VOL. 55 ISSUE 44 NOVEMBER 6, 2018 P79
BY SEAN FINLEY
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TANNER YEAGER
C
olton Haaker came back from a disappointing
2017 season to regain the AMA EnduroCross
Championship after a season-long battle with rival
Cody Webb, the defending champ. The Rockstar Energy
Husqvarna rider, Haaker, made a statement at the pen-
ultimate round in Everett, Washington a week earlier, by
taking a pivotal win, entering the final round with a six-point
lead in the championship. Webb did everything he could
to take his fourth title by winning the final round in Boise,
Idaho, but came up four points short.
Haaker and Webb are the top indoor off-road riders in
the world, taking the last five AMA EnduroCross Champi-
onships and last three FIM Super Enduro Championships
between them. Ironically, Haaker and Webb both grew up
in Northern California competing in trials events and have
battled each other for over 15 years now. For the third year
in a row, they combined to win all of the main events, tak-
ing three wins each in 2018. Haaker finished second in all
three events he did not win while Webb lost critical points
when he finished third at the second round of the season
in Costa Mesa, California. Those two points lost combined
with two additional bonus points earned by Haaker in the
head-to-head bracket races was the difference.
Haaker started the day off strong in Boise by setting
the fastest hot lap time just a tenth of a second faster than
Webb. Ty Tremaine, GasGas-backed Geoff Aaron and
Dustin McCarthy rounded out the top five.
Haaker kept the momentum going in the first heat race
by taking the win and the bonus point ahead of Tremaine.
Ty Cullins rode his Beta to third place. Mason Ottersberg,
Cooper Abbott and Max Gerston also earned spots in the
main event.
In heat two, Webb took the win and matched Haaker
with the bonus point. GasGas-backed Noah Kepple
finished a strong second. Kyle Redmond, Aaron, Nick
Thompson and Cory Graffunder rounded out the top six
spots to move to the main event.
