2023 SIX HOURS OF GLEN HELEN

The 3 Bros. 6 Hours of Glen Helen had a massive turnout of teams despite–or maybe because of–gray skies and wet weather this year. The nonstop rain that came down for two days beforehand was too much of a good thing, though, making for a very muddy event. Adding to the turnout was increased interest in the Ironman class, where Kilmartin Racing offered a $1000 winner-take-all purse. That contributed to almost 60 riders in that one class alone.

The rain made it challenging to lay out a course with many parts of the National and truck tracks flooded. Most of the course was in the hills above the track, but even there it was subject to flooding. Many sections started off with solid ground but turned into bike-sucking quagmires after only a few laps. The course started off with just under 9 miles of length. It was around 7.5 after various sections were cut. Some riders who were unfortunate enough to get stuck in those sections had to wait until the end of the race to retrieve their motorcycles.

The AA team of Tyler Richardson sailed through the muck to capture the overall this year. Early in the race, Trevor Hunter’s Dirt Bike Test team had the lead, but a clogged radiator resulted in a complete meltdown. That was the story with several other teams, as well. Virtually every team had some extended down time. This presented a rare opportunity for the Ironman riders to cut through the pack. Nick Stover won that class and finished second overall, 9 minutes behind the leading team on the same lap. This was despite starting on the fourth wave and giving away a 8-minute head start. On lap one, Stover came through in 58th place overall. By lap nine, he was in the overall lead while Nicholson was in the pits. That turned around after two laps, but Stover remained in second place. Matthew Maple had a similar story. He started on the Ironman wave and came around in 75th place overall after the first lap. He eventually finished in eighth overall, second Ironman. Motocross Action’s Josh Fout was third Ironman ahead of Nic Garvin. For complete results, go to Glenhelen.com.