ROUND 9 / NOVEMBER 13-14, 2021
SHORTY'S SPORTS PARK / BLYTHE, CA
P74
OFF-ROAD I FMF AMA NATIONAL GRAND PRIX CHAMPIONSHIP (NGPC) SERIES
especially after over-jumping
one of the first jumps and almost
crashing.
"I closed my eyes! That defi-
nitely got me a little bit puckered
up," he admitted, and that al-
lowed Walton a free pass to first,
though Oliveira recovered quickly
and stayed close.
Walton's pace was impressive
in his first race back after suffer-
ing a broken scapula at the ISDE
in September, but Oliveira got
Oliveira put his Bobby Dawson-
prepped Red Bull/Dunlop/Thor
450 XC-F out front immediately
with Stewart, Walton, Jet World/
Fast House Husqvarna's Justin
Hoeft, 3 Bros./Hatch Racing Gas-
Gas-mounted Giacomo Redondi
and the rest of the Pros in tow.
Though Oliveira carried a
27-point lead over Martinez into
the Prospectors race and didn't
have to win, the reigning series
champ rode as if he had to win,
The Prospectors Motorcycle
Club's 36th Annual Prospec-
tors Grand Prix saw the race
for the day's win go down to
the wire with Rockstar Energy
Husqvarna's Austin Walton send-
ing it on the final lap to banzai
past Oliveira, claiming the day's
victory by just one second after
the 90-minute thrash around the
very sandy and rough course
at Shorty's Sports Park. Fast
House/Team Green Kawasaki's
Trevor Stewart claimed third—his
second straight podium appear-
ance—while SLR Honda's Cole
Martinez saw his slim hopes of
overtaking Oliveira for the title
evaporate with a rare DNF after a
timely triumph at round eight.
You wouldn't know it was
Austin Walton's first race
back after breaking his
scapula at the ISDE in
September. He captured the
win in his first race back.
