donner Hard Enduro near
Truckee, CA, is always a spectator favorite on the granite slabs. It will return on Father's Day weekend as an AMA West Regional round and feature a full weekend of festivities. The final round of both the Premier Championships and AMA West Regional will take place at the SIlver Kings Hard Enduro in Kellog, ID, on the final weekend of June. This event will feature everything a big mountain hard enduro race should, and more.
The new schedule includes some brand new hard enduro races, the return of some big events, and races that have been running for years. The terrain will vary from harsh deserts, slick east coast forests, big mountain ski resorts, to a tropical island. With the help of a solid crew, great sponsors, and thousands of passionate enthusiasts, the USHE is excited to see the continued growth of hard enduro in the USA.
words and photos courtesy of NEPG
The NEPG is excited to announce the return of the Enduro Futures Class for 2023! This class is our way to bring the younger riders to be able to participate in select National Enduro events alongside all of the pros and the other amateur racers. This will allow for up and coming SuperMini and other young racers get another stepping stone to merge into the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series. This class will be into its 3rd season for the 2023 season. We would like to congratulate the first Enduro Futures class winner, Cole Forbes in the 2021 season and our most recent winner of Riley Bender in the 2022 season.
The Enduro Futures Class will be open to all 98-200cc Motorcycles with at least 19" Front Tire and 16" Rear tire size for riders that are between the ages of 12-15. The Enduro Futures class will be held at 6 rounds for the 2023 Series at events the will allow for younger riders due to little or no road riding at all. The 6 Enduro Futures rounds will be as follows:
• Round 1 Sumter National Enduro Sumter, SC 2/5/23
• Round 2 Caprock Canyon National Enduro Turkey, TX 3/19/23
• Round 3 Black Buffalo National Enduro Kingston, AR 4/23/23
• Round 4 Dragon’s Back National Enduro Arrington, VA 5/14/23
• Round 8 Muddobbers National Enduro Matthews, IN 10/1/23
• Round 9 Gobbler Getter National Enduro Maplesville, AL 10/29/23
The Enduro Futures Class will count the best 5 rounds of the 6 for each rider in the class and will be credited with a National Enduro Championship, just like all other Amateur Classes.
CLASS DEFINITION: Enduro Futures Class 98cc-200cc (SuperMini) Minimum 19” Front 16” Rear. Riders age (12-15) Jan 1. will determine their age for remainder of the year. No “A Class” Riders Permitted. Not available at all rounds. 6 Select rounds for 2023. Some events are not suited for SuperMinis due to road use. National Championship will be the best 5 scores out of 6 rounds.
words and photos courtesy of GASGAS
Duvall will focus on GNCC’s XC1 Open Pro Championship in 2023, as well as the U.S. Sprint Enduro series, racing aboard the EX 350F. The West Virginia native is no stranger to the premier class podium, and he definitely embodies the GASGAS way of fun!
Racing aboard the EX 250F, Lafferty will look to build on his successful year in GNCC’s XC2 250 Pro Championship this season, where he finished runner-up in 2022. Also, a third-place finisher in the National Enduro Pro 1 division last season, the young rider is hungry for more and he expects to contend for the top spot aboard the EX 350F in 2023.
Barry Hawk: “I’m really looking forward to next season as we’re fortunate enough to have Ryder Lafferty with us again. Ryder had fantastic results last season and we learned a few things toward the end of the year that I think will be a huge advantage for him next season. I expect him to be in contention for both championships. One big change for next year is the addition of Thad Duvall. I’ve known Thad and his family for a long time and he’s an extremely talented rider and I believe
this change for Thad is a great move. I’m looking forward to finally getting to work with him. I must admit, these two guys are extremely talented but are at opposite ends of the spectrum in their riding style. My work may be cut out for me next year but I love this type of challenge.”
Thad Duvall: “I’m excited to join the Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing team for 2023! I’m looking forward to see where this new opportunity is going to take me next year. I already feel a part of the Coastal Racing family and believe this will be my best year with the best people backing me. I grew up riding/racing with Barry in the early years of my pro career and excited to learn from one of the best in off-road history. I think Ryder has a lot of potential and I hope to help him grow as an XC2 rider. We will gel well together. I can’t wait to start testing my new bike and get everything dialed for the GNCC and US Sprints. This is going to be a fresh start for me and I’m beyond ready to put this bike in the center for the box!”
Ryder Lafferty: “I’m super excited for the 2023 season! I’m very happy with the previous GASGAS EX 250F
and GASGAS EX 350F bikes I raced this season and look forward to learning and improving them in 2023. Since finishing 2nd in the GNCC series in the XC2 250 Pro class and 3rd in the National Enduro series in 2022 my goals for 2023 are to contest for those championships again. This year for training I’ll be working with Kailub Russell and Jacob Fetty. I think that with their guidance and knowledge I’ll be able to improve and accomplish my goals in 2023.”
• non-marring fork leg mounting blocks
• front brake line guide built in
• fits most chainsaws up to a 16" bar
• options are available for a longer bar cover (contact EE for details)
• easy installation, easy access to chainsaw
• adjustable mounting straps
Current Price: $199.99
The water pump is one of the most vital parts of the motorcycle. On the 2023 KTM 250/350 XCF/SXF and Husqvarna 250/350 FC/FX bikes the water pump is exposed. We have engineered a guard to install easily with simply 2 bolts and give that water pump the protection it needs. Disassembling the water pump is not required for the installation. This guard also protects the radiator hose leading into the water pump as well.
Current Price: $42.95
• folds down to 2 1/4" flat
• topen top allows you to change oil on stand
• allows you to take both wheels off the bike
• easy to open and close
• fits in most places a bulky onepiece stand will not
• packagle to pit or starting areas
• hang on the wall of van, trailer, or garage
• limited lifetime warranty
Current Price: $249.95
The new 2023 KTM and Husqvarna SX/SXF/TC/FC/TX/FX/XCF/XC Models have a brand new swing arm on them. With the new swingarm it also has a new chain guide. We now have in stock the BRP Chain Guides for those machines.
The benefits of a BRP Frictionless (Polymer) Chain Guide:
• Exceptional impact durability
• Superior wear resistance
• Less drag increases horsepower
• Limited 1 year replacement warranty against wear or breakage
Current Price: $79.95
We have a front brake disc guard to protect your front rotor from damage while on the trail. We know rocks and other debris could be hit along the ride that could damage the rotor. With the strong aluminum construction of our Front Brake Disc Guard the rotor as well as the bottom of the suspension fork will be protected from debris.
Fits 2020-2023 125-500cc Beta with KYB Fork
Current Price: $109.95
With more and more models and brands coming out with grey in the colors of their motorcycle, such as Husqvarna, Sherco, Yamaha, and Kawasaki, we have added grey to our collection of colors available for the EVO2 Plastic roost deflectors. Now we offer 8 total colors to choose from. The EVO2 Plastic roost deflector works on our Full Wrap aluminum debris deflectors, our composite open ended deflector arms, and our aluminum open ended deflector arms.
Current Price: $24.95
CRU 'Solo Tours" bring ‘Solo’ riders together for these all-inclusive tours; come by yourself but receive deep group discount. We always have lead/ chase guides and can accommodate a variety of skill levels.
**Includes: 5 Days, 4 Nights, 3 Full Riding Days, Accommodations, Lead & Chase Guides, Airport Transfers, ’23 Husqvarna 350F TE, ’22 GASGAS 300/ EC350, ’22 KTM300/350, ’21 YZ250F, All Fuel, All Meals, Nightly Bike Prep/ Wash and Gear Cleaning, One (1) Activity (Zipline, 1 Hr Massage) and CRU T-Shirt/Swag.
Date Options in 2023: May 19-23, June 9-13, July 1-5
Current Price: $2,850
Leatt’s MX boot range will have your ankles and feet fully protected while enjoying the time at the track or on the trails. The 5.5 Flexlock, 4.5, and 3.5 boots all offer great comfort, the quality of the materials used are noticeable once you slide your foot inside.
Once you have seen Lett’s market leading Slidelock closure function, you will see why this feature alone is leaving riders speechless as it ensures the perfect seal best fit around your knee protection. Great designs mean these boots won’t just have you feeling safe, but also looking great.
Beta Ultra Pro Bend Handguards made by Cycra. Curved sidebar for less compacted feel. New improved deflectors with optional venting. Fits All 2005+ RR/RS/RR-S/XTrainer. Available in Red, White, or Black
Current Price: $167.95
Stronger, More range of motion (one of the shortcomings of the existing Fastway Evo-Air Peg for '20+ Beta ). Anti-mud collecting features, patented foot bed. Patented camber adjustment, and ability to place in Standard or Low position. Still made right in Nampa, Idaho! Fits 2020+ RR/RR-S/RX Models.
Current Price: $199.90
Delivers smooth, linear power, lighter weight, & increased performance. Built with a full stainless mid-pipe, end cap, & an aluminum canister. USFS
Approved spark arrestor won't clog or restrict exhaust flow. Increased canister volume with more sound absorption material. Newly designed & meticulously crafted. For off Road Use Only. Fits 2020+ 125 RR.
Current Price: $199.99
High-strength plastic swingarm protection. The main function of the TeketMagnet is to protect the swingarm of the motorcycle from impacts with external obstacles such as stones, channels, etc., which cause deep cuts and / or scratches on the swingarm. Fits 2020+ RR/RX/RR-S/XT. Available in Red & Black.
Current Price: $79.95
2023 promises a very exciting year for Yamaha, with brand-new releases across the Supersport, Adventure, Hyper Naked and Sport Scooter ranges. In sync with the latest breed of Yamaha machinery is an exquisite new range of casual wear and lifestyle accessories designed to complement every Yamaha fan’s daily life. On the road, the track or at home, there is something new to rev all hearts.
February 25-27: Downhill Southeast Bicycle Race
March 26-27: Trials Training Days
April 2-3: NATC Rounds 1&2
May 28: SEER Nightmare Extreme Enduro
June 27-30: Family Camp
July 1-3: East Coast Youth Nationals & Women’s Open
August 12-14: 12th Annual Kenda Tennessee Knock Out
Extreme Enduro
October 1-2: 30th Annual 58K Fall Trial (STRA)
October 29: 3rd Annual Cliffhanger Enduro
December 3: Toy Trial * All dates are subject to change
One year on from launching our first-ever race team replica dirt bike and we’re back with more! And not just one, but two factory edition motocross models. Built for maximum on-track performance, the all-new GASGAS MC 450F
Factory Edition and MC 250F
Factory Edition bikes have been designed and developed together with GASGAS Factory Racing, so you know they’re going to be good! Both feature brand-new motors, new frames, and are packed full of the latest technology, with pretty much everything else being improved over the outgoing generation. So, if you’re a racer focused on winning, you’re going to need one. It’s as simple as that!
The MC 450F Factory Edition benefits from a new cylinder head and CP piston – a potent combination that gives a boost to overall performance and amplifies the on-track experience for all riders. With the motor now lighter than ever, as well as being repositioned within the all-new frame to improve mass centralization, the bike’s already agile handling characteristics are taken to the next level.
As the newest and freshest model added to the GASGAS line-up, the MC 250F Factory Edition is pretty much an all-new dirt bike. Headlining this awesome bike is the powerful, high-revving, motor that’s super compact to save weight. Together with the new frame it makes carving through corners so, so easy. The brand-new motor features a new cylinder, cylinder head and piston, crankcases, and gearbox, which all work as one to make the MC 250F Factory Edition quite possibly the very best 250cc 4-stroke motocrosser out there.
Rewarding riders who really push the pace, the WP Suspension fitted on the Factory Edition models is set up firmer to favor aggressive riding. Up front, the WP XACT front forks feature a new hydrostop for improved bottoming resistance while the slightly slower rebound setting takes the sting out of heavy landings. At the rear, the WP XACT shock is all-new, better performing, and easily adjustable by hand for quick and easy trackside changes.
• New generation frame
• New aluminum subframe
• New die-cast swingarm
• New bodywork and graphics
• Bigger fuel tank
• New footrest design
• Updated suspension settings
• State-of-the-art electronics with Traction Control and Quickshifter
• New map selector switch to engage mappings, launch control, traction control, and quickshift
• Lighter motors
• New engine position
• Redesigned 250 motor
• Updated 450 motor
Striking new colors and graphics highlight Husqvarna Motorcycles’ 701 Enduro and 701 Supermoto machines for 2023. Characterised by its Swedish inspired livery, the versatile 701 Enduro is equally proficient both on and offroad. The 701 Supermoto is finished with a darker, more distinctive black and grey appearance to create a strong presence on the open road.
The 701 Enduro and 701 Supermoto machines are EURO 5 homologated with riders continuing to benefit from cutting-edge electronic rider aids. Selectable ride modes, Easy Shift, cornering ABS, and lean angle sensitive traction control ensure the highest levels of safety and unrivalled performance. A USB port on the dashboard of both models allows for navigational devices to be continually charged for uninterrupted riding.
The two machines retain their renowned, torquey, 74 hp single cylinder 692.7 cc engines for perfectly linear and controllable power. With outstanding chassis agility and handling, both the 701 Enduro and 701 Supermoto continue to set the benchmark.
• New colors and graphics
• ABS functionality can be fully disengaged for exceptional offroad performance
• Chromium-molybdenum steel trellis frame
• Aluminum swingarm
• Polyamide rear subframe and tank
• Cutting-edge ABS
• Power Assist Slipper Clutch
*aired Sept 3, 2021
This podcast isn't just about the riders. Today we are chatting to Colin Bullock who is literally the man behind the camera. Colin has been around trials for decades, but most of it been behind camera. In this interview we try to understand why and where his passion for trials came about.
We discuss his respect and admiration for the riders who make it all looks so effortless but why he prefers being behind the camera. We also explore how he got started in photography, then later videography and discuss his highlights including Training DVDs, SSDT footage, and even his early days photography Barry Sheene at Mallory Park.
We find out what makes a good trials photograph and over on the Trials Australia Facebook Community are a sample of Colin's personal favourites photos for your to browse. Also we switch up our usual questions and take a more photography specific approach.
Ladies and gentleman, I give you my chat with Colin Bullock.
I recently attended one of Graham Jarvis‘ Enduro Clinics at Red River Motorcycle Trails. Though the intensity was low, the day was long and we learned a lot. I enjoyed his process of starting small, working on clutch, throttle, and brake control. From there, we built upon those skills all the way to wheelies, descents, and hill climbs. This video is a look at my day riding with Graham Jarvis, how I tried to apply what I was learning, and my key takeaways from the day.
The dirt bikes we ride do not have an automatic transmission. As the rider, we need to have infinite authority over the relationship between the clutch, the throttle, and the brakes. Taking the time to become intimate with your levers and throttle isn’t an overnight success. It’s going to take years of intentional time before and after your time on the single track.
I love how Jarvis started small with the clutch, then the brakes, and then throttle. My biggest takeaway happened during one of these early sessions, and it has to do with the rear brake. The front brake is our dominant brake, and due to this I
somehow ignored the importance of the rear brake when attempting to control the motorcycle. Using the rear brake to help compress the bike into the suspension keeps our right hand free to control the throttle. I’ve always tried to use the front brake while controlling the throttle and feeling like I was doing something wrong. Now that I am leveraging the rear brake to compress the bike into the suspension, I am feeling much more confident lofting the front wheel.
When you’re standing up on your dirt bike, you have more leverage to maneuver the motorcycle underneath you. The way you place your feet and the way you bend your arms certainly has an affect over your authority of the bike. What I learned during the clinic was how important hip placement is when balancing on, and controlling, your two wheeled steed.
Where I was getting hip placement wrong over the years is when it comes to pivoting at the hips. I would shift my weight, but I would just shift my weight square to the outside of the bike, but I wouldn’t
twist at the hips. Jarvis showed us how we need to turn our hips at roughly a 45 degree angle, as well as shift our weight. This allows us to get further back on the bike, as well as further to the outside. When you watch him ride in a tight circle, you can see he’d almost sitting on the seat with his inside leg. That position may not be idle for trail riding, but practicing the concept helps us achieve the position on the trail with less thinking or judgement.
As the day progressed, so did the challenges we took on with Jarvis. We dropped in on vertical walls, crossed logs parallel to the bike, and worked on hill climbs. The concept that kept getting brought up though
is how it all starts with your clutch, your throttle, your brakes, and your body position. If you just try to “go fast”, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
All the techniques I talk about in the video can be applied as a warm up before you hit the trail. Taking a few minutes to be intentional with technique practice will compound over time. As you get more confident riding over smaller obstacles, you’ll understand how to use the technique on larger obstacles. The technique doesn’t change, it’s the application of technique that differs due to the size, or technicality, of the obstacle or trail.
Russell Bobbitt is back on Seat Time! Bobbitt is a 5 Time AMA National Enduro Champion, past ISDE Team USA Competitor, and general badass on two wheels! We spend time chatting about bike setup, racing in Canada, Gnarly Routes Tours, his Coaching endeavors, and mountain bikes!
Bobbitt has a lot of years of experience riding and racing dirt bikes, and his bike setups have changed throughout the years. He used to go for a hard hitting, fast as possible bike, where now he looks
for a balanced bike, with usable power. His suspension is a tad past comfortable, since he knows he needs to prepare for the odd hard hits.
Gnarly Routes, a dirt bike vacation and touring company started with friend Cole Kirkpatrick, has been going on for five years. They have taken enthusiasts all over the country, helping them grow as riders, and as people, while gaining experiences on two wheels that will last a lifetime.
The Coaching that Bobbitt is doing now is a way to give back to the community. He’s picked up a few things here and there throughout his long racing career, and it’s great to hear how much he gets back helping other riders.
Lastly we discuss mountain bikes. Bobbitt recently finished the Trans Sierra Norte in Oaxaca, Mexico. This mountain bike stage race sounds like a heck of a great time, and his dirt bike skills bleed right over to this style of racing. It’s been great to see
mountain biking grow within the dirt biking community. Hopefully this trend continues.
GasGas has released a full selection of trial riding videos, all designed to help riders of all skill levels become more confident at their favorite sport.
Hosted by GasGas Factory Racing Team Manager Albert Cabestany, the tutorial videos will cover everything from bike setup, to basics, to the most advanced maneuvers.
Follow along as we showcase a new video each month, or check out the full series on GasGas.com.
No pressure! Riding within a time limit can be a little daunting, but if you can stay calm and relaxed, select your line in advance and stick to it, you’ll be on your way to cleaning sections in style. Think ahead, plan, and execute!
The Mecatecno factory in Barcelona, Spain, has resumed its production plans with a whole new concept of the DragonFly adult trials bike. Midwest Mototrials is now (September) receiving its first test/demo unit. Pending a successful testing program here and at other European importers, production is expected to start this November. Prices and delivery dates are yet to be determined. Further updates will follow next month.
• The T-18 Dragonfly is direct-drive from the motor to the rear wheel
• An easy-pull diaphragm clutch for maximum control and traction
• New M4 39mm Aluminum AIR FORKS are the lightest on the market
• Linkless Ohlins shock direct to the swing arm
• 5 hour+ quick change and fast charge battery
• Weight 132 pounds
• Seat can be added for trail riding comfort
enduro trails are unpredictable by nature, and where they are the toughest, the te 300 reigns supreme.
New dark blue graphics with electric yellow accents and new metallic blue frame.
A two-piece carbon fiber composite subframe
WP XPLOR front forks and WP XACT monoshock
words and photos by STEPH VETTERLY
Over 350 riders came out to ride motorcycles, celebrate the life of Rebekah “Bekah” Lehman, and bring awareness to mental health issues such as suicide and depression. A Pittsburgh-based member of the Del Valley Trail Riders, Bekah was extremely passionate about
motorcycle riding, helping to introduce countless people to two wheels, organizing rides and fundraisers, and working to help expand the tight-knit community known to many as the “moto family.” Bekah’s sister, Jess, never quite understood why her sister would drive over three hours to ride dirt bikes with the club until she got a chance to meet all the wonderful people Bekah knew.
As the gates of the Famous Reading Outdoors’ (FRO) Burma Lot in St. Clair, PA, opened early at 9am on Saturday, the sun began to shine through, and despite some early morning chill, the air would warm and the clouds would dissipate, leaving nothing but beautiful blue skies. Riders could not have asked for better weather. For a small gate fee, the trails on the FRO’s property were open to members and non-
members alike and both single- and double-tracks were marked for all skill levels; food was available for those in attendance from Rojo’s Food Truck and multiple tables full of donations were set up for an afternoon raffle. All proceeds from the event would go to help benefit Bekah’s daughter, Alivia. While there
was no official “schedule,” several guided rides were held throughout the day, including a women’s ride led by Bekah's friend, Christine Rappleyea.
As 37 women gathered in the pits for the special guided ride, they all took time to introduce themselves and share stories of Bekah. Some had been on a bike for decades, others had just swung their leg over one a few months ago; some had known Bekah for years, while for others, it had been a new friendship. Even the women who had never met her were there, in some part, due to Bekah’s passion for supporting women riders. Tears of happiness and sadness flowed as the women reminisced and shared their own experiences and struggles with mental health issues. It was evident that no one was immune, and all were in agreement that the stigma which still exists surrounding talking about these issues needed to change.
Christine, who openly shares her journey through her stage four breast cancer and chemo treatments, spoke of how Bekah organized a fundraising event to support her before they had even met. The girls had been talking online, and Bekah wanted to help out with Christine’s expenses. Coined “Rock Beats Cancer,” the fundraiser ride had been a huge success, and was just one of many such events Bekah had been involved with.
The women set out on one of the easier trail loops, making a quick pit stop at the overlook for a quick group photo. They stopped and helped one another through some of the more difficult sections of the course, making sure that everyone felt supported – the point of the ride was for everyone to have fun and enjoy being on a dirt bike.
“Bekah was so good at making people feel included,” said Christine. “Especially women, especially beginners. She just would get girls out there and riding on the trails and introduced me to so many people in this community. I met her just last winter, and we rode together I don't know how many times. She put together girls’ rides; we had as
many as 20-30 people on the one ride! It wasn't all women, but it was just huge, and just so much fun. So many of the girls who were here for today’s ride had stories where Bekah got them out on the trail and made them feel comfortable and connected them with other riders. It's just awesome to expand the women riding off road because it's such a male dominated sport; it's very different riding with women when you're used to riding with men, especially men that are like fast. You just feel pressured the whole time and you make stupid mistakes because you're nervous and you're like, I have to keep up. Then you ride with women, and it's just so very encouraging and empowering.
“Today was a testimony to everyone that loved Becca, for sure. I'm really glad that we could shed light on this topic; I'm glad in the sense of how many people showed up because it's something that not many people talk about. Or if they do, it just becomes awkward, and they end up not saying much about it. I would love to be able to all connect on social media more. I hope that most of us can connect online and [go riding] more often. One lady who rode with us today had never left her yard before; we put a sweep rider with her and she did the whole loop! When we stopped at the overlook, I asked her if she wanted to come back to the pits, and she said, ‘No, I want to try it.’ And she did awesome! I hope
that now she feels more comfortable coming back out, and she made friends and can connect with somebody to go ride with. Whereas before maybe she didn't have that. I didn't always have people to ride with. Years ago, I switched to dirt bikes from quads. There used to be weekends where I would cry because I had nobody to ride with. And now, I have so many moto friends. I just hope to do that for other girls that are getting into the sport.”
Later in the afternoon, the raffle was held. Del Valley President Marco Sanna, Chaplain Joe Young, Black Rock Synthetics’ Andy Bloss, and Bekah’s sister, Jess, each took a few moments to express their gratitude for everyone’s support as Del Valley
Vice-President, Liz Kiniery, got ready to MC. Erin Doherty, Del Valley member and friend of Bekah’s, had done a tremendous job reaching out to companies for donations, as evidenced by three massive tables overflowing with products. From gift cards to local eateries and motorcycle shops, to riding gear, goggles, jackets, and even a fullsize Yeti cooler, it was evident that brands such as Beta USA, KTM, Over and Out, Enduro Engineering, and MKS understood and supported the need to remove the taboo about mental health.
“Bekah was a huge ambassador for lady riders, as you could see from all
the women here today,” explained Erin. “When I was working on the raffle, I started calling companies, and just couldn’t talk about it; I would get too emotional. I changed my plan and started putting it in writing. So many companies [that I reached out to] wrote back, telling me their own story of loss or battling with mental illness. I didn’t realize how far reaching the issue was and how many people it had really impacted. If something like this happens to somebody you know, then it becomes a big part of your life. I’ve really made it a point to make sure people know how I feel about them; you don’t know how much effect you’re going to have
on someone. Maybe it’ll move the needle just one degree, and that’s enough; it might tip the scales a little bit in a different direction and just change everything. I try to make sure, especially since losing Bekah, that I check on people if I think they’re just being a little distant. I think people really hold their thoughts close to their chest because they’re afraid of feeling vulnerable or awkward; I make sure everybody feels like they have space available to speak and not be judged.”
“On a personal level, this event probably meant a lot differently to me than what it did to anybody else,” said Andy. “The event that I did before this was with Bekah.
We worked together every day for months on the phone talking to sponsors. We weren't friends before that, we were more like coworkers. After the event was over, it was this huge sigh of relief. All of our work came together, and it was done. At the same time, our friendship wasn't done. Bekah and I would still talk here and there. We would shoot a text back and forth and would ask how the other was doing, or what the next event was that we were going to work on. I missed that connection that we had while we were working on these events. To me, this event meant I had to do it without her. I know she's still here with us. Look at this beautiful day she gave us to have this event. She would have loved this; she would have gone
nutty working underneath that tent, and she would have had so much fun selling tickets.
I miss my coworker, I miss my friend, I miss the person that had the drive and the determination to make the last event really happen. I feel like my experience is really unique in that way. As far as the people who came today, a lot of them were friends of hers; people that rode with her got that same energy that everybody else got from her where she just wanted to be friends and to support everybody. Bekah didn't just come [here] to ride; she made a point to visit local
friends. Our friend, Fuzzy, had a stroke, and she used to go visit him to try and cheer him up. She would push him his wheelchair outside and try to reignite the spark that we all feel that when we're out here riding. Anybody who’s taken a break from riding and then comes back out and does it again just feels like they're reborn.”
As the day progressed, and more and more stories were shared, and it was evident that Bekah was a passionate and shining personality in the motorcycling community. It’s unfortunate that it takes a situation such as this to inspire change,
and while the ending to Bekah’s story does not define her, nor does it change any of the good that she brought to the people around her, perhaps it can help lead to a different ending to someone else’s.
*Moving forward, Ride Out the Darkness is set to be an annual fundraising event. The number “988” featured on the number plate in the event artwork is significant as it is the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Brushy Mountain Motor Sports Park, located in Taylorsville, North Carolina, is most known for hosting the Battle of the Goats as part of the US Hard Enduro Series. But in early November, the facility hosted its first-ever trials event. The event was sponsored by Boyesen, Beta USA, USWE, S3, and Electric Motion, and hosted by Erik Salmela with the help of Ray Peters. The team sought to use the location’s 1,700+ acres to give riders a place to compete, as many of the clubs on the east coast have completed their annual competition season and are currently in a lull before the 2023 season begins.
The five-mile loop was created from the 110-mile well-established trail system, with a total of 27 sections for the weekend. Why so many sections, you might ask? Because of the terrain, Erik wanted to provide riders a full view of some of the terrain that Brushy had to offer. The loop split in several locations to provide the upper-class riders (typically those competing in Advanced and up) took a harder loop to more challenging sections while lower-class riders such as
Sportsman, Novice, and Vintage classes, took to a gentler loop to sections with fewer large obstacles. Each rider would complete a total of three loops of 10 sections each day. Rather than the standard “observed” scoring as can be found at the national events (where each section has a designated checker who scores each rider), scoring was on a peer system, with riders scoring one another. The facility was also actively open to members throughout the competition, so
proper marking was essential. Bright, orange Kenda arrows denoted direction, with professionallooking signs denoting splits in the loop and the sections.
“I've always kinda followed trials, or I should say watched it on YouTube like everybody else,” said Tyler Mull, current operations manager, and future owner of the property. “When [Erik] told me that he wanted to come up here and [put an event on], I was all about it. I've helped him out with it. I'm learning how to put on a good trials event, which takes a lot. I rode a section earlier on my big bike as I was going around putting arrow up, and it’s amazing how he’s changed the course. I’m learning what it’s going to take to get through
the sections, which has made me want to get a trials bike now!
“The plan is to have one to two trials events a year. This is kind of like the end of the year, Brushy Mountain Mototrials, where it’s not going to be a one-club event. If you have a trials bike, come here and ride. We definitely have the terrain for a great event out here. That’s the cool thing; we’ve only scratched the surface of the terrain we have.”
Starting Saturday, a total of 48 riders took to the course. Light rain would hit the course on-and-off throughout the day, increasing the difficulty of both the sections and the loop. Coran Calvert and Devin Hightman would battle in the Champ
class, finishing the first loop almost tied, Calvert only a single point ahead. Hightman would take an unfortunate string of five’s in both remaining loops, putting him out of contention for the win. Calvert would take the day with 60 points to Hightman’s 110. In the Advanced class, Chris Buzzelli would squeak out with the win, only three points ahead of his competition. Gary Shetler and Casey Bollinger would tie on the day with 63 points, with the tie-breaker coming down to the rider with the greatest number
of clean rides, seeing Shetler take the higher finish by the skin of his teeth – a total of nine clean rides to Bollinger’s eight.
Scores were comparable in the remaining classes. Ronnie Kidwell would take the lead on the first loop in the Intermediate class with nine points, but as the rain moved in for the second and third loops, the sections became more difficult and he would lose his position. Tim Frey would make a significant improvement on his second and
third loops to take the overall win with 35 points to Kidwell’s 42. Evan Sinclair would round out the podium with 48 points, just barely taking the final podium spot over Joe Warren by a single point. Because of the weather, a handful of riders were unable to complete the competition and called it an early night.
“Today went well,” said Salmela. “People had fun. They had a hard time, but I think they pushed
through; they understood that rain is the ‘Great Equalizer.’ This morning, we left the creek sections as they were [originally set up]; they have good rain proofing inherently built in. I moved a fair amount of markers in the hill sections; I opened them up, even though part of me now feels like it wasn’t enough, even though the other part of me thinks it was perfect [laughs]. We’ll probably make some changes tonight [in Sunday’s sections].”
Evan St Clair, who recently celebrated his 49th birthday, has decided that in each of the next 12 months leading up to the big 5-0, he is going to do a “crazy adventure.” In the first month, he rode his bicycle from Cornelius, North Carolina, to the beach, approximately 214 miles (waking up at 3am and arriving at 5pm); the second month, he completed a 100-mile gravel ride in six hours. The Brushy Mountain trials served as his third adventure, thanks to Erik and Kenny Gwyn, from whom Evan rented a TRS 250.
“I’ve been mountain biking for 30 years,” said St Clair. “Trials seems like it’s a little like mountain biking, but a lot harder. You never really go up stuff on a mountain bike, so that was the biggest difference. I think at first, I was trying to ride stuff fast, because with mountain bikes, when you get out of balance you just speed up and it corrects the balance which is exactly the opposite with this. It was a little bit of a learning curve, but I loved it! I think I’m going to buy a bike. I’m stoked! I grew up racing motocross, and just recently got a woods bike. Erik started coming to my bike shop, [the Cycle Path], and we started riding woods together. He kept talking about trials; he’s the reason I’m here.”
As Sunday rolled around, a section of the loop was rerouted; due to the rain, one of the hills had become extremely difficult to navigate, so a new section was added just behind the pits complete with a massive, downed tree for the Expert and Champ riders. Despite a decrease in the number of riders, the competition was still strong, with Kevin Willis looking to improve on his second-place finish in the Sportsman class from Saturday; 32 was his lucky number, scoring the same both days, but it was enough to secure the win over Abigail Buzzelli (second with 46 points) and Kidwell (who promoted himself up from the Intermediate class, finishing third with 56 points). Novice rider Gel Bach had DNF’d Saturday, but was so determined to finish the weekend strong – taking a full clean loop for loop 3, Bach would take the win with 54 points over Neil Wight in second with 65. Michael Friesen and CJ Alva would have a close battle in the Vintage Intermediate class, finishing only 10 points apart – Friesen with 74 and the win, Alva with 84 coming in second.
In addition to hosting the second annual Brushy Mountain Mototrials event, Tyler says that 2023 is going to be a big year for the facility. In the US Hard Enduro series, the Battle of the Goats will return in late April. A few local series will be on the schedule, as well as the
Southeastern Extreme Riders (SEER) with their annual Brushy Mountain Beatdown. They are also looking to improve the camper experience by installing a campground and camping facilities. With Tyler’s growing passion for trials, it sounds like the sport may have a new home at the Brushy Mountain Motor Sports Park.
SATURDAY'S PODIUM
CHAMP
1 - Coran Calvert (60)
2 - Devin Hightman (110)
EXPERT
1 - Ray Peters (40)
ADVANCED
1 - Chris Buzzelli (60)
2 - Gary Shetler (63)
3 - Casey Bollinger (63)
ADVANCED SPORTSMAN
1 - Tim Cone (51)
2 - Jeff Meyers (54)
3 - Jason Ryan (66)
SPORTSMAN
1 - Kevin Gwyn (22)
2 - Kevin Willis (32)
3 - Jay Wills (44)
INTERMEDIATE
1 - Tim Frey (35)
2 - Ronnie Kidwell (42)
3 - Evan St Clair (48)
NOVICE
1 - Jamic Hightman (64)
2 - Neil Wight (79)
VINTAGE SPORTSMAN
1 - Chris Arnold (31)
2 - Rick Schill (91)
VINTAGE INTERMEDIATE
1 - Michael Friesen (69)
2 - Christian Alva (99)
SUNDAY'S PODIUM
EXPERT
1 - Ray Peters (116)
ADVANCED
1 - Casey Bollinger (30)
SPORTSMAN
1 - Kevin Willis (32)
2 - Abigail Buzzelli (46)
3 - Ronnie Kidwell (56)
INTERMEDIATE
1 - Justin Weaver (24)
NOVICE
1 - Gel Bach (54)
2 - Neil Wight (65)
VINTAGE INTERMEDIATE
1 - Michael Friesen (74)
2 - Christian Alva (84)
words and photos by SHAN MOORE
Enduro Engineering put up an $8000 Bounty for anyone who could win all six tests at this weekend’s Gobbler Getter National Enduro in Stanton, Alabama, a culmination of a year’s long “Bounty” program that was not collected on until the final round of the series. FMF/KTM’s Josh Toth was up to the task, and swept all six tests, dominating the race and collecting eight large.
Though REV Motorsports’ Grant Baylor had already clinched the Kenda AMA National Championship at the previous round in Oklahoma, there was still plenty left to be decided at the finale in Alabama, including the Women’s Elite title, the Futures class championship, and the Beta Cup Champion, which goes to the Beta rider that accumulates the most points in any class, along with other amateur class championships still to be determined.
Toth’s win was his first of the season and it came at just the right time.
“I’m super stoked and proud of my effort,” said Toth. “I knew the bounty had built up going into this last round so I came out swinging. I knew if I won that first test, I’d be the only one eligible. So, I put the pressure on myself all day from there. I just rode like I stole the bike.
CRAIG DELONG
Just pinned it. I had a couple close calls, but overall, a good day.”
Toth got off to a quick start in test one, winning by nearly 26 seconds ahead of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong. In the remaining five tests, Toth continued to pour it on until his advantage stood at nearly two minutes by the end of the race, despite a mishap in test three.
“I came into the last left-hander,” said Toth. “It was a blind, sharp left turn. I just skipped the rear tire out and went straight into the trees. It was so dense and thick and I just had to hold it wide open to plow through it, and then break out into the other side and turn around and come back. Fortunately, I had enough cushion I guess at that point, but I was really stressing it. At that point, I was like, throwing up in my helmet.”
With the win, Toth finished off the season second in the series standings behind Grant Baylor.
Coastal Racing GasGas’ Ricky Russell finished on a high note as well, claiming his best-ever national enduro finish by taking the runnerup spot after posting the secondfastest time in the final four tests.
“I started off a little slow; fifth in the first test,” said Russell. “Then I was able to kind of slow it down a little bit and was able to get a bunch of seconds. Toth was just
on another level. He was beating us every single test. A few of the tests, I beat all the other guys by a decent amount and Toth was still beating me by a decent amount. So, it was impressive to see him ride like that, but I was happy to get my best enduro result.”
DeLong started fast, finishing second in tests one and two, before settling into third at the finish.
“I didn’t feel like I rode that great, but I was second in the first couple of tests and Toth was kind of on his own level today,” said DeLong. “I just kind of tried to ride the same all day. In the second test, I was close to Josh, but in the third test, I kind of fell back. I struggled the third and fourth tests. Just needed to ride a little more aggressive. I was consistent and didn’t hit the ground once. But a podium, I’m happy with that.”
Thad DuVall continues to ride himself back into “enduro shape” and was third-fastest in three of the six tests. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider finished off the day in fourth overall, missing the podium by 22 seconds.
Fifth was Beta USA’s Evan Smith, his best finish of the year. “I felt I was slow in some of the tests but I had good times, especially in the first two tests,” said Smith. “Once the tests started to open up then the rest of the guys caught up with me,
but I was consistent enough that I had a good day. It’s good to be back where I feel I belong.”
Sixth overall went to Coast Racing GasGas’ Ryder Lafferty, just 16 seconds off of Smith, while newly crowned national champion Grant Baylor was seventh on his REV Motorsports GasGas.
“I didn’t have anything at stake since I wrapped up the title in Oklahoma, but I wanted to come out here and try to make some bonus money,” said Baylor. “I’m not sure if I quite did that, these guys were all really going fast today. I felt like I rode really well all day, but I just came up short.”
Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Jesse Ansley rode a consistent race to eighth overall. Meanwhile, Beta USA’s Jonathan Johnson topped KTMmounted Steve Nicholas to finish ninth overall and win the NE Pro 2 division.
The Women’s Elite class championship came down to the final race in Alabama after AmPro Yamaha’s Rachel Archer topped Enduro Engineering/Fly Racing
KTM’s Mackenzie Tricker by less than a second at the previous round in Oklahoma, leaving the two in a situation where whichever one took the win in Alabama would be the series champ.
Archer won the first test by five seconds. However, Tricker won the remaining four tests to take the win and the title.
“Obviously, I lost in Oklahoma by 0.6 of a second, so I had three weeks to think about that,” said Tricker. “This weekend I had to win to win the championship. Same with Rachel. I didn’t win the first test, but I only lost by five seconds so that’s like a win in itself for me since I always start slow. I got arm pump in that test and I also had just a bunch of problems with lappers. I broke a shroud. I hit a tree. There was a lot going on in test one. Then the rest of the day, I just kind of relaxed and started just trying to do good. I was able to win the championship, so I’m stoked.”
The title was Tricker’s fourth in a row. A record twenty-seven riders
lined up to contest the Futures class, and Sherco’s Riley Binder came away with the 2022 championship after taking a second-place finish behind James Jenkins in Alabama.
Scott Boyer, meanwhile, won the Beta Cup Championship with a second place finish in the 45 A class behind Matt Stavish and took home a brand new Beta from Beta USA for his efforts. The AA class was won by Gavin Sievenpiper (KTM) ahead of Trevor Maley (KTM) and Silas Morris (Hon).
Jhak Walker topped the 250A division, while Chase Landers (Hsq) and Ryan Piper (Hon) were second and third.
1. Josh Toth (KTM)
2. Ricky Russell (GG)
3. Craig DeLong (HSQ)
4. Thad DuVall (HSQ)
5. Evan Smith (BET)
6. Ryder Lafferty (GG)
7. Grant Baylor (GG)
8. Jesse Ansley (KTM)
9. Jonathan Johnson (BET)
10. Steve Nicholas (KTM)
1. Mackenzie Tricker (KTM)
2. Rachael Archer (YAM)
3. Tayler Bonecutter (BET)
4. Madison Allen (KAW)
5. Ashlee Applewhite (KTM)
Round 13 - Yamaha Racing Ironman
Crawfordsville, IN
October 24, 2022
The Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, concluded the 2022 season yesterday, October 23, 2022, at Ironman Raceway with the Yamaha Racing Ironman GNCC.
As the green flag flew Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing’s Ricky Russell would earn the $250 XC1
All Balls Racing Holeshot Award. Russell would hold the lead from start to finish as he came through with over a forty second lead on the rest of the field.
AmPro Yamaha’s Steward Baylor would make his way into the second place position after starting back in fourth on the opening lap. Baylor would continue to push, but he was unable to catch Russell to make a pass for the lead. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig DeLong rounded out the top three overall finishers at the last round of 2022. DeLong would make the pass for third at the halfway point and would continue to push until the checkered flag flew.
Coming through in fourth was the newest XC1 Open Pro racer, Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jonathan Girroir. Girroir would start back in the sixth place position, but he would make this passes and move into fourth as the white flag flew. Motoary and Chrissy Route Racing’s Tom Knight came from Great Britain to try his hand at GNCC Racing and would come away with a top five finish on the day.
FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Josh Toth was battling for a podium position before a mechanical issue would sideline him for the remainder of the race. However, he would still earn a sixth place finish in the class. Factory GASGAS Racing’s Giacomo Redondi who hails from Italy rode under the Coastal Racing tent for the season finale, finishing seventh in the XC1 class. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thad Duvall was having a good start to the race, running second on the opening lap, but a on track incident left a hole in his radiator and ultimately ended his day.
Grabbing the early lead in the XC2 250 Pro class was Babbitt’s Online/ Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Lyndon Snodgrass. As the race continued on Snodgrass would continue to hold the lead over the rest of the field. Snodgrass would cross the line first, earning the last win of the season. Snodgrass, who earned the XC2 Championship, will
wear the number one plate for the class next season. Coming through to earn second in the class was Tely Energy KTM Racing’s Liam Draper as he battled with Phoenix Honda Racing’s Ruy Barbosa. Barbosa would make the pass on Draper, but Draper would soon make the pass back and hold second until the checkered flag flew. Barbosa would hold onto third in the class.
In the FMF XC3 125cc Pro-Am class it was Devore Racing/ Action Extreme Sports/Civiello Construction’s Dakoda Devore earning his first win of the season in the class. Devore would work his way up to the lead after a fourth place start to the day in Indiana. Coming through second was Husqvarna/Fly Racing/Coppersmith Racing’s Jake Froman. Froman and Devore would battle back-and-forth for the lead, but Froman would be unable to make the pass stick on the last lap. Rounding out the top three in the FMF XC3 class was Liqui Moly Beta Factory Racing’s Jason Lipscomb.
Earning the last Top Amateur honor of the 2022 season was Kawasaki Team Green’s Joseph Cunningham who came through 8th overall and taking the 250 A class win. In second was Cooper Jones with a 10th overall and second in the 250 A class, while Michael Delosa earned third overall on the Top Amateur podium with a 14th overall and third in the 250 A class.
As the WXC class took off it was AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer grabbing the $100 WXC Trail Jesters Holeshot Award. However, it wouldn’t take long for the Rockstar Husqvarna/Surge Off-Road Coaching Team’s Tayla Jones to make the pass for the lead. Jones and Archer were tied for the points, it was a winner take all situation for the National Championship.
Jones would continue to hold the lead, while Archer was hot on her heels as the race wore on. Then as the white flag flew it was Archer coming through the finish line first with Jones twelve seconds behind her. Archer would continue to push to place a gap over Jones, and when the checkered flag flew it was Archer holding that number one position to earn the WXC National Championship. Jones would come through second while Raines Riding University/Yamaha’s Prestin Raines would battle throughout the day to earn her first WXC podium with a third in the class.
Due to the high number of riders, the morning amateur racing at Ironman has continued to be split into two races. In the 8 am amateur race it was Austin Franklin coming through in the Warrior class to earn the overall win followed by Matt Modic in second overall and in the Warrior class. Rounding out the top three overall finishers in the morning was the 250 C Schoolboy racer, Keihin Rupp.
The youth bike racers would have an amended schedule and race on Saturday evening after the pro ATV race. A new winner emerged as Canyon Richards made the move up to the YXC1 Super Mini Sr. class. Richards, who earned the win in the 85 (12-13) class, would come through to earn the youth overall win and YXC1 class win. Sawyer Carratura and Van Gosselin came through to earn second and third overall and in the YXC1 class.
Then in the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. class it was Brody Amos coming through to earn the class win over Ryan Amancio and Doc Smith who rounded out the top three. In the 85 (12-13) it was Landon Barker earning the win, while Ethan Harwell came through to take the win in the 85 Big Wheel (12-15) class. The 85 (7-11) class win went to Colton McQuarrie. Then in the 65 (10-11) class it was Travis Lentz earning the win, while Deegan Caplinger battled to win the 65 (9) class. The Girls Sr. (12-15) class saw Ellie Winland take the win, while Paisley Harris came through to earn the Girls Jr. (8-11) class win. Then it was Landon Bauman earning the Trail Rider (7-15) class win.
GNCC Racing will host the Annual Night of Champions on December 10 and 11 in Morgantown, West Virginia at the Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place. Friday evening will be dedicated to the top 10 ATV, ATV Micro 50cc finishers and eMTB top 10 finishers in each championship class, while Saturday evening celebrates the top 10 Bike racers, and the Bike Micro 50cc finishers in each championship class. In addition to the trophy presentation, the top 5 in each class will receive contingency item prizes from our Series Sponsors.
The banquet will also feature an array of Specialty Awards, including Rider of the Year, Kurt Caselli Foundation Good Steward Award, Sponsor of the Year and more.
1. Ricky Russell (GG)
2. Steward Baylor Jr (YAM)
3. Craig DeLong (HSQ)
4. Lyndon Snodgrass (KAW)
5. Liam Draper (KTM)
6. Ruy Barbosa (HON)
7. Ryder Lafferty (GG)
8. JoJo Cunningham (KAW)
9. Benjamin Herrera (KAW)
1. Rachael Archer (YAM)
2. Tayla Jones (HSQ)
3. Prestin Raines (YAM)
4. Kayla O'Neill (KAW)
5. Taylor Johnston (KTM)
6. Sheryl Hunter (HSQ)
7. Elizabeth Perez (HSQ)
XC1 OPEN PRO
1. Jordan Ashburn (267 pts)
2. Craig DeLong (225 pts)
3. Ricky Russell (181 pts)
XC2 250 PRO
1. Lyndon Snodgrass (291 pts)
2. Ryder Lafferty (229 pts)
3. Ruy Barbosa (219 pts)
XC3 125 PRO-AM
1. Brody Johnson (280 pts)
2. Zack Hayes (263 pts)
3. Jake Froman (213 pts)
WXC
1. Rachael Archer (293 pts)
2. Tayla Jones (285 pts)
3. Korie Steede (261 pts)
OPEN A
1. Cole Whitmer (178 pts)
2. Neil Enman (175 pts)
3. Tanner Whipple (152 pts)
OPEN B
1. John Wood (177 pts)
2. Austin Hovatter (174 pts)
3. Dylan Fleming (155 pts)
250A
1. Grant Davis (171 pts)
2. Michael Delosa (160 pts)
3. Trevor Maley (159 pts)
250 B
1. Andrew Enman (175 pts)
2. Caleb Hines (167 pts)
3. Caleb Lane (164 pts)
150 A
1. Jhak Walker (172 pts)
2. Toby Cleveland (171 pts)
3. Brady Weimer (164 pts)
150 B
1. Owen Barnes (178 pts)
2. Robert Weiss (170 pts)
3. Ranger Emmons (157 pts)
4-STROKE A LITES
1. Lane Whitmer (177 pts)
2. Cole Forbes (174 pts)
3. Mitchell Owenby (154 pts)
4-STROKE B LITES
1. Dakota Cunningham (177 pts)
2. Nicholas Thompson (163 pts)
3. Landon Beatty (161 pts)
JUNIOR A (25+)
1. Brady Myers (178 pts)
2. Andrew Boggs (168 pts)
3. Bradyn Mohr (154 pts)
VET A (30+)
1. Shane Obanion (166 pts)
2. Robby Norwood (162 pts)
3. Danny Haftl (157 pts)
JUNIOR B (25+)
1. Benjamin Fricks (173 pts)
2. Ryan Miller (166 pts)
3. Jon Bottomy (141 pts)
VET B (30+)
1. Julio Lubiana (180 pts)
2. Ryan Ford (168 pts)
3. Brian Rzeszotarski (162 pts)
SENIOR A (40+)
1. Joe Marsh (180 pts)
2. Frank Messina (172 pts)
3. Shawn Remington (163 pts)
SENIOR B (40+)
1. Cody Hosta (176 pts)
2. Joselton Ramos (173 pts)
3. Dave Younglas (163 pts)
words and photos courtesy of the LAND FAMILY (DUSTIN, SHAWNA, DALTON, AND RYON)
Hello everyone!
The Land Family would like to start off by giving a massive thanks to Adrian and Mandy Lewis and Bill Merritt of Lewisport USA and Vertigo Motors USA. The amazing few months Ryon and Dalton spent in Spain this summer was kicked off by the events Adrian, Mandy and Bill put in motion.
Shortly before rounds 3 and 4 of the NATC national trials schedule in Northern California, Vertigo Motors USA organized a Vertigo Customer appreciation day for anyone who
owned a Vertigo trials bike. Between the Vertigo Factory and Vertigo Motors USA, travel plans were made to bring over the Number One Vertigo Factory Rider, Jaime Busto who is also the Spanish Champion and second in the World GP. Jaime’s minder, Àlex Solà, fellow rider Yohito Takeda, and Vertigo Export Manager, Daniel Regas, also made the journey.
Approximately 60 Vertigo owners got to spend the day at the beautiful Lombardi Ranch location watching and riding side by side with Jaime Busto and the entire Vertigo USA National team.
After riding, everyone was treated to a fantastic lunch and there was the opportunity for a photo session with Jaime and the USA team.
This took massive effort and thanks to Adrian, Mandy and Bill and many more people, this event was a huge success, thanks guys!
During the Vertigo Customer Appreciation Day, Ryon Land was also able to ride side by side with Jaime. Jaime, Alex, and Daniel quickly took notice of Ryon and expressed that they saw lots of potential in him. Their interest in him was discussed with Adrian, Mandy
,and Bill of Vertigo USA and the wheels were put in motion resulting in a rather spontaneous trip to Spain for Ryon and older brother, Dalton. The boys departed for Spain shortly after the last NATC rounds in Minnesota. The goal of the trip to Spain was to give Ryon the chance to test his skills against the best riders in Spain in his age category (Juvenile A class). In addition, it would give Ryon and Dalton the opportunity to train alongside some of the best trials riders in the world. The trip started off with a fantastic visit to the factory and a tour of their
facilities and a meet and greet with factory workers. In addition, Ryon picked up a brand-new Vertigo JBR 125cc that he would use during his time in Spain, again many thanks to the Vertigo Factory and Vertigo USA for organizing this special bike for Ryon. With his new bike fully prepared, Ryon was able to get down to business and managed to get in a few practice sessions on the new bike in preparation for his first competition.
The trial was to take place at the fantastic Noassar training facility, which is the home training grounds
for the entire Vertigo Factory Team. This property is also the location for the fantastic Hotel PUIG which is used by visitors from all over the world as they come to either watch world GP trial events or ride on the 1,000 plus acre property which is trials heaven.
The results of this first trial shocked everyone as Ryon alongside minder, and older brother Dalton, proved to make an excellent team and were able take first place in Ryon’s first Spanish event by a single point. This fantastic result really got everyone’s attention around the paddock and seemed to be the talk of the event,
however there were also grumblings around the paddock of the American getting lucky!
With a few weeks break between events, Ryon and Dalton started training; they spent a large portion of their time living with Àlex and were taken to the daily practice sessions with Jaime and Àlex, which also included other world class riders such as Pau Martinez, Pablo Suarez, Alex Canales and Jeroni Fajardo to name a few. Many thanks again Jaime and Àlex!
Vertigo Motors owner, Manel Jane, was also gracious enough to open
up his home for the boys to stay at, giving them the opportunity to train on the famous Noassar grounds every day, which the boys very much appreciate and are very thankful for, Thanks Manel for your generous hospitality !
The boys also spent time training with trials training legend David Sanchez and his trials team at DSB Trial, where they were training hard with one-on-one coaching and practicing twice a day.
After many days of solid training, it was time to head to Poblodura, Spain, for the next two rounds of the Spanish Championship.
The Lands showed up ready for battle and proved to everyone that the first event win was no mistake. Team Land put up outstanding results both days with Ryon claiming the win both days by a more than a 10-point advantage each day. They were ecstatic about their results and rightfully so as no one expected this!
In addition to the Spanish Championship rounds, both the boys were able to compete in two of what the Spanish call “fun trials,” meaning that they were standalone two-day events that were not part of any championship. These were the two days of Camprodon 2TK as well as the two days of Arinsal in Andorra.
These two events are very similar to the Ute Cup held here in the United States. There were a few slight differences - there were rider classes (top line is red, middle line is blue and easy line is yellow), there were no age categories, and the trial followed Scottish Six Day “no stop” rules. The first of these two events in Camprodon proved to be a challenging ride for the Lands as the transition to “no stop” was harder than they imagined. Ryon and brother Dalton both competed in the Blue category, Ryon finished respectably in 17th overall and Dalton 7th overall out of a 50-rider field at the 2TK of Camprodon. The second of these events in Arinsal, Andorra, had over 250 competitors, with more than 100 riders in their class and had the boys riding across mountain peaks and crazy creeks deep in the Andorra forest. Ryon was able to put together a solid performance to claim a 19th place finish and Dalton put together an impressive ride claiming 2nd overall by just one mark off the win! The Andorra event marked the end of a two-month trip full of amazing experiences, meeting fantastic people, and making new friends in addition to incredible training and awesome competition! We couldn’t be more thankful to everyone that contributed in all ways!
The Land Family would like to give an enormous and heart felt thank you to all the people who supported
and or donated, as well as all of our sponsors, Vertigo Motors, Vertigo Motors USA, Lewisport USA, MotoLand Trialsport, Hammer Nutrition, Global Racing Oil, Dunlop and Comas Trial. In addition, we want to extend a personal Big Thank you to Jaime Busto, Àlex Solà, Daniel Regas, Manel Jane, Adrian and Mandy Lewis, Bill Merritt, and David Sanchez.
Also, many thanks to the American Trials community who, through a GoFund Me account and many personal donations, contributed a great deal to help fund this effort.
It took an army of people and support to make this all happen, and without all of you, two brothers from Kansas never would have been able to live out their biggest dream!
Thanks again, The Land’s!
The GEICO AMA EnduroCross Championship Series visited Reno, Nevada for the championship round of the 2022 series. Beta rider, Jonny Walker, narrowly clinched the EX Pro Series championship in his first year with 137 points. Red Bull KTM racer, Trystan Hart, finished second in the series with 134 points ahead of FactoryONE Sherco racer, Cody Webb in third with 125 points.
As expected, the championship title race came down to the final moto in a thriller between Hart and Walker. Hart went 6-1-1 across the three motos, but ultimately his first moto finish would hurt him as Walker went 3-2-2 in the series which landed him in second overall on the night with Hart taking the third spot overall for Round 6. Webb took the top spot on the podium for the final round, after finishing 1-3-3, giving him the overall series edge over GasGas Factory Rider, Taddy Blazusiak, who finished sixth on the night, and fourth in the series overall.
To kickstart round six, the defending champion and Rockstar Husqvarna racer, Colton Haaker, set the fastest hot-lap time to set the starting order for the first of three motos with a time of 59.768. Webb had the second-fastest time of 1:00.194. Blazusiak took the third fastest hot
lap at 1:02.050. Hart would get the fourth fastest time and Walker had the sixth.
Haaker started off moto one strong with the Moose Holeshot and an early lead, ahead of Walker and Webb. Hart would crash in the early laps of the moto leading to his sixthplace finish in moto one. Haaker and Webb battled for the top spot for the duration of the race. On the last lap, Webb started pushing the envelope looking for opportunities to cut inside to pass Haaker for the lead. The aggressiveness would pay off when Haaker went wide on one of the final turns into the rock garden, Webb dodged inside and narrowly took the lead away. He would hang on through the final turn of the track to take the checkered flag first in moto one. Haaker finished second ahead of Walker in third, Will Riordan in fourth and Ryder Leblond in fifth.
The second moto inverts the sixteen riders’ finish positions from race one for gate picks, so the top eight riders start on the second row. Beta racer, Tim Apolle, would take the early lead out of the gate ahead of Webb, Hart and Walker. Webb would take the lead from Apolle early on only to have it taken from him by Hart in the third lap. Walker would capitalize on Webb not soon after Hart did and move into second place in lap three as well. Walker and Hart spent the remainder of the race neck-andneck for the top spot, with Walker
making multiple attempts to take the lead away from Hart, getting close a handful of times. Ultimately Hart would prevail and take the first-place finish in moto two. Walker would come in second and Webb in third.
In an ending fitting to the extreme talent and competition we have witnessed this season, the series championship title came down to the last moto of the last round. Walker and Hart lined up for the final gate drop of the season knowing what had to be done to secure the number one title. Walker would take the lead when the gate dropped and hang on to it for the first two laps with Hart right on his heels and he would pass Walker for the lead by the third lap. Hart rode well in moto three making it hard for Walker to gain much ground on him, but Walker maintained the second-place spot not too far behind the entire race. For Hart to have won the series, he would have needed for Webb to pass Walker and take second place in the moto, and it was not out of the question with Webb riding aggressively all night as he looked to gain ground on Walker as the race went on. Ultimately Walker would hang on to the second-place spot in the moto which was all he needed to claim the championship title to cap off an incredible season of racing for his rookie EnduroCross season.
The sixth and final round of racing was as exciting as expected to cap off an incredible series of the most talented racers in the sport who produced the best racing an EnduroCross series has ever seen.
For the night’s overall results, Haaker finished fourth with 2-4-5 moto finishes. Abbott came in fifth overall with 7-5-6 moto finishes. Blazusiak finished sixth overall ahead of Riordan who took seventh. LeBlond came in eighth overall ahead Tim Apolle in ninth. Ty Cullins came in tenth overall.
"Absolutely stoked to win the championship at the final round," said Walker. "It’s been a tough battle but we made it happen. I can’t thank my sponsors enough for standing by me after my surgeries, it means so much."
“It was another learning experience tonight, just not what I wanted,” Haaker said. “The pieces are there, I just have to put it all together and come back stronger next year. It's just more motivation. You know, you win a couple times in a row and then and then you take a big loss, and then you have the motivation to get back up there.”
"That was a great way to finish the series," exclaimed Cody Web! "Moto one was the highlight of the series for me. I was stalking Haaker all moto and was able to stick my front end in on the second to last corner and hold him off for the moto win. From there, I knew I had to ride smoothly and smartly to have my chance at the overall. I didn't want to be a factor in with the guys (Hart and Walker) who were only a point apart, but I also knew I had to stay
out front for a chance at the win. Overall, I had three consistent motos that got me to my goal." concluded Webb.
In the Women’s Pro class, Shelby Turner won the race and secured her sixth Series Championship title, the most ever in the history of the sport. Rachel Gutish would take the second spot on the night and in the series, as Louise Forsley would take third overall in the series and on the night.
Brandon Petrie won the Expert class main event ahead of Anthony Jonson in second and Daniel BlancGonnet in third. Nick Tolman won the Expert Series Overall ahead of Dustin Hedwall in second and Spenser Wilton in third.
The intermediate class main event and series overall was won by Coleman Johnson ahead of Braxton Hintze in second on the night, and overall, and Jack Williford in third for both the night and overall as well.
David Kamo won the Veterans class in Round 6 and Overall in an exciting battle with Tyler Kinkade, who finished second on the night and in the series. Ryan Gouveia would come in third in both the overall and the night’s event too.
The Novice class was won by Austin Daniels. Ray Amos came in second and Fernando Pascal in third. Amos
would claim the series overall in Novice ahead of Pascal in second and Michael Taylor in third.
Jack Williford won the Junior class, which is limited to riders that are 12 to 17 years of age. Braxton Hintze came in second place ahead of Riley Bender in third. Williford would also take the Junior Series Overall title with Hintze in second and Fernando Pascal in third.
1. Jonny Walker (BET)
2. Trystan Hart (KTM)
3. Cody Webb (SHE)
4. Taddy Blazusiak (GG)
5. Colton Haaker (HSQ)
6. Cooper Abbott
7. Ryder LeBlond
8. Tim Apolle
9. Will Riordan
10. Max Gerston
1. Shelby Turner (KTM)
2. Rachel Gutish (GG)
3. Louise Forsley (SHE)
4. Hallie Marks
5. Erin Foley
6. Allie Stambaugh
The end of October brought the annual crowd-favorite Granogue, DE, trials event, hosted by both the MidAtlantic Vintage Trials and Tri-State Trialers groups. Located at the beautiful duPont estate, the event spans the picturesque facility, providing a lovely end to yet another riding season.
An outstanding 80 riders showed up for the one-day event, and were treated to some of the most perfect riding conditions seen this year. Sections were set up with a very vintage feel using red and blue ribbon to denote section direction (keep the red ribbon on your right), with lines ranging from "0" as the most difficult, to "4" as the easiest. Scores were extremely close in all classes; many positions were merely a single point different, or came down to a tie-breaker, determined only by which rider had a greater number of clean rides.
In the Vintage One class, Lewie Bolopue had yet another reason to enjoy his first year of retirement, taking the win on the day with only 10 points. Scott Merrick and Adam Stelmack tied with 52 points, with
On the previous page, Kevin Willis and his army of Halloween spiders!
Merrick taking the higher position with 11 cleans to Stelmack's nine.
Lewie's son, Logan, would take the win in the Modern Zero class, only a few points ahead of competitor Nick Fonzi. Casey Bollinger would round out the podium, only a single point ahead of Devin Hightman in fourth place.
The Modern Two and Modern Three classes would have the most riders on the day. Jay Wills had an outstanding ride in Modern Two, probably from harnessing his bumblebee power, only taking a single point in each of his loops and easily securing the win. Eric Stark would see second place with six points, with Kevin Willis, who was
showing lots of Halloween spirit, would finish close behind in third place.
In the Modern Three class, Matt Brown took the win only three points ahead of his competition. John Gunderson and Brian Donovan tied with 19 points; Gunderson would squeak by with the win thanks to two more clean rides than Donovan.
As a sports photographer, I love getting great action shots that showcase some very talented individuals. Even more, I love when those individuals have ideas for very unique photoshoots. So when Sherco's Will Myers brought up the idea of recreating some old photos, I was all in. Will's firstever trials event was exactly 10
years ago at the Granogue trials here at the duPont facility. We found the section Young Will was photographed in (apologies for not being able to identify the photographer), grabbed the same bike (a 1974 Yamaha TY 80) and the same gear (at least most of it), and set to work.
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The fifth and final event of the 2022 SEER hard enduro series was held at the Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, Tennessee. The picturesque landscape and the challenging topography suggested a race full demands and ambitions at the highest level.
The 125 racers who came on Halloween weekend were not disappointed. They were embraced with beautiful southern Fall weather – sunshine and temperatures in the mid 60s.
The course was tough but rideable due to the drought in the weeks leading up to the race. A day of rain during the days leading up to the race turned the previously dusty trails into well-packed dirt. A mix of steep ascents and descents as well as technical single track let every rider’s heart beat faster as they attempted to complete as many laps as possible in the four-hour time limit.
Gold and Silver rider had to tackle sections like ‘The Wash’, ‘Easy
Creek’ and ‘The Uphill’ in the Red Bull staging area, known from the TKO race. The infamous ‘Wash’ proved to be a gnarly uphill obstacle. Racers had their hands full to make it up the washed-out ruts which did not always provide too much traction. Once they made it to the Red Bull staging area they had spectators cheering for them. Being within walking distance from the pits makes it a perfect spot for spectators. Encouraging cheers helped racers to tackle one of the hardest uphills of the race.
After four hours Nick Fahringer finished ahead of Greg Nolf and Frank Atwell. The Silver 16-34y class winner was Creed Kisling, the Silver 35+ win went to Thad Huff. The
podium of the Bronze 16-34y class went to Robert Isales, Matt Adams won Bronze 35+, and Reid McCord secured his Iron class win.
The SEER hard enduro series consist of five races in the South East region, where racers accumulate points per place on each event.
In each race, the top 30 finishers of each class collect points. The SEER classes in 2022 were Gold, Silver 16-34y, Silver 35+, Bronze 16-34y, Bronze 35+ and Iron. This is a best four out of five series which means the race with the least points is excluded from the ranking.
Nick Fahringer won the title for the second time. After winning in 2020,
he came back and secured his second victory. He is followed by the American Hard Enduro podcast host Drew Kirby, and a SEER racer who advanced from the Silver class, Greg Nolf.
Overall, more than 300 different hard enduro enthusiasts showed up at a SEER event and were included in the series ranking.
Overall/ Gold: Nick Fahringer
Silver 16-34y: Creed Kisling
Silver 35+: Adam Tripp
Bronze 16-34y: Roberto Isales
Bronze 35+: Jeff Doane
Iron: Reid McCord