J Day Off-Road wrapped up its 2026 AMA Regional Championship, rounds seven and eight, at the Unadilla I and II Grand Prix, sponsored by Moto Tassinari, at the legendary Unadilla MX facility in New York. The final two rounds (Saturday and Sunday) of the series brought everything down to the wire. Riders battled not only for championship glory but also for the Pro AA title, with the winner also taking home a new Yamaha.
Story & Photos by Kylie Kulpa / Eighteen Photos
After a season-long battle, KTM rider Jiggs Fustini wrapped up the Pro AA title.
With just 25 points separating the top three riders heading into the final weekend, and only 18 points between Fustini and Justin Cokinos, the Pro AA Championship was still up for grabs.
Saturday’s round seven featured a long, fast woods course through the valleys of Unadilla. In moto one, Thorn Devlin battled for a top-four spot with Fustini, Cokinos and Evan Smith. Cokinos led the opening lap before positions began to shuffle. Devlin worked his way into second, finishing just three seconds behind the top three riders. Smith took the win, with Devlin second, Fustini third and Cokinos fourth.
Moto two belonged to Devlin as he made the roughening course look easy, leading every lap to claim the round seven Pro AA overall victory. Fustini finished second, followed by Ryder Lafferty in third, Ryan Amancio in fourth and Cokinos in fifth.
For Sunday’s round eight, the course grew more technical, with tighter woods, off-camber sections and demanding line choices. Smith again took control early in moto one, posting a 4:45 lap and leading the first five laps. Lafferty eventually passed for the lead and secured the moto win. Fustini and Devlin continued their battle throughout the race, finishing third and fourth, respectively.
In moto two, Cokinos grabbed the early lead before Lafferty made his move to the front. Lafferty held the position all the way to the checkered flag, securing the round eight Pro AA overall win. Behind him, Cokinos, Devlin, Smith, Fustini and Lafferty battled for every position, with the extreme section proving to be a major factor and costing several riders valuable time.
Sunday’s podium saw Lafferty take the overall win, with Smith in second and Devlin in third.
The Pro 125 class delivered some of the most exciting racing of the weekend, with Cokinos, Colton McQuarrie, Smith, Ryan Amancio and Van Gosling battling throughout both days.
Cokinos came into the weekend focused on the class championship and delivered a dominant performance on Saturday, going 1-1 and securing the 2026 AMA Regional Championship in the Pro 125 class.
For round eight, Cokinos went 4-1, continuing to fight at the front despite the intense competition. Unfortunately, Smith suffered an injury during the second moto, ending his weekend early.
Colton McQuarrie had a standout Sunday, earning his first Pro 125 overall victory, finishing ahead of Amancio in second and Cokinos in third.
Yamaha rider Kayla O’Neill set the bar high this weekend as the Women’s Pro points leader, battling with Mallory Pickard and Addison Harris to make for some incredible racing. During Sunday’s race, O’Neill secured the Women’s Championship after an eventful weekend filled with intense battles throughout the Women’s Pro class.
Mallory Pickard finished third overall in the Women’s Pro Regional Championship.
Rivers Morris wrapped up the A 250 Championship on Saturday with the overall win on Saturday.
On Sunday, Morris battled all day and finished second overall in the Amateur overall, coming up just short behind Cole Johnson after a long fight to the finish.
Cole Johnson took the A Open Championship, while Matt Jakan won the A 200 season title.CN
2026 J Day Off-Road / AMA East GP Rounds 7 & 8 Results
OVERALL GP1 (Top 5)
- Thorn Devlin (Yam) 2-1
- Jiggs Fustini (KTM) 3-2
- Ryder Lafferty (Hon) 5-3
- Justin Cokinos (Yam) 4-5
- Ryan Amancio (KTM) 6-4
OVERALL GP2 (Top 5)
- Ryder Lafferty (Hon) 1-1
- Evan Smith (KTM) 2-2
- Thorn Devlin (Yam) 4-3
- Jiggs Fustini (KTM) 3-5
- Justin Cokinos (Yam) 6-4
