FAN ZONE

EnduroCross 101

EnduroCross is one of the wildest sports on two wheels. It takes the race format of motocross and combines it with the challenging obstacles of an enduro, all packed into the tight confines of a fan-friendly stadium setting. Riders have to race over rock beds, through water crossings, over tractor tires and across telephone poles.

The sport is as fan-friendly as it is challenging for the riders. One of the most unpredictable motorsports in history, EnduroCross always delivers ample entertainment.

At each round, riders must compete in qualifying racers to transfer to the main event. The main event features the best riders of the event racing for championship points. The overall title is awarded to the rider who has the most points at the end of the season.

  • 2004
    Indoor Enduro Racing debuted in the U.S. when promoters Eric Peronnard and Tim Clark pioneered what was to become the first of many EnduroCross races, in Las Vegas.  Ryan Hughes, top motocross racer turned off-road charger, beat the likes of World Enduro heroes David Knight and Mika Ahola, and the fuse was lit for the EnduroCross series to blow up in popularity.
  • 2006
    The inception of the first-ever indoor night race
  • 2007
    The first year that the EnduroCross series consisted of more than one event, as the race took to the road in a three-stop, winner-take-all series. The series debuted at the National Western Complex in Denver, CO. Rounds 2 & 3 were in Guthrie, OK and Las Vegas, Nevada, respectively. In the final round, Taddy Blazusiak stole the show by winning the main event and keeping David Knight from sweeping all three rounds.
  • 2008
    The series increased to six races and Kawasaki rider Ricky Dietrich earned the championship.
  • 2009
    Poland’s Taddy Blazusiak won four of the six races to win the first of his five championships.
  • 2010
    Taddy Blazusiak won the second of his two titles taking five of the six race wins. Geoff Aaron finished second.
  • 2011
    EnduroCross included in X Games LA and part of the championship. Taddy Blazusiak took the win.
    The first year of a Women’s class included three races, won by Maria Forsburg (two race wins including the X Games LA event) and Louise Forsley.
    Taddy Blazusiak won his third consecutive championship. 
  • 2012  
    Taddy Blazusiak won his fourth championship. Cody Webb finished second and served notice that he was coming to challenge Taddy.
    Maria Forsburg won the first Women’s class championship.
  • 2013
    Taddy Blazusiak won his fifth championship in a close battle that came down to the last race with Mike Brown.
    Canadian Chantelle Bykerk won the Women’s class championship. 
  • 2014
    Cody Webb earned his first championship in a close battle with Taddy Blazusiak and Colton Haaker.
    Lexi Pechout won the Women’s class championship in a battle that came down to the last turn.
  • 2015
    Cody Webb earned his second championship.
    Spain’s Sandra Gomez won the Women’s class championship.
  • 2016
    Colton Haaker won his first championship in a close fought battle with Cody Webb.
    Shelby Turner won the Women’s class championship.
  • 2017
    Cody Webb won his third championship. 
    Shelby Turner became the first women to win more than one Women’s class championships.
  • 2018
    Colton Haaker won his second championship.

    Kacy Martinez won her first Women’s class championship,

  • 2019
    Colton Haaker won his third championship.
    Shelby Turner won her third Women’s class championship.

  • 2019 Colton Haaker
  • 2018 Colton Haaker
  • 2017 Cody Webb
  • 2016 Colton Haaker
  • 2015 Cody Webb
  • 2014 Cody Webb
  • 2013 Taddy Blazusiak
  • 2012 Taddy Blazusiak
  • 2011 Taddy Blazusiak
  • 2010 Taddy Blazusiak
  • 2009 Taddy Blazusiak
  • 2008 Ricky Dietrich
  • 2007 David Knight
  • 2006 John Dowd
  • 2005 David Knight
  • 2004 Ryan Hughes
  • AMA | American Motorcycle Association | The governing body for EX in the USA
  • CCCubic Centimeters | Referencing Engine Displacement
  • Flaggers | Workers stationed around track to advise racers of conditions via flags
  • Holeshot | Taking the lead into the first turn of the race
  • LCQ | Last Chance Qualifying Race | Non-qualified racers compete for remaining spots in Main Race
  • Qualifier | A Qualifiying Race determining which riders advance to the Main Race

The Rock Garden
Watch the racers during the track walk and you’ll find most of them studying the Rock Garden closely. Varying in shapes and sizes, the Rock Garden is never the same, and riders always manage to find the good lines—and the bad ones—throughout the course of the evening. The rocks will quickly make or break the race for many, so watch for crashing, stalling and passing in both the boulder pile and river rock sections of the track.

The Firewood Pit
The treachery of the Firewood Pit comes with its constantly changing nature. The wood pieces get rearranged each time a rider navigates their way through the pit, which can throw the riders and their bikes off balance on any given lap. Luck is often the name of the game in the Firewood Pit. Not surprisingly, some riders view it as the most challenging obstacle on the track.

The Tractor Tires
The tires are another staple obstacle of EnduroCross. Finish-line jumps are commonly constructed of a row of upright tractor tires that can often launch riders sky high as they click off each lap. They may make it look easy, but don’t believe it. Hitting a tire jump is nothing like a dirt ramp—the tires can be either extremely soft or super stiff, which can cause the bike to react in different ways.

The Matrix
The Matrix is a combination of logs with different spacing that can be a rider’s worst nightmare. Some of the spacing swallows up the bike while the next two logs may put one tire up while the other is down. This is often the section that causes the most trips over the bars throughout the day.

The Pro Lane
The Pro Lane is back for 2019, adding a degree of extreme difficulty, as well as a strategic aspect to the Super EnduroCross race. Racers must take a trip through the formidable The Pro Lane at least once during the main event. It’s their choice as to when, but their choice could greatly affect their overall position in the field. Look for each rider to take their run through the The Pro Lane, a single feature that could change the entire outcome of the race.

  • Super EnduroCross (Pro). These are the top EnduroCross riders in the world. The night show will open with a Last Chance Qualifier to get two last riders into the 16 rider field. Then the Super EnduroCross riders will race three “Motos” with the combined lowest score earning the nights overall win. The riders will start in two rows of 8 riders, earning their starting position for Moto 1 with an afternoon Hot Lap qualification.  Moto 2 gate picks will be inverted from the Moto 1 results. So the top 8 finishers from race one will start on row 2. Moto 3 gate picks will be based on the Moto 2 results. 
  • Intermediate. This is the next step down from the pro class. Up to 16 riders will race a single main event.
  • Amateur. This is where less experienced riders will get the opportunity to race an EnduroCross and improve their skills.  Up to 16 riders will race a single main event.
  • Vet 35+.  This is for riders that are 35 year of age or older. Some of these riders often compete in the Amateur class also.  Up to 16 riders will race a single main event.
  • Women.  These tough ladies often put on one of the best races of the night.

The Faces of The Races

Colton Haaker is not only the two time and defending AMA EnduroCross Champion, but one of the most colorful characters you’ll find in the pits. Just check out his “vlogs” to see inside the daily life of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider.

Haaker earned his first EnduroCross Championship in 2016, and was on fire at the start of the 2017 season, but he was forced to forfeit his season last year after suffering an elbow injury. Haaker returned full force in 2018 and snagged his second EnduroCross Championship.

Taddy Blazusiak is returning to the USA to compete in the 2019 AMA EnduroCross championship. The Polish rider burst onto the EnduroCross scene in 2007, where he won his first ever EnduroCross race he competed at inside the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Blazusiak was virtually unstoppable in AMA EnduroCross from 2009 to 2013, winning five championships. He has 31 career AMA EnduroCross wins, more than any other rider. Blazusiak, the five-time AMA EnduroCross champion last competed in the full series in 2014 before a short “retirement”. He made a comeback in 2016 but that season ended early due to an injury. Blazusiak has continued to compete in the FIM SuperEnduro championship in Europe and has won several races and been in contention for the championship the last couple of seasons.

Ty Tremaine is a three time AMA EnduroCross Junior Champion, which recognizes riders that are 21 and under. The Beta USA factory rider finished third overall in the pro class championship in both 2017 and 2018.  He is still just 23 years old and continuing to improve.

Kyle has raced every season of EnduroCross since 2007. He has earned multiple podium finishes during that time but has come just short of getting a win. 2018 was one of his strongest seasons overall and he finished fourth in the championship. He and his fiancé had their first child earlier this year so Redmond announced that he was going to retire from racing but he had second thoughts and will now be back racing a Sherco 300 four-stroke.

   Ten-time AMA Nationals Trials Champion, Geoff Aaron, has been with AMA EnduroCross since day one and continues to run with the best. Watching the Red Bull backed rider manhandle is GasGas XC300 on an EnduroCross course, putting his legendary trial skills and sheer size to work, is a sight to behold. Geoff has two career EnduroCross main event wins to his credit and finished second to Taddy Blazusiak in the 2019 and 2010 championships.

Max Gerston has raced the EnduroCross pro class since 2011 and has multiple top five and podium finishes to his name. The “Cowboy” is an Arizona native that races for the Beta USA factory team. He is a two time AMA East Hare Scrambles champion.

Quiet and focused, Ty Cullins is a man of few words, but plenty of talent. Cullins came up through the Trials ranks. While Trials skills are his forte, Cullins spends plenty of time on the motocross track sharpening his aggression for EnduroCross. His increased speed earned him sixth place in the 2018 championship and the Junior EnduroCross title for riders 21 and under. He will be racing a TM motorcycle in 2019.

Noah Kepple started racing at a much older age than most of his competitors. He has incredible balance, a very fluid riding style and is often one of the first riders to jump difficult obstacles. He is a full-time college student that can still put in top results against the best EnduroCross riders in the world. He will be racing a Husqvarna for the 3-Bros / SRT team in 2019.

Son of 10-time National Desert Champion, Destry Abbott, Cooper is following in his legendary father’s footsteps as he rises through the ranks in off-road racing. The twenty-year old finished eighth in the 2018 championship. He will be racing an FMF / RPM / KTM / Maxxis team entry again in 2019 and be aiming for the Junior championship.

Mason Ottersberg has come through the ranks of EnduroCross. The Arizona native had his best season yet in 2018 with a 9th place finish in the championship. He will be back racing a Beta in 2019 and looking to further improve on his recent success.

Dustin McCarthy is another rider that has come up through the ranks of EnduroCross. Two seasons ago, he was racing the amateur class. He made his first pro class main event in 2017 and then in 2018, he qualified for five of the six main events and finished tenth in the championship.

Trystan Hart burst onto the EnduroCross scene in 2014 when he and his brother started traveling down to the US from Canada to race. He quickly improved and started to be a regular top five competitor and in 2017, he finished second to Cody Webb in the championship. He started strong in 2018 with a third and second place finish but then broke his wrist at round three and had to miss the remainder of the year. He will be racing for the an FMF / RPM / KTM / Maxxis team in 2019.

Sponsor Shoutout

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Fox Racing, the leading brand in MX Apparel and protection is proud to announce their presenting sponsorship of the 2019 AMA EnduroCross Series. Fox has expanded their commitment to off-road riding in recent years, sponsoring enduro athletes such as multi-time EnduroCross champion Taddy Blazusiak and Extreme Enduro star Manuel Lettenbichler. For 2019 Fox adds Beta USA factory rider Ty Tremaine to an already competitive team. You can learn more about Fox Racing here: www.foxracing.com

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Expanding their leadership role in the Extreme Off-Road Market with their sponsorship of the series, IRC Tire will continue to showcase the performance of the GEKKOTA tire line. The GEKKOTA line was specifically designed to meet the demands of enduro and trail riding with an incredibly soft and grippy gummy rubber compound which grips when other tires slip. There are two tires in the GEKKOTA line. You can learn more about IRC Tire here: www.irctire.com
Law Tigers Motorcycle Lawyers has signed on as the title sponsor of the Prescott Valley EnduroCross and will be an associate sponsor for the full series. Law Tigers is a professional association of motorcycle injury lawyers that helps riders every day. The company has been involved with EnduroCross for several years and is also involved with several motorcycle events every year. You can learn more about Law Tigers here: www.lawtigers.com
Ever since the brand’s inception, Husqvarna has continued to evolve. What started as a weapons factory advanced to produce household appliances before moving onto two-wheeled goods. Adding bicycles to their product range in 1896, the leap into motorcycle production happened in 1903. This bold step marked the beginning of a long and fruitful journey for Husqvarna Motorcycles. The brand forged an envious reputation for their pioneering spirit and commitment to premium products with state-of-the-art technology. You can learn more about Husqvarna here: www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com.

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