Winning one National is tough enough. Winning two? In two different states? On consecutive days?
That’s the stuff of legend.
Yet that’s precisely what FMF KTM Factory Off-Road Racing Team’s Dante Oliveira pulled off, winning the AMA Hare & Hound National in Utah on Saturday, driving nine hours south on I-15, and extending his impressive win streak on Sunday at round six of the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC) Series, presented by FMF.
Photos by Mark Kariya
FMF RPM Racing KTM rider Mason Semmens, who’d given Oliveira fits at round five, added another strong runner-up finish to his growing resume, with Liqui Moly Beta’s Dare DeMartile resetting after round five and returning to the podium with his third-place finish.
Heading into the summer break, Oliveira leads the Pro class points with a perfect 180, followed by DeMartile at 126, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Mateo Oliveira (fourth on the day) with 123 and Semmens on 115.
But Dante credited a mental reset with his result at the MMX Racing-hosted event that ran in conjunction with the second annual MotoFest at Glen Helen Raceway, with its almost dizzying variety of events.
“I was pretty fired up this morning,” he said. “It was a little bit nastier than I expected, and I didn’t learn it as quickly, so I was frustrated when I came off after morning practice. I just had to calm down, remember what I do, what I have to do, and why I do it.”
Part of that was bike setup. His hare & hound bike was significantly different from his GP bike, since GP courses develop differently due to repeated intense passes on the same lines. In the hare & hounds, the same trail is rarely used twice.
“Setting the bike up for those two disciplines is quite hard, and there’s a lot of give and take,” the Red Bull/Motorex/Alpinestars 450 XC-F said.
But the six-time NGPC champ seems to have the puzzle solved and spent the majority of the MotoFest GP out front after dispatching the stubborn Dunlop/Motorex/Moose Racing-backed 450 XC-F of Semmens.
“Me and Dante were neck-and-neck around the first corner, and I got around him the second corner going up the hill. I led for a few laps and was feeling pretty good,” he said. “I nearly had a big one in the wash over here [that] slowed me down a little. It sort of hit me a little to be careful on this track because it could catch you out.
“But a good day! I’m happy with my progress with Glen Helen. I’ve struggled here in the past, so I’m happy with that improvement.” He was nine seconds behind Oliveira after the 90-minute feature race.
For FMF/Bridgestone/Moose Racing 450 RX-mounted DeMartile, “it was a good redemption round for me. The pace was hot! The end result was a lot about the start; I got off to an okay start, top three, then battled. Went all the way to the single-track section, and there was big silt there, so that kind of separated us for the first couple laps due to no visibility there. But kept my head down, felt great, riding felt great, just wish I was a little closer to the guys at the beginning to hold off at the end.”
Mateo Oliveira’s fourth place was his first time off the podium this season, though he said, “I’m a little bummed. I thought my riding was super-good but today was super-start-dependent.”
Slam Life Racing (SLR) Honda’s Tyler Lynn nabbed fifth place in his last race before prepping for the SCORE Baja 500 next month.
FMF RPM Racing KTM’s Cole Zeller claimed his second Pro II triumph in sixth overall, coincidentally after his first earlier in the season, also at Glen Helen.
“Two-for-two at Glen Helen [NGPCs] this year! It’s not my favorite track in the world, but I guess I’m doing good here this year, but it’s becoming my favorite track,” the AEO Powersports/Gainslinger Human Performance/Shoei 250 XC-F rider said.
He ended up just one spot and three seconds ahead of Pro II points leader Sam Pretscherer.
After running out of gas on the first loop of the Hare & Hound in Utah the day before, Simi Valley Cycles YZ250-mounted Cody Simpson was also out for redemption. Running in the lead pack the whole way and holding second at one point, eighth overall, third Pro II and a sixth-straight podium was his reward.
Early leader and round-four winner Dustyn Davis was ninth overall and fourth Pro II aboard his Zip-Ty Racing Husqvarna and sits second in points behind Pretscherer, 158-132, with Simpson third at 130 and Zeller fourth with 121.
Johnny Campbell Racing (JCR) Honda’s Ryan Surratt rounded out the top 10 overall in his first appearance of the year on his CRF450R.
As SLR Honda’s Mikayla Nielsen focuses on the upcoming WMX season, she relished the opportunity to return to Glen Helen, one of the venues she trains at regularly.
“I honestly feel like I’ve probably ridden every type of course here. I’ve been racing these GPs since I was probably like 10!” the Monster Energy/Southern Powersports/Fly Racing CRF250RX-mounted champ said. “I just knew I needed to put my head on straight for this race, and I knew I had to focus on this one. After I kind of had a lead, I was kind of managing the gap and just riding, like having fun.”
After winning Pro Women’s the day before in Utah, Norman Racing Husqvarna’s Ava Silvestri admitted, “I wouldn’t say I underestimated how hard it was going to be, but maybe a little bit. Probably like 30 minutes in, I was kind of like, ‘Man, I’m definitely feeling that hare & hound yesterday!’”
The round-four winner remains second in points to Nielsen, 175-155. Mad Fast KTM 250 XC-mounted Maddy Weber earned her first podium of the season in her third appearance.CN
2026 NGPC Round 6 Results
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Dante Oliveira (KTM)
- Mason Semmens (KTM)
- Dare DeMartile (Bet)
- Mateo Oliveira (Hus)
- Tyler Lynn (Hon)
- Cole Zeller (KTM)
- Samuel Pretscherer (Hon)
- Cody Simpson (Yam)
- Dustyn Davis (Hus)
- Ryan Surratt (Hon)
