classes ; the top 150 amateurs would continue to race the “ hot laps ” race , the second race of the day , to set qualification time for the main races on Sunday . By popular demand , all man-made obstacles were removed from the start , including the logs and tire pile that were the scene of much excitement in the 2020 event . Instead , riders left the start only to rush directly into a lengthy rock garden . Dry conditions caused a lot of dust , so being able to pull ahead of the pack was important for keeping visibility .
FactoryONE Sherco ’ s Cody Webb dominated the four-mile hot lap , finishing in under eight minutes with a 21-second lead over DRT Husqvarna ’ s Ryder LeBlond ; FMF KTM ’ s Trystan Hart would finish only 10 seconds behind LeBlond . Max Gerston followed in fourth , with RPM KTM ’ s Will Riordan rounding out the top five . 11-time US MotoTrials National Champion , FactoryONE Sherco ’ s Pat Smage qualified seventh on his 2021 Sherco 300 SE for his first extreme enduro race of the year .
Saturday ’ s racing also served as the main race for the Pro Women ’ s class . FactoryONE Sherco ’ s Louise Forsley , KTM ’ s Shelby Turner , and Beta ’ s Rachel Gutish kept a close battle throughout the two laps , trading leads multiple times . Forsley started strong with the holeshot but had some bad luck in the first lap
VOL . 6 ISSUE 5 - MAY 2021 // PAGE 95