The Kioti Armstrong Truck & Tractor American Woods Racing Championship Series (AWRCS), presented by Lojaks Cycle Sales, an AMA East Regional Championship, headed to Kittanning, Pennsylvania, for round three of the DBY Motorsports and K2 Investing LLC Coal Miner off-road race. A weekend of rain showers left slick conditions and a course that continued to deteriorate throughout the day, transforming from technical and challenging to a deeply rutted and punishing test by the final lap. Deep mud, difficult lines, and ever-changing track conditions tested riders from start to finish, but when the checkered flag flew, Jay Lipscomb claimed his first victory of the 2026 season.
Story by Kate Stiller | Photos by Cammi Kunselman
Sawyer Carratura launched off the line to claim the XC-Pro holeshot aboard his Yamaha, but it was Lipscomb and Joshua Conner who led the way into the woods. After the opening lap, Lipscomb held the advantage, while Conner remained within striking distance, trailing by just four seconds. As the race wore on, Lipscomb began to pull away from the rest of the field.
With rain continuing to affect the course and conditions worsening with each lap, race officials ultimately decided to shorten the event for rider safety. When the checkered flag flew, Lipscomb had built a commanding 55-second advantage, securing his first overall victory of the 2026 season.
Behind the leader, Carratura moved into second place after the opening lap and held a strong pace for the rest of the race. Despite his efforts to close the gap, the defending champion could not match Lipscomb’s late-race speed in deteriorating conditions and finished second overall. Conner completed the overall podium aboard his Honda, running near the front throughout the event.
Meanwhile, the XC-Pro-Am class delivered some of the day’s most exciting racing. Easton Uplinger grabbed the holeshot aboard his Beta and appeared to be in complete control, building a 14-second lead over Ruger Morgan on the opening lap and stretching it to 27 seconds by the end of lap two.
However, Morgan was not done.
The Kawasaki rider mounted a relentless final-lap charge, reeling in Uplinger and making the pass on the final straightaway before the finish line. With the dramatic last-lap pass, Morgan would claim his first XC-Pro-Amateur class victory of the season and finish fourth overall on the day, while Uplinger would finish second in class and fifth overall, rounding out the top five.
In the Youth Bike race, Hunter Hawkinberry extended his undefeated start to the 2026 season with his third consecutive overall win. Derek Deal delivered a strong ride to finish second overall, while Dalton Yeany completed the overall podium in third. Gatlin Riddle charged from eighth on the opening lap to finish fourth overall, and Ty Behrendt rounded out the top five and claimed the YB-Supermini B class victory.
The PeeWee Bike race saw defending champion Josh Erny continue his winning ways with another dominant overall victory in the PWB-Mini A class. Erny led every lap aboard his Yamaha, steadily extending his lead despite the challenging conditions. Baron Evkovich put together an impressive ride to finish second overall and claim top honors in the PWB-2-Stroke class, working his way up from fourth on the opening lap. Matthew Jewell completed the overall podium in third, while Audrey Petrilla and Mason Ostrowski rounded out the top five after a hard-fought battle that left the pair separated by just four seconds at the checkered flag.
With round three in the books, the focus now shifts to Reynlow Riders for round four on June 13-14 in Pennsylvania.CN
2026 American Woods Racing Round 3 Results
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Jay Lipscomb (Hon) 1:34:57
- Sawyer Carratura (Yam) 1:35:52
- Joshua Conner (Hon) 1:36:26
- Ruger Morgan (Kaw) 1:39:07
- Easton Uplinger (Bet) 1:39:10
- Colton Sybert (KTM) 1:44:23
- Danny Haftl (Yam) 1:45:51
- Joe Schriver (Yam) 1:45:54
- Seth Miller (Yam) 1:46:05
- Dustin Vincent (KTM) 1:46:50
