Results from 2026 AMA National Hard Enduro Championship round three, the Grinding Stone Hard Enduro where FMF KTM’s Trystan Hart clicked win number three on the infamous sandstone mesas – World Championship rider Mario Roman claims second ahead of the USHE regulars.

Round 3 of the AMA National Hard Enduro Championship, Presented by IRC Tire, made its annual visit to the iconic Grinding Stone Hard Enduro in Page, Arizona. The Championship couldn’t have made a bigger flip in going from the Hawaiian jungle to the sandstone mesas above Lake Powell this past weekend.

The Grinding Stone course, only minutes from Downtown Page and Horseshoe Bend, remains one of the world’s most unique motorcycle courses which provide ultimate traction, and then all of turns sudden ice-like if sand is mixed on the near-vertical cliffs and loose hills which play havoc with tyres...

This race was won by Rockstar Energy’s Husqvarna Ryder LeBlond last year, but FMF KTM’s Trystan Hart and Rocky Mountain ATV Yamaha’s Cody Webb both have two wins each here and to add more spice to the mix, Spanish riders Mario Roman and Alfredo Gomez joined South African Matt Green who’s been racing the US series this season so far.

This was the sixth year of the Grinding Stone Hard Enduro, which is hosted by the Rockstars Motorcycle Club, and the first time they added a third day of racing with a revised format. This knockout format included a new Amateur race on Friday, which attracted a record turnout of racers, getting over 300 entries for the first time ever.

New, 3-day format

Race 1 kicked things off on Friday, with all Amateur classes racing three laps on an advertised “B/C Class” level course. This race would be the first knockout race, where about 260 Amateurs would dwindle down to 200 for the following race.

The race featured a more flowy course, with several challenging sections added which A Class racer, Boogie Rivera of Team Bullet Proof Designs KRD, won Race 1.

Race 2 was Saturday morning, and the top 200 finishers of Race 1 lined up for a two-lap race that increased in difficulty. This was advertised as a “A/B Class” level course, and gave the majority of Amateurs a full weekend of ride time.

The top 50 would move onto Race 3 in the afternoon. A Class racer, Makana Barger of Champion Brick Racing, won this race.

Pro qualification

Race 3 followed on Saturday afternoon, and was the first for the Pro Class racers, where 20 would qualify for Sunday’s Race 4. This two-lap race increased difficulty again with a course that had “Pro/A Class” level sections and with 90-degree temperatures beating down on the racers. Trystan Hart set himself up for the weekend nicely with the win, which gave him first gate pick for the Main Race on Sunday.

Main event

Before teh main event on Sunday, the Rockstars MC hosted a Kid’s Hard Enduro race, with ages 6-11 trying their hand at the sport on a course with smaller sandstone obstacles. The future of this sport is bright, as these young kids showed a lot of passion going through the tough sections on their mini bikes!

Race 4 of the Grinding Stone Hard Enduro is one of the most prestigious races of the year, with the top Pros racing around an extremely technical short course in front of a lot of spectators. The mass start on a mesa and head right into a steep hill climb on the side of a mesa, going into a desert section, then jumping onto Mesa 3.

Trystan Hart grabbed the holeshot, but made an error on one of the first obstacles, letting Mario Roman take the lead going into Stairway to Heaven. The field started to spread out after a few sections, with 2025 winner Ryder LeBlond taking the lead from Trystan Hart on Lap 2, after Hart derailed his chain. The steep ups and downs on Mesa 3 make it a high-consequence race, where one mistake can make or break a race (see rider interviews below).

Hart and LeBlond battled for several laps, averaging 17 minute laps around the 3 mile course, with Mario Roman close on their heels. Cody Webb and IRC Beta’s James Flynn were about 10 minutes behind, but were battling back and forth throughout the race.

The moment of the race was when Hart derailed his chain for a second time on Stairway to Heaven, with Ryder LeBlond waiting below to make a pass for the lead. While Hart was fixing his chain, LeBlond had two chances to make it over the hill clean for the lead, which would have set him up for another win, but he could not make it on both attempts. Hart fixed his chain, reset himself on the bottom of the hill, and climbed over without putting his foot down, securing his lead and not looking back on the field.

Hart won the 2026 Grinding Stone Hard Enduro for the third time with a 7-minute lead over Mario Roman who gained significant time in the latter part of the race, eventually passing LeBlond, third, with Webb and Flynn rounding out the top five.

In the A Class division, Ayden Marinchek battled Makana Barger throughout the race, but eventually came out on top for the win. In the Pro Women’s class, Get Dirty Dirt Bikes TM Racing’s Katie Hall-Lead won for the first time this 2026 season.

Say What? Pro riders explain their race…

2026 Grinding Stone hard Enduro combined results:

The AMA National Hard Enduro season returns to the Moab Hard Enduro in Moab, Utah on April 18-19.

More information: www.ushardenduro.com

Photo Credit: Owen Gorsuch and Ryan McCasland