Mark Kariya | October 4, 2021
FMF KTM Factory Off-road Team’s Dante Oliveira solidified his points lead even more with his third win in a row at the Viewfinders Motorcycle Club’s Joey Gardner Memorial Ridgecrest Grand Prix, round seven of the AMA National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC) Series, October 2-3.
Dante Oliveira (1) was the Pro-class winner at the Viewfinders NGPC in Ridgecrest, California. Photos: Mark Kariya
Slam Life Racing (SLR) Honda’s Cole Martinez was the only rider to keep close tabs on him for almost an hour of the 90-minute, $8000 feature race, but a small crash then cost him too much time and he had to settle for second. Martinez now trails Oliveira by 36 points, unofficially, 196-160. Beta’s Dare Demartile landed on the podium in just his second start in the series.
The defending NGPC champ, Oliveira led from start to finish aboard his Red Bull/Motorex/Thor-sponsored 450 XC-F. “It was a good race,” he said. “I got the holeshot and set the pace early, so it was good and I got to ride my lines. There were some slick spots out there so in some of the spots it was a little follow-the-leader, so it was good being able to get a good start.”
Martinez lurked just a few seconds behind for almost an hour on his Monster Energy/Lava Propane/Fly Racing CRF450RX, but a spill just before pitting spoiled his plans. He ended up just over a minute behind at the checkers.
“I’m a little bummed at the outcome, obviously, but Dante rode great,” Martinez said. “I’ve just got to bring the heat next time. I think we had the wrong setup on today; I think we were expecting a little more sand than what we had.”
Oliveira said, “Yeah, when Cole went down, I kept going, put my head down and I think we had three [laps] to go at that point. It was a nice, relaxing last lap so it was awesome. My bike worked great. I’m stoked—a little closer to that [championship].”
On that matter, Oliveira laid out his strategy for the final three rounds: “Just be safe and not do anything crazy but still go for the wins—I like winning!”
After running with the leaders at round six until a technical issue sidelined him prematurely, motocrosser Demartile demonstrated he could go the distance competitively. After dicing with Fasthouse/Team Green Kawasaki’s Trevor Stewart for over an hour, the Beta rider made a pass stick and locked up third with two laps to go on his Motul/Kenda/Fly Racing 480 RR.
“I’ve just been getting used to the longer races and the course and the way it’s set up,” he said. “It’s fun; it’s opened my mind to a whole different side of racing and it’s sweet.
“I got off to a decent start [today] and had Trevor Stewart in front of me. I just did the best I could, and Trevor pitted one lap before me so I pitted the next lap. I put my head down [when he pitted], and I think he made a mistake and ended up tipping over. I got into the third position and just ran solid there for about 40 minutes, so I was happy with that—we needed that.”
Stewart held on for fourth place followed by 3 Bros./Hatch Racing GasGas rider Giacomo Redondi.
SLR Honda’s Tallon LaFountaine earned sixth overall as well as the Pro II victory aboard his Skechers/Pro Circuit/Dunlop CRF250RX, saying, “It feels good to get another win and get some of those points back that I lost in Idaho [when I had a bike problem]. I think it was a really important one for me to win and I’m stoked I did it.”
Tallon LaFountaine won the Pro 2 class.
However, eventual runner-up Gus Riordan of the FMF/Maxxis/RPM Racing KTM team gave LaFountaine a bit of a fright when he sneaked past in a strategic gamble.
“Gus didn’t pit, and he made up a ton of time—I don’t know, maybe 30, 40 seconds by not pitting!” LaFountaine explained. “When I came out of the pits, he had the lead and I was confused, and I didn’t know if he was leading, or I was or what was going on. He didn’t pit the next lap after that and I’m going, ‘What’s going on?’
“He went the whole race without pitting.”
But the young Australian couldn’t repel LaFountaine’s final attack and ended up second Pro II and seventh overall, matching his best to date from round four.
Purvines Racing Yamaha’s Tyler Lynn finished eighth overall followed by Riordan’s teammate Mateo Oliveira, who earned third Pro II, and Carson City Motorsports/Kenda KTM-mounted Austin Serpa who made his first Open Pro start after riding in Pro II until now.
Pro Women saw Brandy Richards retake her points lead. Having missed round six because of the ISDE in Italy, the Elite Offroad KTM rider took command immediately and dominated to win for the sixth time this season. FMF/Maxxis/RPM Racing KTM’s Kaitlyn Jacobs—who won round six—settled for second with Purvines Racing Yamaha’s Ava Silvestri third. Richards now leads Jacobs, 180-176.
Having lost her Pro Women’s points lead at round six because she was at the ISDE, Brandy Richards returned to the series and promptly retook the lead over race runner-up Kaitlyn Jacobs, 180-176.
Mark Kariya
2021 AMA National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC)
Round 7
Ridgecrest, California
RESULTS (October 3, 2021)
PRO OVERALL
| 1. |
Dante Oliveira |
(KTM) |
| 2. |
Cole Martinez |
(Hon) |
| 3. |
Dare Demartile |
(Bet) |
| 4. |
Trevor Stewart |
(Kaw) |
| 5. |
Giacomo Redondi |
(GG) |
| 6. |
Tallon LaFountaine |
(Hon) |
| 7. |
Angus Riordan |
(KTM) |
| 8. |
Tyler Lynn |
(Yam) |
| 9. |
Mateo Oliveira |
(KTM) |
| 10. |
Austin Serpa |
(KTM) |
Click here for complete Viewfinders Motorcycle Club’s Joey Gardner Memorial Ridgecrest Grand Prix results.
