FMF KTM Factory rider Johnny Girroir picked up where he left off last year by winning the opening round of the U.S. Sprint Enduro Series held at MacDaddy Raceway in Hephzibah, Georgia, January 18-19. However, Girroir had to fight off wolves during the early going of each day before getting the job done.
Although he won the opening cross-test, Girroir was in a deficit after two tests. When a hard rain delayed the start of Saturday’s race for an hour, the defending champ and the first rider to take to the enduro course had to break trail on the muddy test. Girroir lost 13 seconds to eventual test winner AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper, while FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers’ rising star, 19-year-old Grant Davis, was just a second behind Draper in third, as Girroir spent the rest of the day fighting back in pursuit of the lead.
The hard rain made for slippery conditions for the first half of the day, though the track got tacky and rough as the sun and wind began to dry it out, making for a perfect day of racing.
Davis led the race after the first two tests, but Girroir took Saturday’s win after battling back and winning four of the six tests, heading into Sunday’s race with a 5.4-second lead over Davis.
“After the rain it was pretty gnarly, but when it dried out it got tacky and rough,” said Davis. “I felt comfortable in the cross-test, but I also won one of the enduro tests, so I think I rode consistently all weekend.”
Draper followed in third after getting off to a disastrous start, finishing seventh after drawing the number one spoon, which meant he would be the first on the track to break in the muddy trail, followed by Girroir. Draper redeemed himself by winning one of the enduro tests.
“There were so many puddles in that first test, so I just rode super timid and scared of the holes, said Draper. “I made up some time and rode good in the enduro test, but that first test hurt me.”
Phoenix Honda Racing’s Cody Barnes was fourth on the day, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig DeLong in fifth.
Girroir started in a hole again on Sunday, finishing fourth in the first cross-test and five seconds behind Draper. Meanwhile, Davis held a solid lead after two tests, having placed second and first in the first two tests.
Girroir came on strong mid-day to eventually win three tests for Sunday’s win plus the overall for the weekend. At the same time, Davis had a ride he’d rather forget in the second enduro test, which dropped him to fourth for the day behind Draper and Barnes.
In the overall results, Girroir took the overall win, extending his streak of day wins going back to last year to 22 victories, an amazing feat. Girroir beat second-place finisher Draper—another up-and-comer whose time at the top is coming soon—by 26.6 seconds after 12 tests of racing.
“Liam and I were both unlucky when it came to drawing start positions,” said Girroir. “He drew number one for the first cross-test and since I won that test, I had to go first on the enduro test, so we were both blazing trail. Breaking in the enduro test was horrible. It rained all night and this morning until 8, so it was all puddles again. It got better, and the last four tests were better than the first couple of tests, so I was able to settle down and hit my lines.”
Third overall was Barnes, who ran consistently in the top three for most of the weekend.
“The cross-test got better as the day went on, but the enduro test got worse because it got rutted and a lot more tree roots got exposed, so that was kind of harder,” said Barnes. “But the cross-test by the end was pretty good. For the most part, my weekend went smoothly. I stayed off the ground all the way until the second enduro test today, and I crashed two times and lost a bunch of time. But besides that, I was happy with my riding.”
Davis, who was also the top Pro 2 winner, certainly proved he belongs among the elites of the sport. Davis won an enduro test on Sunday ahead of Draper and Girroir, keeping him in the hunt for an overall podium. Davis ended the weekend with fourth overall, while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig DeLong rounded out the top five.
Husqvarna-mounted Gavin Simon was sixth and second in the Pro 2 class, beating out Pro-Am winner and seventh-place finisher Phoenix Honda Racing’s JoJo Cunningham.
FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers’ Cooper Jones grabbed eighth overall, just nine seconds ahead of Red Bear Team Green Kawasaki’s Collier Martinez. Husqvarna-mounted Dominik Morse finished out the top 10.
Bonecutter-backed Sherco Rachel Gutish toughed out a competitive victory in the Pro Women’s division, topping Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Korie Steede for the overall win. Steede took the win on Saturday by less than a second, but then Gutish came back determined on Sunday to grab the overall win by 27 seconds. Phoenix Honda Racing’s Tayla Jones returned to racing after spending a year off to finish out the podium with a third.
2025 U.S. Sprint Enduro Round 1 Results
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Johnny Girroir (KTM)
- Liam Draper (Yam)
- Cody Barnes (Hon)
- Grant Davis (KTM)
- Craig DeLong (Hus)
- Gavin Simon (Hus)
- JoJo Cunningham (Hon)
- Cooper Jones (KTM)
- Collier Martinez (Kaw)
- Dominik Morse (Hus)
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