Press Release | September 24, 2019
FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Taylor Robert clinched the 2019 Sprint Hero Racing Series Championship on Saturday at Glen Helen Raceway.
This is a press release from KTM…
Photos Courtesy of KTM/Harlen Foley
Devore, CA (September 22, 2019) – FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Taylor Robert clinched the 2019 Sprint Hero Racing Series Championship on Saturday at Glen Helen Raceway for the fifth and final round of the series after claiming a runner-up finish on the day. With a dominant season in the Pro class, Robert claimed victory in four out of the five rounds to give himself and KTM their first championship together.
Coming into the final race of the Sprint Hero Series, Robert had the bigger picture in mind as he looked to secure his first U.S. title on a KTM. As a multi-time race winner, X-Games Gold Medalist and ISDE Individual Champion, Robert has been plagued with injury while battling for national titles over his last six years with KTM and the Arizona native is pleased to finally set it in stone with this 2019 title.
Team Manager, Antti Kallonen: “Congrats to Taylor, he’s been phenomenal this year and the injuries that have hindered him from winning past championships have kind of all been put aside and there’s a little bit of weight lifted off his shoulders. I’m very happy for Taylor and the entire team, everything worked well this season for the Sprint Hero Series but we still have eyes on the bigger prize and we can’t let the guard down as he goes after another championship with two more WORCS races left.”
As for Saturday’s racing, the Sprint Hero Racing Series typically features a two-day race format consisting of three enduro-style tests and three motocross-style tests, where riders compete against the timeclock for a total of 12 tests over the course of the weekend. However, due to a schedule change, the final round was combined into one big day of racing with 12 total tests on Saturday. Glen Helen Raceway presented its typical dry and dusty conditions with less technicality and more high-speed sections in both the enduro and cross-test sections, which made for a unique day of racing.
Robert got off to a rocky start as he encountered an issue on the first enduro test of the day, but he powered through and claimed the last three test-wins to ultimately finish second overall at the final round.
Taylor Robert: “The day started off a little rough – we had a little snafu on the first enduro test but they got it figured out and I just had to play catchup for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, the track was really fast, really dry and not very technical so I didn’t have a lot of spots to make up time but I charged as hard as I could and it wasn’t enough to win the overall. But the most important thing was that I wrapped up my first KTM championship, so that feels pretty good and we just have to do it one more time in three weeks at WORCS.”
Next up for Robert is the final two rounds of the 2019 World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS), where he currently sits with a comfortable lead in the championship standings.
It was a solid season for FMF/RPM/KTM Racing Team Maxxis rider Dante Oliveira, who finished third overall in the Pro class. With a third overall finish at the final round, Oliveira ended the season on a high note with three consecutive podium finishes amidst a stacked field of riders.
Overall Results – Round 5 (KTM Riders in bold)
1. Zach Bell, KAW
2. Taylor Robert, KTM
3. Dante Oliveira, KTM
Overall Championship Standings
1. Taylor Robert, 122 points
2. Zach Bell, 111
3. Dante Oliveira, 92