Brandon Clarke
Trystan Hart sweeps Everett, 12-year-old Blake Esser steals the spotlight, and Vurb Prospect takes us inside one of racing’s most technical disciplines.
EnduroCross is a special kind of punishment. Take a perfectly good dirt bike, throw it into an arena filled with rocks, logs, tractor tires, and obstacles that look like they belong on a construction site, then tell some of the world’s best off-road racers to go as fast as possible.
It’s basically Jason Crane vs. the Hill, except this time there are 6,000-plus fans watching, the obstacles are even more ridiculous. Meanwhile, Crane likely would’ve already listed his bike on Facebook Marketplace under “Like New, Barely Ridden.”
What could possibly go wrong?
Round 3 of the 2026 AMA EnduroCross Championship rolled into Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington, bringing 72 riders, 102 entries, and plenty of racing to dig through on Vurb Prospect.
And while the night belonged to Trystan Hart, there was a lot more happening throughout the field than the final results might suggest.
Hart Makes It Look Easy
If there was any question about Hart’s intentions coming into Everett, he answered it pretty quickly.
The FMF KTM Factory Racing rider swept all three EX Pro motos, posting a perfect 1-1-1 scorecard. Jonny Walker followed with three second-place finishes aboard his Triumph, while Ryder LeBlond rounded out the podium with 3-4-3 results.
Pretty straightforward, right?
Well, not entirely.
Dig into the lap times on Prospect and you’ll find that Walker actually recorded the fastest race lap of the night, clocking a 38.786 in Moto 2. Hart’s quickest lap came in Moto 3 at 39.520, while LeBlond’s best was a 40.168.
Walker had the fastest single lap, but Hart had the consistency to win all three motos.
That’s EnduroCross. One mistake in the rocks or a bad line through the matrix can undo an otherwise perfect lap.
And with Walker holding just a four-point championship advantage over Hart, every second and every position matters.
Not Every Great Ride Ends on the Podium
The EX Expert class had its own share of action, with Max Gerston taking the win ahead of James Flynn and Ricky Russell. But unlike the Pro class, which races three motos, the Experts only get one main event to prove themselves.
Here’s the catch. Only the top six finishers earn a transfer into the EX Pro motos for the remainder of the evening. Everyone else? Their night is over. Think of it as EnduroCross’s LCQ.
That’s where Washington local, Jaden Dahners comes into the picture.
Dahners led the Expert field with five passes, the most of any rider in the class. His charge to a fifth-place finish earned him a spot on the Pro gate alongside Walker, Hart, and some of the best EnduroCross racers in the world.
Don’t Sleep on the Junior Class
While the pros were busy battling for championship points, the EX Junior class had plenty going on.
Cole Clarkson topped Prospect’s Most Laps Led leaderboard with 13 laps out front, followed by Ethan Surry with seven and Makana Barger with one.
Then there’s Traxen Freistat, who topped the Fight to the Finish leaderboard with a 24.435-second improvement in the app’s first-half versus second-half lap-time comparison.
All that being said, we can’t talk about the Junior class without giving a shoutout to 12-year-old Blake Esser, who might have been the biggest crowd favorite of the night.
In his first year racing EnduroCross, Esser didn’t get the memo that some of these obstacles are supposed to be intimidating. He was out there absolutely sending it over rocks, logs, and just about anything else the track threw at him.
Don’t take our word for it. Watch this kid go.
Different riders, different performances, and different ways of looking at what happened on track.
It’s also a reminder that racing isn’t just about who crosses the finish line first. There’s something to be said for the riders finding speed, making passes, and continuing to push when things aren’t necessarily going their way.
The Checkered Flag Isn’t the End of the Story
With 72 riders representing ten manufacturers, Everett had plenty more going on than a single podium celebration. And that’s what makes having all of EnduroCross inside Vurb Prospect pretty cool.
From individual lap times and moto results to passing statistics, class leaderboards, and rider profiles, you can follow the action well beyond what you caught from the stands or on the broadcast.
Whether you’re following the championship battle, keeping tabs on your favorite rider, or looking back at your own race, it’s all part of the experience.
And if you’re a rider looking to mix things up during the offseason, why not give EnduroCross a shot? It’s a chance to challenge yourself, try something outside your comfort zone, and keep stacking those Prospect points while you’re at it.
The championship heads to Salt Lake City, Utah, for Round 4 on Saturday, November 7, at the Maverik Center. Racing kicks off at 7 PM Mountain Time, with doors opening at 5:30 PM.
Can’t make it in person? Catch all the action live on FloRacing.com. And don’t forget to follow along on the Vurb Prospect app available on the App Store and Google Play as the championship battle continues to heats up!
