Mark Kariya | May 14, 2024
Go fast—carefully.
That seemed to be the key to doing well at Outlaw Racing’s Desperado Hare Scrambles in Prineville, Oregon with its rocky, dusty conditions—quite unlike last year—making it even trickier to stay upright.
Dante Oliveira won for the third consecutive time in the AMA West Hare Scrambles Championship. Photos: Mark Kariya
After nearly three hours, FMF KTM Factory Racing Off-road Team’s Dante Oliveira demonstrated the best ability to combine speed and relative caution to make it three in a row at round three of the AMA West Hare Scrambles (WHS) Regional Championship Series, presented by MojoMotoSport. But a mere six seconds behind the defending series champ was 2022 title winner Giacomo Redondi—despite riding much of the last half of the race stuck in third gear after hitting a lapper’s downed bike—while Liqui Moly Beta’s Zane Roberts rounded out the podium.
The Pro 250 contest saw Sherco-supported Layton Smail revel in the conditions to retake the class points lead over runner-up Jaden Dahners, with Ryder Thomaselli third once again.
Eric Stevenson made it two in a row in Pro Vet 35+ over Chase Rosenquist, with defending class champ James McMurray’s third keeping him atop the class points.
Layton Smail chased down early leader (and round-two winner) Jaden Dahners in the dust, made the pass, and rode off with the Pro 250 win for the second time this year. And in Pro Women, GasGas support rider Ava Silvestri kept her win streak intact like Oliveira, even after a nasty tumble forced her to take a few moments to gather herself, with early leader Rachel Stout second and Tarah Gieger coming out of retirement (and, temporarily, due to mom duties) for third.
“It’s a demanding track with how rocky it is and choppy it is. You can’t really relax ever,” Oliveira explained. The Red Bull/Motorex/Alpinestars-sponsored 350 XC-F rider continued, “I got the holeshot and I thought with the dust it was really going to hold [Redondi] back a little bit more, and I ended up hitting the ground and, all of a sudden, he passed me before I even got up so he was able to stay a little closer than I was thinking.”
But when 3Bros./Hatch Racing GasGas-mounted Redondi pitted for fuel after two laps of the 15.2-mile course on his FMF/Acerbis/Seven EX 450F, Oliveira stayed out to lead and charged to build enough of a cushion to stay in front the rest of the way.
After the shift lever broke off about halfway into the race, Redondi somehow still kept Oliveira well within reach—something he took as a welcome positive: “I was keeping the pace really easy today. I think I was the fastest guy today, so I’m really happy about that. It looks like this year, everything is going back together and I’m so happy about going racing, so I look forward to more battles and more podiums.”
Fiji Water/Pirelli/Klim 480 RR-mounted Roberts said, “After e-biking [the course] yesterday, I knew that wherever you started is probably where you’re going to finish [due to limited passing opportunities]. I wasn’t feeling super-comfortable in the beginning—I’m still a little scared in the beginning on just how my knee’s going to feel for the day and whatnot, so it takes me a couple laps to get going and feel comfortable.”
A big crash and knock on the head temporarily slowed Ava Silvestri, but she managed to shake it off, repass Rachel Stout, and take her third win of the season. Smail and his Sherco FactoryOne/Canyon Excavation/FXR-backed 250 SEF ended up fourth overall on adjusted time in winning Pro 250 for the second time this season. After chasing round-two winner Dahners, he made his move on the second lap, taking over on the motocross portion of the loop. “When I could make the pass on the moto track, I went and dusted him out instead of getting dusted out the whole time.” From there, he hunted down Open bikes to earn fourth overall.
After two runner-up finishes to start the season, FMF KTM Factory rider Mateo Oliveira was a disappointed fifth overall and fourth Pro/AA, though he remains second in points, with 66, behind brother Dante’s perfect 90, while Redondi is third with 60.
“The start was key today and I completely botched the start,” Mateo admitted. “Honestly, even if I’d got a good start, I was pretty timid on the track and wasn’t really on it today.”
FMF/RPM Racing/KTM’s Dahners was sixth overall in taking the Pro 250 runner-up about three and a half minutes ahead Carson City Motorsports Husqvarna’s Thomaselli. The rookie Pro was, in turn, about seven minutes ahead of Race Tech Husky-mounted Ethan Pacak, the fourth Pro 250.
ISDE-bound Lane Lorenzo picked up top A rider honors at ninth overall in winning the 250cc A class aboard his Hunt & Sons/Six Five O Racing/Seven MX-sponsored GasGas. Beta of Modesto’s Cody James was fifth Pro/AA at 10th overall, about three and a half minutes ahead of Pro Vet 35+ winner Stevenson.
Crashing into a tree cost Ben Alex Davis a little time and a visor, but he managed to take the Big Wheel/Mini/Junior Mini overall for the first time this season. After chasing Stout for a lap, GasGas rider Silvestri and her Blud Lubricants/Racer Decal/Troy Lee Designs EX 250F slipped by to take the lead the next time around, but it was a tenuous lead at best.
“Lap two I was pushing a little harder than I should have in the dust,” she admitted. “I just clipped a small rock that was embedded in the ground so it sent me over the bars.
“I hit my head pretty hard and definitely felt it once I got back up. I kind of got a little nauseous and got a little worried that something might be going on, but…once I caught back up to Rachel it all went away so I think I just focused on something else.”
Silvestri regained the lead and went on to win by 25 seconds over InnTeck/Full Factory Off-road/Fly Racing KTM rider Stout with Gieger celebrating her first race in months on Mother’s Day by claiming third aboard her Red Bull/Johnny Campbell Racing (JCR) Honda/Fly Racing CRF250RX.
OVERALL
Dante Oliveira (KTM)
Giacomo Redondi (GG)
Zane Roberts (Bet)
Layton Smail (She)
Mateo Oliveira (KTM)
Jaden Dahners (KTM)
Ryder Thomaselli (Hus)
Ethan Pacak (Hus)
Lane Lorenzo (GG)
Cody James (Bet)
