Mark Kariya | November 26, 2024
Though the GNCCs are over, some of its regulars extended their seasons by visiting the West Coast for the 71st annual Wilseyville Hare Scramble, hosted by the NorCal Motorcycle Club.
The sixth and final round of the AMA West Hare Scrambles (WHS) Regional Championship Series, Wilseyville’s reputation apparently extends east of the Rockies, as Josh Toth said, “I’ve heard good things about this event before, and it’s kind of been on my bucket list. It was kind of last minute, but I put together a bike and effort to come out here, so I’m excited.”
Fifth overall was enough for Dante Oliveira to defend his AMA WHS number-one plate.
Photography By Mark Kariya
But Toth wasn’t the only racer of note from the GNCCs. AmPro Yamaha’s Ricky Russell also made his Wilseyville debut and took the win a slim 19 seconds ahead of FMF KTM Factory Racing Landers rider Gus Riordan, who also topped the Pro 250 ranks in his first Wilseyville WHS. FMF KTM Factory Racing Off-Road Team’s Mateo Oliveira rounded out the overall podium, preventing an East Coast sweep of the podium.
But equally important was the series points battle with the two primary protagonists separated by five points for the overall AA title. To successfully defend his number-one plate, Dante Oliveira of the FMF KTM Factory Racing Off-Road Team, needed to beat season-long rival Giacomo Redondi. In the Pro/AA class, there was just one point separating them.
GNCC regular Ricky Russell has ridden a few WHS rounds in the past, races closer to his home in Washington, though that didn’t prevent him from winning his Wilseyville debut.
With Dante Oliveira coming off a wrist injury and the unexpected presence of fast GNCC racers, the championship was far from certain.
In fact, 3Bros/Hatch Racing GasGas-sponsored Redondi got the holeshot on his Maxxis/Givi/Seven EX 450F while Dante Oliveira languished in midpack.
“The first three laps, I was battling with Ricky and Gus, and then I hit a branch because I think I was pushing too much,” Redondi said.
Bleeding from his facial laceration, Redondi surrendered the lead to Russell with Riordan close behind and Mateo Oliveira keeping them in sight.
“I felt like we were out there a long time,” GYTR/VP Racing Fuels/Moose Racing YZ450F-mounted Russell said. “Each lap, I was kind of picking people off, but Dante was hard to get by. He knew where to go fast and where he didn’t need to go fast. Luckily, Riordan got by him right in front of me because I crashed trying to get by him and then was able to get by him quickly after Riordan because I didn’t want Riordan to get away.”
And he didn’t.
Red Bull/Motorex/Moose Racing 250 XC-F rider Riordan kept pace, but Russell never made a mistake Riordan could capitalize on.
Gus Riordan made his Wilseyville WHS debut a winning one, finishing a strong second overall to Ricky Russell and taking the Pro 250 class victory.
“It was real slick, slick and square-edged so it felt like home,” Riordon said. “We were going back and forth there and Giacomo, too, before the pit stop. It was fun!”
“It was a crazy race,” Mateo Oliveira, the Red Bull/Renthal/Alpinestars 350 XC-F racer, said. “I charged hard those last two laps. I knew my brother was coming, and ‘Giac’ was right there. I didn’t know what to do, honestly, so I pushed as hard as I could to pass Giac. I needed to pass him for my brother to get the championship so that’s pretty damn cool.”
An uncharacteristic poor start sentenced Dante Oliveira to an afternoon playing catch-up aboard his Dunlop/Hinson/Scott Goggles 350 XC-F. “I got a terrible start worrying too much about what people were doing next to me rather than just doing my own thing. It’s been a while since I’ve been that far back in a race other than on the East Coast!”
Though Redondi owned a huge gap over Dante Oliveira, the defending champ also had to worry about Lyndon Snodgrass lurking a few seconds behind.
But that motivated him, and he kept chipping away at the gap, and as they hit the scoring chute after the checkered flag, they clashed.
“I should’ve been a little nicer, but I had no clue what place I was in or whatever, so it was just heat of the moment, ran it in deep and didn’t even make the pass, so that was kind of dumb,” Dante Oliveira admitted.
Dante Oliveira and the KTM crew celebrate winning the AMA West Hare Scrambles Championship.
But it was still enough for fifth overall and fourth Open Pro, giving Dante Oliveira enough points to retain the championship. Redondi didn’t go away completely empty-handed, as he earned the number-one plate for the Pro/AA category over Dante Oliveira, 140-138, unofficially.
A tired Toth came in sixth overall, fifth Open aboard his brand-new Enduro Engineering/TBT/Seven-backed KX450 followed by new Pro 250 champ Layton Smail, the Sherco FactoryOne rider and his GPR Stabilizers/SxS/FXR 250 SEF ending up with 165 points, unofficially.
Second in class and seventh overall was enough for Layton Smail to earn the Pro 250 title.
“I thought I’d be a little more up front, but I just rode my own race all day, found my lines and tried to ride smooth the entire time instead of pushing it,” he said. “I wanted to battle with Gus Riordan, but he was on another level!”
FMF RPM Racing KTM’s Jaden Dahners had a mathematical chance at the Pro 250 title, but a crash in the second turn basically quashed that dream. Even more disappointing for him was new AMA Hare & Hound Pro 250 champ Sam Pretscherer coming from behind to snatch the final spot on the podium at the finish.
Liqui Moly Beta’s Zane Roberts rounded out the top 10 a week after wrapping up the H&H Championship.
Pro Vet 35+ saw Eric Stevenson wrap it up with his fifth-straight win on his One13 Suspension GasGas ahead of Red Bull professional skier Daron Rahlves and Patrick Garrahan, both riding KTMs.
Ava Silvestri dominated the morning race to seal an undefeated season in Pro Women and easily defended the number-one plate.
In Pro Women, GasGas-supported Ava Silvestri finally got her Wilseyville win to cap an undefeated season aboard her FMF/Dunlop/Troy Lee Designs EX 250F. InnTeck KTM-mounted Rachel Stout claimed second ahead of Ashlee Gage aboard her Let’s Ride KTM.
OVERALL
- Ricky Russell (Yam)
- Gus Riordan (KTM)
- Mateo Oliveira (KTM)
- Giacomo Redondi (GG)
- Dante Oliveira (KTM)
- Josh Toth (Kaw)
- Layton Smail (She)
- Jaden Dahners (KTM)
- Sam Pretscherer (Hus)
- Zane Roberts (Bet)
