Cycle News Staff | July 27, 2020
Cody Webb took his third win in a row in the AMA East Extreme Off-Road series, this one at the Mad Moose in Marquette, Michigan. The Sherco rider won all three segments, which took him two hours and 48 minutes to complete. For the third race in a row, RPM KTM-backed Trystan Hart finished a strong second. This time, he was five minutes and 33 seconds behind on combined time and just over a minute behind in the final race. Chile’s Benjamin Herrera rounded out the podium on his Beta, just over 19 minutes behind the winner.
Cody Webb (center) enjoyed the challenging conditions of the Mad Moose Hard Enduro. He has won all four races he has competed on the Sherco. Photography by Patsy Davis
“That was a really great location for an extreme race,” Webb said. “It had a little bit of everything for terrain with slick clay, rocks and sand. It rained a lot in the final section and that made it really challenging. There were a couple of hills that none of us made it up cleanly.”
Trystan Hart has been keeping Webb honest and this time was less than a minute behind on the toughest final section. Photography by Patsy Davis
“It was another fun weekend full of epic battles with Cody Webb, resulting in another second place,” said Hart, who faced off with Webb at the Fallen Timbers Hard Enduro only a week earlier. Although the Canadian is eager to take that final step up on the podium, he admits “I’m super happy to be battling with Cody. It’s been making the racing way more exciting.”
Chile’s Benjamin Herrera competed in the US a few years ago and showed good speed at EnduroCross and Extreme races. Beta USA brought him back and he has two top-ten finishes, including a podium so far. Photography by Patsy Davis
Eleven-time U.S. Trials champion Pat Smage finished fourth on his Sherco. This was just his second-ever extreme race, and Smage demonstrated he has no lack of skill when it comes to the tough stuff.
“I’m happy to finish in the top five but bummed to miss out on a podium,” said Smage. “These guys are good! I had nothing for anyone on speed on the miles of mellow trail, but I made up some time on some of the harder stuff. I’m glad I was able to get a better idea of what this sport is all about and I know what I need to work on if I do any more.”
Beta USA’s Max Gerston finished fifth after what he called “an up and down day on the bike.” The mud and rain were a change of pace for the Arizona native, but he was happy to score a top-five finish. “I had an absolute blast playing in the mud and rain at the Mad Moose,” said Gerston. “My pit crew was on top of it all week and ran around that course like crazy meeting me at all the hard spots. On to the next race!”
Gerston’s factory Beta teammate Ron Commo III finished sixth in front of Californian Noah Kepple, who filled in for Colton Haaker on the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna to finish seventh. Nick Fahringer, Logan Boloupue and Adam Hartnagel rounded out the top ten, respectively.
Webb (center), Hart (left) and Herrera enjoyed the podium after three hours of tough racing. Photography by Patsy Davis
Rachel Gutish was the only women’s class finisher.
Riders now head to North Carolina for the next round of the Extreme East Off-Road Series, the Battle of the Goats in North Carolina on August 2. 2020 Mad Moose Hard Enduro Results
2020 Mad Moose Hard Enduro Results
- Cody Webb, Shr
- Trystan, Hart, KTM
- Benjamin Herrera, Bet
- Pat Smage, Shr
- Max Gerston, Bet
- Ron Commo III, Bet
- Noah Kepple, Hus
- Nick Fahringer, Shr
- Logan Bolopue, KTM
- Adam Hartnagel, KTM
You can get the complete results here.
Get all the latest off-road motorcycle racing news and results here.
