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 remarked, “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 was in second place in the series standings, seven points behind defending champion factory Beta rider Jonny Walker of Great Britain. 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 win the championship.
MOTO 1
When the first moto started, Haaker quickly moved to the front and comfortably held the position to the finish. Hart finished second behind Haaker, with Walker riding a brilliant race from mid-pack to finish third.
Colton Haaker commented, “I won the second moto despite screwing up in the pipes; we all got super tangled up in there. It was pretty chaotic. 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
The inverted start saw RPM Racing’s Angus Riordan in the lead. FactoryONE Sherco’s Cody Webb quickly moved through the pack to take the lead, with Haaker and Hart close behind. Haaker eventually took the 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.
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 grabbed the early lead, followed by Hart, Haaker, and Walker. The top four riders finished within 20 seconds of each other: Hart in first, Abbott in second, Webb in third, and Walker in fourth. Hart went 2-3-1 to claim the overall for the weekend and clinched his first AMA Endurocross title – adding to his 2023 AMA U.S. Hard Enduro Championship earned in June.
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
Trystan Hart, KTM, 2-3-1
Colton Haaker, Hsq, 1-1-6
Cooper Abbott, Sherco, 5-5-2
Cody Webb, Sherco, 8-2-3
Jonny Walker, Beta, 3-7-4
Ryder LeBlond, Hsq, 4-8-5
Will Riordan, KTM, 6-9-7
Dominik Olszowy, Rieju, 9-6-9
Max Gerston, GasGas, 7-11-8
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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