salvage second overall and pre-
serve his championship lead.
The contrast between the two
title contenders could hardly
have been greater.
Hart entered Salt Lake City rid-
ing a wave of momentum follow-
ing victories in Nampa, Idaho,
and Everett, Washington, where
he swept all three motos. The
two-time champion had recov-
ered from a disastrous season
opener in Las Vegas, where a
disqualification dealt a serious
blow to his championship hopes,
to pull within four points of Walk-
er entering round four.
Walker, meanwhile, had been
the model of consistency, finish-
ing on the podium at each of the
opening three rounds. However,
with Hart steadily chipping away
at his advantage, the pressure
was beginning to mount.
Hart set the tone early at the
Maverik Center by posting the
fastest time in the Hot Laps
competition, demonstrating the
speed that would serve him well
throughout the evening.
With the racing surface quick-
ly developing a polished, slip-
pery blue groove, starts became
especially important. Passing
opportunities were limited, and
riders who found themselves
buried in the pack faced an
uphill battle.
Hart made the most of his
opportunity in the opening moto,
grabbing the holeshot ahead of
LeBlond and Walker. Cooper Ab-
bott, meanwhile, ran wide early,
effectively eliminating himself
from contention for the lead.
Walker eventually worked his
way onto Hart's rear wheel, but
the KTM rider held his ground to
claim the win. Walker settled for
second, with LeBlond third and
Cody Webb fourth.
The inverted starting order for
moto two shuffled the deck con-
siderably, with Walker and Hart
forced to work through traffic.
Max Eppelmann (Beta)
emerged with the early lead,
while LeBlond wasted little time
moving forward, advancing to
second by lap three. Hart was
12th after the opening lap, while
Walker dropped to 14th on lap
two.
VOLUME 63 ISSUE 45 NOVEMBER 10, 2026 P53
Jonny Walker didn't
win a moto but
finished second
overall. His points
lead is now just
one ahead of Hart.
Cooper Abbott (12)
was fourth overall.
