Jonny Walker Wins Las Vegas EnduroCross Opener
Jonny Walker has opened the 2026 AMA EnduroCross Championship with an overall victory in Las Vegas, edging Ryder LeBlond on the final-moto tiebreaker after a dramatic battle at the Orleans Arena. Trystan Hart's night took a costly turn when a rules disqualification dropped him to seventh overall.
Jonny Walker had to earn his first overall victory of the 2026 AMA EnduroCross Championship the hard way, with Ryder LeBlond pushing him all the way in a tense final race at the Orleans Arena.
The British rider won the opening moto, struggled to fourth in the second and then delivered when it mattered most in the deciding race. LeBlond arrived at the final moto with the points advantage after winning Race 2, but Walker found a way past in the closing laps to take the win and the overall result.
Both riders finished the night on six points, with Walker's final-moto victory breaking the tie. Cooper Abbott completed the overall podium after a consistent series of rides, while Trystan Hart's strong start to the evening was undone by a disqualification in the final race.
The event also marked EnduroCross's return to the Orleans Arena for the first time in nine years, giving the championship a notable Las Vegas comeback.
Walker Delivers When the Overall Is on the Line
Walker started the night in the best possible fashion, winning Moto 1 after moving ahead of Cooper Abbott in the early stages and establishing control through the rock section.
Hart became his main challenger, moving into second by Lap 3 and gradually reducing the gap. With two laps remaining, Hart had closed to within 3.715 seconds, but Walker responded in the closing stages to win by 5.798 seconds.
The second moto was more difficult. Walker was buried in the pack early, sitting 10th at the end of the opening lap and ninth after three laps. He worked his way forward in the second half of the race, eventually finishing fourth as LeBlond claimed victory.
That result left Walker needing a strong final moto. LeBlond had taken third in Race 1 and first in Race 2, putting him one point ahead of Walker going into the decider.
Walker was fifth through the opening two laps of the final before moving into fourth and then third. As LeBlond began to challenge Abbott for the lead, Walker joined the fight and the leading trio became a genuine battle for the race win.
LeBlond took the lead on Lap 6, with Walker moving into second. The pair stayed close through the following laps, and Walker began to close as they worked through the log section and traffic.
The decisive move came as the white flag appeared. Walker drew alongside LeBlond and moved ahead over the tyre-covered finish jump, giving himself the advantage entering the final lap.
He then held on to win by 1.546 seconds. That victory gave Walker a 1-4-1 scorecard and the overall win, despite LeBlond matching him on six points.
Ryder LeBlond Pushes Walker All the Way
LeBlond was arguably the most consistent challenger across the three motos, finishing third, first and second.
His second-race victory was particularly important. After starting fourth, he worked his way past Nick Thompson and began closing on Abbott. By the end of Lap 4, he was less than a second behind the leader, and he took control on the following lap.
LeBlond then managed the race to the finish, winning by 4.630 seconds and taking a one-point advantage into the deciding moto.
He looked capable of securing the overall as he moved ahead of Abbott in Race 3, but Walker's late charge changed the result. The two riders finished level on points, leaving the final-moto finishing order to decide the overall winner.
LeBlond leaves Las Vegas with second overall, but his performance suggests he will be a serious threat throughout the championship. He had the speed to win a moto and the consistency to fight for the overall, even if Walker found the decisive move when it mattered most.
Cooper Abbott Earns a Well-Deserved Podium
Cooper Abbott finished third overall with a 5-2-3 set of results, scoring 10 points across the three races.
Abbott repeatedly put himself in a position to challenge for wins. He led the early stages of both Moto 2 and Moto 3, but LeBlond and Walker eventually found a way past.
His second-place finish in Moto 2 kept him firmly in the overall fight, while third in the finale secured the final spot on the podium.
Although Abbott couldn't match the finishing pace of Walker and LeBlond in the final stages, his performance showed that he has the speed to challenge at the front. Turning those early leads into race wins will be the next step if he wants to fight for the overall victory at future rounds.
Trystan Hart's Disqualification Changes the Results
Trystan Hart looked set for a strong result after finishing second in Moto 1 and third in Moto 2. Those results left him tied on points with Walker before the deciding race, keeping him firmly in contention for the overall win.
His final moto, however, unravelled after trouble in the crowded opening section around the rocks sent him towards the back of the field. Hart was still 16th after two laps but began working his way forward, eventually crossing the finish line in eighth.
He was subsequently disqualified from the moto for receiving on-track assistance, which was prohibited under AMA rules. The penalty changed his third-moto result to 16th and left him seventh overall with a 2-3-16 scorecard.
It was a major blow for Hart, who had shown front-running pace in the first two races. His result is a reminder that in a championship decided by small margins, rules and race incidents can be just as significant as outright speed.
EX Pro Overall Results – Las Vegas
| Pos. | Rider | Moto finishes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonny Walker | 1-4-1 | 6 |
| 2 | Ryder LeBlond | 3-1-2 | 6 |
| 3 | Cooper Abbott | 5-2-3 | 10 |
| 4 | Cody Webb | 4-12-4 | 20 |
| 5 | Colton Haaker | 8-7-5 | 20 |
| 6 | Nick Thompson | 9-5-6 | 20 |
| 7 | Trystan Hart | 2-3-16 (DSQ) | 21 |
| 8 | Branden Petrie | 10-8-7 | 25 |
| 9 | Tim Apolle | 6-11-8 | 25 |
| 10 | Braxton Hintze | 7-10-9 | 26 |
Cody Webb, Colton Haaker and Nick Thompson all finished on 20 points, with their final-moto results deciding the order in the overall classification.
Other Class Winners in Las Vegas
The opening round also delivered close racing across the supporting classes, with several results decided in the closing laps.
EX Expert: Niko Piazza Makes a Late Move
Niko Piazza took the Expert-class victory after passing Nick Thompson on the final lap of the seven-lap race. Thompson had led for much of the contest, but Piazza made his move before the finish and won by 3.648 seconds. James Flynn finished third, ahead of Riley Bender and Kamakana Waiwaiole.
EX Pro Women: Shelby Turner Holds Off Rachel Gutish
Shelby Turner won the six-lap Pro Women final after leading from start to finish. Rachel Gutish stayed within reach and closed the gap to 2.596 seconds heading into the last lap, but Turner responded with her fastest lap of the race, a 59.870, to win by 12.655 seconds. Chantelle Bykerk finished third, followed by Katie Hall-Leah and Nikki Russell.
EX Intermediate: Cole Clarkson Leads Every Lap
Cole Clarkson controlled the Intermediate final from the start, leading all six laps to win by 10.516 seconds over Kael Widdicombe. Makanna Barger finished third, Cayden Hatcher fourth and Talon Thatcher completed the top five after working forward from eighth on the opening lap.
EX Novice: Johnny Hagan Wins After Early Lead Changes
The Novice final featured several changes at the front in the opening laps. Landon Johnson led the first lap before Damon Ellis moved ahead, but Johnny Hagan worked his way into second and took the lead on Lap 3. Hagan held on to win by 9.155 seconds over Ellis, with Johnson third.
EX Junior: Widdicombe Takes the Overall
Kael Widdicombe won the Junior overall with 1-2 moto finishes, edging Cole Clarkson, whose 3-1 results included a win in the second race. Clarkson challenged hard in the final, taking the lead on Lap 4 before pulling away to win the moto by 9.378 seconds. Makanna Barger finished third overall.
EX Veteran and EX Club
Bobby Prochnau won the Veteran final after passing Eric Rhoten on Lap 2 and opening a 21.208-second margin by the finish. Rhoten took second, with Ray Amos third.
Amos also won the Club class, adding another result to his Las Vegas night. Tegan Warnick finished second, followed by Augustus Thompson, Zachery Griswold and Juan Rojas.
What the Las Vegas Result Means for the Championship
The opening round has already established three names to watch: Walker, LeBlond and Abbott.
Walker leaves Las Vegas with the overall win after proving he can recover from a difficult moto and deliver under pressure. LeBlond has shown that he can win races and remain in contention across the full format, while Abbott demonstrated enough front-running pace to suggest he could be a regular podium threat.
Hart's disqualification is an important storyline, but his first two results showed that his speed is still there. He will need to put the Las Vegas setback behind him quickly if he wants to recover ground over the remaining rounds.
It is also worth remembering that one round is only the beginning of a six-round championship. The standings will develop quickly, and consistency across all three motos could prove just as valuable as outright race wins.
My Take: Walker Won the Race That Mattered Most
For me, the defining moment of the night was Walker's pass on LeBlond in the final moto.
After finishing fourth in Race 2, Walker could easily have been left chasing the overall. Instead, he worked his way forward and kept himself close enough to take advantage when the leaders became caught up in traffic.
That ability to remain in the fight after a difficult race is often what separates a race winner from an overall champion. Walker didn't need to dominate every moto; he needed to be in position when the final result was decided.
LeBlond should take plenty of confidence from his performance, and Abbott has every reason to believe he can fight for more podiums. But the first round belongs to Walker, who delivered the crucial result when the pressure was highest.
When Is the Next AMA EnduroCross Round?
The championship moves to the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, Idaho, on October 17, 2026, for Round 2 of the six-round AMA EnduroCross series.
After a Las Vegas opener decided by a final-moto tiebreaker, the next round gives LeBlond and Abbott the chance to respond, while Hart will be looking to recover from a costly disqualification.
Jonny Walker has the first win of the season, but with LeBlond matching him on points and Abbott already on the podium, the 2026 EnduroCross championship has started with little separating the leading contenders.