2022 Heppner Hare Scrambles Results

| May 24, 2022

The Great Escape Motorcycle Club hosted the Heppner Hare Scrambles in northern Oregon for round three of the AMA West Hare Scrambles series presented by Mojo Motosport. Mother Nature provided the perfect conditions for a woods race, having rained the week prior, so the nearly 300 riders that showed up got exactly what they hoped for—excellent racing conditions that resulted in ear-to-ear muddy grins.

Giacomo Redondi at 2022 Heppner Hare Scrambles — **Giacomo Redondi is the new AMA West Hare Scrambles leader after winning the Heppner Hare Scrambles in Oregon.**

Story and Photos by Mary Rinell

Factory Beta racer Zane Roberts and 3Bros Kilmartin Racing’s Giacomo Redondi came into the race tied for second in series points, behind KTM’s Taylor Robert, who unfortunately was injured in another race and will sit out the rest of the championship. Tensions were high on the start line as both Roberts and Redondi were itching to take the lead. Over three hours of racing later, Giacomo was sitting atop the podium, with Zane occupying the second spot and Dalton Shirey the third.

Giacomo led all five laps but could never let up, because Roberts was always right there.

“I could hear the Beta behind me,” Giacomo said. “On the fire road, [Roberts] would come very, very close. I rode my own race and when I tried to let up, I would hear the Beta in the back, and I’d think ‘Ah, he is still here!’ So, I say good job to him.”

Most every racer decided to pit at one point or another, however, Giacomo decided to risk the pit stop, giving him at least a 10-second gap on Roberts in second place.

Zane Roberts at 2022 Heppner Hare Scrambles — **Zane Roberts kept the pressure on Redondi the whole way.**

“Overall, it was a pretty solid race,” Roberts said. “I got off to a terrible jump off the start but was able to make some passes and get to second about a mile down the road. I knew Giacomo knew where he was going, so I just kind of sat on him for the first lap. After that it was kind of like I’d catch him and then he’d gap me, and we played that game for a long time.”

This went on for nearly three hours. At times, only a few seconds separated the two racers and never more than approximately a minute. Giacomo finally broke free a bit on the last lap, eventually taking the checkered flag just under three minutes ahead of Roberts.

Husqvarna’s Shirey finished up another two minutes back in third. He had a rough first lap when he went down, giving the leaders a good three-minute head start. Shirey was 15th after the first lap.

“I came to a mud hole, and I went straight down the middle, and I just wedged my bike into a mud rut and went over the bars,” Shirey said. “It cost me quite a bit of time. I think half the Pro 2 line passed me before I got going again.”

Coming back to WHS from a nearly five-year sabbatical, Shirey, who specializes in desert racing, had to deal with dust after his crash, having had discarded his goggles. Shirey had to stay back a bit from racers in front of him due to the dust affecting his contacts. After a quick pit and fresh set of goggles, Shirey started making passes. He went from 15th to fourth in two laps, putting down the fastest lap of the day in the process. By lap four he was sitting a couple minutes behind Redondi and Roberts which is where he would finish.

Mason Ottersberg at 2022 Heppner Hare Scrambles — **Mason Ottersberg won the 250cc Pro class in fourth overall.**

For the Pro 250 class, the top two podium positions went to DC Yamaha teammates Mason Ottersberg and Robby Schott. Up front of the pack, Ottersberg battled with 3Bros KTM racer Shane Logan nearly the entire race, finally taking the lead and holding it through the finish on the final lap. Ottersberg’s teammate Schott sat fourth for a bit before making a couple passes, pushing him in to a solid second place podium behind Ottersberg.

Rounding the podium in third was Talon Terlouw aboard his IMS-fueled GasGas.

The Pro Women’s class saw a very exciting race with defending champion RPM Racing Team’s Kaitlyn Jacobs neck-and-neck every lap with 3Bros Kilmartin Racing’s Ava Silvestri. After nearly two hours of racing, Silvestri made a pass on the last lap, giving her the win.

Ava Silvestri at 2022 Heppner Hare Scrambles — **Ava Silvestri passed for the lead on the last lap and took the win in the Women’s Pro class.**

“I led all the way up until the last lap, so I’m a little bummed to not be walking away with the win today,” Terlouw said.

“I caught up to Kaitlyn and just started pacing behind seeing where I could go or couldn’t go, just stayed back there to see what happened. It’s good to just have something that was actually wet for once. I’m pretty sick of the dust, so I had a lot of fun and think it was an awesome race.”