Haaker Wins King of the Motos, Cody Webb Not Happy

February 7, 2017, 10:00am

King of the Hammers is the most revered race in four-wheel drive rock racing (for Jeeps and trucks, AKA Ultra4 racing), but it also carries a dirt bike component, dubbed King of the Motos. This gnarly, three-stage event differs from many extreme enduro races because the course is navigated by GPS as opposed to traditional course markings. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna's Colton Haaker, fresh off a silver medal at X Games Snow BikeCross, grabbed the gold at King of the Motos, snagging the overall win after FMF KTM's Cody Webb led the race, but was found to have missed a checkpoint.

Wow today was crazy at King of the Motos... First of all I am happy @taylor_robert33 is ok from a scary get off. Secondly I'm glad I hit all the checkpoints the past two days! In the end it was a GPS hard Enduro with extra emphasis on the GPS. From snow bikes last week, to the complete opposite race this weekend I had no prep coming into this race and aimed at staying on two wheels catching all the checks and having fun. Which added up to my second KOM victory in three years! Big thanks to the whole team it was definitely a team effort to make it to the finish today! @rockstarenergy @husqvarna_usa @flyracingusa @scorpionexo @ride100percent @fmf73 @ridedunlop @bajadesignsofficial @joshschaecher @hannahhaaker @timmyweigand @thompson_120 @huskywrench6 @tanner__tremaine thanks everyone!! PC: @tanneryeagerphoto #kingofthemotos #kingofthehammers2017

A photo posted by Colton Haaker (@coltonhaaker) on Feb 5, 2017 at 10:17pm PST

The three-stage format started Saturday night. This was a six mile loop with a land rush start. The darkness combined with the dust made navigating to hit virtual checkpoints difficult. Racing continued with Sunday's race starting at 9 a.m. This loop was a little over 22 miles and consisted of one of the hardest hill climbs of the race. The third and final race took place Sunday afternoon and consisted of a 12 mile loop.

Webb led most of the way but was penalized for missing a checkpoint. He wasn't happy.

This is the only view the other riders had of me all day at King of Motos yesterday. Unfortunately I made a bonehead maneuver and came down to the finish the same way as the morning race and missed the final checkpoint costing me what should've been a convincing overall win. #gpsracessuck It's not a race when you're staring straight down at a GPS going 2mph the whole time wondering if you're on the course. #makeamericanextremeenduroshardagain

A photo posted by Cody Webb (@codywebb2) on Feb 6, 2017 at 7:44am PST