Cycle News Staff | April 18, 2023
Lilly Prairie OHV in Jacksonville, Oregon, hosted round two of the AMA West Hare Scrambles Series, April 15-16, where FMF/KTM’s Dante Oliveira came away with the overall victory for the second time in a row.
Oliveira held the lead after the first lap and never let go of it. With each passing lap over the three-plus-hour race, the KTM rider widened the gap over second place until it was well over two minutes. After the completion of five laps, the checkered flag came out for Oliveira, who is already on his way to sweeping the championship.
3-Bros/Kilmartin GasGas rider Giacomo Redondi was second overall. The Italian held down the position the whole way but couldn’t do anything about the fleeing KTM of Oliveira. Redondi crossed the finish line in 3:07:54 versus Oliveira’s 3:05:37.
Redondi only had approximately 30 seconds on the third-place rider, Beta’s Joe Wasson. But it was far closer than that between Wasson and fellow Beta rider Zane Roberts. Roberts took the checkers just two seconds behind Wasson, who held third for most of the race.
Roberts started in sixth and worked his way up to fourth on the second-to-last lap.
Team Cruch’s Jaden Dahners (Yamaha) rounded out the top five and was the top-finishing Pro 250cc rider. Dahners crossed the finish line with just a second to spare over GasGas pilot Tyler Vore, who was sixth overall and second 250.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Austin Walton was seventh overall, followed by Layton Smail (KTM), Mason Ottersberg (She) and Anthony Ferrante (GasGas), who completed the top 10 overall.
After the two rounds, Oliveira leads Redondi by 10 points (60-50). The Beta riders, Wasson and Roberts, are locked in a battle for third. They are tied at 39 points. Walton is currently fifth another nine points back.
In the Pro Women’s division, Mikayla Nielsen, on the 3 Bros. KTM, led all three laps to take the win 31 seconds over GasGas rider Ava Silvestri, who started in third. Silvestri got around Tarah Gieger on the second lap.
Geiger ended up holding off Rachel Stout (KTM) by approximately 25 seconds for third.
Britney Gallegos (Husqvarna) rounded out the top five.
The battle for the Pro Women’s Championship can’t be any closer. Silvestri and Nielsen are tied with 55 points. Gallegos is third with 37. CN