On February 21-22, The Whatever Motorcycle Club’s Prospector 150 Hare & Hound served up the longest event in recent memory, a unique point-to-point with a loop to finish it off. As round two on the schedule of the AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series, presented by FMF, it tested both ability and mental toughness, with only the eight fastest riders able to complete it in under four hours.
Of that elite group, defending series champ FMF KTM Factory Racing Off-road Team’s Dante Oliveira emerged the fastest, leading practically the entire distance in a race where most of his competitors seemed content to let him blaze the trail—sometimes covered in snow—and cope with the pressure of holding off the pack.
But he did so and completed the 147-plus actual miles in three hours, 44 minutes and 16 seconds with Liqui Moly Beta’s Zane Roberts the runner-up, 32 seconds in arrears, and Husqvarna-supported Ryder Thomaselli leading a trio of Pro 250s at third overall on what was a 450cc course.
“I was stoked! I got the holeshot, pulled away, kept a solid gap here and there,” Red Bull/ Motorex/ Alpinestars 450 XC-F-mounted Oliveira said. “There was a little bit of cat and mouse with Zane and Dalton [Shirey]—they’d catch me, then I’d be able to pull [the gap] back out, then they’d catch me, then I’d just pull it out back out so I’m stoked with my riding, stoked with how the bike felt, and was able to conquer the 150-miler.”
Third in the early going, Roberts and his FMF/ Bridgestone/ Moose Racing 480 RR were among the handful of competitors content to match Oliveira’s pace through the first 82 miles up to pit three. From there, only the Pros and A riders tackled the 39-mile loop back to the main pit/finish and that loop is where Oliveira finally put the hammer down.
“It was pretty close [for most of the race],” Roberts said. “I kind of let it get away from me there, coming into this last pit. I was probably 10 seconds back the whole race until this last pit and he got a little bit of a gap on me.
“I think everyone today was kind of waiting for…the last loop, waiting for the race to really start. I knew it was going to be a long day, and it was kind of going to come down to racing that last loop there.”
For someone on a 250, Thomaselli proved to be a giant-killer aboard his 395 Motorsports/ MX Trophies/ Leatt FC 250. He said, “I got a decent start, and then I got tangled up with another guy probably a mile in. I was like, ‘Ah, damn!’
“Luckily, there was no dust so I could drop the hammer, and I made a lot of passes, [but] the roost really hurt, and I was almost on the verge of tears. Then I got around it, and I kept pushing and pushing really hard, and all of a sudden I was behind Dante. I kind of let Zane by after pit one and just tried to follow those guys as long as I could. They were just putting so much time on me in the fast stuff—the 250 didn’t have enough uumph today. It was probably the toughest race I’ve ever done, mentally.”
Thomaselli was 1:58 behind Roberts at the finish and 3:39 ahead of Pro 250 runner-up Layton Smail and his Canyon Excavation/ Let’s Ride KX250—a marked improvement over his fourth place at round one, which was his first-ever Hare & Hound.
Second in class and fifth overall at pit one, Simi Valley Cycles/ TBT Racing YZ250-mounted Cody Simpson was just 19 seconds behind Smail at the finish, his first podium of the season.
Norman Racing Husqvarna’s Daemon Woolslayer claimed sixth overall and third Open Pro after a crash while chasing Thomaselli. Norman Racing teammate Kayden Lynn was another few minutes back for fourth Pro 250 on his KTM, while former AMA West Hare Scrambles champ Austin Serpa came out of retirement for sixth Open Pro on his Moose Racing Husqvarna. He was the last rider to break the four-hour barrier.
Johnny Campbell Racing Honda’s Nolan Cate made his first start of the series after sitting out round one due to injury and was seventh Open Pro and ninth overall, with Dallas Chidester Racing Kawasaki rider DJ Weber rounding out the top 10.
Logan Cleveland and his NAB Consulting Husqvarna edged Original Landscaping GasGas rider Darrin Tuckett for the Pro Vet 35+ victory, just as he’d down at round one. Jason Gibbons was third on his KTM.
FMF/RPM Racing KTM rider Rachel Stout led defending class champ Ava Silvestri early, but three-time champ Stout was unable to hold off the Norman Racing Husqvarna rider as the miles rolled on, and she settled for second.
Blud Lubricants/ 395 Motorsports/ Troy Lee Designs FC 250-mounted Silvestri admitted she’d tipped over in such a way that her shoulder popped out of place, and she lost time getting it back in place before getting back into her rhythm.
Silvestri said, “Maybe halfway between pit one [at 29 miles] and pit two [40 miles], I was able to get by her [Stout], and I tried to charge as hard as possible to get a comfortable gap, because 150 miles would be a lot more stressful if you had someone right on your rear tire the whole time.”
As it ended up, Silvestri finished 20th overall in 4:19:05 with Stout 27th overall at 4:24:59. Manic Moto Beta-mounted college student Catalina Springstroh podiumed for the first time this season and the second time ever.CN
2026 AMA Hare & Hound Round 2 Results
OVERALL (Top 5)
- Dante Oliveira (KTM)
- Zane Roberts (Bet)
- Ryder Thomaselli (Hus)
- Layton Smail (Kaw)
- Cody Simpson (Yam)
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