Sterling motocross racer to compete on World Trophy Team in Spain

STERLING – Sterling native Cody Barnes is making his third trip overseas to represent the U.S. at the 98th annual International Six Days Enduro, the world’s foremost motocross competition.

This will be Barnes’ first year competing as one of four riders on the U.S. World Trophy team. He will compete in the E1 category (250cc bikes and under) and was chosen to fill in for an injured rider.

“I fly out this Friday, and everything has been happening really fast since I got the call,” Barnes said. “When they asked if I would do it, I couldn’t refuse. It’s an honor to represent our country, especially on an international stage.”

The ISDE started more than a century ago in 1913 by the British as the Silver Vase competition for national teams, which later expanded to include the World Trophy.

Barnes, a 2017 Sterling High School grad, competed in past ISDE competitions in Italy and France in 2021 and 2022. This year, the ISDE will be held in Galicia, Spain, from Oct. 14 to Oct. 19, and will feature 600 enduro riders from more than 30 nations across six continents competing for medals and bragging rights.

“It’s always an awesome experience, but one of the coolest things for me is getting to do the opening ceremonies, where they introduce all the teams,” Barnes said. “We get to walk through the town with American flags, and we go on a stage and they play our national anthem.”

Racers ship their motorcycles and equipment for the competition months in advance. However, because Barnes was a substitute, he ran into a snag that required some international teamwork.

“The rider that got hurt doesn’t ride the same bike brand as I do,” Barnes said. “We had to try and locate a bike for me over there, and the Honda European team, RedMoto, is going to supply me with a bike. We came together and made it happen in about a week.”

Racers spend the first five days competing on six different tracks. They also must adhere to strict time checks between tests to avoid incurring minute penalties.

“We start at about 8 in the morning, and we ride our dirt bikes on the road and through the countryside to all of the tracks,” Barnes said. “It’s exciting but also makes for some very long days. By the time you perform maintenance on your bike and put it into impound at the end of the day, it’s 4 in the afternoon.”

Barnes said racers are responsible for their bike’s maintenance during the competition.

“We only get 15 minutes at the end of the day and 10 minutes in the morning for maintenance,” Barnes said. “It was a bit overwhelming the first time I competed. Since then, I’ve taught myself how to make the bike last for those six days and really make the most out of the time they give us.”

The sixth day of the competition brings the Final Cross Test, where racers will be grouped by class and line up against each other in a series of seven laps per heat. Racers’ finishing times will be added to their other test times from the week to determine their final result.

The World Trophy champion is decided by combining the times of each team’s three fastest riders over the event’s six days, factoring in any time penalties. The team with the shortest total time is crowned the winner. So far, the U.S. has claimed the trophy three times. Barnes hopes this year will make the fourth.