In boxing, TKO stands for a “Technical Knock Out” but in off-road racing circles TKO means the “Tennessee Knockout” Extreme Enduro. Taking place at the Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, Tennessee, August 15-16 the world’s best riders squared off in a revolutionary head-to-head format. And like the revolutionary war, the event boiled down to a battle between British Hard Enduro star Jonny Walker and American defending TKO champ Cody Webb.
Despite battling with the flu and jet lag, MSR’s International Brand Ambassador Jonny Walker wasn’t about to back down from Webb, or anyone. The event features a multi-round “Knockout” format. Each round is different as the riders race against the clock in some rounds and head-to-head in others and they do so on both short and long courses consisting of extremely difficult terrain. Walker was up for the challenge and easily qualified for Sunday’s main event.
Jonny jumped to a commanding holeshot in the main event, but Cody came right back when they reached the woods. Walker and Webb went back and forth the entire race, rarely more than a bike length apart. But when the checkered flag finally came out, Webb retained the coveted #1 plate. “Jonny has won every big event there is in Extreme Enduros this year over in Europe,” explained Webb afterward. “Luckily everything went my way. This was the toughest TKO win ever.”
