2025 US Sprint Enduro Series round one at MacDaddy’s Raceway brought out the riders and teams for the first time this season – FMF KTM’s Johnny Girror picks up where he left off with the win.

FMF KTM Factory Rider Johnny Girroir picked up where he left off last year by taking the first big win of 2025 at round one of the US Sprint Enduro Series. Held at MacDaddy Raceway in Hephzibah, Georgia, conditions typical of a January enduro and saw reigning champion Girroir needing to fight off wolves at the door on each day to get the job done.

Although he won the opening cross test, Girroir found himself in a deficit after two tests. When a hard rain delayed the start of Saturday’s race for an hour, the defending champ, the first rider to take to the enduro course, found himself breaking trail on the muddy test.

Girroir lost 13 seconds to eventual test winner Am Pro Yamaha’s Liam Draper, while FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers’ rising star, 19-year-old Grant Davis, was just a second behind Draper in third, as Girroir spent the rest of the day fighting back in pursuit of the lead.

The hard rain made for slippery conditions for the first half of the day, though the track got tacky and rough as the sun and wind began to dry it out, making for a perfect day of racing.

Davis led the race after the first two tests but Girror battled back, winning four of the six, to take Saturday’s win and carry a 5.4-second lead over Davis heading into Sunday.

Draper followed in third after getting off to a disastrous start, finishing seventh after drawing the number one spoon, which meant he would be the first on the track to break in the muddy trail, followed Girroir. Draper redeemed himself by winning one of the enduro tests.

“There was so many puddles in that first test, so I just rode super timid and scared of the holes,” said Draper. “I made up some time and rode good in the enduro test, but that first test hurt me.”

Phoenix Honda Racing’s Cody Barnes was fourth on the day, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig DeLong in fifth.

22-day winning streak

Girroir started in a hole again on Sunday, finishing fourth in the first cross test and some five seconds behind Draper. Meanwhile, Davis held a solid lead after two tests, having placed second and first in the first two tests.

Girroir came on strong mid-day to eventually win three tests for Sunday’s win plus the overall for the weekend, while Davis had a ride he’d rather forget in the second enduro test which dropped him to fourth for the day behind Draper and Phoenix Honda’s Cody Barnes.

In the overall results, Girroir took the win, extending his streak of day wins going back to last year to 22 victories… which is an amazing feat. Girroir beat second place finisher Draper, another up-and-comer whose time at the top is coming soon, by 26.6-seconds after 12 tests of racing.

“Liam and I were both unlucky when it came to drawing start positions,” said Girroir. “He drew number one for the first cross test and since I won that test I had to go first on the enduro test, so we were both blazing trail.

“Breaking in the enduro test was horrible. It rained all night and this morning until 8:00 so it was all puddles again. It got better and the last four tests were better than the first couple of tests, so I was able to settle down and hit my lines.”

Third overall was Cody Barnes, who ran consistently in the top three for most of the weekend: “The cross test got better as the day went on but the enduro test got worse because it got rutted and a lot more tree roots got exposed so that was that was kind of harder,” said Barnes. “The but the cross test by the end was pretty good. For the most part my weekend went smooth. I stayed off the ground all the way until the second enduro test today and I crashed two times and lost a bunch of time. But besides that, I was happy with my riding.”

Davis, who was also the top Pro 2 winner, certainly proved he belongs among the elites of the sport. Davis won an enduro test on Sunday ahead of Draper and Girroir, keeping him in the hunt for an overall podium. Davis ended the weekend with fourth overall, while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig DeLong rounded out the top five.

Husqvarna-mounted Gavin Simon was sixth and second in the Pro 2 class, beating out Pro-Am winner and seventh place finisher Phoenix Honda Racing’s JoJo Cunningham.

FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers’ Cooper Jones grabbed eighth overall just nine seconds ahead of Red Bear Team Green Kawasaki’s Collier Martinez. Husqvarna-mounted Dominik Morse finished out the top 10.

Gutish back on a two-stroke Sherco for the win

Bonecutter-backed Sherco Rachel Gutish toughed out a competitive victory in the Pro Women’s division, topping Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Korie Steede for the overall win. Steede took the win on Saturday by less than a second but then Gutish came back with determination on Sunday to grab the overall win by 27 seconds.

Phoenix Honda Racing’s new recruit Tayla Jones returned to racing after spending a year off to finish out the podium with a third.

The top Amateur award went to Husqvarna-mounted Brayden Baisley (250A).

2025 US Sprint Enduro Rnd 1 overall results (top 30):

For 2025, FMF Fastest Test Awards – These Specialty Awards will be given to the racer of the fastest Cross Test and fastest Enduro Test on the weekend in the Youth/Amateur and Pro divisions.

Pro Division

Johnny Girroir, Cross Test  

Liam Draper, Enduro Test

Amateur Division

Vet A, Cross Test (Day 1) - Jason Lawrence

Vet A, Cross Test (Day 2) – Caleb Wood

250 A, Enduro Test - Brayden Baisley

Youth Division

Super Mini SR Racer, Cross Test – Lucas Skelton

Super Mini SR Racer, Enduro Test – Nash Peerson

The US Sprint Enduro Series returns to action on February 1-2 in Laurinburg, North Carolina, for round two of the series. More information: www.ussprintenduro.com

Report and Photos: Shan Moore