2025 AMA EnduroCross: Dominant Win for Walker and Triumph at Rnd1 in Prescott Valley
Triumph Factory Racing’s Jonny Walker returns full-time to 2025 Slavens AMA EnduroCross Series presented by Progressive Insurance in emphatic fashion Saturday night, claiming the overall victory at Round 1 of the 2025 championship at Findlay Toyota Center.
The 2022 EnduroCross champion secured the win with an impressive 3-1-1 scorecard to beat two-time defending champion Trystan Hart (Red Bull FMF/KTM Factory Racing) into second-place with Rockstar Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder LeBlond rounding out the podium in third.
Moto 1: Hart Shows Intent
In the opening moto, Hart wasted no time establishing his intent to defend his title. The Canadian took an early lead and maintained to claim the Moto 1 victory. LeBlond secured second place, demonstrating strong pace from the drop of the gate, while Walker rounded out the podium in third after overcoming early race tightness.
Five-time former EnduroCross champion Colton Haaker (Kawasaki), making his highly anticipated return to the series, finished fourth in his first race back. Max Gerston (Beta) completed the top five, while Cooper Abbott (Kawasaki), the FIM SuperEnduro competitor returning on Kawasaki machinery, finished fifth after dealing with mechanical issues that plagued him during hot laps.
Moto 2: Walker’s Statement Ride
The second moto featured an inverted start based on Moto 1 results, placing the top eight finishers on the second row. What followed was one of the most dramatic races of the night.
James Flynn grabbed the early lead while Hart and Webb battled from mid-pack. Webb surged to second by the end of Lap 1, with Hart climbing to third.
By Lap 2, Webb had the lead from Flynn, with Hart following through into second. Walker made quick work of Flynn as well, setting up a three-way battle between Webb, Hart, and Walker for the lead.
At mid-race, Hart made his move, passing Webb to take the lead. Walker followed suit moments later, and the 2022 champion set his sights on the defending champ. The two went wheel-to-wheel in an intense battle, with Walker showing Hart his front wheel on multiple occasions before finally making the pass stick.
The power advantage of Walker’s 450cc Triumph—upgraded from the 250cc four-stroke he campaigned in limited appearances last year—proved decisive as he pulled away to a commanding victory.
Hart held on for second, while Webb claimed third. Max Gerston continued his strong ride with fourth, and LeBlond fell back to fifth after his second-place Moto 1 finish. Haaker recovered from early struggles to finish sixth.
Moto 3: Walker seals it
LeBlond grabbed the Acerbis Holeshot to start Moto 3, with Walker and Hart in close pursuit. Walker wasted little time, quickly dispatching LeBlond to take the lead, with Hart following into second.
But drama struck on Lap 2. Hart encountered trouble, first making contact with LeBlond and going over the bars, breaking his visor. Then, in a scene Hart described as coming “out of the Matrix,” Nick Thompson and Hart collided mid-air, with Hart T-boning Thompson. The impact sent Hart tumbling back to ninth place.
Walker took the checkered flag with a commanding 13-second margin of victory, clinching the overall win. LeBlond held on for second in the moto, with Haaker claiming third after his determined charge. Max Gerston finished a career-best fourth, while Hart recovered to fifth—just enough to secure second overall on the night.
“I got a good start…managed to get around Ryder in the rocks, and then I put the hammer down for the first three laps to break a little bit of a lead, and then could kind of take it easy from there,” Walker said. “Super happy with how tonight’s gone.”
“Man, what a crazy, emotional day!” Hart. “We struggled a lot in practice, and things weren’t looking great, but we were able to recover and come out and take the first race victory. I missed out on the second race win by half a foot, and then the last race, the chaos was just insane – but I actually posted a really good ride, and all in all we finished second overall.”
Overall Pro Results
- Jonny Walker (Triumph) - 5 points (3-1-1)
- Trystan Hart (KTM) - 8 points (1-2-5)
- Ryder LeBlond (Husqvarna) - 9 points (2-5-2)
- Colton Haaker (Kawasaki) - 13 points (4-6-3)
- Max Gerston (Beta) - 19 points (11-4-4)
- Cody Webb (Yamaha) - 21 points (10-3-8)
- Cooper Abbott (Kawasaki) - 22 points (5-10-7)
- Braxton Hintze - 25 points (8-11-6)
- Tim Apolle (Beta) - 28 points (7-9-12)
- James Flynn (Beta) - 29 points (12-8-9)
*Olympic Scoring*
Championship Standings after Rnd 1:
- Jonny Walker - 25 points
- Trystan Hart - 22 points
- Ryder LeBlond - 20 points
- Colton Haaker - 18 points
- Max Gerston - 17 points
- Cody Webb - 16 points
- Cooper Abbott - 15 points
- Braxton Hintze - 14 points
- Tim Apolle - 13 Points
- James Flynn - 11 points
Support Class Results
The evening featured thrilling action across all seven classes, with one of the most remarkable performances coming from 13-year-old Max Eppelmann of Stadecken-Elsheim, Germany.
In a stunning display of youth talent, Eppelmann swept both the Intermediate and Junior classes, announcing himself as a rider to watch throughout the 2025 season.
“The intermediate race was really, really tough,” Eppelmann said. “I had a start crash…but this race was really good. Holeshot, kept it clean. I’m just trying to not do any mistakes. Keep it clean, and that’s also what I train a lot with Tim Polo. He’s my trainer, and we try to work on the consistency, ‘cause I’m pretty good at hitting stuff, but the consistency just wasn’t there last year, but this year it is.”
The young German, who trains with coach Tim Polo, confirmed he’ll be competing in both classes for the entire 2025 season and has his sights set on the Expert class in 2026.
EX INTERMEDIATE:
1. Max Eppelmann (Beta) - Stadecken-Elsheim, Germany
2. Kael Widdicombe - Billings, MT
3. Cole Clarkson (GasGas) - Paradise, CA
EX JUNIOR:
1. Max Eppelmann (Beta) - Stadecken-Elsheim, Germany
2. Cole Clarkson (GasGas) - Paradise, CA
3. Kael Widdicombe - Billings, MT
EX EXPERT:
Nick Thompson (KTM) won the Expert main event, earning his qualification to the Pro class along with the top six finishers. Thompson, a veteran of the sport who has battled injuries over recent seasons, came out strong by winning the Expert class and finished sixth in Pro Moto 1 before mechanical issues hampered his final two motos.
Expert Top 3:
1. Nick Thompson (KTM) - Goshen, UT
2. James Flynn (Beta) - Page, AZ
3. Jaden Dahners (KTM) - Enumclaw, WA
EX VETERAN:
1. Mitch Carvolth (Sherco) - New River, AZ
2. Eddie Findling (Beta) - Roßleben-Wiehe, Germany
3. Tyler Kinkade - Olympia, WA
EX NOVICE:
1. Jon Nordling (Kawasaki) - Vail, AZ
2. Conlan Archer (Sherco) - Sisters, OR
3. Tegan Warnick (KTM) - Shelley, ID
EX CLUB:
1. Preston Smith (Beta) - Granite Falls, WA
2. Ostyn Fox (Yamaha) - Lower Nicola, BC
3. Zachery Griswold (KTM) - Prescott, AZ
The 2025 AMA EnduroCross Championship continues with back-to-back rounds at the Mountain America Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho, on October 24 and 25. Both events begin at 7:00 PM MT.
Photo Credit: Jack Jaxson
