Despite breaking his clutch hand while practicing at home a few days before, FMF KTM Factory Racing Off-Road Team’s Mateo Oliveira managed to race the Cupid Classic Hare Scrambles hosted by the National Hare & Hound Association (NHHA), which was round two of the AMA West Hare Scrambles (WHS) Regional Championship Series, Presented by MojoMotoSport. With teammate and older brother Dante switching to the AMA Hare & Hound National Championship from WHS, where he’s the two-time and reigning series champ, he had large boots to fill, but he accomplished what he’d set out to do.
With the original venue for round two pulled due to environmental challenges and the second option a late no-go, the private Chaney Ranch opened its gates for its first-ever off-road race, treating all comers to stellar conditions after several days of rain.
But it was no cakewalk. Former series champ Jacob Argubright laid out what many considered one of the most challenging courses ever, with its mix of single-track through the brush, rocky off-cambers, sand and Chaney’s MX track keeping riders on their toes.
As evidence, note the results. Seven of the top 10 overall were on 250s! In fact, Pro 250 winner (his first Pro win, by the way) Ryder Thomaselli’s total race time of two hours, 36 minutes and 15 seconds was second-fastest overall behind Oliveira’s 2:34:42. FMF RPM Racing KTM’s Jaden Dahners was third overall and second Pro 250 on his Americool/TBT Suspension/Sidi 250 XC-F, 10 seconds behind Thomaselli, while Pro Circuit/Precision Coating Kawasaki rider Giacomo Redondi took fourth overall and second Open Pro after having to repair a broken chain guide—a somewhat frustrating result for the early leader.
Drawn by the excellent conditions, FMF KTM/Red Bull Mexico’s Ivan Ramirez made his first series appearance in years to claim third Open Pro at eighth overall. (After comparing notes with Oliveira, Ramirez discovered the last time he won a WHS was 2016, and Oliveira was in the Super Mini class at that race!)
“I was pretty confident yesterday that my hand would be okay and even Friday, but then I woke up this morning and one finger was still stiff,” Oliveira revealed. “I was freaking out going up to the starting line!”
But once the green flag waved, he launched his Red Bull/Motorex/Alpinestars 450 XC-F off the line and into the early lead before Redondi swooped past on his Team Green/Maxima/Acerbis-backed KX450 after a last-place start. The 2022 series champ went on to lead the first hour of the two-and-a-half-hour contest before chain-guide woes put him in the pits for repairs.
That put Oliveira out front with Thomaselli and Dahners second and third overall on adjusted time, having started on the second row—Thomaselli near the back of the row. It was an exceptional ride for 395 Motorsports/MX Trophies/Fly Racing FX 250-mounted Thomaselli.
“This is what I love,” Thomaselli said. “This is what I ride at home—just technical stuff like that. I feel like I’m really good at picking my way through lines and bottlenecks and stuff like that; it catered to me. There was a bottleneck on lap three or four, and I passed almost everybody right there.”
After throwing himself on the ground several times on the opening lap, Cole Zeller and his Gainslinger Human Performance/Precision Concepts/O’Neal Racing Husqvarna FX 250 calmed down and picked his way through the pack. He held fourth overall on time for much of the last hour until Redondi hammered past, leaving him fifth overall.
Sixth overall belonged to 250cc A winner Lane Lorenzo with an inspired ride aboard his 707 Suspension/Dunlop/Seven-assisted GasGas EX 250F. He was a few minutes ahead of class runner-up and seventh overall Lowe Lord and his Senge Graphics/Motion Pro/Fly Racing KTM 250 XC.
Ramirez, 3Bros/Hatch Racing Kawasaki’s Colton Aeck (fourth Pro 250) and FMF RPM Racing KTM’s JJ Concannon (third 250cc A) rounded out the top 10 overall.
Chase Rosenquist dominated Pro Vet 35+ aboard his Mark Henry HVAC KTM over Orange County Kawasaki rider Ryan Karell.
The 90-minute morning race saw FMF RPM Racing KTM’s Rachel Stout rebound from her runner-up finish in Pro Women at the AMA Hare & Hound National last weekend to dominate the class at the Cupid Classic.
“I think this is the most patient I’ve been at a West Hare Scramble on the first loop, so I think that paid off a lot, and then I was able to ride my own race,” she said. “I was focusing on trying to take good lines so I wasn’t getting stuck in places. I think that made a huge difference.”
With round-one winner Ava Silvestri opting to hit the GNCC opener, that puts Let’s Ride/Acerbis/Moose Racing 250 XC-F-mounted Stout on top of the Pro Women points. However, she ended up second overall after former pro motocrosser Lance Smail came from the back—having started on the sixth row—and chased her down on the final lap, winning the Trophy class with his Evo Suspension KTM. Canyon Excavation Kawasaki rider Ashlee Gage made a last-lap pass to claim second in Pro Women over Reflex Racing Yamaha’s Ty Woolslayer.
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Mateo Oliveira (KTM)
- Ryder Thomaselli (Hus)
- Jaden Dahners (KTM)
- Giacomo Redondi (Kaw)
- Cole Zeller (Hus)
- Lane Lorenzo (GG)
- Lowe Lord (KTM)
- Ivan Ramirez (KTM)
- Colton Aeck (Kaw)
- JJ Concannon (KTM)
