Cycle News Staff | May 17, 2021
Cody Webb came out on top at the 2021 Last Dog Standing at California’s Glen Helen Raceway, May 14-15. The FactoryOne Sherco rider won both rounds of racing for a clear win. FMF/KTM rider Trystan Hart finished second overall with 3-2 finishes ahead of Taylor Robert, rounding out the podium with 2-4 finishes. After skipping a year due to Covid, this marked the 11th running of the Last Dog Standing (LDS) event.
Cody Webb narrowly took the win in the first race but left no doubt who was in charge in race two, winning by over seven minutes. Photography by Brandon Krause
The LDS used a hot lap on Saturday to set the starting positions for the first of two rounds of racing on Sunday. The combined score in the two races determined the overall results. Hart topped Webb, Haaker, Robert and Will Riordan.
Trystan Hart finished second overall at the Last Dog Standing but was disappointed to be over seven minutes behind Webb in the second moto.
In race one, Haaker (Rockstar Husqvarna) led a tight pack of the top riders all the way to the final obstacle, the infamous tire wall that the LDS is known for. Haaker struggled to get up it and ultimately dropped back to finish fifth in the first moto. Webb, who was in fourth at the end of the second checkpoint, took the moto-one win in a total time of 26 minutes and 29 seconds. Robert finished the moto in second, 39 seconds behind Webb. His FMF KTM teammate, Hart finished third, another 48 seconds behind and just ahead of fellow Canadian Cory Graffunder. Haaker finished one minute and 41 seconds behind Webb.
Taylor Robert challenged for the lead in both motos but a few crashes dropped him to third overall.
For race two, Webb left no doubt about who was in charge. He put a large gap on the field right away and finished the first lap over six minutes ahead of Hart. Webb had a little difficulty in the first part of lap two but then set the fastest times again the final two sections of the lap to finish in a total time of one hour, 26 minutes and 26 seconds. Hart finished the moto in second, seven minutes and 57 seconds behind Webb. Haaker rounded out the top three for the moto, one minute and 29 seconds behind Hart. Robert was another four minutes back in fourth for the moto but combined with his second in moto one, good enough for third overall. Haaker finished fourth overall with 5-3 finishes.
Colton Haaker had the first moto win within sight before the tire wall took him down and dropped him to fifth. He came back for a third-place finish in moto two.
Riordan finished the second moto in the fifth position on his RPM KTM, which, combined with his sixth in moto one, earned him sixth overall. Graffunder finished sixth in the second moto and fifth overall for the event on his Husqvarna.
Cooper Abbott (KTM) finished seventh overall with 7-10 moto finishes. Max Gerston (GasGas) finished eighth overall with 12-7 finishes. Brandon Petrie (KTM) was ninth overall with 11-8 motos and Noah Kepple (Husqvarna) rounded out the top 10 with 8-12 scores.
“This year’s LDS was like no other event they’ve had in the past,” Webb said. “[This is the] first time I remember it being under 100 degrees. The final had a few very technical sections, and I feel like I excelled in those parts of the course and made very few mistakes. The other guys had some big crashes and hang ups, which allowed me to get a nice gap and take the win. Really happy with my bike setup and the way things went.”
Hart said, “I made a major mistake in the final race, and I was back in sixth on the start, and that pretty much cost me a chance at the win today. I’ll learn from my mistakes and do better next time.”
“Cody and I had a good battle going in the second race and then we got into this crazy waterfall section, and I ended up having to try it a couple times and lost some time,” said Robert. “Then I was just trying to recover and got to the tire mound and gassed myself out again, but I ended up third overall so I’m happy with that.”
2021 Last Dog Standing Hard Enduro Results
- Cody Webb (Shr) 1-1
- Trystan Hart (KTM) 3-2
- Taylor Robert (KTM) 2-4
- Colton Haaker (Hus) 5-3
- Cory Graffunder (Hus) 4-6
- Will Riordan (KTM) 6-5
- Cooper Abbott (KTM) 7-10
- Max Gerston (Gas) 12-7
- Branden Petrie (KTM) 11-8
- Noah Kepple (Hus) 10-11
The infamous Last Dog Standing Tire Wall affected the overall results in 2021 as it has in the past. Photography by Brandon Krause.
Get the complete results here.
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