June 2024 On the Pegs Magazine

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25 YEARS OF INNOVATION

1999

Graham Jarvis

Rides His Sherco

2.5 to Victory at the Scottish Six Days Trial, the Most Grueling Trials Event in the World.

25 YEARS

SHERCO’S HISTORY OF INNOVATION HAS KEPT RIDERS ON TOP OF THE PODIUM

Team Sherco takes Multiple Podiums at the Scottish Six Days Trial! Jack Price P1 | Jack Peace P2 | Dan Peace P5 | Arnau Farre P11 (Top Non Uk Rider) | Emma Bristow with her 12th P1 Woman | Harry Turner P2 125cc Class | Sherco Top Team With Jack, Jack, and Arnau.

YEARS OF WINNING.

PODIUM FOR OVER 25 YEARS.

CONTENTS FEATURED ARTICLES

PG 30 - 10 MIN WITH TOBY MARTYN

PG 18 - TEAM TRIAL STORE USA

PG 56 - ERZBERGRODEO

PG 110 - CHEROKEE NATIONAL ENDURO

PG 46 - ENDURO GP - ROMANIA

PG 98 - USSE - HIGH VOLTAGE

ON THE COVERRockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Korie Steede led from start to finish at the Mason-Dixon GNCC in Mt. Morris, PA

photo by Mack Faint

DEPARTMENTS

Observing the Trials and Enduro community with a single-track mind.

PUBLISHER/EDITOR

Steph Vetterly

ADVERTISING

Steph Vetterly

stephanie@onthepegsmagazine.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Brian Pierce // Seat Time

Alex Niederer // Trial Store USA

Bernie Schreiber

Pole Position Communications

Future7Media

Kayla Bolton

Mack Faint

Ken Hill

Jenny Keller PHotography

Shan Moore

Logan Densmore

why you should expect adversity

words BRIAN PIERCE // SEAT TIME

The 2024 Cross Timbers Enduro is the second race of the Black Jack Enduro Championship. It’s held on the OHV Trails around Stanley Draper Lake in Oklahoma City. It’s fast, it’s flowy, and it leaves red dirt on your gear and bike for the rest of it’s life.

I was on row 28 with Zach Ingram and Gage Alexander. I’ve been enjoying being mixed in with the regional AA racers because of the pace they carry. As you saw at Red Canyon Enduro, if I can lock into a flow state, I can carry a quick pace. It’s when I get in my head and overthink the trail and bike that issues arise. That’s the mental side of racing that I wanted to talk about; Expect Adversity.

CROSS TIMBERS ENDURO

EXPECT ADVERSITY

The concept of expecting adversity is helpful because it sets the playing field that there is no such thing as perfect. As enduro racers, we don’t know what the trail ahead has in store for us. So we shouldn’t create a story in our head that we won’t make mistakes, and that we’re never going to falter. If we prepare ourselves mentally that problems can arise, we’re more prepared for them when they do.

When I hit that tree in the second test section, I felt my confidence collapse. I had done it again. I was keeping up, carrying a fast pace, but that pace was challenging and I was overriding. For a mistake to happen at that pace for me makes complete sense, and I shouldn’t have been expecting perfection. As I

picked myself up off the ground and grabbed the bike, I started reminding myself that mistakes happen, and it’s ok that it happened to you. I needed to “pull the mental tear off” and start moving forward again, not living in the past.

My bars were mangled, so I did have to take another quick stop to straighten them out. By this point row 29 was on me, which again, is expected since I took a dirt sample that took awhile to recover from. The

A Open racer on row 29, Brandon

Atchley, had a white helmet on. I locked in on that helmet and did my damndest to keep it in my sights. I had a hell of a lot of fun following his roost through the test, and though he did eventually drop me, I enjoyed the pull and the separation from the thoughts of the crash.

Overall the race wasn’t spectacular for me. The bike was having issues all day. It would never “open up”, feeling as though the power value wouldn’t open. This never cleared up. I also took too long to add some

compression clicks to the front forks, as I was diving all over the place in the rollercoaster style single track. But the day getting seat time was awesome. I felt great by the end of the last test, still having plenty of energy for more miles if they had been offered.

EXCITED FOR MORE ENDURO RACING!

I learned a lot about myself during this race, as I always hope to do when I challenge myself. I overcame the adversity that plagued the bike and the crash with an unmovable tree. I also know I have work to do, and I’m excited to do it. Following a race season again is nerve racking. I’m constantly thinking ahead, while

also trying to stay present in the moment. I’m glad I’ve challenged myself with a new race series following BJEC this year. Who knows what the White Rock Enduro is going to bring, but I know it’ll be a damn good time riding dirt bikes!

• Full Service HeadquartersMotorcycle We sell Gas Gas, Sherco, Beta, Montesa & Scorpa

2024 SCHEDULE

March 1-3: Downhill Southeast Mountain Bike Race

March 16-17: Trials Training Days

June 22-23: NATC Mototrials National Rd 3 & 4

June 24-27: Family Camp

June 28-30: AMA/NextGen Mototrials Youth & Women's Regional Championship

August 2-25: TKO: 14th Annual Red Bull Kenda Tennessee Knock Out Extreme Enduro

October 12-13: 32nd Annual 58K Fall Trial (STRA)

December 7: Toy Trial

* All dates are subject to change

GASGAS TECH TALKS

New for 2024 is a brand-new GASGAS video series focusing on the technical side of dirt bikes. Something we like to call – GASGAS Tech Talks!

Breaking down various components, what they are, and how they work, as well as guiding you through things like suspension set-up, there really is something for everyone. So, what are you waiting for? Take a moment to start watching and learning!

TALKS

CLICK TO WATCH THE VIDEO

Readily available as a Technical Accessory, the Map Select Switch really transforms the performance of every 4-stroke GASGAS motocross bike. In this video, the Map Select Switch’s features, including launch control, traction control, the engine maps, and the quickshifter functionality are all explained. After watching, you’ll definitely want one!

Plus, find our why it´s fitted standard on our MC 125…

2024 TRIALS TEAM

For 2024, you'll find a new team on the National Mototrials Series' rosterTeam Trial Store USA. This team has been a long time in the making, and Team Founder, Alex Niederer, took some time to tell On the Pegs all about it's creation and plan for the current season.

OTP : Tell us how Team Trial Store USA got started? Why did you decide to have a team this year?

ALEX: It's been many years in the making; I’ve always wanted to but never really pulled the trigger. I’ve never had the time or opportunity to do it. This team is something that Ron Lee, my brother, Andi, and I had always talked about. So I talked to my dad, Tom, and my wife, Kaitlyn, and we thought now is as good a time as any time to do it. Ron Lee was a big part of committing to this. Knowing he was on board to be at the events to be the team’s mechanic and run part of the show and, that's, that's kind of how it all came together.

Ron and Kaitlyn are co-Team Managers at the events. My focus and responsibility is still fully with the Beta Factory Team. Kaitlyn will be in charge of making sure all of our riders are taken care of from a nutritional/snack/hydration hydration side, and also doing all the social media stuff.

Ron's been instrumental in getting all the tools, bikes, stands, toolboxes and pointing me in the right direction of what else we're going to need. He's also going to be in charge of making sure that everybody's bikes are prepped and ready. We'll obviously be there for support during the weekend if anything were to go wrong and they need assistance.

KYLIE GLUECK, ARIZONA 2024

Not only that, we offer the same for anybody on any brand to come in and we will do what we can to help them. We carry parts for multiple brands; . We only carry OEM for Beta and Vertigo, but we carry a lot of aftermarket stuff, and Ron's there to help people. If anybody needs help, they're welcome to come and see us.

OTP : Walk me through how you decided who was going to make up your team for this year?

ALEX: You know, it's easy to go out and be like, “hey, do you want to ride for me,” but you really want to find the the right people to represent your business and what you're trying to achieve.

We initially started with wanting to get some younger generation riders in because those are the people who are going to be the fuel for our sport in years to come, which is why we approached Preston Blumhorst and Kylie Glueck. They're both in our development side of things. Preston is riding the Junior Sportsman line, and Kylie is riding the Clubwoman line; they’re both on a 2024 Beta 125.

Then we've got my brother, Andi, which was a pretty obvious choice. He's going to be only doing the East Coast events; he'll be riding the Expert line for us. Then we've got Andy Saum, who will be riding the entire series in the Senior 50 class.

We've got two more riders that are on a downsized support program: Steve McNeil on the east coast riding the Expert Sportsman line, and Kevin Murphy out of California riding Senior 50.

The ultimate goal was to give the younger generation an opportunity to move forward. Kylie and Preston were the two who stood out to me that I feel are going to take advantage of the opportunity and really make a splash on the series this year. I would be happy to have more youth riders, but they need to be the right youth riders. I'm happy for any youth riders to come in and approach me for an opportunity in the future, but I need to know these individuals and I need to know what their values are, what they're trying to achieve, and why they're riding for me to get a full picture of whether I think that they will take advantage of the opportunity.

I know both Preston and Kylie will; they’re both from families with past experiences in trials. Preston's dad, Adam, is a former and current rider. He's involved in the NATC, FIM, and AMA. Kylie is the youngest of two other national champions in that household, her brother, Max, and sister, Hailey. There's a lot of potential there, and they know what it takes to do it.

Kylie's extremely motivated. I don't think I've seen anybody bend as many levers as I've seen her do. So

ANDI NIEDERER, FLORIDA 2023

ANDY SAUM, ARIZONA 2024

she's definitely trying. That's one thing that stuck with me; people say if you're not breaking parts, you're not trying hard enough. I'm kind of the point where I try not to break parts because that usually means I was in the dirt somewhere. [laughs]

I'm a believer in school. I finished all my schooling, I went to college, I finished my degree. All of that is important because at the end of the day, there are a very, very finite amount of people who actually make a living with trials. To me, it's important they focus on what's after trials and use trials as what keeps them going.

Obviously, results are important, but the results are not the end all be all. As I said, for me, it's more important that they use this opportunity and enjoy it and do as well as they can in trials. But ultimately, the possibility of making a living in trials is so small. I'd much rather they focus on life past trials and use trials as their hobby, much like I do.

The nice thing about doing this team thing is it's giving me something within trials that is not the the norm that I do every day. It's been a really, really nice distraction.

clubwoman ROUND 1/2 RESULTS: ARIZONA

SATURDAY:

1. Kylie Glueck - 9 pts

2. Anna Taylor - 33 pts

3. Theresa Wrublik - 56 pts

SUNDAY:

1. Kylie Glueck - 23 pts

2. Anna Taylor - 31 pts

SATURDAY:

1. Andy Saum - 1 pt

2. Mike Diesburg - 5 pts

3. Filip Roos - 9 pts

4. Brian Frank - 20 pts

5. Brian Parriott - 24 pts

6. Alain Vande Walle - 30 pts

7. Matthew Green - 68 pts

senior 50

SUNDAY:

1. Mike Diesburg - 14 pts

2. Andy Saum - 19 pts

3. Alain Vande Walle - 31 pts

4. Brian Frank - 37 pts

5. Brian Parriott - 45 pts

6. Matthew Green - 70 pts

TOBY MARTYN with

words & photos by STEPH VETTERLY

OTP : What got you interested in coming over to ride the NATC this year?

TOBY: My first event here was 2017, and ever since then, I've always wanted to return. I've tried working it out before with TRS and it never came about. I got talking to Martin [Belair] and last year it nearly happened, but it all fell through last minute. This year it was on the cards. The factory was working with Martin and they got everything working together. I'm so happy to be out here; it's just cool. Everything's bigger and better.

OTP : What is it about the United States that you find so fascinating?

TOBY: I think it's just so different. You know, only coming here once before in the past, it makes everything so exciting. Looking at it, everything is so different and you can understand everyone. [laughs] Normally we're in Europe and no one speaks the right language. They don't speak English, we don’t speak Spanish or French or whatever. Coming here, everything's bigger; I think it just surprises you.

OTP : One thing that I noticed seeing you around the pits and around the other riders the last couple of days, you seem to gel very well with everybody here. How have you felt the people here compare to the trials riders that you're used to?

TOBY: I've always been quite an outgoing person. No matter what, I'll talk to anyone. Trials is such a small sport and such a cool

sport, I don't think there's any time for arrogance. I think you've got to be polite, you’ve got to be friendly. We're all here to have fun, you know? We're not here to win loads of money. We're here to ride our bikes and have a good time doing it. Abroad, the Spanish and a lot of the riders in Europe can be quite funny sometimes; they're trying to protect their rides all the time, whereas I don’t know, I've always just been outgoing and I'm always joking around. I get along with everyone here. I’ve met most of the guys here in the Pro class before, and even some from other teams. Everyone's so friendly, which is why I can just be on their level because everyone's wanting to talk about anything. I just enjoy that.

OTP : Being able to ride all around the world, from your perspective, where do you see the sport of trials going?

TOBY: I think trials recently, because of the economic side of it, bike sales have gone downhill, which is a real shame. We’re trying to push it harder and harder, and in Europe it's slowly growing. We’re also trying to grow the Montesa brand there as well at the same time.

The indoor trials are helping with getting trials out there, the same as they've got Supercross in America, we have the X-Trials, which gets

more people into the sport and it's random people. Whereas these outdoor events, most people are trials riders here, you know, they've come for the trials, to ride the trials because they've ridden trials. With the indoors, you're getting new people in. They're following us on Instagram, they're learning about the sport, and then they may go buy a bike. It's introducing more people. I think it'd be good to get more indoor trials and build it up more like Supercross because that has taken over the whole of America.

Even I watch Supercross, it's the coolest thing. It'd be so cool to make trials like that. I think as riders, we're all trying to push it to be like that, especially me. You know, I'm a privateer. As such, I've not got fulltime support in terms of money from the factory. They’re supporting me with bikes, but I want to build the sport and push the sport because that's what we're here for. Hopefully it can get better for us as riders and better for riders in the future as well.

OTP : How do we get spectators out? How do we get people to actually get out to the sections to see what this sport is?

TOBY: I do believe in short courses. I know for riders who enter the trial, it's maybe they want a long ride out and stuff like that, which I do also believe in, but I think it's cool to have

the sections near each other. You can get a spectator watching one section and then go straight to the next section whereas sometimes when you've got a long ride, you know they'll miss three or four sections, and they only get to see a few. I think having the sections close, getting people to see different parts, that's what will make it more applicable to people riding. We have a big problem in Europe with people not being allowed to ride bikes when they go and watch. If you can go and ride on a bike and watch the event, I think that'd be awesome because it just makes it so much more accessible for people.

OTP : What are your goals or your outlook for the season?

TOBY: Yeah I mean this year focuses on American Championship, getting the best results, as well as the World Championship, which has always been a big push for us because that's what gets us the best rides and gets us new contracts all the time. I’ll be pushing that a lot and the X-Trial as well; that's sort of my main focus. I'm also doing the Scottish Six Days.

A massive thank you to to Honda US and Martin for organizing everything, really, and getting me over here, and really pushing for me to come over is really cool. To feel wanted by everyone here feels very nice.

WORLD CHAMPION TRIALS

SCHOOL IN NEWARK, OHIO

words courtesy of BERNIE SCHREIBER photos by STEPH VETTERLY

World Champion and Scottish Six Days Trial winner Bernie Schreiber conducted his ZeroBS two-day Masterclass on June 1st & 2nd in Newark, Ohio at Hangers Trials Facility.

Schreiber, being the most successful Trials rider ever from the USA, shared his wealth of knowledge and experiences overseas with 34 participants attending from five nearby States. The event was supported by Trials Inc, a 50 yearold Trials club founded in 1973 and well-known across the USA.

The Masterclass was open to all skill levels from novice to expert and vintage. The weekend was designed for adult riders, and supported next generation youth riders who received an exclusive session by Schreiber on Saturday afternoon. Schreiber said, “Teaching American youth riders from a young age to set goals and create a plan to reach those goals will pay off for many years to come.”

The weekend event raised $4,200 and all proceeds will be donated to Next Gen MotoTrials Corporation managed by co-founder Adam Blumhorst.

Schreiber treated the 34 participants and 8 youth riders to his structured Masterclass based on lessons learned in becoming a World, National, and Scottish Six Days Trials Champion, but also basic techniques from his book “Observed Trials” by Len Weed.

Sports such as golf were used to benchmark, where direct comparisons become involved. Mastering the sport, hands on riding and the all-important mindset were covered in great detail.

Schreiber said, it’s not just skills and hard work. Everyone at the top level

has great techniques. Your mindset is what makes you the winner or the loser. That’s the only difference.

Learning to ride a Trials bike, is not the same as learning to ride Trials was repeated as he continued to focus on competition successes and practicing with purpose by design.

The best way to practice is to prioritize on the things you need to practice, and knowing which tasks should get top priority, then act to get maximum returns.

The sit-down morning sessions began first before feet on the

pegs riding, by covering the most important aspect of motorcycle trials and the proper stance.

Motorcycle trials has always been a very unique form of off-road riding which requires certain techniques that do not always apply to riding a “normal” dirt bike, especially when it comes to the fundamentals. Many aspects were demonstrated during what Schreiber calls “Impact Zones” throughout two full days of instruction.

Schreiber also covered what gave him an advantage over his rivals, that being the technique which

he introduced and perfected, the floating front wheel turn. Also known as the “Pivot turn”, Schreiber used this to great effect in winning the 1979 World Championship and showed exactly why this technique is just as effective today.

During each day of the school, each individual student was given one on one instruction on the techniques of this challenging sport and an insight into what actually makes a World Champion, with attention to detail, leaving no stone unturned.

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CENTER MESA AZ (480) 642-6686

MD (301) 869-6629 CYCLE WEST PETALUMA CA (707) 769-5242

LIORS MOTO RIDE CORONA CA (951) 415-5668

942-9854

789-0107

VERONA & GARCIA SPLIT WINS IN ROMANIA

words by ENDUROGP

photos by POLE POSITION COMMUNICATIONS & FUTURE7MEDIA

Eleven years since the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship last visited Romania, it was exciting to be back there for round three. Offering a superb mix of terrain and great hosting, the GP of Romania was a welcome addition to the calendar. Riders enjoyed the challenge of the traditional forestbased MAXXIS Enduro Test and the wide-open, full-gas ACERBIS Cross Test.

The AKRAPOVIC Super Test delivered a new winner in 2024.

After Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia won both times out in Portugal, this time we saw TM

MOTO’s Matteo Cavallo take the top spot. The Italian was millimetre-perfect and clocked in a time that not even Garcia could better. With his win, Cavallo moved up to third in the AKRAPOVIC Super Test standings behind Garcia and GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona.

Take a walk through the paddock and it’s clear to see that Fantic Factory Racing have a strong presence. With riders in almost all classes, they are really pushing hard to reach the top of EnduroGP. However, it’s in the Enduro Junior and Enduro Youth categories where they often excel the most. As a manufacturer that provides a platform for young talent to showcase their skills on the world stage, it’s great to see their investments pay off. They currently lead the Enduro Junior category with Axel Semb. His teammate, and 2023 Enduro Youth champion, Kevin Cristino is third in points. Meanwhile, their academy rider Pietro Scardina carded his best result of the year in Enduro Youth in Romania with second.

Day two of the GP of Romania saw Beta Factory Racing’s Brad Freeman return to the podium. The nine-time world champion has endured a rough start to the season. From a hand injury to illness, the odds have been

stacked against the Brit. In Romania, we began to see the best of him again. Although he lies 32 points behind the top three in the EnduroGP standings, an on-form Freeman is sure to play an exciting factor in the remainder of this championship fight.

The Enduro Open riders were out in force in Romania, with a mixture of regular riders and new faces. Belgium’s Tim Louis (Sherco) maintained his lead in the Enduro Opens 2S class, but Czech Republic’s Jiri Hadek (Sherco) broke Louis’ win streak by claiming victory on Sunday.

Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe arrived at the GP of Romania with the EnduroGP gold plate. But throughout the course of the weekend it changed hands. Now it’s the turn of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia to run the leader’s plate at round four in Italy. Despite a strong ride from Holcombe in Bacau, he slipped from first to third in the overall standings. With GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona up to second and entering his home round next time out, we could see the gold plate change hands once again!

At every round of the season so far, we are being treated to incredible battles for victory in

the EnduroGP. Consistently, special tests are being won by tenths of a second. On Sunday’s second POLISPORT Extreme Test the top three riders were separated by just five tenths of a second. With the intensity so high, it seems that those who can best manage their mistakes are the ones who have the best chance of reaching the podium.

The Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues with round four’s POLISPORT GP of Italy on June 21-23.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (AFTER ROUND 3)

ENDURO GP

1. Josep Garcia (KTM)

2. Andrea Verona (GG)

3. Steve Holcombe (HON)

4. Nathan Watson (BET)

5. Brad Freeman (BET)

6. Jamie McCanney (HSQ)

7. Samuele Bernardini (HON)

8. Zachary Pichon (SHR)

9. Matteo Cavallo (TM)

10. Hamish Macdonald (SHR)

DOMINANT VICTORY FOR LETTENBICHLER AT ERZBERGRODEO

RIEJU Factory Racing’s Will Hoare grabbed the holeshot but was immediately overtaken by Germany’s Chris Gunderman (KTM) on the first set of high-speed gravel tracks. There was trouble in the first corner with Trystan Hart (KTM) crashing, which also created a bottleneck for Sherco Factory Racing’s Teodor Kabakchiev and Red Bull Leader Tread’s Wade Young. words and photos courtesy

After an exciting qualification buildup during round two of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, all attention turned to Sunday’s allimportant Red Bull Erzbergrodeo in Austria. With 500 riders taking their start position on the quarry floor, the first row of competitors roared away from the start line at 13.00 CEST.

Entering the first major section, 24MX Wasserleitung, Manuel Lettenbichler disposed of Hoare and Gunderman to take the lead. At that point many expected Lettenbichler to disappear into the distance, but the following wooded sections saw positions briefly change again. By checkpoint eight Repository, Lettenbichler had slotted back into the lead and began his charge to victory.

With course revisions for 2024 seeing the infamous Carl’s Dinner take place earlier in the race, Lettenbichler began the boulder garden at race minute 30. Getting to work with comfort and poise, he steadily increased his lead. Needing 40 minutes to navigate Carl’s Dinner Light and Carl’s Dinner, Lettenbichler was now eight minutes clear of his rivals.

Ticking off the remaining 13 checkpoints, he completed the 35-kilometre course in two hours and 47 minutes to secure his third consecutive Red Bull Erzbergrodeo win and back-to-back victory in the 2024 FIM HEWC.

Behind Lettenbichler and positions were constantly changing. Kabakchiev was riding strong, but multiple mistakes were hampering his early pace. Hart, however, was pushing forward following his first turn crash.

Completing checkpoint 14 Machine, he had moved into second position. From there he remained unchallenged to finish as runner-up.

The battle for third was heating up with both Sherco Factory Racing’s Mario Roman and Jarvis Racing’s Graham Jarvis moving through the pack after slow starts. At checkpoint 23 MOTOREX Highway the duo were neck-and-neck, with momentum now on Roman’s side. Sportingly helping each other over a steep, rooted line, they then battled for the finish line.

By the penultimate checkpoint Dynamite, Roman had a firm grasp on third place. Comfortably scaling the final Lazy Noon climb, the Spaniard rode into the finish line to secure the final step of the podium. In doing so it marked his second top-three result of the season. For Jarvis, dreams of another Red Bull Erzbergrodeo podium result came to a close and the fivetime race winner had to settle for fourth.

The battle for fifth was heating up in the closing stages of the fourhour race between Young and Kabakchiev. The duo swapped position multiple times, before Young finally disposed of the Bulgarian on Dynamite and earned a well-deserved fifth overall.

Initially Kabakchiev looked to have held onto sixth, despite a very late lunge to the line by Jonny Walker (Beta). However, the Bulgarian would endure further bad luck when it emerged that he had missed checkpoint five, along with Will Hoare (RIEJU) and Marc Fernandez (KTM). As a result the trio are officially classified until checkpoint four, dropping Kabakchiev out of sixth position.

As the clock ticked towards the allotted four-hour race time, there were anxious moments at the finish line as riders raced to reach it in time. On course to make the cut, TTR Squadra Corse’s Mitch Brightmore was leading the FIM Hard Enduro Junior World Championship supported by KLIM.

The young Brit was putting in a fast and clinical ride among his peers. Reaching as high as sixth mid-distance, Brightmore could be pleased with his efforts of claiming his first top-10 Red Bull Erzbergrodeo finish with seventh. As the first, and only, Junior class rider to reach the finish line, he secured his second class win this season.

Battling all the way to the end, Rigo Racing’s Matthew Green took eighth. The South African crossed the finish line with less than four minutes to spare, becoming the final finisher in this year’s Red Bull Erzbergrodeo.

The Women’s Hard Enduro Performance Award supported by 24MX saw Sandra Gomez (Zona Paddock) take the trophy at round two. The Spaniard reached checkpoint 11 in 111th position.

The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship now looks forward to round three at the epic Xross Hard Enduro Rally in Serbia from June 19-22.

Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM): “I’m pretty speechless with this win. It’s an incredible feeling to go three victories in a row at Red Bull Erzbergrodeo, but also my 10th consecutive race victory in the championship too. The race was so gnarly today. There were a lot of new sections, and I struggled a bit with MOTOREX Highway.

But overall, I managed to ride my own race, avoid major mistakes and come out on top again. Thanks so much to the team, we’ll celebrate this one for sure!”

Trystan Hart (KTM): “The race didn’t start well by crashing in the first corner. It was like a war zone for the first 30 minutes trying to pick riders off and getting covered in mud. But after Carl’s Dinner I settled into my race and took it to the finish.”

Mario Roman (Sherco): “The level of the race this year was super hard. It caught me by surprise early on. There were many rock sections and big climbs. We had to cut in some new lines too. It was a lot of fun to battle with Graham and was nice to

help each other too. After MOTOREX Highway I got in front of him to hold third and controlled that position to the finish line. I’m super happy with that. With two podium results so far this year, it’s been a great start to the championship.”

Mitch Brightmore (Husqvarna): “I’m very happy to reach the finish line and take top spot in the Juniors. There were a lot of water splashes straight off the start so I tried to be cautious there and then settle in once the high-speed sections were cleared. I just chipped away at things and rode each section as they came. A big thank you to everyone for the support and helping with this result.”

CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO

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Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM)

Trystan Hart (KTM)

Mario Roman (SHR)

Graham Jarvis (HSQ)

Wade Young (GG)

Jonny Walker (BET)

Mitch Brightmore (HSQ)

Matthew Green (KTM)

DELONG EARNS FIRST WIN OF SEASON IN SLICK OHIO CONDITIONS

words by KAYLA BOLTON photos by MACK FAINT & KEN HILL

ROUND 7

KENDA POWERLINE PARK ST. CLAIRSVILLE, OH

The 2024 Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, concluded its seventh round of racing, Kenda Powerline Park GNCC, yesterday on Sunday, May 12, 2024. The sun came out over the Ohio property, but the rain from Saturday continued to create slick conditions throughout the course for the day.

When the green flag flew on the afternoon race it was Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Craig Delong jumping off the line to earn the $250 Steel City Medical Center holeshot award and making his way into the woods as he continued to battle for that number one spot. Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing’s Ryder Lafferty held the early lead, but the defending champion, Delong was hungry for a win and would make the move into the lead on the second lap of the race.

Delong would continue to hold the lead as FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Jonathan Girroir made his way into second after a mid-pack start to the day. Girroir would continue to push to catch Delong, and by the last lap he was right on his back tire as they came through VP Racing Fuels Pro Row and made their way into the finish line area. Delong would be able to hold off Girroir, earning his first win of the 2024 season while Girroir came through 1.2 seconds behind him.

After coming through in tenth on the opening lap, Babbitts Online/ Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Grant Baylor would continue to push for the extent of the race. Baylor would continue to make the necessary passes as he moved into fourth with two laps remaining in the race, however as he emerged from

the woods and heading towards the checkered flag Baylor found himself sitting in the final podium position. Baylor crossed the line third overall on the day.

Phoenix Racing Honda’s Michael Witkowski battled at the front for majority of the day as he came through in third at the halfway point of the race. Witkowski continued to push but was unable to hold off Baylor as he came through to take over third. Witkowski held onto finish fourth in Ohio. Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Trevor Bollinger would cross the line fifth in XC1 and seventh overall on the day after he would push himself from starting back in the ninth place position.

Coming through eighth overall and sixth in XC1 was JS Sherco Racing’s Josh Strang as he battled back-and-forth throughout the day at Powerline Park. After hold the early lead, Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing’s Ryder Lafferty would find himself mid-pack at the halfway point of the race. Lafferty would finish the day seventh in XC1, and ninth overall.

Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/ Kawasaki Team Green’s Lyndon Snodgrass would come through to finish eighth in XC1 and 12th overall on the day. Active Air/Max Motorsports/FXR/Husqvarna’s Evan Smith came through behind

Snodgrass to finish 13th overall and ninth in the XC1 Open Pro class.

Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki’s Steward Baylor found himself having a rough day in the Ohio woods as he came through tenth in the XC1 Open Pro class and would be 15th overall on the day. Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jordan Ashburn was having a good ride as he held third on the opening lap, but after a mechanical issue that forced Ashburn to have an unexpected pit stop, he would be unable to make up much ground and come through eleventh in XC1 and 20th overall on the day.

As the XC2 class took off it was FMF KTM Factory Racing Landers Grant Davis grabbing the $250 Steel City Medical Center holeshot award. Davis would continue to lead the way for the duration of the race, even working his way into the top three overall on adjusted time at one point in the race. Davis crossed the line in first just ahead of AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper who battled back-and-forth on the day to finish second in the XC2 class. FMF KTM Factory Racing Landers Angus Riordan was also running at the front, battling for a top three position for most of the race, Riordan would make the pass back into third with two laps remaining and push until he saw the checkered flag.

In the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am it was Devore/KTM/FXR/SRS Suspension’s

Dakoda Devore and Liqui Moly Factory Beta Racing’s Jhak Walker battling for the number one spot throughout the race. Walker would hold the early lead, but Devore was right there and would make the pass for the lead with just two laps remaining. Devore would continue to hold the lead and earn his fourth win of the season. Walker would cross the line in second, while Kibuk Cycle/Steel City Medical Center/ Josh Lojak’s House of Speeds’ Sawyer Carratura battled back to finish third in the class after earning himself the $100 Lojak Cycle Sales holeshot award.

Earning the Top Amateur honors at Powerline Park was Nicholas DeFeo who came through in the 16th overall position, while also earning the 250 A class win. Gavin Simon came through 18th overall and second in 250 A to land second on the Top Amateur podium, and Jason Tino earned 19th overall and third in 250 A to round out the top three Top Amateur finishers on the day.

When the WXC class took off it was Husqvarna-backed racer, Jocelyn Barnes earning the $100 Kanati Tires WXC Holeshot Award. However, it would be FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Brandy Richards leading the way early on in the race. As the race continued on through the slick conditions after Saturday’s rain, Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Korie Steede would make

her way up to Richards and battle for the lead position on the second lap.

Steede would make her way past Richards and continue to hold the lead position until the checkered flag flew, earning her first win of the season. Richards would hold on to finish second in the WXC class and overall in the morning race. Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki’s Rachael Archer would continue to run at the front of the pack through the duration of the race but was unable to make a push for the

number one spot. Archer would come through third to round out the top three WXC class finishers.

Super Senior A (45+) racer, Gary Fridley would battle through the conditions and earn third overall in the morning race. A special recognition to Sportsman A competitors, Cody Groves, who came through to checkered flag first, and Anthony Blackburn who came through behind Richards on the last lap.

EVENT

RESULTS (XC1)

1. Craig Delong (HSQ)

2. Jonathan Girroir (KTM)

3. Grant Baylor (KAW)

4. Michael Witkowski (HON)

5. Trevor Bollinger (HSQ)

6. Josh Strang (SHR)

7. Ryder Lafferty (GG)

8. Lyndon Snodgrass (KAW)

9. Evan Smith (HSQ)

10. Steward Baylor JR (KAW)

EVENT

RESULTS (WXC)

1. Korie Steede (HSQ)

2. Brandy Richards (KTM)

3. Rachael Archer (KAW)

4. Shelby Turner (GG)

5. Prestin Raines (SHR)

6. Jocelyn Barnes (HSQ)

7. Danielle McDonald (YAM)

8. Kayla O'Neill (YAM)

9. Kaitlyn Lindsey (HSQ)

10. Ruby Fustini (KTM)

hart wins keystone challenge

words USHE

photos JENNY KELLER

PHOTOGRAPHY

Trystan Hart of FMF KTM

Factory Racing won the second running of the Keystone Challenge in Pennsylvania, which consists of two very difficult races on the three-day Memorial Day weekend and is being claimed the toughest hard enduro weekend in North America. Even though Tough Like RORR and the Locked & Loaded Hard Scramble are only 30 minutes apart, both of these race events have very different terrain and are challenging for all skill levels. Cody Webb of FactoryONE Sherco won the first race at Tough Like RORR, in one of the most impressive USHE finishes to date. The Keystone Challenge winner was determined by the best moto-style scores between the two races. This double header weekend were rounds 4 and 5 of the Bulletproof Designs US Hard Enduro Premier Championship, and the second round of the AMA East Hard Series, Presented by IRC Tire.

Tough Like RORR was celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, with the Reading Off Road Riders raising their overall purse to $40,000, one of the largest hard enduro race purses in the world. This race in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, has a reputation of being a genuine beatdown, with times lasting over 4 hours usually and having only a handful of finishers that actually make it to the finish in the 6 hour time limit. After Trystan Hart’s incredible no-footpeg win last year, the Reading Off Road Riders and course designer Rob Mohn wanted to step it up in difficulty, both for the amateurs and Pros. The race started on Saturday with the first qualifier, where the nearly 300 racers lined up by class and went out for a medium-difficulty loop. It was Factory Gas Gas’ Will Riordan who won this qualifier in 45 minutes, finishing over 30 seconds ahead of Trystan Hart and Cody Webb. The first 120 racers that finished were qualified into Sunday’s main race, while the remaining did a LCQ in the afternoon. Over 100 amateurs then raced a separate 10 mile loop, fighting for the 10 spots available for that opportunity to race on Sunday.

With 130 racers on the start with rows of 10 wide, the main

race format was going to be a shorter first lap followed by a longer and much more difficult second lap, with a cutoff time of 6 hours. Another factor of difficulty was Saturday night’s storm that soaked the course just enough to increase the technicality even more than it was

previously planned. IRC Tire’s James Flynn got the holeshot of Sunday’s main race, and the racers started to make their way up the old strip mine, where hundreds of spectators were waiting for them. The front pack was quickly split up into two groups, with the front battle being between Cody Webb and Trystan Hart, followed by Factory Rockstar Husqvarna’s Ryder LeBlond, Logan Bolopue, and Will Riordan fighting for the third position. This was the trend for the first couple hours, until Hart had a starter failure that set him back over 45 minutes behind Webb, after he worked on it and got it fixed. Webb was now on his own in the backside of the property in a section called “Nightmare”, where he pushed through the insanely difficult course with the humidity and heat rising as the race went on. In the group that was following, Riordan pushed ahead and kept

Bolopue and LeBlond behind with a strong pace. The Australian has never finished on the podium at a USHE Premier Championship round, and he was more hungry than ever to prove he had it in him to do so.

Amateurs were struggling in the main course and got to experience one of the world’s hardest races, as the number of qualifiers this year doubled from last year. The finish time of this race for the leader was expected to be around 5 hours, but the added moisture and new sections were definitely adding time. Hart was pushing hard after fixing his bike, but just couldn’t catch up to Webb in this type of environment, and Webb

was pushing hard. Nearing the end, Webb dropped into the new section named “Brain Damage”, designed by Chuck DeLullo. This is where Webb found his limit and was pushing beyond his physical abilities, taking much longer to get through than expected and barely making it out the section. Webb ended up making it to the finish line, with minutes to spare before the 6 hour cut off, and collapsing to the ground after he stopped at the checkered flag due to heat exhaustion. His team was cooling him off in the shade and he ended up going to the hospital for two liters of IV drips, but was overall okay that evening after the scary situation.

Hart finished at a checkpoint before the finish line and did not drop into “Brain Damage”, leaving Cody Webb as the only finisher of Tough Like RORR, winning $12,000 and gaining attention from around the world as one of the sport’s greats. Riordan ended finishing at a checkpoint near Nightmare in third place for his firstever podium position, with Bolopue and LeBlond finishing close by in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Most hard enduro races are usually the only event of the weekend, but the Keystone Challenge is a doubleheader due to both venues being so close to each other. The Locked and Loaded Hard Scramble is only 30 minutes away in Sugarloaf,

Pennsylvania, with the High Mountain Dirt Riders running this event for the third year at the 1800 acre property. The Race Director, Mike Soudas, is also the US Hard Enduro’s Scoring Director and East Hard Enduro Director, so he has a lot of experience seeing all types of races from all corners of the United States. The format of this 5 hour race consisted of a full lap around a 16 mile course, then two extra laps around the latter half of the main course, which featured the harder sections of the property. The terrain here was very different from what the racers experienced at Tough Like RORR, but the weather again played a factor in the race.

The race kicked off in a large field, with each class getting a full row at the start. Team KRD’s Ryder Guest from Hawaii pulled the holeshot, and was the first rider to enter the woods. Trystan Hart was the only pro to go down on the start, sliding out and entering the woods about 30 riders back. The first half of the course was a bit faster with rocky trails and tight singletrack, but was only going to be ridden once by everyone, making it a great way to spread the amateurs apart and give them a challenge. At the halfway point of lap one, Cody Webb and Will Riordan entered the enduro cross section close to each other, with a charging pack of pros close behind as they entered the tougher side of the property.

Stairway, Tombstone, Green Acres, Throat Punch, and Penny's Revenge were just a few of the many sections that were part of that second half of the race. Trystan Hart eventually caught up to the lead pack, and picked his way through to the front and wouldn’t look back with a several minute long lead the remainder of the race. Webb and Riordan were in a tight battle, swapping positions nearly a dozen times in the final two half laps, making it an

exciting result. What made it more exciting was the weather, as the skies unleashed a heavy rain around the midway point of the race, making some sections more difficult, but also cleaning the rocks and making some more passable. This variable added some more suffer and misery for the amateurs that were already struggling, but some of the pros actually enjoyed the rain and it played in their advantage.

The rain settled and Hart kept his lead, winning the Locked and Loaded Hard Scramble in 4.5 hours. Webb pulled ahead of Riordan near the end of the final lap, securing the second position on the podium, with Riordan finishing in third. Ryder LeBlond finished in fourth, with Logan Bolopue finishing in fifth. A notable effort was Team KRD from Kauai, Hawaii, who favored the wet weather and slick conditions. Ryder Guest secured the sixth spot, Kamakana WaiwaioleKahalepuna finished seventh, and Kawelo Huddy finished in the eighth positions for their first time in a USHE Premier Championship top-10 together as a team.

The Keystone Challenge overall is determined by points from each round, and calculated using moto scoring. With Webb

finishing 1-2 and Hart 2-1, the second race broke the tie, awarding Hart his second consecutive Keystone Challenge overall victory. Rachel Gutish competed at both races as well, finishing in first and winning the overall in the Pro Women's division. On the Amateur side, Riley Bender won both races and came away with the Keystone Challenge overall in the Amateur division, with Braxton Hintze and Jobel Coronado finishing in second and third, respectively.

The Keystone Challenge weekend was a success and is showing promise for growth in the future, as both clubs provide racers of all levels a great experience and plenty of challenging riding time.

The USHE Premier Championship has a couple months off until the Donner Hard Enduro in California on August 10-11, followed by the Red Bull Tennessee Knockout on August 22-25.

RESULTS - TOUGH LIKE RORR

1. Cody Webb (SHR)

2. Trystan Hart (KTM)

3. Will Riordan (GG)

4. Logan Bolopue (SHR)

5. Ryder Leblond (HSQ)

6. Colton Haaker (HSQ)

7. Kawelo Huddy (KTM)

8. James Flynn (BET)

9. Kamakana WaiwaioleKahalepuna (KTM)

10. Branden Petrie (SHR)

RESULTS - LOCKED-N-LOADED

1. Trystan Hart (KTM)

2. Cody Webb (SHR)

3. Will Riordan (GG)

4. Ryder Leblond (HSQ)

5. Logan Bolopue (SHR)

6. Ryder Guest (KTM)

7. Kamakana WaiwaioleKahalepuna (KTM)

8. Kawelo Huddy (KTM)

9. Branden Petrie (SHR)

10. James Flynn (BET)

GIRROIR TAKES HIGH VOLTAGE

words and photos by SHAN

MOORE

ROUND 5 HIGH VOLTAGE DILINER, PA

Johnny Girroir has won eightstraight sprint enduro day rounds, accounting for four overall victories: some of them dominating and some of them nail-biters. Saturday’s US Sprint Enduro at High Voltage Raceway was of the nail-biter variety, thanks to Am Pro Yamaha’s Liam Draper. However, Sunday’s more technical event saw Girroir hammer the competition to easily amass his fifth overall victory of the series.

On Saturday, Girroir squeezed by Draper with a win by 0.3 seconds; Draper taking three wins, while Girroir took five. Needless to say, nerves were high going into Sunday’s event.

“There was nothing really on the track to separate the riders on Saturday, so Liam and I had a pretty good battle and he won a few tests,” said Girroir. “It went back and forth and finally came down to the last test.”

An overnight rain caused chaos, forcing the enduro course to be rerouted in places and causing a delay. It all played into Girroir’s hands, however.

“Sunday was a whole new racetrack,” said Girroir. “Me and

Liam were both on the ground in the first test, but after that I found my flow and rode much better than Saturday. I thrive in the really technical stuff.”

Draper is getting better with each race, and nearly won Saturday’s event, but in the end, settled for second for the day and second overall. Sunday was a lockout by Girroir, with the KTM rider winning all six tests.

“I started off a little slow and Johnny had a good cross test, but then I gained it back in the enduro test,” said Draper. “The last cross test on Saturday I crashed and you can’t crash when you are splitting hairs with Johnny. I won a few tests and I felt like I rode well, it’s just that you can’t crash at this level and expect to do well. On Sunday, Johnny just had too much for us. He was so good on that slippery track.”

Phoenix Honda’s Barnes claimed his best finish to date as a Pro with a third overall. On Sunday, Barnes battled with a rejuvenated Craig DeLong, with Barnes beating the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider by 1 second for third on the day and third overall.

“Things went pretty well for me,” said Barnes. “I rode well in the cross test but I was a little behind in the enduro test, although I was able to pick up a few lines out there. After it rained, the track was challenging.

I had a good first test but then my second test was not good at all, so me and DeLong kind of ya-yoed back and forth. Fortunately, I was able to get him by a second.”

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong was certainly not happy with his riding on Saturday, but came back a little stronger on Sunday to finish fourth overall.

“Saturday was pretty piss poor, honestly, I was just slow,” said DeLong. “I gotta get outta my head and stop being scared to hit the ground or crash. I just gotta pick it up and get some nerve. I had a couple of good times here and there, but I’m just timid; I’m not riding like myself. I think the short races and the time in between I’m still getting used to, but it will come around. On Sunday, the track was a little more technical and I was in the game. I just missed the podium by 1 second.” DeLong missed beating Cody Barnes for third by just under a 1 second again on Sunday.

FMF/KTM Factory Landers Racing’s Riordan came out on top of a close battle again, topping the Pro 2 class on both days after mixing it up with Precision Offroad’s Dominick Morse all weekend and finishing fifth overall.

“It was pretty tight all weekend,” said Riordan. “On Saturday, it was a little closer than my liking, but I think everyone was stressed out. I

got Dominick by 0.3 at the end of Saturday, so it was very close. On Sunday I kind of put myself on the backburner, going down twice. The boys picked up 10 seconds on me but I just put my head down and got with it. I think I gave my mechanic a few grey hairs.”

Sixth overall and second Pro 2 rider was Precision Offroad’s Dominick Mores, who gave Riordan all he could handle during the weekend, coming up just 0.3 seconds short on Saturday.

“I got second in the cross test and then I think I won three or four in a row, so it was a good battle between me and Riordan,” said Morse. “Unfortunately, on Saturday, I crashed three or four times when put me behind, but I was able to battle back and just missed beating Riordan by 0.3. Going into the last woods test, I had him by about 3 seconds and he got me by 3.3 so it was a fun day.”

Edging Babbitt’s Online Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Lyndon Snodgrass for seventh overall was Husqvarna’s Jason Tino, who had an up and down weekend.

Ninth overall and first in the ProAm class went to FMF/KTM Factory Lander’s Racing’s Cooper Jones, while Coastal GasGas’ Cole Whitmore rounded out the top 10 and was second Pro-Am rider.

In the Women’s Pro division, FMF/ KTM Factory Landers Racing’s Brandy Richards taking the win both days and the overall win over Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Kori Steede, however Steede made ’s Brandy’s final day tough finishing just 2 seconds behind the KTM rider.

“The weekend definitely started off really good; I loved the grass track,” said Richards. “It was a little slick and pretty fast, while the enduro test was super-hard packed with no ruts and pretty slick. I was a little more patient on that test. We got

a pretty good rain on Sunday night and that made part of the course pretty tricky. That last test was icy and slick, but, overall, it was a good weekend.”

Second in the Women’s Pro went to Steede.

“It started off pretty slow in that second enduro test, I had a pretty good get-off and hit my head,” said Steede. “It slowed me down a bit but my times slowly got better, but I’m not feeling so good. After the rain, the enduro test got pretty slick, but

overall the track was pretty fun. On Sunday, the track was pretty gnarly and I think I rode as well as I ever have at one of these sprints.”

Third went to first-time sprint racer Judy Olivia on a KTM.

RESULTS

RESULTS (PRO WOMEN)

EVENT

(PRO1)

Johnny Girroir (KTM)

Liam Draper (YAM)

Cody Barnes (HON)

Craig Delong (HSQ)

Lyndon Snodgrass (KAW)

EVENT

6. Brandy Richards (KTM) 7. Korie Steede (HSQ) 8. Olivia Judy (KTM)

TOTH COMMANDS THE CHEROKEE

words by LOGAN DENSMORE photos by MACK FAINT

ROUND 4 GREENSBORO, GA

Round 4 of the 2024 Redline Oil AMA National Enduro Series, presented by MSR and Beta Motorcycles, took place at the historic Rocky Mountain ATV/ MC Cherokee National Enduro in Greensboro, GA. All-time conditions led great racing action as Josh Toth took his third consecutive win on the season.

Toth came out in the 10mile first section and put in a commanding lead of 43 seconds right from the get go. Toth was then able to build the

lead by winning five of the six counted tests after test 7 was thrown out on the day. By days end, Toth won by 1 minute and 28 seconds. “I feel like I caught the boys sleeping in test 1,” Toth said. “I was able to build a pretty good lead and from there I just tried to be smooth and consistent the rest of the day.”

Enduro Engineering GasGas rider Josh Toth now has a 21-point lead in the series standings over Steward Baylor Jr.

Second overall on the day was FMF Factory KTM rider Johnny Girroir. After missing the previous round due to injury, Johnny was able to come back swinging to grab the runner up position. “I started the day off kinda slow,” Girroir said. “By the end of the day I found a good flow and was feeling pretty good and I was glad to get a test win in the middle of the day.”

Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Red Bear Racing Kawasaki rider Steward Baylor Jr took the third spot on the Overall Podium. Baylor said “I knew Josh was going to be good here today and hard to beat. I tried to hammer down and put a charge against him. I was glad to see I finally won a test at the end of the day but bummed to see that section thrown out. It was a good day

for our whole team with me on the podium and Rachel winning the Womens Class.”

Grant Baylor, the Babbitts Online Monster Energy Kawasaki rider took the fourth overall position while Coastal GasGas’s Ryder Lafferty rounded out the top five. Sixth overall was AM-Pro Yamaha's Ricky Russell who also had a return from an injury ride.

Max Motorsports Husqvarna rider Evan Smith finished the day in seventh place overall after a penalty was assessed for missing a portion of the course in test 5.

First place in the NE PRO2 class and eighth overall was Nathaniel ‘Bubz’ Tasha. Bubz broke the winning streak Grant Davis has had this season and put his AM-Pro Yamaha on the top step. Bubz said “my bike is dialed especially for enduros.

I don’t have to worry about set up and I can just do my thing on the track. That helped get the win today.”

FMF

Factory KTM Landers

Racing rider Grant Davis was battling some broken ribs and was able to still manage second place in the NE PRO2 class and ninth overall. “I broke some ribs at another race a few

weeks ago, so I was battling the pain a little bit today and just tried to be smooth,” said Davis.

A new face to enduros, Tyler Palmer, aboard his Husqvarna, took his first podium at his first ever enduro with third in NE PRO2 and tenth Overall. “I had a lot of fun today learning the enduros. This was the first time I ever rode one and it feels good to put it on the podium. I was pumped to win a couple tests too,” said Palmer.

Keeping her win streak alive for the 2024 season in the Womens Elite class was Rocky Mountain ATV/MC rider Rachael Archer. Second place

was Sherco rider Rachel Gutish, followed by Enduro Engineering GasGas rider Shelby Turner in the third spot.

Top AA rider at the Cherokee was Coastal GasGas rider Lane Whitmer. Winning the Overall A was A 250 rider Chase Landers. B Open rider Jacob McPherson was the Overall B winner, and the top C rider for the day was C 251+ rider Dallas Johnson.

The next round will take place in Wellston, OH, on June 30th for the 50th Anniversary of the Little Raccoon National Enduro.

EVENT RESULTS (NE PRO1)

1. Josh Toth (GG)

2. Johnny Girroir (KTM)

3. Steward Baylor JR (KAW)

4. Grant Baylor (KAW)

5. Ryder Lafferty (GG)

6. Ricky Russell (YAM)

7. Evan Smith (HSQ)

EVENT RESULTS (WOMENS ELITE)

1. Rachael Archer (KAW)

2. Rachel Gutish (SHR)

3. Shelby Turner (GG)

4. Brooke Cosner (KAW)

5. Prestin Raines (SHR)

6. Emma Hasbell (BET)

a new era of enduro has begun. featuring revolutionary new fuel injection technology, the 2024 te 300 is primed to take you places you have never gone before.

GIRROIR AND BAYLOR BATTLE FOR OVERALL WIN

words by KAYLA BOLTON photos by MACK FAINT

ROUND 8

PARTS UNLIMITED MASON-DIXON MOUNT MORRIS, PA

The Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship concluded its eighth round of racing, Parts

Unlimited Mason-Dixon GNCC, on Sunday, June 2, 2024, in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania. Brief rain showers in the morning created some slick conditions for the first half of the day, but partly cloudy conditions made for some great afternoon battles throughout XC1 Open Pro and 250 Pro Sport classes.

As the afternoon race got under way and the green flag flew for the XC1 Open Pro class it would be Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Lyndon Snodgrass grabbing himself the $250 Steel City Medical Center’s XC1 Holeshot Award. However, as the pack of racers made their way around on

the opening lap, Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jordan Ashburn would find himself holding the lead position.

Snodgrass would battle back with Ashburn for the next couple of laps, swapping the lead position backand-forth. Ashburn would hold

PHOTO BY KEN HILL

the lead until the fifth lap of the race as Rocky Mountain RedBear Kawasaki’s Steward Baylor would apply the pressure after making his way up through the pack. Baylor made the pass on Ashburn to take over the lead as the white flag came out indicating one more lap.

Nevertheless, the hard-charging FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Johnny Girroir would apply the pressure on the last lap. Girroir would catch Baylor and battle for the last a little over a mile to the finish line. Girroir would come through to edge out Baylor for his third overall win of the season. Baylor would hold on and come through to earn second overall on the day.

Coming through to earn third overall from the XC2 250 Pro class was FMF KTM Factory Racing Landers Grant Davis. After grabbing the $250 Steel City Medical Center Holeshot Award, Davis would battle throughout the race with his teammate FMF KTM Factory Racing Landers Angus Riordan. Davis and Riordan would swap the lead position and hold the overall lead with adjusted times for the first half of the race. Davis would be able to make his way back around Riordan and push towards the front as

he crossed the finish line first in his class, earning him third overall on the day. Riordan would be behind Davis as he came through to earn second in the XC2 class and fourth overall on the day.

Ashburn would continue to push after leading the first couple of laps as he crossed the finish line third in the XC1 Open Pro class, while earning fifth overall on the day. FMF

KTM Factory Racing’s Dante Oliveira returned from the West Coast in what would be his first appearance since winning the Camp Coker Bullet GNCC. Oliveira would work his way up to finish fourth in the XC1 class and sixth overall on the day.

Rockstar Energy Factory

Husqvarna Racing’s Craig Delong did not get off to the best start as he came through timing and scoring on the opening lap back in the ninth place position. Delong would continue to push throughout the day making his way up to fifth in the XC1 class and seventh overall on the day.

After grabbing the holeshot and running at the front of the pack, Snodgrass would fall back to finish sixth in XC1 and eighth overall on the day. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Michael Witkowski had a good start to

his day as he came through second on the opening lap of the race. Witkowski would fall back to tenth at one point, but he would make his way up back seventh in the XC1 results and ninth overall.

Active Air/Max Motorsports/ FXR/Husqvarna’s Evan Smith battled back from an eleventh place start to his day, to coming through the finish line eighth in the XC1 class and rounding out the top 10 overall finishers on the day. JS Sherco Racing’s Josh Strang found himself up at towards the front of the pack early on in the race, but he would cross the finish line after three-hours of battling ninth in XC1.

Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cody Barnes would round out the top three XC2 250 Pro class finishers as he worked his way back up from a fifth place start to his day in the XC2 class.

Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Grant Baylor would come through to round out the top 10 XC1 Open Pro finishers on the day.

As the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class took off it was Liqui Moly Factory Beta Racing’s Jhak Walker earning himself the $100 Lojak Cycle Sales XC3 Holeshot Award to start off his day.

Walker would find himself in the lead for the majority of the day, but as the race was winding down and the two-lap card was out, Devore Racing/KTM/ FXR/SRS Suspension’s Dakoda Devore would close the gap and make a pass for the lead.

Devore and Walker would battle it out for the remaining laps of the race, but Devore would emerge from the woods first as they made their way to the finish line. Devore would come across the line with a 10 second lead over Walker who came through to finish second on the day. Kibuk Cycle/Steel City Medical Center/Josh Lojak’s House of Speed’s Sawyer Carratura had a consistent day as he remained third for the duration of the race.

Earning the Parts Unlimited Mason-Dixon Top Amateur honors was 250 A competitor, Nicholas DeFeo (Kawasaki) who came through to earn 15th overall and his fifth 250 A class win of the season. Jason Tino (Husqvarna) would come through to earn second top amateur as he came through second in 250 A and 16th overall on the day. Will Sievenpiper (Kawasaki) rounded out the top three top amateurs and 250 A class competitors as he came through to finish 17th

overall on the day.

As the WXC class took off in the morning race it was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Korie Steede grabbing the $100 Kanati WXC Holeshot Award and the early lead. Steede would continue to push herself at the front of the pack, and lead from start to finish as she crossed the finish line 4.1 seconds ahead of her competition.

Battling her way up to second in the class was FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Brandy Richards. Richards started her day in third, but

she would make a last lap push to take over the second place position as the checkered flag came out. Moose Racing/Husqvarna’s Tayla Jones made her way back to the GNCC starting line this weekend. Jones would get off to a great start as she sat second for the first half of the race, but with a hard-charging Richards behind her she would be unable to hold her off for the last lap. Jones would come through to round out the top three WXC finishers.

EVENT RESULTS (XC1)

1. Jonathan Girroir (KTM)

2. Steward Baylor Jr (KAW)

3. Jordan Ashburn (GG)

4. Dante Oliveira (KTM)

5. Craig Delong (HSQ)

6. Lyndon Snodgrass (KAW)

7. Michael Witkowski (HON)

8. Evan Smith (HSQ)

9. Josh Strang (SHR)

10. Grant Baylor (KAW)

EVENT RESULTS (WXC)

1. Korie Steede (HSQ)

2. Brandy Richards (KTM)

3. Tayla Jones (HSQ)

4. Shelby Turner (GG)

5. Rachael Archer (KAW)

6. Prestin Raines (SHR)

7. Carly Lee (KTM)

8. Kayla O'Neill (YAM)

9. Addison Elliott (KTM)

10. Ruby Fustini (KTM)