Bold statement: Kawelo Huddy dominates the brutal 2026 Ultimate Hawaiian Hard Enduro for a third straight year, proving that home soil can be a ruthless advantage. But here's where it gets controversial: does racing on Kauai’s notorious mud and rain truly separate the elite from the rest, or do favorable conditions and local knowledge tilt the odds in favor of the locals? This rewrite preserves every key detail from the original while presenting it with fresh wording, clearer context, and expanded explanations for beginners.
The AMA U.S. Hard Enduro Championship’s Round 2, presented by IRC Tire, took competitors to Kauai for the Ultimate Hawaiian Hard Enduro. After opening the season amid the dry expanse of the King of the Motos in Southern California last month, riders faced a markedly different test in Hawaii: a week of rain soaked the course and steep jungle trails, setting the stage for a grueling showdown.
This event marks the third time the Garden Island Motorcycle Club (GIMC) has hosted the Ultimate Hawaiian Hard Enduro. The club has a long history of off-road racing on Kauai, dating back to 1945, and its Labor Day Hare and Hound remains one of the sport’s most enduring extreme races, celebrated for its longevity and challenging terrain.
Geographically, Kauai sits near Mount Waiʻaleʻale, one of the wettest spots on earth, which contributed to the rain-soaked course for more than a week. Racers returned with mixed feelings, since the event in 2024 was wet, while 2023 offered a drier experience. Hawaiian riders, renowned for handling slick, muddy conditions on jungle and lava-like slopes, are used to riding in challenging water-rich environments. A typical Hawaiian trail ride already tests endurance in tropical heat, thick vegetation, and uneven terrain, a level of difficulty that many mainland riders only encounter on extreme routes. The GIMC’s Labor Day Hare and Hound—their flagship event—has been running for 71 years and embodies a core tradition of Kauai’s off-road scene.
Heading into the race, local star Kawelo Huddy faced the familiar pressure of performing on the home course, alongside his Bullet Proof Designs KRD Hui teammates, Kamakana Waiwaiole-Kahalepuna and Ryder Guest.
Day 1 featured the Pro and A Prologue, held on a rarely used section of trail. Ninety riders started individually, one minute apart, navigating muddy virgin trails and slick creek beds. Ryder Guest posted the fastest Prologue time, 17 minutes 15 seconds, earning the coveted front-row position for the Main Race. His teammates finished second and third, all within 30 seconds of his time. Rounding out the top five and earning front-row spots for the Main Race were FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Trystan Hart and local legend Chris Satterfield with KRD Hui.
The Main Race was structured into four courses—Pro, A, B, and C—to balance rider skill with safe traffic flow. The Pro course spanned roughly 21 miles through Omao’s most demanding trails, with a five-hour time limit. Omao, Kaua‘i’s terrain-rich riding area, rewards those who know the land and conditions intimately. The front row launched first, followed by subsequent rows at one-minute intervals. The early portion revisited the Prologue’s vicinity, where the race’s fiercest battles unfolded.
Huddy seized the lead at the first checkpoint, reeling in the front pack as they approached the Omao mountains for the gas check before the next stage. The rain intensified mid-race. Huddy and Kamakana Waiwaiole-Kahalepuna remained within seconds of each other for a large portion of the race, but Kana’s bike suffered a clutch issue and had to retreat to the pits about three-quarters of the way through, dropping him from the lead contention. Huddy pressed on, capitalizing on clear lines and first tracks in the mud after Kana’s exit.
The contention for a podium spot unfolded among Ryder Guest, Trystan Hart, Chris Satterfield, South Africa’s Matt Green riding for Champion Brick Racing, and Cody Webb of Rocky Mountain ATV/Yamaha. The riders jockeyed for position across ticking sections, with the infamous 5 Minute Hill becoming a pivotal battleground where several racers faltered on deteriorating trails. Webb and Green even helped each other over tougher segments, underscoring how camaraderie can emerge under extreme pressure. The hill proved fatal for many Pro divisional riders and eventually shaped the final outcomes.
Guest, who had won the Prologue, encountered a clutch failure and withdrew in the Omao region. Hart remained aggressive but appeared outside his comfort zone, allowing Green to overtake for third and enabling Webb to slip ahead on a steep section. Kana, forced to return to pit for clutch repairs, also battled a crank seal issue and ultimately rejoined the course before reaching the final stretch, still clinging to second place. Green remained within striking distance, but Huddy’s lead proved insurmountable.
Huddy’s performance was extraordinary: he established a commanding gap, finishing the 8-checkpoint single-lap race in 3 hours 31 minutes. By the time Hart, Green, and Webb were contesting near checkpoint 5, Huddy’s advantage remained a staggering 1 hour 54 minutes ahead of the next finisher. Kana reached the finish in 5 hours 25 minutes, with Green narrowly securing third place just before the cutoff at 5 hours 29 minutes, making him the final finisher in the podium lineup. Huddy’s dominant margin and flawless execution under brutal weather confirmed his third consecutive Ultimate Hawaiian Hard Enduro victory and reinforced his status as a home-course expert.
In the A Class, Makana Barger of Champion Brick Racing led from start to finish on a 19-mile course, finishing in 4 hours 59 minutes. In the Pro Women’s division, Pebs Madolora from Oahu led at all three checks and won in 4 hours 36 minutes.
Looking ahead, the AMA National Hard Enduro season continues with the Grinding Stone Hard Enduro in Page, Arizona, scheduled for March 20–22.
Full results can be found at Moto-Tally’s results page. Visit ushardenduro.com and follow @ushardenduro, @westhardenduro, and @easthardenduro on social media for the latest updates.
