VOLUME 57 ISSUE 48 DECEMBER 1, 2020 P57
finish all season, 3 Bros./SRT
Husqvarna's Dalton Shirey
finally broke through with his first
podium appearance thanks to a
spirited ride to third which unof-
ficially moves him up a spot to
fourth in points.
"I've been feeling really good,"
Pro Circuit/Maxxis/Moose
Racing-backed KX450 rider
Bell said. "Dante's been go-
ing good—I know he's going
for the championship, but like
I said, I'm out there to mix it up
and to go for wins. I know he's
probably managing [the 2020
championship] right now. I was
going to wait a little bit longer to
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY MARK KARIYA
C
haparral Motorsports/
Precision Concepts
Kawasaki's Zach Bell
may be out of the running for the
2020 FMF AMA National Grand
Prix Championship (NGPC)
Series crown he once owned in
2017 after missing two rounds
this season, but he's looking
ahead to next year and a clean
slate. If his start-to-finish winning
performance at the Hilltoppers
Motorcycle Club's 75th Anniver-
sary Grand Prix is a preview of
2021, his competition could be
facing hard times.
But Dante Oliveira's runner-up
finish at the 29 Palms Motors-
port Complex race—coupled with
the unusual retirement of several
of his closest rivals—wrapped up
this year's championship for the
FMF/Maxxis/RPM Racing KTM
racer one round early. (Previous
points leader Austin Walton has
been diagnosed with deep vein
thrombosis and must sit out the
rest of the year while Slam Life
Racing [SLR] Honda teammates
Trevor Stewart and Cole Marti-
nez both suffered DNFs.)
Oliveira wasn't the only one
celebrating, though. After knock-
ing at the door of a podium
The Pros head
towards the first turn
for their 90-minute
feature race on a
cool, crisp day in
Twentynine Palms.
