Racer entries are open for the 2024 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout (TKO). The 2024 TKO will take place from Friday, August 23 to Sunday, August 25, 2024, at the Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, Tennessee.
The multi-round racing format that attracts a maximum of 500 amateur entries and the best pro riders will start on Friday with the amateur Hot Laps to set the Saturday starting positions.
Saturday will include two rounds of amateur racing that will allow up to thirty riders to earn the opportunity to race in the pro class racing that will start on Saturday afternoon with a Hot Lap on the more difficult pro short course.
Entries are open for the 2024 TKO for up to 500 amateur riders. Mani Lettenbichler, the 2023 FIM Hard Enduro Champion, will be back looking to earn his second TKO win. Photo: Red Bull Content Pool, Christian Pondella
Sunday will include three rounds of pro-class racing that concludes with a multi-lap main event that is spectacular for the fans.
The TKO will again include the ECR eMoto championship races for electric motorcycles and electric motorcycle demo rides to add to the fun weekend for racers and spectators.
The top amateur riders will be eligible to qualify directly to the Saturday amateur race two if they finished in the top 50 in the amateur racing at the 2023 TKO or finish in the top 10 in the East, West or Premier AMA US Hard Enduro championships in their respective classes* (Amateur C, Youth and Women’s Amateur class riders will race in Saturday race 1).
The top pro riders will be invited directly to the pro class Hot Lap (new for 2024, pro riders can enter the pro class without an invite).
Amateur Registration
Riders can enter the 2024 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout here.
The 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout at the Trials Training Center was another epic battle between the world’s best Hard Enduro racers. Top American riders including Cody Webb, Colton Haaker, Pat Smage and Ryder LeBlond took on, Canada’s Trystan Hart, the UK’s Billy Bolt and Jonny Walker, Germany’s Mani Lettenbichler and Spain’s Alfredo Gomez.
MAVTV was on hand to capture the action and has a show focused on the four rounds of pro racing that will air this Thursday, November 16th at 6:30 PM ET.
You can learn more by checking your local listings or check MAVTV’s website.
The pro racing action from the 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout was an exciting event for the racers and fans. Trystan Hart (pictured) faced off against the best Hard Enduro racers in the world, including Billy Bolt, Mani Lettenbichler, Cody Webb, Ryder LeBlond, Alfredo Gomez and Colton Haaker. Photo by Brandon Krause.
Detailed results for all classes at the 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout can be found HERE.
The Red Bull Tennessee Knockout (TKO) has been confirmed for Friday, August 23 to Sunday, August 25, 2024, at the Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, Tennessee. This will serve as the fourteenth annual TKO event and it will again be part of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship (HEWC). The top North American riders will take on the best international riders.
The 2024 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout will be back on the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship schedule. The top riders in the world will compete at the Trials Training Center on the weekend of August 23 to 25, 2024. Photo by Brandon Krause.
The multi-round racing format that attracts over 500 amateur entries and the best pro riders will start on Friday with the amateur Hot Laps to set the Saturday starting positions. Saturday will include two rounds of amateur racing that will allow up to thirty riders to earn the opportunity to race in the Sunday pro competition. Sunday will include three rounds of pro-class racing that conclude with a multi-lap main event that is spectacular for the fans.
Canada’s Trystan Hart won the 2023 TKO over the UK’s Billy Bolt and Germany’s Mani Lettenbichler. This was Hart’s second consecutive Red Bull TKO win and he now has three counting his 2020 victory. Lettenbichler took the 2019 TKO win and Bolt won the 2021 event. These three riders have dominated the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship for the past five years but there are several other top riders that will be aiming to earn their spot on the podium including American’s Cody Webb, Ryder LeBlond, Jordan Ashburn and Colton Haaker. You can add in top international riders like Spain’s Mario Roman, Bulgaria’s Teodor Kabachiev, South Africa’s Wade Young, Austria’s Michael Walkner, Spain’s Alfredo Gomez and the UK’s Graham Jarvis to those riders than will be gunning for the podium.
The TKO will again include the ECR eMoto championship races for electric motorcycles and electric motorcycle demo rides to add to the fun weekend for racers and spectators.
Entries will open early in 2024 and more details for the event will also be announced in the coming months.
The Saturday afternoon Straight Rhythm prologue was one of the highlights of 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout Hard Enduro at the Trials Training Center. The top sixteen pro riders from the hot lap faced off in head-to-head bracket races.
Top American riders including Cody Webb, Colton Haaker, Pat Smage, and Ryder LeBlond took on Canada’s Trystan Hart, the UK’s Billy Bolt and Jonny Walker, Germany’s Mani Lettenbichler and Spain’s Alfredo Gomez.
The Saturday afternoon Straight Rhythm prologue at the 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout was an exciting event for the racers and fans. The UK’s Billy Bolt and Jonny Walker faced off in one of the head-to-head rounds. Photo by Brandon Krause.
MAVTV was on hand to capture the action and has a show focused on the Straight Rhythm event that will air this Thursday, October 5 at 6:30 PM ET.
There will be a separate MAVTV show covering the three rounds of Sunday pro racing at the TKO.
You can learn more by checking your local listings or check MAVTV’s website.
Detailed results for all classes at the 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout can be found HERE
The thirteenth annual Red Bull Tennessee Knockout included three days of Hard Enduro racing action, starting with the amateur Hot-Lap on Friday and wrapping up with three rounds of pro racing on Sunday.
Nearly 500 racers took on the 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout and Canada’s Trystan Hart topped the field after three days of racing. The FMF KTM racer topped the UK’s Billy Bolt and Germany’s Mani Lettenbichler. Photo by Brandon Krause.
Nearly 500 riders took on the 2023 edition at the Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, Tennessee, and it was Canada’s Trystan Hart that stood on top of the podium on Sunday afternoon. The FMF KTM rider was joined by the UK’s Billy Bolt and Germany’s Mani Lettenbichler. Jonny Walker and Cody Webb rounded out the top five to make it four different countries and four different motorcycle manufacturers represented in the top five.
Check out the full weekend recap video:
2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout Main Event Results
Trystan Hart, KTM, Canada
Billy Bolt, Husqvarna, Great Britain
Manuel Lettenbichler, KTM, Germany
Jonny Walker, Beta, Great Britain
Cody Webb, Sherco, USA
Ryder LeBlond, Husqvarna, USA
Will Riordan, KTM, Australia
Alfredo Gomez, Rieju, Spain
Jordan Ashburn, Husqvarna, USA
Pat Smage, Sherco, USA
Matthew Green, KTM, South Africa
Colton Haaker, Husqvarna, USA
Logan Bolopue, Sherco, USA
James Flynn, GasGas, USA
Quinn Wentzel, Rieju, USA
Tim Apolle, Beta, Germany
Daniel Lewis, Beta, USA
Gauge Logan-Key, GasGas, USA
David Knight, KTM, Great Britain
Mason George, Rieju, USA
2023 Red Bull Tennessee, Knockout eMoto Final Results
Spenser Wilton, Electric Motion
Joseph Van Roekel, KTM
Bridger Greenman, KTM
Nathan Bilbrey, Surron
Brett Baldwin, Surron
Jesse Ziegler, Surron
2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout Overall Amateur Results
Kamakana Waiwaiole-Kahalepuna, GasGas
Mason George, Rieju
Maverik Thaxton, KTM
Dylan Santoro, KTM
Hayden Mosa, Rieju
Huck Jenkins, KTM
Carter Bouwens, KTM
Devin Stephenson, Sherco
Jared Kuehnhold, Husqvarna
Wil Loyd, KTM
2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout Women’s Pro Class Results
Kirsten Landman, KTM
Rachel Gutish, GasGas
Nikki Russell, Husqvarna
Hallie Marks, Sherco
Detailed results for all 2023 classes can be found here.
Keep an eye on MAVtv for two shows featuring the 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout. The network will have one show featuring the Straight Rhythm Prologue event that took place on Saturday afternoon and a second show featuring the Sunday pro TKO racing.
Trystan Hart (center), Billy Bolt (left) and Mani Lettenbichler celebrate a tough day of racing at the 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout. Photo by Brandon Krause.
For the second year in a row, FMF KTM Factory Racing backed Trystan Hart topped the Red Bull Tennessee Knockout (TKO). This was Hart’s third TKO win in the last four years and the Canadian dominated the 2023 event with wins in three of the four rounds of racing on the rocky and hilly Trials Training Center terrain. The win also earned Hart the AMA Grand Championship for Extreme Off-Road racing to go along with his US Hard Enduro Series championship.
Trystan Hart earned his third Red Bull Tennessee Knockout win in the last four years. The FMF KTM team rider won three of the four rounds of racing, including the main event. Photo by Brandon Krause.
Husqvarna Factory Racing backed Billy Bolt was closest to Hart in the main event and finished twenty-three seconds back.
The UK’s Billy Bolt won the 2021 TKO and put up a good fight with Hart to take the 2023 win for his second win in two races on US soil. But the Husqvarna rider could not quite match the pace of Hart on this day. Photo by Brandon Krause.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mani Lettenbichler rounded out the podium.
Mani Lettenbichler had to chase back to the front after a big crash on the first lap. He caught Bolt but was unable to make a pass to move up any further than third. Photo by Brandon Krause.
The pro racing kicked off on Saturday afternoon with a Hot-Lap on the approximately two-mile “short course” and Rockstar Husqvarna’s Ryder LeBlond set the fastest time of five minutes and fifty-two seconds. Trystan Hart finished second, a little over six seconds behind. Lettenbichler finished third, just a second behind Hart. FactoryONE Sherco’s Cody Webb was fourth and Bolt rounded out the top five.
The top sixteen pro riders wrapped up the Saturday racing with a Straight Rhythm bracket-race prologue to entertain the fans and Bolt topped Lettenbichler for the win while Hart beat out Beta’s Jonny Walker to finish third.
Sunday’s format consisted of three rounds of racing for the fifty-six riders that earned a spot and it started with Knockout round one on the eleven mile “long course”. Hart set the fastest time with a time of forty-seven minutes and seventeen seconds. The relatively dry conditions provided a lot more traction than normal on the rocks and that contributed to quicker times than normal. 2022 GNCC Champion Jordan Ashburn turned some heads with a second-place time of forty-eight minutes and twenty-nine seconds on his Magna 1 Husqvarna to finish second. Lettenbichler was third in a time of forty-eight minutes and fifty-four seconds. RPM KTM rider Will Riordan put in a strong ride to finish fourth with a time of forty-nine minutes and two seconds. Cody Webb rounded out the top five with a time of forty-nine minutes and thirteen seconds. Bolt, LeBlond, South Africa’s Matthew Green, Walker and Alfredo Gomez finished sixth through tenth respectively.
There was a last-chance qualification race on the straight rhythm course among the four riders that just missed the top thirty and pro Hillclimb racer Logan Cipala took that spot to be the last rider to make it to the second round.
The second-round changes format to place the thirty-one riders into five groups that race head-to-head. Four of those groups include six riders while the fifth group has seven riders including the LCQ winner. The riders take on the long loop with another mile of extremely difficult sections added. The top four finishers from each group earn spots in the twenty-rider main event with the winners of each group earning front row starting positions.
Hart won group one over Bolt after a back forth battle. Fourteen-time US Trials Champion Pat Smage and James Flynn finished third and fourth to get into the main event.
LeBlond won group two in a tight battle with Ashburn. Colton Haaker and Gauge Logan-Key also earned tickets to the main.
Lettenbichler dominated group three. Green finished second and Rieju’s Quinn Wentzel and Beta’s Tim Apolle finished third and fourth respectively.
Group four was won by the UK’s Walker. Riordan finished second. Sherco rider Logan Bolopue and Beta’s Daniel Lewis took the last two spots in this group.
Webb won group four over Spain’s Gomez. Multi-time Erzberg winner David Knight finished third and Mason George earned the final spot in the main event in his first ever TKO. George was the only rider from the thirty riders that qualified into the Sunday program via the Saturday races to qualify for the main event.
The main event moves back to the short course for a 35-minute plus one lap race, which ended up taking forty-four minutes and thirty-four seconds for Hart to complete. Lettenbichler took the lead heading into the woods with Hart and Bolt close behind. Hart and Bolt found a way past Lettenbichler before hitting the critical Red Bull Ravine hill climb, which proved to be pivotal as Bolt lost momentum at the top and Lettenbichler hit his rear wheel and flipped over backwards. The German rider lost several positions when his bike tumbled down the hill. Hart made a quick break from the field and had a twelve second gap on Bolt as they started the second lap. The KTM rider methodically opened that up to as much as forty-five seconds before backing off on the final lap to win by twenty-four seconds.
Bolt held second place throughout the race but had pressure from Walker for several laps and then Lettenbichler, who recovered from his crash. Bolt, Lettenbichler and Walker started the final lap separated by less than ten seconds, which is not safe with the difficult obstacles but the order remained the same to the finish.
Webb had a strong ride to finish fifth. LeBlond got held up on the first lap behind the carnage of the Lettenbichler tumble on the hill climb but recovered for a sixth-place finish. Riordan was the last rider on the lead lap in seventh.
Gomez finished eighth on his Rieju. Ashburn finished ninth after recovering from a first turn crash with Green. Smage rounded out the top ten in his first Hard Enduro event of the season after wrapping up the US Trials championship.
Hart said, “On lap two, I threw my bike up the Kenda waterfall and luckily no one was behind me and I just picked up the bike and went on my way but that was a little scare. From that point on, I just chilled out and nailed the hill climb and water fall every lap and just cruised on and maintained the gap which was really good.”
Bolt said, “It’s awesome, the crowd was insane the whole way around the track and you could barely hear the bike out there so that was pretty sick to see so many people out here supporting the race. As far as the race went, it was a struggle, I felt the pressure from behind just about the whole race to be honest. Jonny and Mani were on my wheel and that made it hard to concentrate and not make any mistakes. Trystan was nearly mistake free and opened a gap early on and I could not make it back to him.”
Lettenbichler said, “Billy made a small mistake at the top of the hill climb on the first lap and I could not avoid him so I was back to sixth and had to work hard to move back to third, so I am really stocked on that. It was crazy good thanks to the fans cheering so loud in the woods and I didn’t expect that. Now I am glad that we are finished so we can get out of the heat.”
2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout Main Event Results
Trystan Hart, KTM, Canada
Billy Bolt, Husqvarna, Great Britain
Manuel Lettenbichler, KTM, Germany
Jonny Walker, Beta, Great Britain
Cody Webb, Sherco, USA
Ryder LeBlond, Husqvarna, USA
Will Riordan, KTM, Australia
Alfredo Gomez, Rieju, Spain
Jordan Ashburn, Husqvarna, USA
Pat Smage, Sherco, USA
Matthew Green, KTM, South Africa
Colton Haaker, Husqvarna, USA
Logan Bolopue, Sherco, USA
James Flynn, GasGas, USA
Quinn Wentzel, Rieju, USA
Tim Apolle, Beta, Germany
Daniel Lewis, Beta, USA
Gauge Logan-Key, GasGas, USA
David Knight, KTM, Great Britain
Mason George, Rieju, USA
The Women’s pro class competed along with the top amateurs on the more difficult Saturday race two and South Africa’s Kirsten Landman took the win riding a KTM over American Rachel Gutish, who was racing a GasGas. Nikki Russell rounded out the podium on a Husqvarna. Landman took the AMA Grand Championship number one plate and finished fortieth overall among all the amateur riders.
Kirsten Landman made the long trip from South Africa pay off with a win in the women’s pro class. She thrived in the tough high temperatures and tough conditions. Photo by Brandon Krause.
In addition to the pro racing, the Red Bull Tennessee Knockout crowned amateur champions in several classes. Saturday included two rounds of amateur racing with race two serving as the championship-deciding race. During that second race, Hawaii’s Kamakana Waiwaiole earned the number one spot with a winning time of forty-six minutes and forty-four seconds on his rented GasGas. Mason George finished just two seconds behind and Maverik Thaxton rounded out the top three. The top thirty riders also earned the opportunity to compete with the twenty-six pre-qualified pro riders, which kicked off their racing on Saturday afternoon followed by three rounds of racing on Sunday.
Hawaii’s Kamakana Waiwaiole used a rented GasGas to take the overall Amateur Grand championship win during the Saturday racing. Photo by Brandon Krause.
Other Saturday class winners among nearly 500 participants included Jared Kuehnhold in Amateur B, Leiber Adrian Ponce in Amateur C, Will Presson in Vet 40+, Travis Wilson in 45+ Vet and Coran Calvert in Youth Lites 12-15.
For the first time, the ECR eMoto class was recognized for an AMA Grand Championship and the riders completed three rounds of racing over three days. Thirty-four electric motorcycle racers took on the course and the top eleven earned a spot in the championship deciding Sunday final, which was on course with the pro riders. Seven riders completed the difficult course. Spenser Wilton took the ECR eMoto AMA Grand Championship number one plate riding an Electric Motion with a time of one-hour and four minutes. Joseph Van Roekel finished second on a KTM about twelve minutes behind and Bridger Greenman rounded out the podium riding another KTM about eighteen minutes behind the leader.
Spenser Wilton (center) won the ECR eMoto electric motorcycle championship on an Electric Motion and finished twenty-eighth overall in the pro class Knockout round one to move on to the second round. Joseph Van Roekel finished second on a KTM and Bridger Greenman finished third on another KTM. Photo by Brandon Krause.
Detailed results for the 2023 TKO can be found here.
Keep an eye on MAVtv for two shows featuring the 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout. The network will have one show featuring the Straight Rhythm Prologue event that took place on Saturday afternoon and a second show featuring the Sunday pro TKO racing.
Rieju (@Rieju_USA), the Spanish motorcycle brand, has a long history in off-road motorcycle racing and has attracted some top US and International Hard Enduro riders in recent years. Spain’s Alfredo Gomez (@alfredogomez89) and American Quinn Wentzel (@quinn_wentzel) will be taking on the thirteenth annual Red Bull Tennessee Knockout on the Rieju MR300 two-stroke.
Gomez has been one of the top Hard Enduro racers for more than a decade. He has won multiple big Hard Enduro events including the Erzbergrodeo, Hixpania Hard Enduro, and Last Dog Standing in the US. He was the Junior Trials World champion in 2011, and he puts his Trials skills to good use in Hard Enduro.
Alfredo Gomez is one of the top Hard Enduro Racers in the world. The Spaniard joined the Rieju team for 2023 and has continued to put in strong results with top ten finishes at the Xross Hard Enduro and Erzbergrodeo. Photo by Future7Media.
Wentzel also started in Trials competition and won the US Expert championship in 2015 before moving over to the US Hard Enduro scene. The Ohio native has been one of the top American Hard Enduro racers for several years now and he joined the US Rieju team in 2021. He has consistently qualified for the TKO main events over the years.
Quinn Wentzel is now in his third season racing for the US Rieju team. He finished tenth in the AMA US Hard Enduro Championship for 2023. Photo by Adam Sheehan.
Central Powersports Distribution, the US importer for Rieju will be providing technical support at the TKO event. Rieju racers can visit the Rieju pit area for spare parts, tech support, water and snacks. You can learn more about Rieju motorcycles here.
If you are coming to race or coming to watch, check out the Electric Bike demo ride area. Surron and Electric Motion will have electric bikes that you can test ride.
The 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout will take place at the Trials Training Center on August 18-20, 2023. There are still entries available for the Saturday amateur classes, including the ECR eMoto class. Click here to enter.
A separate link will be sent directly to the pre-qualified Amateur and Pro riders.
American Hard Enduro’s (@americanhardenduro) Drew Kirby (@dkirby228) and TKO co-producer Sean Finley (@seanmfinley) did a podcast this week to review some TKO history, the latest schedule, confirmed riders, and format changes for the 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout.
If you are a fan of Hard Enduro or racing the TKO yourself, you will enjoy this one. Check it out on the following podcast platforms or wherever you get your podcasts:
If you are coming to race or coming to watch, check out the Electric Bike demo ride area. Surron and Electric Motion will have electric bikes that you can test ride.
The 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout will take place at the Trials Training Center on August 18-20, 2023. There are still entries available for the Saturday amateur classes, including the ECR eMoto class. Click here to enter.
A separate link will be sent directly to the pre-qualified Amateur and Pro riders.
The FactoryONE Sherco team (@factoryone_motorsports) will have two multi-time championship-winning riders shooting for more success at the 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout. Cody Webb (@codywebb2) and Pat Smage (@pat_smage) are some of the most talented and versatile riders on two wheels, and they have both won several events at the Trials Training Center.
Cody Webb was unstoppable at the TKO from 2013 to 2018. The Californian faced stiff competition every year but always found a way to win. An injury forced him to miss the 2019 TKO, but he came back for a second-place finish in 2020. The California native that now lives in Colorado has won an AMA Trials Championship, three AMA EnduroCross Championships, and two FIM SuperEnduro championships. The Sherco rider has had a strong 2023 season and should be on the top of the list of riders capable of taking the top step of the TKO podium in 2023.
Cody Webb won an AMA Trials championship prior to moving over to win three AMA EnduroCross championships and countless Hard Enduro events, including six TKO wins. The FactoryONE Sherco rider has had a strong 2023 season so far. Photo by Future7Media.
Pat Smage just wrapped up his fourteenth AMA Trials Championship to extend his record-setting run. The Wisconsin native has been focused on wrapping up the Trials championship so he has not been able to spend much time on his SE 300 Factory 2T enduro bike. But Smage has earned Hard Enduro podium finishes in the past so don’t be surprised to see him showing off some amazing skills on the slick TTC Rocks.
Pat Smage has limited time on his Sherco SE 300 this year as he was focusing on winning his fourteenth AMA Trials Championship but he will still surprise you with his Trials skills applied to a full-size enduro bike. He was impressive at last year’s downtown Nashville TKO prologue. Photo by Andrew Nguyen.
The 2023 Red Bull Tennessee Knockout will take place at the Trials Training Center on August 18-20, 2023. There are still entries available for the Saturday amateur classes, including the ECR eMoto class. Click here to enter.
A separate link will be sent directly to the pre-qualified Amateur and Pro riders.