Defending AMA EnduroCross Champion Trystan Hart ignored the pain from an arm injury he suffered earlier in practice on race day to grab the overall win in round four of the championship. The victory in Oregon extends his winning streak to three and increases his points advantage to six over Jonny Walker, who challenged Hart for the win in all three main events inside the First Interstate Bank Center Arena.
“I really didn’t think the top two were [possible] tonight,” Hart admitted after the dust had settled.
Despite a knot in his arm “as large as a baseball,” the Red Bull FMF/KTM Factory Racing rider, Hart, who is vying for a third consecutive EnduroCross title, won the first two motos and finished second in the third moto, which was just enough for the night’s victory over championship rival Walker, who tracked Hart closely throughout nearly every lap of the night.
Walker, on the factory Triumph, finally found success in the third and final moto, aggressively elbowing the Canadian, Hart, out of the way to take the lead and the win, but it wasn’t enough to win the overall after Hart managed to hold onto second place in the race.
Yamaha’s Cody Webb reinforced his confidence in the championship with third overall, going 6-3-3 on the night.
Kawasaki rider Colton Haaker was fourth overall with three fourth-place finishes, and fellow Kawasaki rider Cooper Abbott was fifth overall with 3-9-8 placings.
The night’s racing kicked off with hot-lap qualifying, where the top 10 riders in the championship points each ran a timed lap to decide gate selection for moto one. Walker showed his raw speed and posted the fastest time of 44.466 seconds, earning the Brit the first gate pick for the opening moto.
Haaker qualified second with a 45.297, while the injured Hart managed third at 45.676. Abbott (46.521) and Webb (46.581) rounded out the top five qualifying positions.
Despite Walker’s blistering qualifying lap that earned him first gate pick, it was Husqvarna’s Ryder LeBlond who grabbed the holeshot in moto one. However, Hart immediately seized the lead. Abbott slotted into third, with Walker fourth.
Hart looked strong and determined to extend his series lead, but Abbott had other ideas, initially fending off Walker’s advances. The battle for second intensified after a few laps as Walker found his rhythm, making a decisive inside pass on Abbott through the rock garden to claim second place and set his sights on Hart.
Walker’s charge was relentless. After passing Abbott, the Triumph rider set the fastest lap of the moto, a full second quicker than Hart, as he aimed to close the gap on the championship leader. Halfway through the race, Walker found himself on Hart’s rear wheel, having successfully closed what had been a comfortable lead.
Despite the intense pressure and his hurting arm, Hart managed to negotiate his way through the lapped traffic expertly, maintaining just enough distance to hold off Walker’s charge and claim the moto-one victory.
The start grid of moto two was inverted, and Ty Cullins grabbed the holeshot, but Nick Thompson quickly overtook him to take the lead. Hart, starting farther back, wasted no time moving through the field and slotted into second place behind Thompson, with championship rivals Walker and Webb right behind.
When Thompson made mistakes under pressure, Hart seized the opportunity, taking the lead. With a clear track ahead, Hart held a nervous one-second lead over Walker. Hart held on though, and crossed the finish line in the lead for the win, with Walker second and Webb a strong third.
Walker finally got the start he’d been looking for all night in moto three, grabbing the holeshot and looking to make it count, but he bobbled in the rock pit and lost momentum, sending him back to midpack and handing Hart the lead.
Webb also took advantage of Walker’s misfortune, sticking with Hart in second place. However, Walker was on the move. The Triumph rider quickly closed the gap and passed Webb to reclaim second and chase after Hart.
As the race entered its second half, Walker dramatically closed the gap, navigating through lap traffic quickly. Things intensified when Walker made contact with Hart’s bike after putting his front wheel alongside the Triumph, pushing past to take the lead.
The white flag flew as Walker tried to extend his lead, but Hart wasn’t giving up, making it a race to the finish line. Walker held on to take the narrow win over Hart and Webb.
“Jonny, he had a bit more in the last one,” Hart said. “It would have been nice to get all three wins, but I did not want to risk anything else. So, I just played it safe.
“I had a really weird crash and hit my hand pretty good in practice, so it kind of restricted my motion,” Hart added. “Before the start of the night, I was honestly wondering how it was going to go. I thought a top-two finish was in jeopardy tonight, because my arm was not well after practice, but I knew that the adrenaline would take over, and my arm was either going to work or it wasn’t. I accepted that, and it all worked out okay. Going 1-1-2 tonight was good. I played it safe in the third one and am stoked to come away with a good result here.”
“Terrible starts. That’s all I can say tonight,” Walker said. “I was riding good, and yeah, definitely had the speed, but my starts just really let me down.”
“Yeah, it was definitely a step in the right direction,” the former champ, Webb, said of his third-place finish overall. “I’m still a little bit off the pace. I mean, Trystan and Jonny are riding phenomenal this year, and, you know, they did their homework leading into the season, and I’m just playing catch-up and playing catch-up from last season as well.
“Those guys are riding good,” Webb added. “You know, a podium doesn’t feel like a win, but it feels great to get back up here and prove myself. And I was worried people were starting to doubt me, and, like, I wasn’t doubting myself: I knew it was going to come back.”
With two rounds left in the championship, the battle between Hart and Walker has reached a crucial point. Hart’s six-point lead over Walker (97-91) gives him a cushion but is hardly insurmountable.
Beyond the title fight, a fierce battle for the final podium positions is unfolding. Haaker holds third with 73 points, while LeBlond (71), Webb (69) and Abbott (68) are separated by just three points in the fight for fourth through sixth.
Jaden Dahners from Enumclaw, Washington, claimed the Expert main victory with a commanding performance on his KTM. He led from start to finish, with Branden Petrie from Tomahawk, Alberta, taking second on his Beta, while Marc Fernandez from Barcelona, Spain, completed the podium in third aboard his Rieju.CN
2025 EnduroCross Round 4 Results
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Trystan Hart (KTM) 1-1-2
- Jonny Walker (Tri) 2-2-1
- Cody Webb (Yam) 6-3-3
- Colton Haaker (Kaw) 4-4-4
- Cooper Abbott (Kaw) 3-9-8
- Braxton Hintze (Fan) 8-8-5
- Ryder LeBlond (Hus) 5-10-6
- Max Gerston (Bet) 7-5-9
- Tim Apolle (Bet) 10-7-7
- Branden Petrie (Bet) 11-6-12
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