2024 AMA West Hard Enduro Series Round 4 Results

| April 17, 2024

The inaugural Moab Hard Enduro was held over the April 13-14 weekend and saw the largest U.S. Hard Enduro turnout this season. More than 250 racers showed up to Area BFE, a popular rock-crawling destination 15 minutes outside of Moab, Utah. FactoryOne Sherco’s Cody Webb and Louise Forsley won both Pro classes, and some new names were on the podium at round four of the AMA West Hard Enduro Series, presented by Klim.

Cody Webb at Moab Hard Enduro — **Sherco’s Cody Webb won the inaugural Moab Hard Enduro in Utah.**

By Matt Musgrove | Photos by Jenny Keller

USHE racers Mesa Lange and Joe Nemeth transitioned into promoters and took on the challenge of hosting a hard enduro race in Utah for the first time. The format was an easier prologue on Saturday that would set the start positions for Sunday’s main race. This prologue was one lap and looped through some difficult sections of the property, giving the pros a feel of the terrain and the amateurs some good riding time. Webb won the prologue in under 22 minutes, followed by teammate Cooper Abbott and Rieju USA’s Quinn Wentzel.

The amateurs spent up to three hours out on the course to complete a lap, but there was an overwhelming consensus that this was one of the best prologue races yet. Area BFE is at nearly 6000-feet elevation, and the high-desert terrain had no shortage of slabs, sand and endless rock gardens. The courses were relentless as there was not much transfer trail or smooth areas to take a break, so arm pump and exhaustion from the roughness were felt by many.

Branden Petrie at Moab Hard Enduro — **Branden Petrie made it a Sherco 1-2.**

Sunday’s main race was a three-lap affair with a six-hour cutoff with Pro/A and amateur splits, and the last lap had an added final section for the Pro/A racers. The racers started in rows of 10 from Saturday’s results. Webb showed up to check one in first, with Abbott and Wentzel close behind. From there, Webb began to extend his lead and separate himself from the pack, finishing lap one seven minutes ahead of Wentzel.

In laps two and three, the biggest obstacle became the amateur lappers, which created challenges for the pros to find lines through the field. In the final lap, Webb dropped into the canyon called Black Flag, which was an intense down and up that they had to complete before the final finish. With spectators cheering from above on the cliffside, Webb climbed up this canyon in Webb fashion, winning the Moab Hard Enduro in two hours and 33 minutes. He said his arm pump was the worst it’s ever been and that traction was really tough to find out on the course.

Quinn Wentzel at Moab Hard Enduro — **Rieju’s Quinn Wentzel finished out the weekend in third. Photo: Owen Gorsuch**

The fight for the other two spots on the podium was the focus now, as there was a chance that an athlete or two could have made it on the podium for the first time ever. Hard Enduro Outfitter Sherco’s Branden Petrie started out the race in the top five but pushed hard in laps two and three, battling Wentzel for the second position. After swapping positions several times, Petrie ended up passing Wentzel and made it up Black Flag in two hours and 49 minutes for second place. Wentzel held off Abbott and finished in third place, one minute behind Petrie.

Abbott finished in fourth, and IRC Tire Beta’s James Flynn finished in fifth. This was Petrie and Wentzel’s first-ever USHE podium finishes.

Louise Forsley at Moab Hard Enduro — **Louise Forsley topped the Women’s Pro class.**

In the Pro Women’s class, Louise Forsley won ahead of Hallie Marks and Bailey Lerwill. Riley Bender was the top amateur of the weekend, followed by Braxton Hintze and Niko Piazza.

The next USHE round is the Battle of the Goats in Taylorsville, North Carolina, on April 27-28.