| April 5, 2023
Every year, the small desert town of Twentynine Palms, California, sees an influx of racing enthusiasts fill the air with a thunderous roar from the 29 Palms Motorsports Complex, just a few miles outside of the city. Hosted by the Hilltoppers MC for the 49th time, the April 1-2 Wild West Grand Prix made up round five of the AMA National Grand Prix Championship, presented by FMF.
Holeshot artist Zach Bell led the 450s into turn one.
Story and Photos by Trevor Hunter
In years past, three-time and defending champion Dante Oliveira has had a tough time claiming the top spot at what is known as arguably the fastest grand prix out West. However, a clutch start and an impressive first lap saw Oliveira walk away with the round five win, though not without its challenges.
As the clock struck 12:45pm, the Open Pro line roared to life with Chaparral Motorsports/Precision Concepts Kawasaki’s Zach Bell firing first with Oliveira and the rest of the Pro class in a mad dash behind. It didn’t take long for FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Dante Oliveira to take his shot, passing Bell just a few minutes into the 90+ minute race. With Oliveira up front, chaos ensued behind as the contenders scrapped for position on the high-speed course littered with dust, rocks and endless chop.
Dante Oliveira took the long way but still got it done at the Wild West Grand Prix.
Unique for this race, the Hilltoppers implemented a “Pro section” that featured Dakar/Baja like course markings, with the only stipulations being you must hit all five checkpoints—all ground in between was fair game for the racers to have their frenzy. As the race evolved, this played a huge part in the running order and saw significant time gains and losses throughout the entire duration.
“Just past the hour mark is when I caught on to the faster alternate line that Austin [Walton] and the rest of the field were taking through the pro section,” Oliveira explained. “I pitted at the 55-minute mark, and I finally got it that lap after when I followed Austin through.”
Walton, who ran strong the entire race and held the lead multiple times throughout the first hour, made a resurgence after a disappointing start to his season. “It’s been hard staying consistent and not riding like myself this year,” proclaimed the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna pilot. “The pro section added some opportunities with creative lines, and I was able to capitalize today.” In the end, Walton rounded out the podium in third after an intense last-lap battle with teammate and desert ace Dalton Shirey.
Austin Walton fought dust and roost all day but prevailed with his first podium of the season.
After a DNF at round four, SLR Honda’s Cole Martinez came to town looking to draw the same hand as the past two years, both of which saw him walk away victorious. Despite a mid-pack start, Martinez put up a resounding effort that nearly matched Oliveira’s pace for most of the race. In typical fashion, the CRF450RX-mounted rider left it all on the track in the closing laps to claim the runner-up spot. Finishing fifth on the day in a quiet race was Purvines Racing Yamaha rider Justin Hoeft. Championship contender Ryan Surratt suffered a big get off, finishing sixth on his JCR Honda and losing valuable points to Oliveira.
In the Pro 2 ranks, 3Bros Hatch Husqvarna’s Kai Aiello got his usual holeshot and led a good portion of the race. Aiello relinquished the lead on lap five as RPM KTM’s JP Alvarez skipped a pit and blitzed Aiello in the process. However, as JP pitted the following lap, he maintained the lead ahead of the Husky rider, going on to win the day in an emotional victory. “It’s been too long, maybe two or three years, since I last won this class,” said Alvarez. “They had some better pro lines than I had today, but once I caught onto them, I was able to charge to the top and hold on for the win.”
Mikayla “Kay Kay” Nielsen powered to her third Women’s Pro triumph in a row.
Australian Jack Simpson rode consistent laps aboard his Purvines Racing Yamaha to finish second ahead of Aiello, championship rival Kade Walker and Colton Aeck.
The Pro Women’s class was another display of dominance from Mikayla Nielsen. “Kay Kay” grabbed the holeshot and checked out, sprinting away from her competition in the early laps and earning her third victory in a row this year. The rookie stated, “I felt pretty comfortable with this track all weekend. I got off to a great start and just tried to pull away but the track was tough with the rocks and how rough it was.” Though her early speed wasn’t on par with Nielsen, 3Bros. Hatch GasGas’ Ava Silvestri made a run at her in the middle part of the race, cutting the gap in half before eventually settling for silver. RPM KTM’s Kaitlyn Jacobs rounded out the podium despite a nasty late-race crash.
JP Alvarez claimed his first Pro 2 victory for the RPM KTM Team.
Overall Pro
- Dante Olviera (KTM)
- Cole Martinez (Hon)
- Austin Walton (Hus)
- Dalton Shirey (Hus)
- Justin Hoeft (Yam)
- Ryan Surratt (Hon)
- Zach Bell (Kaw)
- JP Alvarez (KTM) Pro 2
- Jack Simpson (Yam) Pro 2
- Dare Demartile (Bet)
