ROUND 1 RACE REPORT
“Back on Top”
2026 US Sprint Enduro Series – Round 1
Southland Sprint
Climax Motorsports Park
January 31–February 1, 2026
Climax, Georgia
By Shan Moore
Photos by Jade Barnes
PRO 1
After missing half of the 2025 season due to a mild concussion sustained at the Camp Coker GNCC,
2024 US Sprint Enduro Champion and FMF KTM Factory Racing rider Johnny Girroir returned to
form in a big way, capturing the overall win at the opening round of the 2026 US Sprint Enduro
Series in Climax, Georgia.
Girroir was strong from the start, winning three of six tests on Saturday, then matching that
performance with three more test wins on Sunday to seal the overall victory at Climax Motorsports Park.
While much of the East Coast was dealing with snow, southcentral Georgia was spared the white
stuff. Aside from cold temperatures, conditions were nearly perfect, setting the stage for a
spectacular weekend of racing.
Although Girroir is no stranger to dominating the series, this weekend was anything but easy. A deep
field of talented—and noticeably improved—competition kept the pressure on throughout both days.
“It was a good start to my year,” said Girroir. “It was a little tighter yesterday. I had a nasty crash on
the Cross test, and then Grant just obliterated me in the last Enduro test. Everyone’s ripping this
year. Cody (Barnes) had three really good tests to finish out the weekend, and Grant (Davis) was
flying too. He keeps me on my toes, so it should be an interesting season.”
Davis, one of Girroir’s FMF KTM Factory Racing teammates, showed exactly why he’s considered
one of the sport’s rising stars. The Pennsylvania rider finished second overall, just 14 seconds
behind Girroir, and picked up an Enduro test win on Saturday.
“I’m happy with my riding,” said Davis. “But I want to beat Johnny one of these days. He was
definitely going fast. I had a pretty good crash today, but other than that it was a solid weekend.”
AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper rounded out the podium in third. While Draper admitted he was
hoping for more, he also acknowledged that starting the season with a podium finish is far from a
bad result.
“It was a better day yesterday, for sure,” said Draper. “Today the boys smoked me, but we’ll keep
working. I guess it’s a good start to the season—at least I’m up here on the box.”
Liqui Moly Beta’s Cody Barnes took fourth overall as he continued adjusting to a new team and a
new bike. Barnes made steady changes throughout the weekend and capped off Sunday by winning
three of the final four tests.
“It was always going to be a learning curve switching from an aluminum frame to a steel frame,” said
Barnes. “I’d been on Honda for four years, so there was definitely some adjusting to do. My
mechanic Denny and my wife Jade kept me steady, and we just kept trying things—changing sag,
changing clickers—until it started to feel right. By the end, I knew I could be the fastest guy out there,
so it was a really productive weekend.”
PRO 2
Husqvarna’s Brody Johnson topped the Pro 2 division with an impressive fifth overall finish. Johnson
won five of six Pro 2 tests on Saturday and followed that up with four more test wins on Sunday.
“Saturday was really good,” said Johnson. “I won all but three of the twelve tests this weekend. I still
need to work on my sprint speed in the Cross tests, but that’s something I’m looking forward to
improving.”
KTM’s Cooper Jones edged out Liqui Moly Beta’s Jhak Walker by just six seconds to claim sixth
overall, with Walker finishing seventh overall and second in Pro 2.
Husqvarna rider Colton Shields went a perfect sixforsix in test wins on Saturday, setting himself up
for a controlled ride on Sunday to secure the ProAm class win and eighth overall.
“Sunday was a little tougher,” said Shields. “I won the first test, but I kept losing my brakes in the
Enduro test, which set me back. Still, I’m happy with the ProAm win.”
Kawasaki’s Will Sievenpiper finished ninth overall, while GasGas rider Cole Whitmer rounded out the
top ten.
PRO WOMEN
In the Women’s Pro division, Danielle McDonald (Yamaha) took the overall win after trading victories
with FMF KTM’s Brandy Richards. Richards won Saturday’s event, while McDonald came out on top
Sunday, with just three seconds separating the two after twelve tests.
“It was a good weekend for me here in Georgia,” said McDonald. “Brandy and I went back and forth,
so she definitely made it hard on me. We had some great racing, and I’m really looking forward to
the next round.”
Richards finished second overall in the Women’s Pro class, with Ellie Winland (Yamaha) taking third.
Doc Smith earned top Amateur honors for the weekend with an overall win in the 250 A class.
TOP AMATEUR
Doc Smith 250A – 12th overall
US Sprint Enduro Fastest Tests
PRO Division
Cross Test: Johnny Girroir 6:42.3
Enduro Test: Cody Barnes 6:20.9
Amateur Division
Cross Test: Brayden Baisley 6:57.6
Enduro Test: Doc Smith 6:41.1
This weekend also marked the launch of US Sprint Enduro’s 6Days Futures program, featuring mentor support to help develop the next generation of American off-road racers, with Cody Barnes serving as the program’s first mentor.
Looking for Pictures?
Casey Co. Photography – link coming soon!
Round two of the 2026 US Sprint Enduro Series continues with the MacDaddy Sprint Enduro—also
serving as an AMA ISDE East Qualifier—on February 21–22 in Hephzibah, Georgia.
Round 1 Overall Results
- Johnny Girroir (KTM)
- Grant Davis (KTM)
- Liam Draper (Yamaha)
- Cody Barnes (Beta)
- Brody Johnson (Husqvarna)
- Cooper Jones (KTM)
- Jhak Walker (Beta)
- Colton Shields (Husqvarna)
- Will Sievenpiper (Kawasaki)
- Cole Whitmer (GasGas)
