| February 28, 2024
Kawelo Huddy led his Kauai Racing Development (KRD) teammates for a Pro podium sweep of the Ultimate Hawaiian Hard Enduro on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, February 24-25.
By Matt Musgrove | Photos by Sheadon Ringor
Hosted by the Garden Island Motorcycle Club, this inaugural race was an exhibition round of the U.S. Hard Enduro Series, and also the first event of the week-long IRC Endurofest-Hawaii, presented by Pasha. The GIMC is no stranger to difficult events, as they will be celebrating the 70th running of the Labor Day Hare & Hound this year, one of the most prestigious off-road races in the West.
The Ultimate Hawaiian consisted of two different loops that had splits for three categories of racers, from the Pros to the B classes. This section of Kauai is a stone’s throw away from one of the wettest spots on earth, so the amount of growth and slick conditions were hard to fathom for most riders. The U.S. Hard Enduro Series managed a shipping container for around 10 mainland racers to come over and race the two Hawaiian rounds, including Pro-class athletes Cody Webb and James Flynn. Webb raced IRC Endurofest in Oahu two years ago but has never raced on Kauai Island.
The races started off with a very well-built endurocross track and then went off into the mountains for the first loop. In the first loop, Webb battled for the lead in the front pack, but KRD teammates Kawelo Huddy, Ryder Guest and Kamakana Waiwaiole-Kahalepuna were only minutes behind.
About an hour into the race and through the first gas stop, the racers then went onto a different course that led to a more intensive part of the venue. The “Hawaiian Ice” (incredibly slick mud) is a very difficult thing to ride on. Mixing that Hawaiian Ice with the steep volcanic ridges, wet lava rock and endless roots was a perfect recipe for a very tough race.
The second loop included more of these challenges for the athletes. There were several hills that took many tries to get over, causing riders to lose valuable time and energy. About five minutes into the second loop, Huddy passed Webb and didn’t look back.
Shortly after, Guest and Kamakana were battling with each other, gaining ground on Webb, and eventually passed him. Kawelo Huddy came into the finish at three hours, winning the class and ending up waiting 49 minutes until Ryder Guest finished second. Kamakana finished third only minutes after Guest, and Webb finished in fourth, an hour and 13 minutes behind Huddy.
Huddy and his KRD teammates all rode very strong races, and their local experience and time spent training on this terrain made their home-court advantage evident. Webb still rode a great race and finished a full racecourse within the time limit, but he admitted how much he struggled and claimed this race was one of the more challenging events he’s tackled. There were quite a few racers stuck trying to get out of the mountains for nearly 8-9 hours before they returned.
The second race of IRC Endurofest-Hawaii will be the Koa Mauna Hard Enduro this Saturday on March 2 at the Kahuku Motocross Track on the North Shore of Oahu.