Press Release | November 17, 2020
RPM/KTM’s Dante Oliveira scored his second Pro class victory of the season during the Rocky Mountain ATV-MC WORCS Series Presented by Polaris RZR and Dirt Bike Pro Motorcycle race at Buffalo Bills Resort and Casino.
Story and Photos by Harlen Foley
The event was the penultimate race of the season for the motorcycle classes. Mateo Oliveira won the Pro 2 race, Tyler Lynn finished first in Pro 2 Lights, and Brandy Richards netted the Pro Women victory to clinch the championship.
In the Pro race, Oliveira again eschewed his typical hardcore riding style and rode a steady but fast pace on his KTM for the first hour of the two-hour race, riding third behind the KTM of Taylor Robert and Zach Bell’s Kawasaki. Then he made his move. After pitting with Robert, he capitalized on a Robert’s miscue in one of the rock sections to take the lead for good. Robert finished second, ahead of Bell.
“I got a third-place start and stayed mellow for the first hour, watching Taylor and Zach to see what they were doing,” said Oliveira. “Once Taylor made a mistake, I put a charge on and ran smooth the whole race. The rock sections were nasty, but I was able to get through them cleanly every lap. WORCS did an awesome job with this course. It flowed amazingly. I really enjoyed it and I heard a lot of good things about it.”
Robert fell to third after going over the bars in one of the rock sections. He eventually caught Bell but was gassed after having to make up so much time. Though he finished second, he missed locking up the 2020 Championship by one point, giving Oliveira one more extremely outside chance to unseat him at the finale in Lake Havasu.
“I made a little mistake and Dante got past me,” said Robert. “Then I dropped my wheel into a hole and I went over the bars. It took me a lap to really get going again. I got past Zach in the rocks, but I just didn’t have enough in me to get up to Dante. This was probably one of the best Primm tracks we’ve had in a while.”
Bell, who isn’t in the points after missing two races in the middle of the season, is riding just for results and his finish here was his best so far this year. He had to overcome a broken clutch lever to score the final spot on the podium.
“Today was tough because a rock came up and broke my clutch lever and the auto clutch wasn’t working,” said Bell. “It was a struggle through the rocks because the bike would stall out and I would fall over. I gave it my all and I’m ready to keep pushing.”
After scoring his first Pro win at Blythe, Austin Walton was missing from the lineup this weekend due to a medical issue, but he should be back in action for the final round of the season.
In Pro 2, Mateo Oliveira padded his points lead with his fifth victory of the season. Riding a KTM, Mateo Oliveira didn’t get a great start but used the first rock section to his advantage, taking the lead on the first lap. From there, he held off a charging Tallon Lafountaine on his Honda for the victory. Todd Sibell finished third on a Kawasaki.
Though Lafountaine lost five points on Oliveira in the title chase, but he’s still just 12 points out of the lead going into the final race. He has come on strong late in the season, and that should make for an interesting finish to the season in Havasu.
Sibell started dead last after having issues on the start line. He spent the entire two hours making a methodical drive through the field to finish third, marking his third consecutive podium.
In Pro 2 Lights, Lynn added to his points lead with his sixth win of the season on his Yamaha. He now sits 12 points ahead of Angus Riordan, who finished eighth on a KTM. Jake Alvarez was second on a Kawasaki, ahead of the KTM of Will Riordan.
Alvarez’s second-place finish moves him to third in points just one point behind Angus Riordan. With just 13 points separating them, it will make for one thrilling three-bike battle for the title at the season finale.
Richards remained perfect in the Pro Women class, winning her eighth consecutive race, which clinched the championship. Kaitlyn Jacobs was second, followed by Lauren Woods. All were riding KTMs.
Pro
- Dante Oliveira (KTM)
- Taylor Robert (KTM)
- Zach Bell (Kaw)
- Cole Martinez (Hon)
- Giacomo Redondi (Hus)
Pro 2
- Mateo Oliveira (KTM)
- Tallon LaFountaine (Hon)
- Todd Sibell (Kaw)
- Noah Kepple (Hus)
- Clayton Hengeveld (Kaw)
Pro 2 Lites
- Tyler Lynn (Yam)
- Jake Alvarez (Kaw)
- Will Riordan (KTM)
- Thomas Dunn (Yam)
- Christian Clarke (Hus)