2025 WORCS: Round 1 Coverage

Round 1 is in the books.

While major annual events like the Dakar Rally and King of the Hammers have been earning the lion’s share of the media spotlight, the weekend before last saw the opening round of the 2025 WORCS series get underway.

The 2025 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC WORCS Series roared into action at Shorty’s MX Park in Blythe, California, kicking off the season with high-intensity battles and dramatic shakeups. The track crew designed a brutal 6.5-mile course, starting in the moto section before sending riders into the demanding off-road terrain. For Pro and Pro-Am, the challenge escalated in the Pro Section, a raw sand hill leading into a tight canyon that quads had to wrestle through before rejoining the course. With a fresh championship under his belt, Travis Damon was eager to start his title defense strong, while Beau Baron and a stacked field of contenders aimed to put up a fight in the grueling 90-minute moto.

The Pro Class launched into battle on Sunday afternoon, with freshly built quads and new kits gleaming under the California sun. However, the race turned into a battlefield almost instantly. Reigning champion Travis Damon and Layne Fryar suffered mechanical failures off the start, forcing them into the hot pits for repairs. Despite their best efforts, both were ultimately sidelined—a brutal way to open the season. But with a long championship ahead, they’ll return for redemption in Taft. As the pack thundered into the Offroad section, an intense duel emerged between Braxton Grosse and Beau Baron. Grosse looked strong, but mechanical trouble knocked him out early, leaving Baron to set the pace at the front. Logan Huff and Cole Fryar seized the opportunity, running solid races and battling for podium contention behind the veteran leader. When the checkered flag flew, Beau Baron dominated, putting on a masterclass in endurance and speed. Logan Huff secured second place, while Cole Fryar rounded out the podium in third.

The Pro-Am class brought some of the weekend’s most thrilling bar-to-bar racing, with twelve riders pushing their limits in the 90-minute showdown. This class is always unpredictable, with multiple riders capable of taking the win—but this weekend, it was all Gage Leaver. Leaver was untouchable, leading from start to finish and laying down the fastest lap of the race in his class (9:01). His blistering pace allowed him to put nearly three minutes on the field, making him and Eduardo Rojas the only two riders to complete ten laps. Meanwhile, Rylan Steadman launched into the race in second, holding off a charging Rojas for half of the contest.

However, on Lap 5, Rojas made the move stick, eventually building a one-minute gap by race end to secure second place. Despite intense pressure from behind, Steadman held firm to claim the final podium spot in third. Daven Desilva and Mason Del Gatto battled fiercely behind them for their places in the top 5, and Del Gatto had it locked up till a mechanical bug caught him on the final lap. Sadly, this dropped him from the 4th position to 7th. With Del Gatto down, Travis Tarno moved up to round out the top 5 in Pro-Am.

On Saturday, The Womens Pro lined up without the reigning champ, Torey Matajcich, as she suffered a crash during her moto race earlier in the day, but wishing her a speedy recovery and will see her back soon! Off the start, Dakota Hibler grabbed the holeshot with Bailey Baron, and Layne Fryar slotted right behind her. Fryar got passed Hibler during the first lap, and put the hammer down as she put the fastest lap of the moto down in the second lap with a time of 10:06 but, the battle was only heating up behind as Baron and Hibler closed the gap early on. Baron passed into second to tie her best career finish in the class, as Hibler finished in 3rd to start the season. Donna Espensen and Heidi Colman rounded out the top 5 as we move on to the next round.

The Rocky Mountain ATV/MC WORCS Series extends our thanks to all the racers, volunteers, and sponsors for an incredible start to the 2025 season. We look forward to seeing you all at the next round at Honolulu Hills Raceway, taking place February 21–23.