Mark Kariya | March 5, 2024
Storms walloped the 32nd annual Dog Gone It Grand Prix hosted by the Prairie Dogs Motorcycle Club at Glen Helen Raceway Park, though four-time and reigning series champ Dante Oliveira took it in stride.
Dante Oliveira made it three in a row after a holding off Austin Walton on the final lap with Cole Martinez third.
Photos by Mark Kariya
Despite the horrendous conditions that had the potential to wreak havoc on more than just the carefully planned course (which had to be rerouted Saturday morning), the FMF KTM Factory Off-Road Racing Team star drew on his formidable hare scrambles skills and took a narrow win over hard-charging Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Off-Road Team’s Austin Walton with Slam Life Racing (SLR) Honda’s Cole Martinez third.
That makes it three in a row for Oliveira in the Parts Unlimited AMA National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC) Series, presented by FMF, as he aims for a fifth consecutive series crown.
Oliveira also credited his recent emphasis on training for GNCCs, saying, “At home, I’ve been riding more technical and off-roady tracks rather than the fast tracks. I think that probably helped quite a bit. I know I can go fast, but I just need to sharpen up some more technical skills for the East Coast, and I’m sure that’ll end up helping over here as well.”
Recapping his race, the Red Bull/Motorex/Alpinestars 450 XC-F rider added, “Holeshot, clean air—I just had a couple of different people catch me throughout the race. One time it was my brother [Mateo], then it was Walton, then even Cole at one time. I think being smart panned out pretty well for me.”
While rain was a nearly constant presence all weekend, the clouds retreated just as the $8000, 90-minute feature race began, though the modified course remained treacherous in spots.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider Austin Walton had a second-place finish. Photo Courtesy of Husqvarna
After a somewhat slow start (though it was an improvement over his slip-and-slide in Saturday’s AA race), Walton and his Motorex/Dunlop/Fly Racing-backed FX 450 picked his way past the others less than an hour in and even snuck past Oliveira at one point, though his lead was short-lived. However, Walton sprinted the final lap to end up one second shy of Oliveira at the checkers and he reported, “We didn’t the greatest start, but from there we just charged and were smart. The track was just brutal. We got into a groove and just kept getting faster and faster.”
Monster Energy/Skechers/Fly Racing CRF450RX-mounted Martinez loved the brutal course, insisting, “Honestly, I thrive in these conditions! I feel like I was on [track] to get to Dante—I got pretty close and I think after [pitting], the lines changed and the lines I was running the whole first half, I think their lines broke in a lot more.
“I think the wins are coming, so I’m extremely stoked for that and we’ve got some great tracks on the horizon, and I’ve got to give it up to the good Lord for everything.”
His third place also moves him into third in points with 55.
Despite the conditions, Colton Aeck enjoyed a flawless race, leading from start to finish for his first Pro II victory since round six last year.
Dante Oliveira’s brother and teammate Mateo enjoyed a good start and ran just a few seconds behind him in the early going, eventually finishing fourth—his best result of the season to date.
Another rider who claimed a season best was 3Bros./Hatch Racing GasGas star Giacomo Redondi, the undefeated 30+ Open AA champ reveling in the conditions en route to fifth.
After two straight runner-up finishes, Liqui Moly Beta’s Dare DeMartile saw that streak end as he had some setbacks relegate him to sixth, though he remains second in points to Oliveira, 90-65.
Purvines Racing/Simi Valley Cycles Yamaha’s Jack Simpson claimed a best-to-date seventh after revising his sag, followed by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Dalton Shirey, Purvines rider Justin Hoeft and SLR Honda pilot Tyler Lynn.
3Bros./Hatch Racing Kawasaki rider Colton Aeck broke the win streak that FMF/KTM RPM Racing Team’s Mason Semmens had put together in Pro II. It was Aeck’s first victory aboard his new Law Tigers/Atlas Powersports/O’Neal Racing KX250.
He said, “Picture-perfect race—I got the holeshot and led every lap.
“It was pretty muddy yesterday and I rode the AA race and felt pretty good, but we had a lot of rain last night and it was a quagmire today. But luckily, we didn’t get any rain during the race, so the track dried out and actually got pretty fast near the end. I had to remind myself that, ‘Hey, the track’s getting better so I can ride faster.’”
Aeck finished 11th overall with Semmens 10 seconds behind in 12th overall after a big crash. Gunslinger Factory Racing/MX Coach Husqvarna rider Cole Zeller rounded out the Pro II podium for the first time since the finale in 2022.
In Pro Women’s, 3Bros./Hatch Racing GasGas-mounted Ava Silvestri pulled the holeshot for the second consecutive round and showed why she’s the two-time AMA West Hare Scrambles champ aboard her FMF/Blud Lubricants/Troy Lee Designs EX 250F.
It’s been a while, but Ava Silvestri earned the Pro Women’s win with a dominating ride to close the points gap on Mikayla Nielsen who had to settle for second.
This was Silvestri’s second class win after her initial one in 2022 and she revealed, “Honestly, I was pretty nervous coming into today because, last minute, my race bike didn’t want to run, so I had to ride my practice bike today, so I was a little stressed out.
“Honestly, the first lap of the bike felt pretty good. I got the holeshot but then made a little bobble right after cresting the first hill, then [SLR Honda’s Mikayla Nielsen] got by me, and I stayed behind her. I knew conditions might’ve favored me a little more, so I also took that into consideration, then made it past her before we dropped into the Boy Scout Trail. After that, I was like, ‘Whatever’ and held it on.”
Korie Steede brought her Husqvarna Motorcycles FX 250 across the finish line just over a minute shy of victory following almost two hours of racing. Photo Courtesy of Husqvarna
Nielsen saw her win streak stopped at two, though she remains the points leader over Silvestri, 85-80. FMF/KTM RPM Racing Team’s Kaitlyn Jacobs took third.
OVERALL (Top 5)
- Dante Oliveira (KTM)
- Austin Walton (Hus)
- Cole Martinez (Hon)
- Mateo Oliveira (KTM)
- Giacomo Redondi (GG)
