Marc Kariya | February 14, 2022

FMF KTM Factory Off-road Racing Team’s Dante Oliveira knew he hadn’t reached his full potential at the opening round of the FMF AMA National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC) series last month. . “You could say I was a little scared – I was scared to throw him down [there],” he admitted.

But after finishing third there, the two-time defending series champion regained his mojo, rallying from around fifth off the start to take victory on round two, the Dirt Diggers Motorcycle Club Grand Prix at Honolulu Hills Raceway. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Austin Walton doubled his second place on lap one while Slam Life Racing (SLR) Honda’s Cole Martinez was a bit disappointed third after winning lap one.

3BROS/Kilmartin Husqvarna’s Justin Hoeft launched off the line and out of turn one ahead of the rest of the field in the weekend’s 90-minute race with Martinez, Walton, Beta’s Dare DeMartile and the others in tow.

Hoeft demonstrated his honed Supercross speed by staying out front for about an hour aboard his 3 Bros./FMF/Fast House-backed FC 450, though former SX teammate Martinez lurked only seconds behind. during the first half hour. Unfortunately for Hoeft, he lost ground after the hour mark and eventually took fourth place.

Less than 45 minutes later, Oliveira and his Red Bull/Motorex/Thor 450 XC-F were up to third behind Hoeft and Walton. About 20 minutes later, within a lap, Oliveira took over and held it to the finish, beating Walton to the checkered flag by five seconds, officially Martinez just two seconds behind the Husky rider.

“I’m not scared right now!” Oliveira said. “I feel good on the bike, we are charging hard and definitely last week, two weeks, I felt like I was back. “I was pretty disappointed there for a while, so getting this win makes the weeks a lot better. The vibes are a lot different.

He continued, “I had to choose smart lines; it was dusty in some places and then it was good conditions [in other spots]- these places were quite spread out – so we were able to charge each other after going through the dust. It was a lot of yo-yos at first and I felt like I slowed down because they were pushing me aside in the dust and when we got into some good dirt I was rewinding them both so I felt pretty confident there and just had to wait for the right moment.

“I made some good moves and fought my way up to second, then I made a stupid move and just fell,” explained VP Racing Fuels/ProTaper/Fly rider Walton. Racing FX 450. “I got up as fast as I could and charged hard until the end and finished with second place so I can’t be mad about that. I felt a little uncomfortable going into the race and trying to deal with these things, so it was one of those races where I came in knowing, “Okay, let’s do our best .” To be out with a second, I’m glad.

“It started very well; I was second for about 30 years [minutes]Said Martinez riding a Monster Energy/Skechers/Fly Racing CRF450RX. “I had a hand pump today for the first quarter of the race and made a huge mistake in the back before the big climb and I left the track. Austin and Dante got me there. I had to regroup because I wasn’t riding like me.

Pitting early helped him regroup and make a charge, although he fell just short of second place. Hoeft was fourth, followed by 3 Bros./Hatch Racing Husqvarna’s Dalton Shirey, Purvines Racing Yamaha rider Trevor Stewart, Precision Concepts/Chaparral Motorsports Kawasaki’s Tyler Lynn, SLR Honda’s Tallon LaFountaine and DeMartile. Unofficially, Martinez and Oliveira are tied for first with 51 points while Walton has 50 after two rounds.

On the other hand, Mateo Oliveira (FMF / RPM Racing KTM) alone holds the first Pro II points after his second victory in a row on his Dunlop / Motorex / Klim 250 XC-F. He was 10th overall, just seven seconds ahead of SLR Honda Team Pro II runner-up Jack Simpson. Justin Seeds, ridden on Purvines Racing Yamaha, took his premier class podium of the season and finished 12th overall.

Elite Off-road KTM rider Brandy Richards also picked up her second consecutive Pro Women triumph in another dominant race that saw her place 30th overall and on the same lap as overall winner Oliveira. 3 Bros./Kilmartin Racing GasGas driver Ava Silvestri again finished second ahead of teammate Lauren Woods.

OVERALL RESULTS

1. Dante Oliveira (KTM)
2. Austin Walton (Hus)
3. Cole Martinez (Hon)
4. Justin Hoeft (Hus)
5. Dalton Shirey (Hus)
6. Trevor Stewart (Yam)
7. Tyler Lynn (Kaw)
8. Tallon LaFountaine (Hon)
9. Dare Demartile (Bet)
10. Mateo Oliveira (KTM)

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