RPM Racing KTM’s Trystan Hart has been chasing FactoryOne Sherco’s Cody Webb all season and finally took the top spot on the podium at the Kenda Battle of the Goats, round four of the Sherco AMA East Extreme Championship, hosted by Brushy Mountain Motorsports Park in Taylorsville, North Carolina, August 2.
Hart started things off by taking a dominant win on Saturdays Prologue, the four-mile, three-lap extreme course. While Webb would get into the first corner in the lead, he would miscalculate the first obstacle, sending him over the bars in uncharacteristic fashion. Sherco teammate Quinn Wentzel took over the lead into the woods but a nagging injury from round two slowed him down, handing it over to Hart before the end of the first lap.
Webb followed in second, but Beta USA’s Benjamin Herrera was hot on his heels. Hart took to win on Saturday and went into the winner-take-all final on Sunday with Herrera in second and Webb in third.
Beta USA’s Max Gerston came through in fourth with round-one podium finisher Ryder Lablond in fifth.
On Saturday, Danny Lewis won the A class, followed by Jackson Davis and Travis Wilson.
Ryan Sipes tried his hand at the East Extreme series, being the only one to hit the big tire double, and would finish sixth in Pro.
The first race on Saturday was the Women, B and C riders, with Beta USA’s Rachel Gutish first out on course. Series B-class points leader Gavin Smith took the lead and the eventual win in the three-lap qualifier with Gutish taking third overall, the Women’s win and unofficially wrapped up the 2020 Sherco East Extreme Championship in her class. Ohio native Adam Sams took the C class win. Only 10 riders total qualified for the Sunday event. Unfortunately, none of them completed a single lap.
Sunday was very similar to Saturday’s results. Hart and Webb battled for the majority of the first, much more technical lap, but a final pass by Hart allowed him to break away and put a 13-minute gap over Webb. He crossed the finish line to claim his first win in an AMA Extreme Event.
“Finally did it!” he said enthusiastically. “It was well worth the wait. I had an awesome battle with Cody the first lap and somehow managed to break away on the second lap.”
Pro Snowmobile racer, Klim’s Keith Curtis finished in third followed by Herrera in fourth and Max Gerston in fifth. 3 Brothers Husqvarna’s Noah Kepple, who filled in for the team’s Colton Haaker, took sixth.
Battle of the Goats served as the final amateur qualifier for the Kenda Tennessee Knockout, the AMA Extreme Off-Road Grand Championship in Saquatchie, Tennessee, August 14-16. Forty riders have earned spots in the second TKO qualifier and will be up front to do battle for a position in the Pro Race on Sunday. CN
2020 AMA Extreme Off-Road Grand Championship
Round 4
Battle of the Goats
Taylorsville, North Carolina
RESULT: August 1-2, 2020
OVERALL (Top 5)
| 1. | Trystan Hart | (KTM) |
| 2. | Cody Webb | (Shr) |
| 3. | Keith Curtis | (KTM) |
| 4. | Benjamin Herrera | (Bet) |
| 5. | Max Gerston | (Bet) |
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