Mark Kariya | October 19, 2020
2020 Primm NGPC Results: Moments after notching his three-peat in the FMF AMA National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC) Series, Dante Oliveira turned around to see younger brother Mateo claim his first career NGPC Pro II triumph at the FMF AMA National Grand Prix Championship in Primm, Nevada, October 17-18.
And as good as that felt for the pair who are also teammates on the FMF/Maxxis/RPM Racing KTM squad, the implications for Dante were perhaps more important since winning the Shamrocks Motorcycle Club’s GP, that served as round six of the series, sliced his points deficit in half.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Austin Walton—runner-up after a last-place start—remains atop the points chart, but Dante now trails by only five points instead of the 10-point gap he faced at the start of the weekend. The points are now 134-129.
“I’m playing the catch-up game [at this point of the season],” Dante Oliveira said. “I’ve got no choice but to hammer down.”
He vied for the lead from the start, sneaking underneath Chaparral Motorsports/Precision Concepts Kawasaki rider Zach Bell, who was making his return from injury—something Oliveira dealt with earlier in the season.
As many expected, Bell made a bid for the lead immediately aboard his Pro Circuit/Maxxis/Moose Racing-backed KX450, but Oliveira doggedly stayed with him and the pair exchanged the lead a couple of times in the early going.
“Every lap he’d gap me on the Trophy truck track and he’d just take off then I’d pull him in in the sand in the back,” Oliveira said. “I think I was just hammering a little harder [in the desert section].”
However, before the scheduled pit stop in the 90-minute feature race, Bell noticed his bike’s shock beginning to fade. (According to team manager Robby Bell, it hadn’t been serviced since last year as Zach Bell liked the action of this particular unit and settings.) As a result, he slipped back and eventually decided to park it rather than risk a crash.
That left Oliveira and his AEO Powersports/Motorex/Klim 450 XC-F out front, but he wasn’t able to rest as Walton and company were on the move. “The second you put your head down and relax, they’re there. You’ve got to be on it the whole time; everybody’s riding so fast,” Oliveira said.
“I had to work for it,” Walton said. He made some key passes right away after his last-place start on the FMF/Motion Pro/Fly Racing FX 450 Husqvarna.
Slam Life Racing (SLR) Honda’s Trevor Stewart found himself a distant and solitary third in the early going, unable to bridge the gap to the front two. That challenge was multiplied several times when he landed wrong in a roller section, resulting in a possibly damaged gearbox on his Monster Energy/Skechers/Fasthouse CRF450RX.
After Bell dropped out, two-time and reigning series champ Stewart found himself fourth behind Oliveira, Walton and Martinez, and that’s where they finished.
However, officials docked Martinez two spots for a course infraction, elevating Stewart to third. That inches him closer in points to the top; he still holds third at 119, with Martinez now fourth at 114.
3 Bros./SRT Husqvarna’s Dalton Shirey followed up on his National Hare & Hound win last week with a solid fourth place followed by Martinez, Purvines Racing Yamaha-mounted Justin Seeds and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Giacomo Redondi, who was finally returning from injury, having spent most of that downtime back home in Italy.
A slew of Pro II racers filled the next spots headed by Mateo Oliveira, happily scoring eighth overall aboard his Engine Ice/Alexander Events/Sidi 250 XC-F ahead of Purvines Racing’s Mason Ottersberg and The Racer’s Edge Husqvarna rider Colton Aeck, the Supercross pro making his NGPC debut.
In Pro Women, KTM-supported Brandy Richards pushed her 2020 NGPC win streak to six in a row and finished 24th overall aboard her Elite Off-road/CST Tires/Bell Helmets 250 XC-F. Kaitlyn Jacobs and Ava Silvestri rounded out the podium to mimic their finish order from round four.
Mark Kariya
FMF AMA National Grand Prix Championship
Round 6
Primm, Nevada
RESULTS (October 17-18, 2020)
PRO OVERALL (Top 10)
1. |
Dante Oliveira |
(KTM) |
2. |
Austin Walton |
(Hus) |
3. |
Trevor Stewart |
(Hon) |
4. |
Dalton Shirey |
(Hus) |
5. |
Cole Martinez |
(Hon) |
6. |
Justin Seeds |
(Yam) |
7. |
Giacomo Redondi |
(Hus) |
8. |
Mateo Oliveira |
(KTM) |
9. |
Mason Ottersberg |
(Yam) |
10. |
Colton Aeck |
(Hus) |