Mark Kariya | November 29, 2021
Dante and Mateo Oliveira won their respective Pro classes for the third time this season—Dante taking the overall and Mateo the Pro II winner—as the FMF AMA National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC) Series drew to a close with the SoCal Motorcycle Club’s Inaugural Delano Grand Prix.
Dante Oliveira took the win at the final round of the NGPC series.
Photos by Mark Kariya
Though FMF KTM Factory Off-Road Racing Team’s Dante Oliveira had already wrapped up the overall Pro title at the penultimate round two weeks earlier, he stalked early leader Cole Martinez for the first third of the 90-minute pro race. He made the pass and kept the Slam Life Racing (SLR) Honda star at bay for the remaining hour, finishing just four seconds ahead. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Austin Walton—the winner of round nine two weeks ago—claimed third.
The start saw 3 Bros./Hatch Racing GasGas rider Giacomo Redondi lead out of the first turn followed by Walton, Martinez, Oliveira, and the rest of the pack. Martinez got the lead not too long after with Oliveira settling into second.
SLR Honda’s Martinez, said, “I figured he’d be pretty good here. This is a very hard track for me to ride just because it’s hard-packed. I’m used to sand and ripping ruts, but I’m getting better and better at this off-road thing so I’m really happy with how I rode. “He made a sweet pass over here in the flat turns, so I figured I’d just sit behind him and try and learn how he does it,” Martinez said.
For Oliveira and his Factory KTM 450 XC-F, the new AmericanMX venue set in rolling hills surrounded by orange groves had a familiar feel. Many remarked how the layout reminded them of a European track. “I don’t know if these guys are too familiar with the many slick off-cambers here, but it doesn’t sound like they’re as hyped on the course as I was,” he said. “I know I can ride this stuff pretty good—it’s just about staying smooth and flowing. Looking at the track when I rolled in here Saturday morning, I was pretty stoked. It was actually a super-fun course.”
But even after he got by, Martinez stayed within about 10 seconds the rest of the way before closing to just four seconds at the checkers. “There’s no better way to go into the off-season, I think, is with a win,” a happy Oliveira said.
Mateo Oliveira was the big winner in the 250 class.
His final points total for the season over runner-up Martinez was 272-215. Walton slipped into third place early on his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna FX 450 and remained there, somewhat in no man’s land though Redondi made a push in the last couple laps that saw him six seconds behind Walton.
The round-nine winner said, “It was a challenging track for it being so slick and dry. When it comes to flat corners like this, I felt like I was trying to find some lines and wasn’t able to find anything consistently; Dante and Cole were riding hard and pushing it. We gave it our best effort today.” Walton’s result gave him third in final points. He tied with Fasthouse Kawasaki’s Trevor Stewart (who skipped Delano to race Day in the Dirt) at 158 points a piece, Walton’s win at round nine being the tiebreaker.
Robert Baehr walked away with the Super Senior (50+) 250cc A victory and class championship. He followed that up the next day with the Senior (40+) 250cc A triumph, giving him second in points to the absent Rowan Trefz who locked up that class at round nine.
Topping Classic Expert for the seventh time this season unofficially gave Tony McElhenney the class number-one plate for the second year in a row.
Redondi was over a minute ahead of fifth place Tallon LaFountaine, who made his Open Pro debut aboard his SLR Honda CRF450RX after clinching his second consecutive Pro II Championship at round nine.
However, it was Lafountaine’s season-long Pro II rival Mateo Oliveira right behind him all afternoon, the FMF/Maxxis/RPM Racing KTM rider trading spots with him at one point and ending up 11 seconds behind in sixth overall at the finish.
“I was having a blast out there,” Mateo said. “Normally because of bad starts, LaFountaine comes from behind and catches me mid-race—he’s a pretty hard charger—but he lined up in the 450cc class this weekend and I was like, ‘That’s my goal: I’ve got to catch this guy!’ I rode with Tallon pretty much the majority of the day, just like old times. I had a blast. I really wanted to end the year with a win, and it was icing on the cake for me and my brother to go 1-1. It was a perfect weekend; this was an epic new facility, a lot like a cross test in Six Days.”
Mateo Oliveira finished nine seconds ahead of Pro II runner-up Colton Aeck, whose consistency throughout the season earned the 3 Bros./Kilmartin Racing KTM rider second in class points behind LaFountaine, 220-205, with Oliveira third in 196. After wrapping up the 250cc A title two weeks ago, SLR Honda’s Evan Stice joined the Pro II ranks and claimed third in in class and eighth overall in his maiden outing followed by AEO Powersports Husqvarna-mounted Kai Aiello and Purvines Racing Yamaha rider Justin Seeds.
A start-to-finish overall win in the combined 65cc All/50cc All/Junior Girls race pushed Jacob Tilley’s win streak to six, easily giving him the 65cc Senior (10-11) championship.
Brandy Richards with her number-one plate.
Brandy Richards finished her most remarkable season with another triumph in Pro Women on her Elite Off-road KTM/CST Tires/Fly Racing 350 XC-F to seal her third major title for the year. She also finished 19th overall while Johnny Campbell Racing (JCR) Honda’s Tarah Geiger passed FMF/Maxxis/RPM Racing KTM’s Kaitlyn Jacobs on the last lap for second in Pro Women. Just four seconds separated them at the finish though Jacobs earned second in points behind Richards. “I hoped for the best at the beginning of the season and just kind of kept chugging along,” said Richards. “It’s been incredible; I couldn’t ask for a better year.” CN
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