Sports |
11/21/2023

IRC Tire EnduroCross Series presented by Progressive

Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center

Story and photos by Shan Moore

TRYSTAN HART BEATS THE ODDS

Trystan Hart: “The math was so confusing. I just knew that I had to be near the front and Jonny couldn’t be close to me, and there was a chance I was going to win. I honestly didn’t even know I won. My mechanic was cheering and I just started doing a burnout. I’m like, surely I won. The gods wouldn’t have done this to me.”

FMF/KTM Factory rider Trystan Hart entered the sixth and final round of the IRC Tire EnduroCross Series presented by Progressive in Reno, Nevada’s Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center, sitting in second place in the series standings, seven points behind defending champion factory Beta rider Jonny Walker of Great Britain. However, the odds were against him. Even if Hart won all three motos, he would need help to top Walker for the title. Another rider would have to finish between Hart and Walker for Hart to cash in enough points to chips to win the championship.

MOTO 1

When the first moto kicked off, it was Haaker who quickly moved to the front and comfortably held the position to the finish. After a top-five start, Hart was able to work his way into second behind Haaker by the finish, although a lapper kept him from a chance at the lead. Walker, who wasn’t as lucky on the start, rode a brilliant race from mid-pack to finish third.

Colton Haaker won Moto 1, here’s his take on 2 and 3: “I won the second moto despite screwing up in the pipes; we all got super tangled up in there. It was pretty chaotic.,” said Haaker. “I didn’t go down, but I was stuck behind Trystan and Jonny and everybody else. It was pretty crazy. The last moto, we were just training out there. It was just five guys all together. But the last moto, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time a couple too many times. So, I think I was actually making good moves and doing my thing, but just at the wrong place, wrong time.”

MOTO 2

middle content two stroke

Moto two, which uses an inverted start, where the top finishers in moto one get the last gate picks, saw RPM Racing’s Angus Riordan get the start. FactoryONE Sherco’s Cody Webb quickly moved through the pack to take the lead, with Hart and Haaker in tow. Haaker got around Hart in the matrix section and set out after Webb, taking over second when Webb bobbled. Hart settled into third, but a crash sent him to the back of the pack, although he still managed to work back up into third. The moto finished with Haaker taking another win, followed by Webb, Hart and Angus Riordan. Meanwhile, after some bad luck, Walker could only muster a seventh, setting up a winner-take-all scenario in the final moto.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Colton Haaker was second on the night and until late in the final moto, appeared to be on his way to a sweep of the program after winning the first two motos. FactoryONE Sherco’s Cody Webb pulled away from the pack in moto two and appeared to be on his way to an easy moto win until just before the white flag lap when Colton zapped him.

MOTO 3

FactoryONE Sherco’s Cooper Abbott squeezed through the first turn in the final moto to grab the early lead, followed by the rest of the contenders, Hart, Haaker and Walker. At the finish, only 20 seconds separated the top four riders: Hart in first, Abbott in second, Webb in third, and Walker in fourth. In the end, Hart went 2-3-1 to claim the overall for the weekend and clinch his first AMA Endurocross title – adding to his 2023 AMA U.S. Hard Enduro Championship he earned in June.

“I saved the best for last,” said Cooper Abbott. “I felt so strong on my Sherco 300 two-stroke. I was able to ride very consistently having eliminated the small mistakes which can prove so costly in EnduroCross. We were all pushing so hard in that last moto. So much was on the line. For me personally it would have been my first moto win of the season but als, I was battling my own teammate for the final podium position. All in all, I learned a lot this season and I am thankful to finish strong. I am already looking forward to next season,”
FactoryONE Sherco’s Cooper Abbott turned in his best performance of the season, with a third overall for the night after a 5-5-2 performance and leading half of the final moto.
The reigning EnduroCross champ Jonny Walker had a rough night. “I came in with a seven-point lead,” said Walker. “I knew I had to finish third to win the championship. The first race was good, I finished third. In the second race, just had a bit of a nightmare. A few things went wrong, and I ended up seventh. That’s what kind of threw it away. I went into the pipes and went over the handlebars, which was the worst thing I could have done.”
Over and Out Racing/GasGas’ Rachel Gutish was tops in the EX Women’s Pro division, winning the main event and the Women’s Championship. She had just returned from the ISDE and was racing with a broken collarbone!

RENO EX PRO CLASS OVERALL RESULTS

  1. Trystan Hart, KTM, 2-3-1
  2. Colton Haaker, Hsq, 1-1-6
  3. Cooper Abbott, Sherco, 5-5-2
  4. Cody Webb, Sherco, 8-2-3
  5. Jonny Walker, Beta, 3-7-4
  6. Ryder LeBlond, Hsq, 4-8-5
  7. Will Riordan, KTM, 6-9-7
  8. Dominik Olszowy, Rieju, 9-6-9
  9. Max Gerston, GasGas, 7-11-8
  10.  Angus Riordan, KTM, 13-4-11

Final Championship Standings
1. Trystan Hart, 147 points

2. Jonny Walker, 140

3. Colton Haaker, 137

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