2023 Grinding Stone Hard Enduro Results

| March 29, 2023

A three-race format provided three levels of attrition for the record turnout of riders at the Grinding Stone Hard Enduro in Page, Arizona, round three of the AMA West Extreme Off-Road Championship, Presented by Beta.

Trystan Hart at Grinding Stone Hard Enduro — **Trystan Hart took the win at the Grinding Stone Hard Enduro in Page, Arizona, with room to spare.**

By Matt Musgrove, Photos by Ryan McCasland

Fresh off a tropical battle in the jungles of Oahu, Hawaii, Trystan Hart was looking to extend his win streak in the series, and in Sunday afternoon’s final showdown in Arizona, from a field whittled down to just 30 riders, the FMF KTM rider was able to do just that. Hart nabbed the Grinding Stone Hard Enduro victory, this time ahead of Cody Webb and Ryder LeBlond, going three for three so far in the 2023 Western Regional championship, and two-for-two in the IRC U.S. Hard Enduro Premiere Championship, Presented by Klim.

Jim Flynn and the Rockstars Motorcycle Club were tasked with the course and format redesign, no easy task with the sandstone mesas and high-exposure nature of the terrain, but the three-race knockout format seemed well received by racers and spectators, alike.

Saturday started out with race one, all entries running two laps on a 12-mile loop. Riders had to complete at least one circuit during a four-hour time limit before moving on to the next race. A total of 215 racers lined up in rows of 40 that started two minutes apart, which helped spread out the racers for the highly technical sections.

Cody Webb at Grinding Stone Hard Enduro — **Cody Webb won a qualifying round but took second to Hart in the final race.**

Trystan Hart led the first lap with FactoryOne Sherco’s Cody Webb following closely. Webb made a pass when the two caught up to lapped traffic in a crowded uphill section on the second lap, leaving Webb to claim the first win of the event. Hart and RPM KTM’s Will Riordan followed suit while Rockstar Husqvarna’s Ryder LeBlond recovered from a terrible first lap to finish fourth. Cooper Abbott (Sherco) rounded out the top five.

The top 100 racers from race one moved onto Sunday’s race two, based on the same course with added sections for increased difficulty. Ten rows of 10 riders took advantage of the beautiful Sunday morning weather, setting out to complete one lap within a two-hour time limit. Hart gained a quick lead and never looked back to take the race-two win. LeBlond finished second ahead of Webb. Riordan was fourth and Colton Haaker was fifth.

The top-30 finishers from race two moved onto race three in the afternoon, and this time they faced strong winds and snow flurries, the total opposite of the morning race. This short but intense course, calling for a two-hour limit to complete as many laps as possible, contained some of the most popular features of the Grinding Stone, such as High Dive, Eggs Over Easy, Stairway to Heaven, and the all new JX8 section.

Hart shot ahead of the pack and completed the first lap one minute ahead of Webb. LeBlond chased Webb from third the entire race. Hart methodically inched away from Webb en route to victory, completing eight laps in two hours and three minutes. Webb finished nearly 11 minutes behind to take second, and LeBlond was another eight minutes back to round out the podium. The top three were the only ones on the lead lap.

Ryder LeBlond at Grinding Stone Hard Enduro — **Ryder LeBlond rounded out the final Grinding Stone podium.**

Haaker, Riordan and Arizona’s James Flynn traded positions early in the race. It was the Aussie, Riordan, who pulled ahead to take fourth position. Haaker was fifth, and Flynn (GasGas) had his best AMA Hard Enduro finish to date with sixth. Cooper Abbott was seventh. Canadian Branden Petrie (Sherco) took eighth ahead of Daniel Lewis (Beta). Quinn Wentzel (Rieju) rounded out the top 10.

In the Pro Women’s class, Kylee Sweeten held a sizable lead until she dropped back with a mechanical issue from a crash during her first lap. Megan Griffiths, Hallie Marks and Bailey Lerwill battled for the lead. Griffiths, who was making her return to racing, took the win followed by Marks. Sweeten managed to salvage a podium, finishing third overall in Women’s Pro.