VOLUME 57 ISSUE 37 SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 P41
der of the 90-minute feature
race on his AEO Powersports/
McGraw Powersports/Klim 450
XC-F.
"That's what I wanted to
do—just get out front and kind of
separate myself from everybody
else," Oliveira said. "I worked
hard over the break, and it paid
off.
"I think [the emphasis on
grass tracks today] might've
helped [me] out a little bit. It was
like being back in Portugal on
those wide-open grass tracks,
hanging it off the back of the
bike, setting yourself up good
for every corner because there
were a lot of them if you blow
wide, you're on the inside com-
ing into the next one. There was
a lot of setting yourself up."
Two-time and defending se-
ries champ Stewart hung gamely
onto Oliveira's rear fender all
afternoon and even grabbed the
lead briefly when the SLR Honda
crew opted to have him go an
extra lap before pitting to fuel his
Pro Circuit/Maxima/Fly Racing
CRF450RX.
"I was able to get the lead,
which was really crucial; I think
I pulled just a tad on him on that
lap because I knew if I was going
to do a real quick pit, I wanted to
stay in front of him because the
dust was brutal—it was horrid,"
Stewart said. "Unfortunately, I
ran into a lot of lappers and a lot
of dust—and I know Dante did as
well—so it was unfortunate, but
at the same time, I know I rode
to my fullest potential. I feel like
I've had a lot of doubters this
year, and I'd really like to prove
them all wrong."
At the checkered flag, one
second separated Oliveira and
Stewart.
About 50 seconds behind for
third, Motorex/Galfer/Sidi FX
450-mounted Walton noted, "It
was a fun day of racing, and I
really liked racing in the corn-
fields—that's something I've
never done before, so it was a
cool experience for me to try
that out. A couple times, I got
a little sketchy and almost went
into the cornfields!
"Honestly, I felt good. The
body's a little shocked jump-
ing back into racing [after six
months of no racing], but all in
all, it was a solid race."
Martinez hung on gamely for
fourth, revealing after the finish
Grass tracks and
cornfields were the
hallmarks of the Cache
Valley GP. Being so
much like an ISDE
special test made Dante
Oliveira feel right at
home as he sped to his
first win of the season.
Tyler Lynn topped the
Pro II field for the first
time this season.
