Mark Kariya | February 14, 2022
FMF KTM Factory Off-road Racing Team’s Dante Oliveira knew he didn’t ride to his full potential at the opening round of the FMF AMA National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC) Series last month. “You could say I was scared a little bit—I was scared to toss it on the ground [there],” he admitted.
But after finishing third there, the two-time and defending series champ got his mojo back, rallying from about fifth off the start to take the win at round two, the Dirt Diggers Motorcycle Club’s Grand Prix at Honolulu Hills Raceway. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Austin Walton duplicated his round-one runner-up finish while Slam Life Racing (SLR) Honda’s Cole Martinez was a somewhat disappointed third after winning round one.
3BROS/Kilmartin Husqvarna’s Justin Hoeft launched off the line and out of the first turn ahead of the rest of the field in the 90-minute feature race of the weekend with Martinez, Walton, Beta’s Dare DeMartile and the others in tow.
Hoeft demonstrated his Supercross-honed speed by staying out front for about an hour aboard his 3 Bros./FMF/Fast House-backed FC 450, though former SX teammate Martinez lurked just a few seconds behind for the first half hour. Unfortunately for Hoeft, he surrendered ground after the hour mark and eventually claimed fourth.
Less than 45 minutes in, Oliveira and his Red Bull/Motorex/Thor 450 XC-F had moved into third behind Hoeft and Walton. About 20 minutes after that, in one lap Oliveira took over and held it to the finish, beating Walton to the checkered flag by five seconds, officially, Martinez just two seconds behind the Husky pilot.
“I’m not scared right now!” Oliveira declared. “I’m feeling good on the bike, we’re charging hard and definitely this last week, two weeks, I felt like I’m back. “I was pretty disappointed there for a while, so to get this win makes the weeks a lot better. The vibes are way different.”
He continued, “I had to pick smart lines; it was dusty in certain spots and then it was good conditions [in other spots]—those spots were pretty spread out—so we were able to charge up to each other after we got through the dust. It was a lot of yo-yoing at first and I felt like I had the speed down because they would gap me in the dust and when we got into good dirt I would reel them both back in so I felt pretty confident out there and just had to wait for the right time.”
“I made some good moves and worked my way into second place then made a dumb move and just went down,” VP Racing Fuels/ProTaper/Fly Racing FX 450 rider Walton explained. “I got up as quick as I could and charged hard to the end and ended up with a second place so I can’t be mad about that. I was feeling a little under the weather coming into the race and trying to deal with those things so it was one of those races where I came in knowing, ‘All right let’s just give it our best.’ For coming out with a second, I’m happy with it.”
“It started off really good; I was second for like 30 or so [minutes],” Monster Energy/Skechers/Fly Racing CRF450RX-mounted Martinez said. “I had arm pump today for the first quarter of the race and I made a huge mistake in the back before the big uphill and flew off the track. Austin and Dante got me right there. I had to regroup because I wasn’t riding like myself.”
Pitting early helped him regroup and make a charge, though it fell just short of second place. Hoeft was fourth followed by 3 Bros./Hatch Racing Husqvarna’s Dalton Shirey, Purvines Racing Yamaha rider Trevor Stewart, Precision Concepts/Chaparral Motorsports Kawasaki’s Tyler Lynn, SLR Honda’s Tallon LaFountaine and DeMartile. Unofficially, Martinez and Oliveira are tied for first at 51 points while Walton has 50 after two rounds.
On the other hand, FMF/RPM Racing KTM’s Mateo Oliveira has sole possession of first in Pro II points after his second straight victory on his Dunlop/Motorex/Klim 250 XC-F. He was 10th overall, just seven seconds ahead of Pro II runner-up Jack Simpson of the SLR Honda squad. Purvines Racing Yamaha-mounted Justin Seeds picked up his first class podium of the season and was 12th overall.
Elite Off-road KTM rider Brandy Richards also notched her second-consecutive Pro Women triumph in another dominant ride that saw her place 30th overall and on the same lap as overall winner Oliveira. 3 Bros./Kilmartin Racing GasGas rider Ava Silvestri was second again ahead of teammate Lauren Woods.
OVERALL RESULTS
1. Dante Oliveira (KTM)
2. Austin Walton (Hus)
3. Cole Martinez (Hon)
4. Justin Hoeft (Hus)
5. Dalton Shirey (Hus)
6. Trevor Stewart (Yam)
7. Tyler Lynn (Kaw)
8. Tallon LaFountaine (Hon)
9. Dare Demartile (Bet)
10. Mateo Oliveira (KTM)
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