2021 Tulsa EnduroCross Results

Sean Finley | September 21, 2021

Rockstar Husqvarna’s Colton Haaker has won four AMA EnduroCross Championships and two FIM Super Enduro World Championships to put himself near the top of the all-time best list for indoor extreme off-road racing. The defending AMA EnduroCross Champion could not have been any happier about getting back to racing inside arenas with fans again. He thrives on the fan interaction, and he kicked off the 2021 series in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a dominant performance with a fast time in the hot laps followed by a sweep of all three motos to lock down the overall win.

Colton Haaker at 2021 Tulsa EnduroCross — **Colton Haaker loves racing in stadiums in front of fans and he had his speed and showmanship on full display inside the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.**

Photography by Jack Jaxson

FMF KTM’s Trystan Hart and RPM KTM’s Cooper Abbott proved to be the next best riders in a stacked field. Hart finished second overall with 2-3-2 moto finishes and Abbott rounded out the overall podium with 3-2-3 moto finishes.

Haaker kicked off his day by setting the fastest hot-lap time to set the starting order for the first of three motos with a time of 35.621. Abbott showed his speed with the second fastest time at 36.608. Hart was third with a 37.021 lap time. SRT Off-Road-backed Cory Graffunder finished fourth with a 38.300 lap and Will Riordan rounded out the top five with a 38.381 lap on his RPM KTM.

Trystan Hart at 2021 Tulsa EnduroCross — Trystan Hart was disappointed in his results at round one, despite getting second. He had good starts, but in his words, “got a beat down” from Haaker. He said he will be working hard to reverse that at the next round in Amarillo, Texas.

Hart blasted to the Moose Racing Holeshot in moto one with Haaker, Ryder LeBlond, Cory Graffunder and Abbott close behind. Haaker worked his way past Hart on the third lap of the race and began to edge away slightly. Abbott took a couple of laps to work his way past Graffunder and LeBlond to get to third. LeBlond held onto fourth place in the moto with Graffunder fifth.

The second moto inverts the top 16 riders’ finish positions from race one for gate picks, so the top eight riders start on the second row. Canadian Branden Petrie took the holeshot from row one followed by Noah Kepple. Haaker made quick work to finish lap one in third place. Hart crashed in the Matrix on lap one while Abbott was seventh. Abbott was on the move and worked his way through to second place. Graffunder got up to third place, which he held until Hart finally made his way past on the final lap. Graffunder finished fourth with Petrie holding on for fifth.

Cooper Abbott at 2021 Tulsa EnduroCross — Cooper Abbott, the son of multi-time off-road champion Destry Abbott, is establishing himself as one of the top dogs in EnduroCross. He set the second-fastest hot-lap time and finished 3-2-3 despite mediocre starts in the three motos.

In the final moto, Hart again took the holeshot with Riordan second and GasGas rider Max Gerston third. Haaker was in fourth but moved into second by the third lap and started to apply pressure on Hart. The two riders battled for a couple of laps and Hart fought back when Haaker finally took the lead. Haaker had a scare when a lapped rider crashed in front of him, but he still managed to pull off another win. Hart was second and Abbott had worked his way to third in the moto and third overall. Gerston finished fourth and Riordan finished fifth in the moto.

For the overall, Graffunder carded fourth with his 5-4-10 moto finishes. Riordan finished fifth overall with consistent 8-7-5 finishes. Gerston finished sixth overall followed by LeBlond in seventh. German rider Tim Apolle finished eighth on a Beta. Petrie finished ninth overall on a KTM and Noah Kepple rounded out the top 10 on his Husqvarna.

Cory Graffunder at 2021 Tulsa EnduroCross — **Cory Graffunder is a veteran of EnduroCross racing and still has the speed to compete for podiums. He finished close to the front in all three motos, taking fourth overall.**

Haaker was happy to be back racing indoors in front of fans. “To say that I missed the fans would be an understatement,” he said. “The first six months of this year were tough for me because the hard enduros were not going well for me despite a lot of effort. I am so happy that EnduroCross is going strong, and we can put on a great show for the fans.”

Hart was not happy about finishing second overall and is looking to improve by the next race in Amarillo, Texas, in two weeks. “I got a beat down,” he said. “KTM wants to win and I don’t like getting second. That second race, I came up an inch short and went over the bars, so I had to ride really hard get back up to third. I will work hard the next two weeks and come back stronger for the next one.”

Will Riordan at 2021 Tulsa EnduroCross — Will Riordan, the Australian teenager who now lives in California, finished fifth overall and was the top Junior EnduroCross rider, a championship within a championship for riders that are 21 and under.

Abbott established himself as a solid podium contender with a great hot-lap and three solid motos. “I struggled with starts all night, so I definitely made it hard on myself. I went 3-2-3 on the moto scores which I am happy about, but I know I am there with those guys now. So, I will work on my starts and work to battle more with those top two guys.”

Briefly…

Webb Injured

Cody Webb, a three-time AMA EnduroCross Champion and primary rival for Colton Haaker, was feeling prepared to wrestle back a fourth championship in 2021 with another year of development on his FactoryOne Sherco now under his belt, but an injury will force him to miss at least two rounds of racing. Webb broke a bone in his wrist while doing a riding school in Tennessee, and it took several trips to the doctors to finally get a confirmation that it was indeed broken. He hopes to come back and fight for some race wins before the season ends.

Turner’s Turn

In the Women’s class, four-time Women’s EnduroCross Champion Shelby Turner (KTM) took the win. Louise Forsley (Sherco) made a last-lap pass on Morgan Tanke (Beta) to take second place.

Shelby Turner at 2021 Tulsa EnduroCross — **Shelby Turner has four AMA EnduroCross Women’s Championships and kicked off the 2021 season with another win. She also finished third against the men in the Intermediate class.**

Close One

The Intermediate class main event was one of the most exciting races of the night. Coleman Johnson (Sherco) took the win. Gavin McCarthy (KTM) led most of the race and finished second, while Shelby Turner (KTM) added another podium to her evening to round out the podium.

First For Lozano

Sherco-mounted Dylan Lozano won the Amateur class main event in his first-ever EnduroCross. Brian Wedlake finished second after being docked a position for missing a section of the Matrix on the last lap. Ruffin Dodson rounded out the podium.

Locked Bars

In the Vet class, Yamaha rider David Stirm edged out Craig Thompson (Husqvarna) to take the win with the two riders crossing the finish line with their handlebars locked together. Kyle Strever (Yamaha) rounded out the podium.

Junior Winner

Jack Williford (GasGas) won the inaugural Junior Trials class, which is limited to riders that are 12 to 17 years of age. Dylan Lozano (Sherco) finished second and Ruffin Dodson (Sherco) rounded out the top three.