The Locked-N-Loaded Hard Scramble was round six of the AMA National Hard Enduro Championship, presented by IRC Tire, and it featured some of the closest racing action of the 2026 season. The High Mountain Dirt Riders, based at the Red Rock Lodge in Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania, were the host club and have run this race for five years. The property is littered with rock gardens, technical trails, fern-covered canyons and steep hills, making it an ideal hard enduro venue for all skill levels. Trystan Hart has been the dominant force here, winning the past four years handily in a variety of conditions.
By Matt Musgrove | Photography by Calafia Concepts
The format featured Saturday’s five-hour race on a shortened course compared with previous years, with a three-lap race for the B/C Amateur classes and a two-lap race for the Pro/A classes. The top 50 finishers from Saturday’s Pro/A classes qualified for race two on Sunday, a three-mile short course in a lush and stunning section of the property called Dark Hollow. The weather became the weekend’s wild-card obstacle, with a cold storm soaking the course all day Saturday and creating challenging race conditions. The terrain here is something of an anomaly, as the rocks and trails actually had more traction and were easier to ride in the rain.
A traditional hard-scramble start in a cornfield kicked off race one. Rockstar Husqvarna’s Ryder LeBlond had the holeshot from the first row, with 25 other Pros chasing him into the drenched woods to commence the battles. Even though the rain provided some traction on the rocks, there was no shortage of flowing water and deep mud, and temperatures were dipping into the 40s, making an already tough course even tougher. FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Trystan Hart and Bullet Proof Designs KRD’s Kamakana Waiwaiole-Kahalepuna, Ryder Guest and Kawelo Huddy passed LeBlond on lap one, causing a bit of a shake-up. On lap two, LeBlond gained time and finished race one in second place, with Guest following in third place. Kahalepuna went down on lap two, injuring his elbow, and was unable to finish the weekend. Another notable was Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Yamaha’s Cody Webb, who finished in 15th place after struggling in the cold conditions and losing a front brake.
The Amateurs had a great time during race one, as the B/C splits were an ideal level of difficulty, and they got their money’s worth in those conditions over the five-hour race. Bentlee Bredekamp continued his dominance in the B class, completing three laps in three hours and 22 minutes.
Before race two on Sunday, the High Mountain Dirt Riders hosted a Mini Hard Scramble on a one-mile track with small rock gardens near the race-one course. Nearly 20 young hard enduro stars pushed their 50cc, 65cc and 85cc bikes through wet rocks and mudholes. The future is bright for the next generation of hard enduro racers, as this was the fourth USHE event of the season to host a youth-only race.
Race two was markedly different from past Locked-N-Loaded Hard Scrambles, as track designer and USHE Scoring Director Mike Soudas built a three-mile short course in Dark Hollow, the property’s most scenic area. This new short course delivered great racing and even better spectating. The course centered around a rushing creek with plenty of waterfalls and climbed into very slick boulder gardens, launching racers into rocky hillclimbs, and it saw no shortage of bikes being pushed up steep black-dirt hillsides. The club shuttled spectators down below, where there were nearly a dozen great spots to watch the action up close. The top 50 from Saturday’s race one qualified for Sunday’s race two, which had groups of five athletes at a time leaving the start line 30 seconds apart.
On lap one, the racers bunched up until they approached an all-new hill called Chaise Lounge. Hart was the first to attempt the hill and cleaned it on his first try, the only time it was cleaned all day. LeBlond, Guest, Huddy, Webb and the rest of the pack hit the hill, either pushing the rest of the way or taking the longer go-around. After this steep hill came a very technical downhill, covered in roots and leading right into the creek. LeBlond made a mistake on this downhill, causing the bike to tumble, resulting in a damaged throttle tube. Guest and Webb capitalized on LeBlond’s misstep and overtook the second and third positions.
Hart continued to extend his lead each lap and limited his mistakes, eventually having to pass lappers and get creative on the rapidly changing course. Huddy suffered from bad arm pump on lap one and was sitting in fifth but cranked it up on the second lap, getting himself into a battle against Guest for second on lap three. Webb had a mechanical, setting him back outside the top five. A new hill called Not Ryan’s Hill was the home to many position changes, as the extremely steep hill required careful execution from the Pros, while some Amateurs were spending over an hour getting up it. Ryder LeBlond and Champion Brick Racing’s Braxton Hintze were battling in the fourth and fifth positions, but a tactful Webb came through, passing both of them at the same time to regain some lost time. It didn’t take long for Webb to catch up to the next group, where he battled Guest for two laps for that final podium spot.
Hart came into the finish with a comfortable lead and no issues in two hours and 12 minutes, winning his fifth Locked-N-Loaded Hard Scramble. Huddy, the winner of the Ultimate Hawaiian Hard Enduro back in February, held off a charging Guest and Webb to secure an impressive second place, his first-ever AMA National podium on the mainland. Guest and Webb entered the final climb right before the finish, tire-to-tire. Guest took the main line and got hung up on a root, while Webb took a more technical go-around line, passing Guest in the final couple hundred feet of track for third place. Guest finished in fourth, and LeBlond rounded out the top five.
Ayden Marinchek was the top A-class finisher in race two, which featured intense battles. Makana Barger and Boogie Rivera rounded out the A-class podium. Get Dirty Dirt Bikes TM Racing’s Katie Hall-Leah was the top finisher in the Pro Women’s class, winning Saturday’s race one.
The new format for the Locked-N-Loaded Hard Scramble was well-received by racers and spectators alike, as it gave enthusiasts a chance to compete in a long, technical hard enduro race while the top talent showcased their skills in a short-course-style race.CN
AMA National Hard Enduro Round 6 Results
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Trystan Hart (KTM) 2:12:22
- Kawelo Huddy (KTM) 2:30:40
- Cody Webb (Yam) 2:31:19
- Ryder Guest (KTM) 2:31:53
- Ryder LeBlond (Hus) 2:37:39
- Braxton Hintze (KTM) 2:40:00
- Niko Piazza (Hus) 2:56:39
- Branden Petrie (Bet) 2:14:39
- Quinn Wentzel (Rie) 2:27:55
- James Flynn (Bet) 2:35:07
