2026 Ohio Hard Enduro Round 1 Results

| March 16, 2026

The inaugural round of the Ohio Hard Enduro Championship Series, presented by Lancaster Sportcycles, opened in Sugar Grove, Ohio, March 14-15, launching the state’s first dedicated hard enduro championship. The new seven-round series, held entirely in Ohio, was created to give riders a competitive proving ground closer to home while continuing to grow the sport at the grassroots level. Round one proved that there is already real interest in the idea.

Maverik Thaxton at 2026 Ohio Hard Enduro — **Maverik Thaxton was the overall winner in the debut of the Ohio Hard Enduro Championship Series.**

Story & Photos by Stephanie Vetterly

The event took place at the COCR Motocross property, a scenic 100-acre venue overlooking the Hocking River. Torrential rain during the week threatened to leave the course saturated, but strong winds in the days before the race dried much of the terrain. Riders faced freezing temperatures for the morning Amateur race, but they experienced clear skies and mostly favorable conditions throughout the day. The course combined dry, loose soil with tacky woods sections and a few muddy pockets that kept things interesting.

Nearly 90 riders lined up for the Amateur race on a roughly 4.5-mile course that featured much of the property’s elevation, wooded single-track and scenic overlooks. New sections opened on the second lap, including the aptly named “Slip-n-Slide,” a short hillclimb that quickly turned into a muddy bottleneck, along with the Amateur Hillclimb and the EnduroCross section.

At the front, Bentlee Bredekamp separated himself early and never looked back. His pace was so strong that officials extended the Amateur race from the originally planned three laps to four. Even with the added lap, Bredekamp continued to build his advantage and ultimately finished more than 17 minutes ahead of second place.

Bentlee Bredekamp at 2026 Ohio Hard Enduro — **Bentlee Bredekamp ran away with the overall Amateur victory.**

“I felt good,” Bredekamp said. “My cousin, Thad, got the holeshot, and we were battling a little. I ended up passing him and just rode smooth from there.” He also praised the layout, calling it “probably the best course I’ve ridden” and saying it was “nice and flowy” while still technical.

Cory King finished second overall in a strong return from injury. After breaking his wrist at the Hollow Point (round six of the 2025 AMA East Hard Enduro series) last year, King said he had been training hard to get back up to speed.

“I’ve been riding almost every day,” King said. “After the wrist break, I’ve been in the gym with the cast on doing squats, running—everything else—and once I got that cast off, I’ve been full-bore riding every day.”

Bradley Carson rounded out the Amateur podium. The Tennessee rider lost time in the Slip-n-Slide bottleneck but still came away impressed with the event. “It was an awesome event,” Carson said. “Had a lot of good cutouts for the bottlenecks. We’ll definitely be back.”

In the afternoon, 35 riders tackled the Pro race on an expanded course of just over five miles. The Pro layout added seven new sections, including a waterfall obstacle and a three-part EnduroCross section with big logs, tires and rocks.

Nick Fahringer at 2026 Ohio Hard Enduro — **Nick Fahringer was third Pro overall.**

Maverik Thaxton took the overall Pro victory after overcoming an early mistake. “I felt good all day,” Thaxton said. “I pulled the holeshot, and then early in the woods, I got off balance and went down. A bunch of guys got by me.” There was also some early confusion over the course splits, but Thaxton regrouped and rode smoothly to the win.

Drew Fortner delivered an impressive ride to secure second overall. Fortner was competing against two of his brothers, and one of his main goals was to beat his brother Mark, a proven fast rider in the National Hard Enduro series who finished in the top 25 last year.

“I’m pumped,” Drew said. “I’ve been working on my endurance and my fitness; it’s paying off and things are clicking. And really, it’s about the bragging rights with my brothers, too.”

Nick Fahringer finished third on the Pro podium after a late battle with Fortner and Coran Calvert.

With strong turnouts in both classes and a course that showcased southeastern Ohio terrain, round one provided a promising start to the new championship. The series resumes on April 25 with round two, the Black Rock Hard Enduro, in Chesterhill, Ohio.CN