2024 Donner Hard Enduro Results

| August 14, 2024

Trystan Hart of FMF KTM Factory Racing won the Donner Hard Enduro in California, August 10-11, gaining valuable points over Cody Webb in the Bulletproof Designs U.S. Hard Enduro Series, Presented by IRC Tire. The Donner Hard Enduro was part of a larger off-road event hosted by Brian Garrahan at the Donner Ski Ranch, called the Donner Challenge.

Trystan Hart at 2024 Donner Hard Enduro. Photo: Matt Musgrove — **Trystan Hart ran away with the win at the Donner Hard Enduro. Photo: Matt Musgrove**

By Matt Musgrove

The Donner Challenge consisted of AMA District 36 Hare Scrambles, California Motoclimb Series races up the ski hill, and the U.S. Hard Enduro Championship races, which included the final round of the AMA West Hard Enduro Series, Presented by Klim. The diverse terrain and Garrahan’s winding course at the Donner Ski Ranch make this venue one of the favorites for many racers and spectators alike. In the 11-mile course, racers experienced granite slabs, steep hills, thick forest trails, lava rock, creeks, shale, and sharp rocky climbs on top of the 7700-foot-tall peak overlooking the picturesque Donner Lake.

A new Prologue format was added to this year’s race on Saturday, giving the racers a chance to qualify for a better row position for Sunday’s main race. The Prologue was 1.5 miles long, starting from halfway up the hill and traversing down to the finish line at the ski lodge. All 210 racers lined up in rows of five, starting with the Pro class and going all the way to the C and Youth classes. Cody Webb of FactoryOne Sherco was the winner of this sprint race, finishing in four minutes and 23 seconds. Some of the Amateur racers took nearly two hours to complete this course, which gave them plenty of extreme riding time and a taste of what was to come the next day.

Cody Webb at 2024 Donner Hard Enduro. Photo: Jenny Keller — **Cody Webb wrapped up the AMA West Hard Enduro Championship. Photo: Jenny Keller**

After the AMA District 36 Youth Hare Scrambles wrapped up on Sunday afternoon, the Donner Hard Enduro main race kicked off, which consisted of a two-lap race around the mountain that had a four-hour time limit. There were six checkpoints, and each checkpoint had a Pro/A and B/C split, which allowed different levels of racers to have a more enjoyable experience. The racers started in rows of 10, leaving one minute apart.

The front group started battling as they made their way through the famous Spectator Hill. Once the Amateur classes started, chaos ensued in that section. Up front, Webb and Hart were going back and forth, while Rockstar Husqvarna’s Ryder LeBlond and Factory GasGas’ Will Riordan were battling, which continued for those two the entire race. Hart gained a couple minutes on Webb, who made a couple mistakes early on that cost him some time. Going through AA Hills, Hart said he made it through nearly perfect, barely making any mistakes on the infamous rocky hill section and gaining valuable time. Simultaneously, Webb suffered an electrical issue that forced him to return to the pits and lose his second-place position.

After the first lap, Hart had a five-minute lead over Riordan, who was ahead of LeBlond by four minutes. Webb caught back up to fourth after his repair, and James Flynn was in fifth after lap one. During lap two, the leaders had to get creative while passing through lappers, which were scattered throughout the entire course at this point.

Ryder LeBlond at 2024 Donner Hard Enduro. Photo: Jenny Keller — **Ryder LeBlond was second overall. Photo: Jenny Keller**

Hart began to extend his lead as he made his way through the field, cleaning lines and passing Amateur riders that were stacked up in certain sections. He ended up finishing the two laps in two hours and 19 minutes, and was really happy with the race and how he made his way through the difficult course.

LeBlond eventually passed Riordan and finished 15 minutes behind Hart for second place, while Riordan finished in third place five minutes behind LeBlond. Branden Petrie and Colton Haaker were running solid races at a good pace, and they finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Hart gained valuable points over Webb in the USHE Premier Championship, which ends at the Red Bull Tennessee Knockout, while Webb won the AMA West Extreme Off-Road Championship by a wide margin.

In the Pro Women’s class, Louise Forsley was the only woman to complete two laps, winning the class. Katie Hall-Lead and Addy Albrecht finished second and third, respectively. HTR GasGas’ Braxton Hintze won the A class, while his teammate Kael Widdicombe was the overall Amateur winner on the B/C course.