2021 Amarillo EnduroCross Results

Cycle News Staff | October 5, 2021

The Amarillo National Center, in Amarillo, Texas, hosted round two of the 2021 GEICO AMA EnduroCross series and Colton Haaker came away with the overall win, his second in a row. The Rockstar Husqvarna rider had 1-2-1 scores in the three motos.

Colton Haaker (center), Cooper Abbott (left) and Trystan Hart earned the top three spots on the overall podium in Amarillo. It was the same top three from round one but Abbott and Hart traded positions. Photo by Jack Jackson

RPM KTM-backed Cooper Abbott finished second with 3-1-3 moto finishes, and FMF KTM’s Trystan Hart rounded out the overall podium with 2-5-2 moto finishes.

For the first time, the top 14 pro riders ran their hot-laps during the opening of the evening program rather than during the afternoon. The hot-lap results set the gate picks for the first of the three motos, and Haaker set the fastest time of 46.299. Hart was second with a 47.939 lap. SRT Off-Road-backed Cory Graffunder finished third with a 50.168 time to round out the top three. Pennsylvania’s Ryder LeBlond finished fourth with a 50.562 and Max Gerston completed the top five on his GasGas with a 51.192 lap.

Colton Haaker at 2021 Amarillo EnduroCross — **Colton Haaker is perfect so far in the two-race-old 2021 AMA EnduroCross Championship. Haaker’s recent win came in Amarillo, Texas. Photo by Diahann Tanke**

Cooper Abbott at 2021 Amarillo EnduroCross — **Cooper Abbott was runner-up and nabbed his second-career EnduroCross race win along the way. Photo by Diahann Tanke**

Noah Kepple took the first Moose Racing Holeshot of the night in moto one with Hart, Nick Thompson, Gerston and Haaker in tow.

Hart took over the lead and Haaker worked his way into second quickly with Gerston hanging close in third.

Haaker managed to pass Hart about halfway through the moto and opened up a gap.

Hart hung on for second and Gerston crashed near the end of the race to allow Abbott and TM rider Ty Cullins through for third and fourth, respectively.

Gerston recovered for fifth in the moto.

The second moto inverts the top 16 riders’ finish positions from race one for gate picks, so the top eight riders start on row two. LeBlond took advantage of a front-row start to take the holeshot and was followed by Thompson and fellow Utah rider Anthony Johnson.

**Trystan Hart had two second-place moto finishes but a fifth-place finish in moto two dropped him back to third overall. Photo by Jack Jackson**

Abbott was the first of the top riders to work his way through the field and took the lead on the second lap.

Hart was fifth with Haaker behind him until a mistake pushed Hart further back into the field.

Haaker moved into second, but several mistakes kept him from closing on Abbott.

Abbott held on for the moto win, the second of his career with Haaker second.

Cullins put in a great ride for third in the moto, and Germany’s Tim Apolle finished fifth on a Beta.

In the final moto, Gerston blasted to the front ahead of Hart, Haaker and Abbott.

Haaker worked his way into the lead before the end of the first lap.

Hart and Abbott moved past Gerston for second and third early in the race and held those positions to the finish.

Gerston finished fourth in the moto and Apolle had another strong ride for fifth.

Haaker was the clear overall winner with his 1-2-1 moto finishes, and Abbott edged out Hart for runner-up honors in Texas with his 3-1-3 scores; Hart was third.

Cullins finished fourth overall with 4-3-6 moto finishes, and Gerston rounded out the top five overall with 5-6-4 scores.

Apolle was sixth with 6-4-5 followed by Will Riordan, who was seventh overall with 7-7-8 moto finishes and again the top Junior rider (21 and under).

Haaker was happy to get his second win in a row. “My first time here in Amarillo and the dirt looked amazing, but it ended up being unpredictable, and I had so many sketchy moments. I landed on a rider once and almost landed on another rider in the second moto. So it was kind of a sketchy night for me, but it was a fun night, and I’m happy to take another win.”

Abbott had a crash during the hot laps and started two of the three motos on the second row but still finished second overall. “I am pretty pumped on my 3-1-3 moto scores, and I really earned that second-moto win by getting to the front quicker than Colton and Trystan. So that felt great.”

Hart had a tough second moto, contributing to his third overall. “The moto two’s will be the death of me,” said Hart. “I have been struggling to get through the pack, and I don’t think I have managed to beat Colton in the second motos since we started that three-moto format.”

Shelby Turner at 2021 Amarillo EnduroCross — **Shelby Turner won the Women’s class for the second time in a row. Photo by Diahann Tanke**

Shelby Turner took her second win in a row in the Women’s class. The KTM rider had to work her way past Morgan Tanke on a Beta.

Tanke held on for second and Sherco rider Louise Forsley rounded out the podium.

**Morgan Tanke (left) finished second and Louise Forsley rounded out the podium. Photo by Jack Jackson**

Agustin Pascal (TM) took the Intermediate class win after a race-long battle with Shelby Turner, who had two podium finishes for the evening.

Travis Griffiths rounded out the podium on a KTM.

Texas rider Zach Polley won the Amateur main event with a last-lap pass that had the local fans on their feet.

Fifteen-year-old Ruffin Dodson finished second, and Roggan Frick rounded out the podium.

Craig Thompson (Husqvarna), owner of SRT Off-Road, dominated the Vet 35+ class.

David Stirm (Yamaha) finished second and Dan Hayakawa (KTM) rounded out the podium.

Fifteen-year-old Jack Williford (GasGas) took his second Junior Trials class win in a row.

Riley Bender finished second on an Electric Motion E Trials bike, and Ruffin Dodson (Sherco) rounded out the podium. CN