| February 28, 2024
Just outside of Redding, California, and at the base of the Shasta Dam lies the Chappie-Shasta OHV area, where racers from as far away as Pennsylvania lined up February 24-26 to compete for their chance to represent the United States at the ISDE in Spain this fall.
Mateo Oliveira topped day two of the two-day Pro portion of the Redding West ISDE Qualifier.
Story and Photos by Jenny Keller
This picturesque setting is the home base for the Redding Dirt Riders, the host to the ISDE West Qualifier.
The ISDE West Qualifier is a three-day event, with the first two days running alongside AMA District 36 Enduro Races, That Dam Enduro, rounds one and two. Having these two sprint enduros running at the same time as the Qualifier meant that the Redding Dirt Riders had their work cut out for them.
“To one day know that the youth of this community could be out here [racing] some of the best riders in the world is incredible,” said Jonathon Estes, a longtime member and course marshal.
That encouragement of young riders is evidenced by the many riders of high accolade who grow up attending district races before forging their racing careers. This includes Dante Oliveira and Mateo Oliveira, who were in attendance this weekend. They were joined by more than 50 individuals competing in the LOI (Letter of Intent) classes, including many who also competed in the LOI Pro class. This was further punctuated by 10 women competing in the LOI Women’s class. This is the first LOI Pro Women’s class for an ISDE Qualifier to offer a purse. This was in large part due to a donation from Carlos Cheeseman, which made it possible for the Redding Dirt Riders to match the payout and offer compensation to help these racers on their quest to race in Spain. In fact, throughout all the classes this weekend, almost $6000 will be paid out.
Day three was set aside just for the LOI riders, who are fighting for a spot on the U.S. ISDE team. Layton Smail (pictured) was the overall winner.
The race featured almost 200 miles of trail consisting of two loops: a shorter-mileage East Loop and a longer-mileage West Loop. Together, racers would complete both loops twice, totaling almost 60 miles of fast, technical racing each day.
Conditions on the first two days of racing were what racers dream about. Heavy rain in the weeks prior to the race weekend made the ground just wet enough to provide good traction and keep dust to a minimum. Coupled with bluebird sunny skies and daytime temperatures in the high 60s, it set the stage for fast racing.
Racing kicked off at a fiery pace on Saturday for the ISDE hopefuls. Dante Oliveira (KTM) took the top Pro spot, followed by Mateo Oliveira and Layton Smail (1:53:12), solidifying the next place for the LOI+Pro class.
Dante Oliveira, who topped day one, finished second to his brother, Mateo, by just three seconds.
On Sunday, the Oliveira brothers battled it out again, but this time traded positions, with Mateo (1:42:41) coming out on top over his brother, Dante (1:42:44). Smail (1:44:46) maintained his position in third. All riders pushed their paces to each improve their times by nine-plus minutes.
Ava Silvestri (GasGas) took the top spot for LOI Women’s both days, improving her time by over 10 minutes.
Saturday
- Dante Oliveira (KTM)
- Mateo Oliveira (KTM)
- Layton Smail (She)
- Zane Roberts (Bet)
- Tyler Vore (GG)
Sunday
- Mateo Oliveira (KTM)
- Dante Oliveira (KTM)
- Layton Smail (She)
- Jaden Dahner (KTM)
- Tyler Vore (GG)
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