Shan Moore | November 12, 2024
Red Bull FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Trystan Hart took a major step closer to locking up his second-straight AMA EnduroCross title with a solid victory at the penultimate round of the Slavens Racing AMA EnduroCross Series presented by Progressive Insurance at the First Interstate Bank Center in Redmond, Oregon, going 2-1-1 in the three motos to top Rockstar Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Colton Haaker’s 1-2-2 performance.
Trystan Hart (1) led much of the way Saturday night at the First Interstate Bank Center in Redmond, Oregon.
Photography by Jack Jaxson
Haaker turned the fastest time in qualifying, topped the Hot Lap time charts, and appeared at times to be the fastest rider through most of the night. But it was Hart’s precise riding and determination that garnered the Canadian the victory, while Haaker suffered a couple of unfortunate mishaps in key moments.
Leading the points standings by 19 coming into the Redmond event, and with Triumph Factory rider Jonny Walker having returned to the U.K. to race in Europe, Hart needed only to claim a pair of podium finishes in the final two rounds to clinch the 2024 championship title. However, the defending champ did not play it safe and went all-out for the win.
Colton Haaker started the evening off with a win.
Haaker turned the fastest time during Hot Laps to claim the first pick on the gate for moto one, though it was Hart that exited the first turn with the lead, followed closely by Haaker. Factory Beta’s Tim Apolle, Rieju’s Dominik Olszowy and Factory Beta’s Max Gerston finished out the top five.
By lap two, FactoryOne Sherco’s Cody Webb had made his way into fourth in his first race back from surgery on his wrist and knee.
Cody Webb used consistency to get on the podium at the end of the night.
Hart and Haaker pulled away from the field on the first lap in an exciting battle for the lead. Haaker made a pass on Hart to take the top position, only to bobble and hand it right back to the Canadian. Haaker finally made a pass stick with three laps to go and took control of the race, beating Hart to the finish by two bikelengths. Webb finished third, with Rockstar Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder LeBlond and Olszowy in fourth and fifth, respectively.
To establish gate picks for the second moto, the 16 riders’ finish positions from race one are inverted, meaning the top eight riders from race one start on the second row. Hart was the first among the top riders at the exit of turn one and headed into lap one in fourth, although the KTM rider came together with FactoryOne Sherco’s Cooper Abbott later in the lap and dropped toward the rear, leaving Abbott in third. This left Hart mired back in eighth place, with Haaker in 11th.
Rieju’s Dominik Olszowy is showing more and more speed as of late.
Webb ran strong and passed Abbott on lap four to move into third place, while Hart and Haaker fought through the pack.
It didn’t take long for the cream to rise to the top and at the halfway mark, Webb took the lead with a five-second advantage over Hart, while Haaker was closing in third, setting up a titanic battle for the top step on the podium.
Webb held a significant lead over Hart and Haaker at the halfway mark. By the time the white flag flew, however, Hart and Haaker had moved to the back wheel of Webb and were beginning to apply pressure. On the final lap, with the checkered flag within sight, Webb went down over a log, giving Hart the win with Haaker in second, followed by Olszowy, Webb and GasGas’ Branden Petrie, respectively.
Hart and Haaker came into moto three tied for the overall lead, each rider with three points apiece. It was Hart who got away first at the start, with Haaker tight on his tail, followed by Webb, Abbott and Olszowy.
Hart and Haaker broke away from the pack, while Webb led Olszowy and LeBlond a few bikelengths back.
Haaker tried several times to pass Hart for the lead, but Hart remained steady and stuck to the fastest line, leaving no openings for Haaker.
At the finish of moto three, the order was Hart, Haaker, Webb, Olszowy and LeBlond, giving Hart the overall win, with Haaker second and Webb in third.
“I was nervous today, but once the gate drops, it kind of all goes away, and I can do my thing,” said Hart. “In the first moto, I was just cruising, and it was nice following Haaker and staying out of trouble because we had a big gap. In the second moto, I said I wanted to win and that went pretty well. And then that last moto, I had a big battle with Colton. He put the pressure on, but I didn’t crack like I have a couple of times this year, so that one feels pretty good.”
Shelby Turner won both the Qualifier and the main in the Women’s class.
With just one round remaining, Hart has a comfortable 24-point lead over Haaker in the series standings, with Jonny Walker in third, another 22 points back.
“What can you say, I did everything I possibly could to put myself in position,” said Haaker. “Trystan got me on the start, and he hugged the best line, and I tried to go around to make some stuff happen, but to be honest, there wasn’t much you could do outside of that fast line. It was obvious that the main line was the best, and he did a great job.”
Webb’s third was a surprise, considering he had been on the bike for just a few weeks before the race.
“I just wanted to win that second moto so bad,” said Webb. “I had no idea those guys caught up to me so quickly, and I did a dumb bonehead move. My racecraft is off since it’s been a little while since I raced.”
With one round to go, the defending champ, Hart, is poised to win back-to-back AMA EnduroCross Championships.
In the Pro Women’s division, Enduro Engineering/GasGas/FXR Moto’s Shelby Turner dominated in both the qualifier and the main to take another step toward a sixth national title. Defending series champ, Team KBS Sherco’s Rachel Gutish was second overall, while GasGas-mounted Kylee Sweeten was third overall.
“It was actually a lot trickier than the pros are making it look,” said Turner. “The holes in the rocks are deep, and the water’s carrying, and it’s technical. The tires across from the finish are tricky, and if you’re not jumping up through them, it’s kind of 50/50 on how it’s going to be. But all in all, it was a good ride. I was just trying to keep solid and consistent and have a lot of fun out there.”
Sherco rider Hallie Marks was fourth. CN
(L-R) Haaker, Hart and Webb celebrate on the Oregon podium.
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Trystan Hart (KTM) 2-1-1
- Colton Haaker (Hus) 1-2-2
- Cody Webb (She) 3-4-3
- Dominik Olszowy (Rie) 5-3-4
- Ryder LeBlond (Hus) 4-7-5
- Cooper Abbott (She) 8-8-6
- Branden Petrie (GG) 9-5-8
- Max Gerston (Bet) 6-6-10
- Tim Apolle (Bet) 7-10-7
- Anthony Johnson (KTM) 10-12-9
