In a winner-take-all showdown that will be remembered as one of, if not the closest, finales in EnduroCross history, Triumph Factory Racing rider Jonny Walker secured both the win at round six and the 2025 Slavens AMA EnduroCross Championship at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington. Walker and defending champion Trystan Hart finished the season tied at 141 points each, but Walker’s record of moto wins, 10 to Hart’s seven, gave him the championship through a tiebreaker, marking Triumph Racing’s first major off-road title and Walker’s second AMA EnduroCross crown.
Photography by Jack Jaxson
Hart’s three-point advantage (119–116) going into the final meant he needed only to finish ahead of Walker to claim his third consecutive championship. But Walker, riding with the momentum of his dominant Reno sweep one week earlier, refused to let the championship slip away. His 1-1-2 performance secured the overall victory and, more importantly, forced the points tie that gave him the championship.
Hart’s 2-3-1 scorecard earned him second overall on the night, but it couldn’t prevent Walker from claiming the crown. The defending champion’s final moto victory demonstrated his championship heart, but the damage from his third-place finish in moto two proved insurmountable.
The night began disastrously for Walker. Seeking to complete a perfect season in the hot-lap qualifying with his sixth consecutive fastest time, the Triumph rider’s 450 stalled on his qualifying run. The bike proved frustratingly slow to restart, and when it finally fired back to life, Walker’s hopes of a gate-pick advantage had evaporated. He qualified ninth, dead last among the Pro-class riders, giving him the worst possible gate position for the championship-deciding night.
Hart, meanwhile, posted the second-fastest qualifying time, giving the defending champion second gate pick and what appeared to be a decisive advantage for the night ahead. The qualifying result seemed to heavily favor Hart’s strategy of simply shadowing Walker throughout the night to secure the championship.
But Walker had already proven at Reno that adversity couldn’t break him. The question was whether he could do it again when the championship hung in the balance.
The drama began before the riders even completed the first turn. Colton Haaker jumped the gate, bursting through before the gate dropped and grabbing an illegal holeshot. The green flag remained out as officials decided to let the race continue, though Haaker would later face the consequences of his premature start.
Hart settled into second position behind Haaker, a five-time champion, with Cody Webb running third. But the real story was Walker, who had rocketed from ninth gate pick to fourth position in the opening exchanges. Despite starting from the back row, the Triumph rider was making an emphatic statement; his gate position couldn’t stop his championship charge.
Walker’s relentless pace through the soft, rutted conditions at Angel of the Winds Arena showcased exactly why he’s considered one of the sport’s elite talents. The technical track, described by riders as more reminiscent of a hard enduro event than traditional EnduroCross, demanded precision line selection and exceptional fitness. Deep ruts forced riders to commit to their lines early, with passing opportunities severely limited.
Walker methodically picked off riders, capitalizing on mistakes forced by the brutal track conditions, even from the most experienced competitors. When Haaker encountered trouble in the technical sections, Walker pounced, moving into the lead and opening a gap on the field.
The Triumph rider’s pace proved unstoppable. Despite starting from row two, Walker claimed the moto-one victory in dominant fashion, sending a clear message to Hart that the championship battle was far from over. Hart crossed the line in second place, with Webb claiming third.
Haaker, who had jumped the gate to take the early lead, would later receive a one-lap penalty, dropping him to eighth. Ryder LeBlond finished fourth, while Branden Petrie rounded out the top five.
The inverted start for moto two gave the midpack riders an opportunity to shine, and Niko Piazza capitalized brilliantly. The Dalton Gardens, Idaho, rider, competing in the Intermediate class just one year earlier, grabbed the Acerbis Holeshot Award and took the early lead as chaos erupted behind him in the technical opening sections.
With Walker and Hart starting from the back of the pack following their 1-2 finish in moto one, the championship protagonists faced a significant challenge. But both riders demonstrated their class, charging through the field with determined purpose.
James Flynn emerged as an early leader after the initial shuffle, with Tim Apolle and Branden Petrie also featuring at the front. But everyone in the Angel of the Winds Arena knew the real race was between the two riders slicing through the pack from the back.
Walker’s pace in moto two matched his moto-one dominance. The Triumph rider picked his way through traffic with surgical precision, finding lines and making passes that seemed impossible given the narrow, rutted conditions.
Webb also rode brilliantly in moto two, using his renowned trials expertise to navigate the tricky obstacles.
When Walker reached the front, he quickly asserted control and claimed his second consecutive moto victory. Webb finished in second place. Hart could manage only third place.
Hart’s third-place finish in moto two opened the door for Walker. With two moto victories already secured, Walker could afford to finish second behind Hart in moto three and still claim the championship on the tiebreaker. The pressure had shifted entirely to the defending champion.
Hart grabbed the Acerbis Holeshot as the gate dropped for the championship-deciding final moto, determined to finish the season with a victory even if he couldn’t retain his crown. LeBlond pushed aggressively in the early laps, briefly taking the lead from Hart as the field navigated the treacherous log-tire combination.
Webb sent it through Chaos Corner and seized the lead, with LeBlond and Hart following. Walker had worked his way up to third position, perfectly positioned to shadow Hart and secure the championship.
Webb led with authority until disaster struck. The former champion went down hard when his front wheel became trapped in a deep rut, sending him over the bars. Walker, running right behind, capitalized immediately and inherited the lead.
Now the stage was set for the championship showdown everyone had anticipated. Hart moved into second position, approximately three seconds behind Walker, and the mind games began. The two championship rivals switched lines lap after lap, with Hart looking for an opening and Walker carefully managing the gap.
Hart made an aggressive outside move, attempting to seize the lead and force Walker into a mistake. But Walker rode with tactical brilliance, understanding perfectly that he didn’t need to win moto three; he simply needed to stay within sight of Hart. The Triumph rider resisted the urge to battle aggressively and instead focused on the bigger prize.
Walker executed that strategy to perfection. He allowed Hart to pull away slightly, content to finish second and secure the championship. Hart’s competitive fire burned bright as he pushed for the final-moto victory, unwilling to let his season end without a fight.
The white flag came out, signaling one lap remaining in the 2025 AMA EnduroCross season. Hart hammered through the Rocky Mountain Rock Garden one final time, riding with the heart of a champion even as the title slipped from his grasp. He crossed the finish line to claim the moto-three victory, but it wasn’t enough.
Walker cruised across the line in second place, pumping his fist as the reality sank in: he is the 2025 AMA EnduroCross Champion. The two riders had tied on points at 141 apiece, but Walker’s 10 moto victories to Hart’s seven gave him the championship via the tiebreaker.
Webb salvaged sixth place in moto three despite his crash, which was enough to secure third overall on the night ahead of Branden Petrie, who rode brilliantly to fourth overall with a 5-5-3 scorecard. LeBlond finished fifth overall (4-7-4), narrowly edging Webb and Haaker for third in the final championship standings.
LeBlond’s season culminated in a career-best third-place finish in the championship standings.
The new champ, Walker, said, “Honestly, it’s just… it’s amazing, you know. We came into here, and I was confident after the last round. We made some bike changes. The track was the way it was; it was a stupendous night, and I can’t wait to go home.”
“Yeah, I mean, I rode good,” Hart said. “I mean, if you look back a couple years, the consistency I’ve had in the last four years, I’ve won over half the championships I’ve entered, so, I mean, it sucks to get second. I did it three years ago with Jonny in 2022, so we’re two for two now these last two years, four years.
“I couldn’t get my stuff together tonight, and he did. He deserves to win, and it sucks, ’cause I figured it out that last moto—I unlocked something—and learned how to ride again, ’cause those first two, I was embarrassed, honestly. I felt bad for everyone that came here, ’cause I was riding around like a junior, so I was embarrassed but happy to find something there that last moto.
“Congrats to Jonny, he deserved it. He got me. I’m glad he was here.”
LeBlond was thrilled to leave Washington third in the championship. “Honestly, I’m super happy,” LeBlond said. “I was top five once in the championship, but everyone wasn’t here, so, third with everybody here, I’m pretty happy with that. It was a good battle between me, Colton, and even Cody, he was getting closer at the end. It’s a night for the championship, and, uh, yeah, it was a good season.”
While the championship battle dominated headlines, Webb’s fourth-place finish in the final standings represented a remarkable achievement for the three-time champion. Webb’s 20-point performance at Everett (third overall with 3-2-6 moto finishes) moved him to 106 points for the season, securing fourth place in the championship.
The battle for third through fifth in the final points standings came down to the wire, with Webb (106 points) narrowly edging Haaker (105 points) for fourth but falling just a little short of Leblond’s tally (108 points) who took third overall.
The Pro Women’s class championship was determined by a winner-takes-all, two-moto-format race at the Everett EnduroCross final. Rieju rider Rachel Gutish won the race and championship with 2-1 moto finishes over multi-time champion Shelby Turner (GasGas), who had 1-3 moto finishes. KTM rider Chantelle Bykerk, another former Pro Women’s EnduroCross champion, finished third with 4-2 motos. CN
2025 AMA EnduroCross Round 6 Results
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Jonny Walker (Tri) 1-1-2
- Trystan Hart (KTM) 2-3-1
- Cody Webb (Yam) 3-2-6
- Branden Petrie (Bet) 5-5-3
- Ryder LeBlond (Hus) 4-7-4
- Tim Apolle (Bet) 6-6-5
- James Flynn (Bet) 10-4-8
- Colton Haaker (Kaw) 8-9-7
- Max Gerston (Bet) 7-8-10
- Jaden Dahners (KTM) 11-10-9
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