Mark Kariya | April 25, 2023
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Dalton Shirey completed the first half of the six-round AMA National Hare & Hound Championship Series, Presented by FMF, with another win, officially stretching his win streak to six, including the last three races last year.
Photos by Mark Kariya
His latest triumph was no easy task, however, as local favorite Tyler Lynn of the Chaparral Motorsports/Precision Concepts Kawasaki squad returned to the series intent on repeating his result from 2021—the last time he stepped into the series—winning this very Sage Riders Motorcycle Club’s Desert Devotional Hare & Hound National. (In doing so, he became the first Utah resident to overall a H&H National.)
As Shirey and his Motorex/FMF/Fly Racing-backed FX 450 shot through the flags marking the end of the bomb run and start of 37-mile first loop through much of the Little Sahara Recreation Area’s sand dunes, though he caught a flash of green out of the corner of his eye—it was Lynn.
“I saw Tyler and I’m like, ‘Okay, here we go—this is the battle that’s going to be happening all day!’
“I kind of sat back in the dunes because I kind of wanted to key off him and before we got into the trees [on the more technical 45-mile second loop] I wanted to make a strike and pass him.”
But little mistakes prevented Shirey from mounting a real charge and as they got into the final miles, he was ready to accept second.
“[I thought] ‘All right, the championship’s more important than the one race,’ so I started accepting that, ‘Okay, Tyler’s going to get me today,’” said Shirey. “But then all of a sudden, I lost his track about 10 miles [from the finish], and I looked back and I saw Tyler, and I’m like, ‘Dang—I’m in the lead right now!’ and I just pinned it the last 10 miles.” Shirey completed the race in two hours, 21 minutes and 45 seconds.
Lynn and his Team Green/Dunlop/Leatt-backed KX450X led Shirey by 12 seconds at the end of the first loop, but a missed turn in the final miles cost him the lead, and he claimed the runner-up spot 19 seconds back with LiquiMoly Beta’s Zane Roberts recovering from an early crash in the sand dunes off the start to round out the podium, six minutes and 25 seconds back.
“It was a solid ride by Dalton—he kept me honest all day and just waited for a mistake and he got me,” Lynn said. “The first two miles, once we got out of the dunes, definitely I could tell my [hare and hound] skills weren’t as sharp.” But as the miles rolled by, he began to feel the flow again and was satisfied with his performance.
For Roberts and his IMS/TwinAir/Klim 480 RR, his crash off the start dictated his race. “It wasn’t a bad crash or anything—it just shuffled me back, then I had to come through maybe 10 guys or something to get back up to third. Tyler and Dalton were gone by that point and I just kind of rode around in no man’s land all day.” He was a further 6:25 back.
Johnny Campbell Racing (JCR) Honda’s Preston Campbell also enjoyed an excellent start and finished just off the podium in fourth aboard his Pro Circuit/Pirelli/Fly Racing CRF450X in 2:32:38, though 3 Bros./FMF/Acerbis KTM 450 XC-F rider Carter Klein kept him honest all afternoon and was just 14 seconds behind at the finish.
Like Shirey, SW Roberts Construction GasGas rider Clayton Roberts extended his Pro 250 win streak to three in a row—four, counting last year—after enjoying his best start to date on his 3 Bros./Blud Lubricants/Fasthouse EX 250.
“This race last year, unfortunately, I threw it away in the dunes, but this year was a different story for me,” he said. “I got a great start, so it made my life way easier than prior years. This is probably my best ride here—I’ve never won here—so it was a good day!”
RideWithTheKnights/ MotoXperts Sherco rider Josh Knight made his first National in two years a productive one in finishing seventh overall and sixth Open Pro followed by HerbalLife Nutrition KTM-mounted Shane Logan, JJ Machine’s/Best Deal Spring KTM’s McQuin Hair (the Pro 250 runner-up) and Pearson Farms Yamaha’s Axel Pearson. Robby Schott took third Pro 250 and 11th overall on his Dallas Chidester (DC) Racing Sherco three seconds ahead of teammate Mason Ottersberg.
Enerlon/TBT Racing Yamaha rider Andrew Puckett made it three in a row in Pro Vet 35+, finishing 30th overall—one spot ahead of Pro Women winner Rachel Stout and her Full Factory Racing KTM.
SW Roberts Construction Yamaha rider Steve Roberts and Insidious KTM-mounted Dale Mastroud rounded out the Pro Vet 35+ podium. Joining defending Pro Women champ Stout on the podium were 2021 champ Britney Gallegos on her Fly Racing Husky and Steadman’s Yamaha rider Ty Woolslayer. Stout now holds the points lead after coming in tied with Gallegos.
Round four in three weeks will also visit the Little Sahara dunes but employ different areas.
OVERALL
- Dalton Shirey (Hus)
- Tyler Lynn (Kaw)
- Zane Roberts (Bet)
- Preston Campbell (Hon)
- Carter Klein (KTM)
- Clayton Roberts (GG) Pro 250
- Joshua Knight (She)
- Shane Logan (KTM)
- McQuin Hair (KTM) Pro 250
- Axel Pearson (GG)