| September 27, 2021
Dante Oliveira and Cole Martinez won the Pro 450 Motorcycle races at the doubleheader Rocky Mountain ATV-MC WORCS Series, Presented by Polaris RZR and Dirt Bike, Pro 450 motorcycle events at Glen Helen Raceway, September 26.
Angus Riordan and Colton Aeck won the Pro 250 class, while Todd Sibell and Evan Stick topped the Pro Am division.
Brandy Richards won both rounds of the Pro Women class.
The race was held on Glen Helen’s combined motocross and off-road course. The addition of a technical rock and log section figured prominently into the weekend’s results. Saturday’s race was run in normal race direction. Sunday’s event was the opposite direction. Due to issues with bottlenecks in the rock section 30 minutes into Sunday’s race, WORCS officials red-flagged the race and restarted it as a one-hour event and eliminated the rock section from the course.
In Saturday’s Pro 450 race, KTM factory riders Oliveira and Taylor Robert began gapping the field from the start, and the ensuing battle between the duo was intense. They swapped the lead several times during the 90-minute race. In the end, Oliveira took the victory, his fourth of the season.
Robert was second, followed by the Giacomo Redondi (GasGas).
“The rocks were the biggest factor, by far,” Oliveira said. “It was really hard to pick your way through and you have to risk who you want to jump in behind. A couple times he got bottled up and I got past him and a couple times I got held up and he passed me. It was just good racing today. The lead went back and forth five times, so It was a good lesson to never give up.”
Robert also had issues with lapped riders in the rocks.
“The first three turns set the tone for the race when we passed each other three times,” said Robert. “I pulled a gap on him. He pulled a gap on me. The rocks were tricky, but doable, but you can’t do anything when there were three guys sitting in the only two lines.”
Redondi returned home to Italy during the summer break and was able to get back into racing shape. He beat out Martinez in the closing laps to snag the final spot on the box and earned his first podium of the season.
In Sunday’s Pro 450 race, the red flag and subsequent restart confounded some riders and paid off for others. Martinez was in the latter category. Martinez (Honda) took the lead after three laps and led the rest of the way for his first-ever WORCS victory. Oliveira finished second, and officially took his largest lead in points this year over Robert.
Trevor Stewart (Kawasaki) was third and Robert fourth.
“They called the race and I think we all had a meltdown,” said Martinez. “When you run with that intensity for 30 minutes and then have to do it again for an hour, it’s difficult on the body. I just tucked in behind Trevor at the start and the pace he had for the first couple laps was intense. I knew it would be close on fuel, but with two laps to go, I tried to milk it. I saw Dante coming, but I had such a good gap I knew I could hold him off.”
Oliveira got pushed back during the restart and spent most of the first lap recovering. He made it up to third and then second behind Martinez. Though he began catching him, he ran out of time and finished second.
“For the restart, I got absolutely sandwiched back in the pack,” said Oliveira. “I was just trying to make moves and I got into third. I made it up to second and was getting really close, and then I went down. I got close to Cole on the last lap, but I wasn’t close enough to get it done.”
Stewart was pushing so hard in the early stages of the restarted race that he eventually pushed too hard. After a tip over, he recovered to finish third for his privateer team.
In Saturday’s Pro 250 race, Riordan executed a perfect run on his KTM in the rock section to score his first victory of the season. Mateo Oliveira (KTM), ahead of Ryder Difrancesco (Kawasaki).
In Sunday’s Pro 250 race, Colton Aeck (KTM) went from bummed-out when the race was restarted to full-on celebration after scoring his first WORCS victory. Aeck beat out Tallon Lafountaine (Honda) and Mason Ottersberg (Yamaha) for the win.
“I’ve been close a few times, so it was nice to get this win,” said Aeck.
In Saturday’s Pro-Am race, local rider Todd Sibell (Kawasaki) took his first victory of the season. Collier Martinez (Yamaha) was second, ahead of Evan Stice (Honda).
In Sunday’s Pro-Am race, Stice pulled of his fourth win of the season and unofficially took the points lead in the process. Alex Morgan (Husqvarna) was second ahead of Brandy Richards (KTM), who also topped both Women Pro races.
Kaitlyn Jacobs (KTM) was second in Women’s Pro on Saturday, ahead of Lauren Woods (KTM). Jacobs also finished second on Sunday, followed by Ava Silverstri (Yamaha).
Harlen Foley
2021 Rocky Mountain ATV-MC WORCS Series
Glen Helen Raceway
Devore, California
RESULTS (September 25-26, 2021)
PRO (Top 3)
(Race 1)
1. |
Dante Oliveira |
(KTM) |
2. |
Taylor Robert |
(KTM) |
3. |
Giacomo Redondi |
(GG) |
(Race 2)
1. |
Cole Martinez |
(Hon) |
2. |
Dante Oliverira |
(KTM) |
3. |
Trevor Stewart |
(Kaw) |
Click here for complete Glen Helen doubleheader WORCS results.