Pro Circuit Kawasaki Off-Road Team’s Justin Hoeft led from start to finish at the Desert Classic Grand Prix, hosted by the Viewfinders Motorcycle Club, the eighth round of the Rocky Mountain ATV-MC AMA National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC) Series, presented by FMF. He was the first rider to cross the finish line. It marked his first-ever NGPC Pro (450cc) win after coming close several times.
Photos by Mark Kariya
However, that accomplishment was overshadowed by FMF RPM Racing KTM’s Cole Zeller, who not only claimed the Pro II victory (his third to date) but also did so 13 seconds faster than Hoeft on adjusted time after eight laps of the approximately seven-plus-mile course, thereby securing the overall victory.
Zip-Ty Racing Husqvarna rider Dustyn Davis rounded out the overall podium with the third-quickest time of the day, earning second in Pro II.
The results were uncommon but partially explained by the absence of several Pro teams. NGPC officials cited a scheduling conflict with the 6Days FIM Enduro of Nations in Portugal (ISDE) and declared the Desert Classic a non-points-paying round. It would still offer a $5000 purse, but several teams took the opportunity to take a weekend off.
Not so for the well over 1100 entries who participated, the majority of whom welcomed the opportunity to claim cash, contingency or trophies, or simply to make an annual visit to the High Desert town with its Viewfinders course, which comprised a motocross track, plenty of sandy desert, city streets, a junkyard and the Desert Empire Fairgrounds.
From the outset, Hoeft and his Hatch Racing/Dunlop/Fast House-backed KX450SR held the physical lead, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Mateo Oliveira, Hatch Racing Honda rider Colton Aeck (in his NGPC debut as a full-time 450cc pilot), Hatch Racing Kawasaki-mounted Giacomo Redondi, and the rest of the field following early on.
“I got off to such a good start two days in a row; at this course it’s so important because it’s a fast course and it gets pretty dusty there, especially with how hot it was today,” Hoeft said. “So, the start was critical, and I nailed it. I had a good pace in the beginning. After the pit, I had a big lead so I was just managing it from there.
“I’ve been so close [to winning] so many times! I know it’s not all the competition’s here, but to just lock it up and get it done, to me I don’t care—a win’s a win!”
But with Hoeft, Oliveira, Aeck and Redondi up front, the Pro II riders had clear targets to chase, and none of them did it better than Zeller. Third off the start behind Davis and Kehoe Racing/Pro Circuit Kawasaki-mounted Jake Alvarez, he soon moved to the front of that row, leaving only the 450s ahead of him.
“Once I made it through [the other Pro IIs], I got to the back of Giacomo pretty quick and it was so dusty! It was so hard to keep up,” Zeller said.
That led to a brutal crash in the dust that saw his Gainslinger Human Performance/AEO Powersports/Moose Racing 250 XC-F pound him into the dirt, leaving him with a sore hip. But he managed to spring back up and resume racing without losing much ground, aided by a healthy dose of adrenaline.
“Once I pulled [back into the race], I didn’t even have the overall in mind. I’m like, ‘It’s hot, let’s just try to finish this race off safe.’ I was told afterward I got the overall; I had no clue during the race. It’s pretty sick! I guess I’m the third person ever to [overall it as a Pro II rider], but I think I might be the first person since it’s been a National series.”
While Aeck was physically third aboard his McCarthy Electric/Precision Concepts/Fast House CRF450R, Davis earned third in final overall results and second Pro II just one second behind Hoeft on adjusted time. While not the win he’d hoped for, it was a laudable performance for the young Pro and his C&C Tile/Pro Circuit/Fly Racing FC 250.
Alvarez, fellow Pro II rider Cody Simpson, Redondi, and Pro II riders Evan Stice, Lane Lorenzo and David Fry rounded out the top 10 overall.
In Pro Women, Slam Life Racing (SLR) Honda’s Mikayla Nielsen was the team’s sole representative a week after her SMX finale appearance, so she’s been focused on riding Supercross-based tracks lately. However, she quickly switched gears back into GP mode after trailing Norman Racing Husqvarna rider Ava Silvestri off the start, then stormed past to take the lead and stretch it to the finish. In fact, the Mother F Bars/Monster Energy/Fly Racing CRF250RX rider was far enough ahead when the checkered flag came out that she snuck in another lap.
With no points awarded, Nielsen remains 15 points ahead of FMF/Blud Lubricants/Troy Lee Designs FC 250-mounted Silvestri. Newcomer Jaycie Gallacher took third on her Fly Racing YZ250F.CN
2026 NGPC Round 8 Results
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Cole Zeller (KTM) 1:38:16
- Justin Hoeft (Kaw) 1:38:29
- Dustyn Davis (Hus) 1:38:30
- Colton Aeck (Hon) 1:38:53
- Jake Alvarez (Kaw) 1:39:01
- Cody Simpson (Yam) 1:39:22
- Giacomo Redondi (Kaw) 1:39:32
- Evan Stice (KTM) 1:41:27
- Lane Lorenzo (GG) 1:41:40
- David Fry (Yam) 1:42:11
