Seven-time King of Kings snow climb champion Keith Curtis translated that skillset to the dirt to win round six of the AMA Hard Enduro Series at the beautiful but daunting Silver Kings Hard Enduro in the panhandle of Northern Idaho. The margin of victory was a mere 38 seconds over Idaho native Colton Haaker of Rockstar Husqvarna. The pair set a blistering pace from the gun and checked out early. The two crossed the finish more than an hour over third place Tim Apolle of Factory Beta.
“Silver Kings made for an incredible time racing big mountain terrain on Silver Mountain,” said winner Keith Curtis. “The course was super technical, especially at the beginning. I was battling with a group early on in the big hill climbs. We had to side hill at times. The scree fields seemed endless and would take everything you had. After checkpoint 1, Colton and I began to pull a gap on the field. I know how good of a rider he is, so I just had to keep plugging away as mistake free as possible. I was stoked to pull it together for the big win! My Sherco SE 300 was a power house for those big climbs and slow techy sections. Huge thanks to Inside Enduro and the team for hosting such a great event.”
Curtis was able to sweep the weekends festivities by claiming P1 at Saturday’s qualifying prologue as well as the afternoon “Funduro” event. Cooper Abbott would go P4 and P4 in both the qualifier and Funduro.
“It was pretty confidence boosting having been able to go 1-1 on Saturday,” said Curtis. “The shortened course was a great preview of what was to come on Sunday’s main race. I was super pumped to have been able to put in the ride I did on Saturday. It certainly gave me a mental leg up for Sunday, which I knew was going to be a tough course, but I knew I had it in me.”
FactoryONE Sherco’s Cooper Abbott would finish P6 in men’s Pro. Fifteen-year-old Riley Bender finished P1 on his Sherco SE 125 Factory. With the victory, he secured the West and National Championships in the B class. He will be promoted to A in 2023. Justin Ellsworth won the C class on his Sherco SE 300.
