2021 Donner Hard Enduro Results

Cycle News Staff | July 14, 2021

Trystan Hart won the 2021 Donner Hard Enduro held at the Donner Ski Ranch in Norden, California, July 11. The event was the fifth and final round of the AMA West Extreme Championship. The FMF KTM rider led most of the four-hour long race in hot and dusty conditions.

Trystan Hart at 2021 Donner Hard Enduro — **FMF KTM’s Trystan Hart rode fast and steady for over four hours to take the Donner Hard Enduro win.**

Photos by Brandon Krause

Cody Webb raced his FactoryOne Sherco to second place after passing early leader Taylor Robert on the third of six laps.

Robert held on to the final podium position on his FMF KTM.

Despite the second-place finish in the race, Webb won the AMA West Extreme Championship over Hart. There are still two rounds remaining in the AMA East Extreme Championship, and the best nine out of 10 events count towards the overall championship, in which Hart holds a four-point advantage.

The Donner weekend kicked off with a Saturday qualifying race to set the Sunday starting positions, which would be important due to the hot and dusty conditions and five-rider-per-row starting procedure. Hart topped Robert, Webb, Colton Haaker and Ryder LeBlond in the qualifying race.

For the main event, Robert led Hart and Webb through the first two check points, but Hart took over before the riders finished the first lap in 40 minutes and 12 seconds. Robert was just 13 seconds behind at the completion of lap one, and Webb was 50 seconds behind the leader.

Rockstar Husqvarna’s Haaker was fourth but over four minutes back, making this a three-rider race early on.

Cody Webb at 2021 Donner Hard Enduro — **Cody Webb said that the race was like a four-hour sprint.**

LeBlond was fifth at the end of the first lap.

Hart completed lap two just over a minute ahead of Robert and a minute and a half ahead of Webb.

On the third lap, Webb managed to work his way past Robert for second place, but Hart was starting to get away. The Canadian, Hart, put in what would prove to be his fastest lap of the race and opened his lead to three minutes and 42 seconds over Webb, while Robert was another minute back.

For the final three laps, Hart continued to put in consistent laps in the 41-minute range, while Webb, Robert and the rest of the field slowed their pace in the hot conditions. Hart finished six total laps in four hours and six minutes. Webb finished nearly 13 minutes back on a course that did not suit his desire for more technical terrain. Robert rounded out the podium, 17 minutes behind Hart.

Taylor Robert at 2021 Donner Hard Enduro — **Taylor Robert led part of the first lap but couldn’t quite match the pace of Hart or Webb. He finished third. Photo: Brandon Krause**

Haaker rode the entire race in fourth place and completed six laps nearly 25 minutes back from Hart. LeBlond was the last rider to complete six laps and earned fifth place.

Sixth place was Cory Graffunder (Husqvarna).

RPM KTM rider Cooper Abbott finished seventh.

Keith Curtis, the multi-time snowmobile hillclimb champion and part-time extreme off-road racer, finished eight on his FactoryOne Sherco.

GasGas rider Max Gerson finished ninth and Husqvarna-mounted Daniel Lewis rounded out the top 10.

“This weekend’s track wasn’t particularly the hardest, but it was relentless for four hours,” said Hart. “The 90-degree temperatures, combined with the excessive dust, also made it a long, grueling race. I had some good battles with my teammate Taylor on the first two laps and, on lap three, I got a gap and continued to stretch it for the remainder of the race. It was a tough day on the body and I’m happy it’s over, as well as getting the win!”

“That was miserable. It completely beat me down,” Webb said after the race. “Not because it was so technical, but because it felt like I was sprinting in a four-plus-hour marathon.”

Louise Forsley at 2021 Donner Hard Enduro — **Louise Forsley won the Women’s pro class at Donner and finished 32nd overall. Photo Brandon Krause.**

As for the AMA West Championship, Webb said, “Honestly it doesn’t mean much to me. That was never the goal. The goal has always been the overall, and I am in a dogfight right now. I have two races left to obtain that goal. I am going to give it everything I have.”

Taylor Robert recapped his day: “The day was a pretty brutal,” he said. “It was long, hot and dusty, but I got off to a good start, and I had a good little race with Trystan for a bit but man, he was riding really good today. He got away from me, and then Cody got by me when I got stuck with a lapper for minute. But, after that, I just kind of rode around in third for the rest of the race.”

There were only two Pro Women that competed on the same course as the pro riders. Louise Forsley raced her FactoryOne Sherco to the win over KTM-mounted Kylee Sweeten. The win clinched the AMA West Extreme Women’s Championship for Forsley.