| June 7, 2022
A recent dry spell in So Cal, paired with over sixty teams competing on a technical and deteriorating grand prix course, made the 10 Hours of Glen Helen, round two of the 3Bros. Glen Helen Endurance Series, a true test for riders of all skill levels. But when the going gets tough, the tough endure, and in the end of the 10-hour race, which spanned from 4:00 p.m. on Saturday to 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning, June 4-5, it was the defending Nick Stover team that showed why they run the number-one plate at Glen Helen Raceway.
Story and Photos by Trevor Hunter
As the green flag waved on Saturday afternoon, the top pro teams raced around the infamous Talladega first turn. The number-1 of Chance Fullerton grabbed the holeshot but the 22 of Thomas Dunn made a pass in turn two, setting the tone for the 10-hour slug fest that was to come. At the end of the first 10.5-mile lap, Dunn held a marginal gap over Fullerton, and the duo had already separated themselves from the rest of the field, setting up a head-to-head race for the remaining 9.5 hours.
Over the course of the first four hours, the lead swapped multiple times between the number-22 (Trevor Hunter) and number-1 (Stover) teams, with Hunter leading the way when the sun went down and the lights went on—around 8:00 p.m., nearly halfway through the race. With two course deviations already in the books, unforgiving silt, steep hills and stranded lappers strewn all over the course, the race became more of a chess match to see who could get through the dust and traffic the cleanest.
At the halfway point, the battle for the lead came to a standstill, literally, as the Team Hunter and Team Stover teams both found each other stuck on a hill together, passing each other as they turned around to get another run at it. In the end, Stover made his way through the pileup first and made dust, leaving the number-22 bike behind. This held steady through the last five hours, with Stover eventually taking the win and Hunter finishing in the runner up-position.
The battle for third came down to the final laps as Matt Canepa held the final podium position all race long until a mechanical issue in the closing laps saw their bike lifeless on the side of the trail. This let the Tucker Hopkins’ team slide past for third Pro/overall, dropping Matt Canepa to fourth. Fifth Overall and first Expert was the Levi Arnold team, with Kimberly Loppknow winning the Women’s class and Austin Eddy claiming the Ironman win and an impressive 12th overall.
Overall
- Nick Stover (KTM)
- Trevor Hunter (Yam)
- Tucker Hopkins (Yam)
- Matt Canepa (KTM)
- Levi Arnold (Hon)