ROUND 9 / NOVEMBER 13-14, 2021
SHORTY'S SPORTS PARK / BLYTHE, CA
P76
OFF-ROAD I FMF AMA NATIONAL GRAND PRIX CHAMPIONSHIP (NGPC) SERIES
Second behind Mateo
Oliveira and ahead of
round-eight winner
Colton Aeck was
more than enough for
Tallon LaFountaine
to hold onto the Pro II
number-one plate.
around him about 35 minutes in
and they went back and forth,
though neither could pull any
ground on the other.
Concentrating on being
smooth aboard his FMF/Mo-
torex/Fly Racing-backed FX
450 helped Walton reel Oliveira
in on the last lap where he saw
his chance in the final corners:
"I outdrove him into a corner,"
Walton said. "I was going so fast;
I didn't even think I was going
to make the turn! I dove from
the outside in, took his line and
made the pass. He didn't just
give it to me, by no means!
"It feels really good to be able
to do it that way."
Walton added, "I've been
cleared [to ride] for three weeks
but on the bike, realistically,
for two weeks, two and a half
weeks. For me, I don't expect
anything less than winning. Still,
to be able to knock it off right off
an injury, to come back and win
the first race back] is awesome.
This is a gnarly track."
Though he also hates to lose,
Oliveira looked at the bigger pic-
ture: "I tried to get him back, but
I played it smart and finished out
where I needed to finish. I just
needed to beat old Cole Marti-
nez. [My team] said I could wrap
it up this weekend so I went out
and did what I could."
For Martinez, too many things
seemed to be against him, start-
ing with catching the flu after win-