VOLUME 57 ISSUE 44 NOVEMBER 3, 2020 P43
everything together [today]—just
got the holeshot and rode like I
normally [do].
"Dante and all these guys
have been going super-fast be-
cause they've been racing ever
since the seasons started back
up. Not being in that race pace
every weekend and taking the
time off with the broken collar-
bone, it was hard to get back up
to pace."
But Bell obviously had the
pace and more on this day as
he appeared to effortlessly keep
Oliveira and his AEO Powers-
ports/Motorex/Klim 450 XC-F
at bay.
"It wasn't my best race to-
day, but there were no falls or
anything like that so nothing to
complain about," Oliveira said.
"There were a bunch of passing
opportunities [that the course
presented], but I don't know—
Zach just took off and I couldn't
chase him down. I wasn't able
to push harder so I sort of just
settled for second once we got
halfway through. We're going to
try to figure out a few things and
come back swinging for the next
couple rounds."
Having assumed the points
lead will temper his approach,
though: "Definitely you've got
to think of the championship.
We've got the points lead now
so we're definitely going to be
smooth for the next one, but I
like winning and you can't let
Zach take off on us so I'm going
to do everything I can to keep
him in my sight."
For Slam Life Racing (SLR)
Honda's Trevor Stewart on his
CRF450RX, third place ex-
tended his podium streak to five
in a row, but he was somewhat
frustrated at not being closer to
Bell—and being without an event
win so far this season didn't
sit well with the two-time and
current series champ either as
he came in 10 seconds behind
Oliveira.
"It's not where we want to
be—you always want to win—but
at the same time, a race like this
is very crucial for points," he
said. "Finishing in front of Walton
today was just as crucial, but I
wanted to get Dante [and those
extra couple points].
"I got off to a pretty good start.
I just lacked that real fast speed
It took five races, but
professional motocrosser
Colton Aeck appears to
have figured out off-road
racing, as he took the
Pro II victory and finished
10th overall in a tightly
contested battle.
