TOUGH LIKE RORR EXTREME ENDURO GOES TO CODY WEBB

Photos by mjsmotophotos

Cody Webb on the ‘Tough like RORR’ event: “The promoters did a great job of trying to beat us down this year. This race may have been more difficult than Erzberg to be honest. Luckily the temperature was about perfect or we would’ve been falling apart. I did my best to act like a Diesel engine and keep trucking forward. I am very happy with my ride and for redeeming myself from the last race.”

Pennsylvania’s Tough Like RORR is considered one of the toughest Extreme events on the schedule and features a three-race format, with two 20-minute qualifying races on Saturday and one big Main Event on Sunday. With rainfall coming down just prior to the start of the race on Sunday, the Main Event got off to a slick start and it only proved to be more challenging as the race wore on. The main event course, which combined the previous day’s loops plus more, delivered plenty of rocks and technical sections and the riders had five hours to complete the two-lap race.

Trystan Hart: “It was tough, it was relentless. The track was probably the hardest one in the U.S., I would say. I was coming in with a separated shoulder and an infected elbow and luckily the last two days before the race I had some rapid healing going on. There were a couple spots where Cody made some time on me but I saw him maybe three miles from the finish, so he was right there for the taking and I didn’t take it. So, second it is.”

Cody Webb, Trystan Hart and Colton Haaker would battle early before Webb and Hart began to distance themselves from the field. Hart would take the lead from Webb about one third through the first lap. Webb would regain it just before the halfway point of the first loop. He would not look back from that point forward. After one full lap, Webb would have a 1:52 advantage over Hart. Behind them, Ryder Leblond would take over 3rd place and would cross the one lap mark 9:52 behind the leaders.

“It was pretty brutal out there today,” Haaker said. “Last year I got heat stroke here so this year I was just trying not to lose my mind. The weather was nicer this year but the rain was pretty brutal and it made the race quite a bit harder. I stuck it out pretty good though. Five hours of cramping and I just kept it going. It wasn’t pretty a lot of times but we kept it going, stayed up and survived to live and fight another day.”

To show how fast Cody and Trystan were riding, they would finish the race while Haaker, Leblond and others were just passing through the half-way checkpoint of loop two. Leblond would finish 3rd a full 75 minutes adrift of Hart. The trio were the only ones able to complete the full two loops in the time allotted.

Women’s winner Louise Forsley: “This weekend was a battle every moto! We were all so close but I was really happy to capitalize on some mistakes and take the win during the main. Yesterday I had 2 seconds so I didn’t put any expectations on the main, but it ended up working out in my favor. Shelby and Rachel are just so fast, I am really happy to take the win.

The Pro Podium and the only racers who completed the race within the time limit: Left (2nd) Trystan Hart, center Cody Webb and right, Ryder Leblond 3rd overall.

TOUGH LIKE RORR EXTREME ENDURO GOES TO CODY WEBB

Follow Us @dirtbikemag