2023 Keystone Challenge Results

The Keystone Challenge was an all-new doubleheader race weekend in Pennsylvania, that combined the Tough Like RORR Hard Enduro in Tamaqua and the Shotgun Hard Scrambles in Sugarloaf in one weekend (May 26-28).

By Matt Musgrave | Photos by Ryan McCasland

The two venues are only 30 minutes apart, so the Reading Off Road Riders (RORR) and High Mountain Dirt Riders worked together to run on the same three-day weekend. As a result, there was a record turnout for both races, with 350 racers entering the Tough Like RORR and 280 at the Shotgun. Having these two events on the same weekend, the U.S. Hard Enduro Series created a bonus points structure that awarded competitors that finished well in both events, which incentivized racers to compete in both for the series championships.

FMF KTM's Trystan Hart won both events to take the Keystone Challenge crown in addition to clinching the U.S. Hard Enduro East Championship.

Saturday's Tough Like RORR featured a qualifier and an LCQ, which narrowed down the field of racers for Sunday's 6-hour main race to only 70. This race consisted of an easier first loop, then a much more difficult second loop that thinned out the field.

Will Riordan grabbed the holeshot for the main race, but the drama began right out of the gate when Cooper Abbott and Hart came together, crashing down and fortunately avoiding a major incident as the other racers rushed around them.

The lead pack for the first lap consisted of Cody Webb, Ryder LeBlond, Hart and Jonny Walker. Hart came into his pit panicked as he was missing his right footpeg. Instead of letting the lead pack slip away, he left the pit without taking the time to fix it, in hopes that he could replace it on the trail at some point. As competitors were completing the first lap, the second lap was where most of the riders would end their race. Hart Attack, Nightmare and Wrong Side of Heaven were just some of the sections that the promoters included in lap two, in hopes that it would push the limits of everyone who qualified in the top 70.

Webb and Hart were battling for the lead on lap two, and Walker began to pull ahead of LeBlond. Adding to Hart's misfortunes, he then broke off his second footpeg while on the second lap. He never had the opportunity to get replacement footpegs on the trail, and instead focused on battling Webb without one of the most vital parts on his race bike. Webb had a scary crash past the halfway point of lap two, and Hart gained time and ended up winning Tough Like RORR by completing the two laps in three hours and 26 minutes, without footpegs. Webb finished about eight minutes behind, while Walker came in 25 minutes later and rounded off the podium for third place. Riordan finished in fourth place, and the UK's Jack Price finished in fifth.

Spain's Sandra Gomez won the Pro Women's class and also placed 26th overall. Rachel Gutish and Hallie Marks rounded out the ladies’ podium.

Only 12 racers finished both laps.

After a full night of fixing bikes and trying to rest up, the Shotgun Hard Scrambles took place 30 minutes down the road in Sugarloaf. This race, hosted by Mike Soudas and the High Mountain Dirt Riders, was new to the scene last year and quickly became a formidable challenge among pros and amateurs alike. Since this was day three of the Keystone Challenge, the HMDR club decided to simplify their format from last year and just host a two-lap hard scramble. This 16-mile course ramped up in difficulty as it went on, traversing up steep rock gardens and dropping into fern-covered creeks. Some of the sections like Stairway, Tombstone and Green Acres took the riders through a variety of terrain throughout this 4000-acre property.

Hart gained an early lead on Webb, while a charging LeBlond and Walker put pressure on the frontrunners. As the race went on, Hart continued to push ahead of the lead pack and finished his first lap in approximately 90 minutes. LeBlond and Webb were only a minute behind, while Walker was a few minutes back. On lap two, the course split off onto more difficult sections and the pros had to work through the amateurs still making it through lap one. Despite the more difficult obstacles and lapped traffic, Hart finished his second lap only a minute slower than the first, winning the Shotgun Hard Scrambles and Keystone Challenge. LeBlond pulled ahead of Webb and finished in second, leaving Webb to come in third. Walker finished in fourth, and Riordan finished fifth.

Out of the 270-plus racers, only 12 finished both laps in the allotted time.

Sandra Gomez finished a lap and won the Pro Women's class, with Rachel Gutish and Hallie Marks rounding out the podium.