Liqui Moly Beta’s Zane Roberts began his title defense in the most convincing manner possible as he annihilated all comers at the Desert Motorcycle Club’s (DMC) 58th annual Winter Classic Hare & Hound, round one of the AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series, Presented by FMF.
Leading from shortly after the bomb, he and his Bridgestone/FMF/Klim-backed 480 RR bested runner-up Dante Oliveria by an astounding eight minutes and 10 seconds, with the FMF KTM Factory Off-Road Racing Team star two minutes and twenty seconds ahead of third overall and Pro 250 winner Sam Pretscherer.
“I knew I was capable of winning today; I knew the bike was in a good spot,” Roberts said. “I definitely thought I’d land on the podium, but I didn’t expect to ride quite that well! The bike was just good today, and I got a good start, which helped. I passed Dalton Shirey into the lead quickly, and it got technical right off the bat, which was good for me because I just like the technical stuff. That helped me get a gap there at the beginning. I definitely think I was riding with more intensity, but it just was comfortable at that pace.”
Former champ Shirey finished the 40-mile first loop one minute and thirty seconds behind Roberts after reportedly getting lost off the course. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Off-Road Team stalwart appeared to be headed to a sure second place in the latter stages of the 50-mile second loop but apparently went down fairly hard. That allowed the charging Oliveira to slip past after holding a strong fifth as they began the second loop.
Though not known as a desert racer, Oliveira was testing the hare and hound waters, as he considers chasing the title or remaining in the AMA West Hare Scrambles (WHS) Regional Championship Series, where he’s a two-time champ. The Red Bull/Motorex/Alpinestars 450 XC-F rider Oliveira said, “I like to say I got the whole hare and hound experience this weekend. The bomb was wild! I got a decent jump, but then I funneled in behind Shirey.
“I charged where I could and where I was confident, and I kind of pumped the brakes where I wasn’t too sure. It was an alright day, but Zane, he put on a clinic and absolutely smoked us, so if I want to be competitive and have a shot at winning this, I’ve got some work to do—but I like that!”
Having won the opening round of the AMA WHS two weekends ago, Oliveira is tied with Roberts at the top of the newly created, 13-round Off-Road Masters Championship, which combines points from the AMA West Hare Scrambles Championship and Hare & Hound Championships into one. Separate champions, however, will still be crowned.
Current Pro 250 H&H champ Pretscherer found himself playing catchup all day on his Precision Concepts/Goldentyre/Troy Lee Designs FX 250, at one point stopping to assist the fallen Preston Campbell. The 3Bros/Hatch Racing Husqvarna rider said, “Not the greatest start and an eventful day. The club designed a tricky course, and navigation was a vital piece of today. It was a long day after I got lost [twice], and I had to put some work in to get back on the top [of the class]. I pushed as hard as I could the whole day!”
It was a similar story for Norman Racing/Rocky Mountain ATV-MC of St. George/Klim FX 450-mounted Daemon Woolslayer, who earned third in Open Pro and fourth overall ahead of Pro 250 runner-up Cody Simpson, the Simi Valley Cycles Yamaha/TBT Racing/O’Neal Racing YZ250 rider holding third overall for much of the race.
Shirey was able to pick himself up after his late crash to claim fourth in Open Pro and sixth overall ahead of Ryder Thomaselli, the third-place Pro 250, who was making his hare and hound debut a good one aboard his 395 Motorsports/MX Trophies/Fly Racing FX 250.
Johnny Campbell Racing (JCR) Honda’s Nolan Cate finished in eighth overall and fourth in Pro 250 after holding third through the first loop, with AHM Suspension KTM-mounted Brody Honea fifth in Pro 250.
Local youngster Caiden Fenstermaker rounded out the top 10 overall and was both the first 250cc Expert and the first Expert overall after starting on the second row on his Fasthouse Kawasaki.
In Pro Women, FMF RPM Racing KTM’s Rachel Stout began her quest for a fourth-straight title with a dominant Zane Roberts-esque performance, leading from the outset and besting runner-up Ava Silvestri by nearly seven minutes.
“I kind of learned to like the challenge of Lucerne,” Stout confided. “I used to not like it at all, then it kind of became more fun to try and get through the challenge, I feel like.” But the AEO Powersports/Motorex/Moose Racing 350 XC-F rider found it really fun trying to race with the Pro Vet 35+ competitors, beating several of them en route to 24th overall. The top Pro Vet 35+ rider was Dallas Chidester Racing Kawasaki’s Mike Jensen in 21st overall. CN
- Zane Roberts (Bet)
- Dante Oliveira (KTM)
- Sam Pretscherer (Hus)
- Daemon Woolslayer (Hus)
- Cody Simpson (Yam)
- Dalton Shirey (Hus)
- Ryder Thomaselli (Hus)
- Nolan Cate (Hon)
- Brody Honea (KTM)
- Caiden Fenstermaker (Kaw)
