to pit for new handlebars, putting
him well back in the field. He
eventually finished out the race
13th.
From there, Oliveira opened
a comfortable lead, at one point
as much as 48 seconds over
Walton.
But Walton wasn't through
yet. He put on a charge during
the second half of the race that
got him to within 16 seconds of
Oliveira with three laps to go, but
that was as close as he would
get to the defending champ,
Oliveira, who took the checkers
22 seconds ahead of Walton.
Dare Demartile gave Beta its
first WORCS podium since 2014
with third, and it was the first
WORCS podium ever for the
rider from Lincoln, California.
The factory-backed Beta rider
started off in sixth but gradually
worked his way up through the
field. Three laps from the end,
Demartile got around former
National Hare and Hound Cham-
pion Dalton Shirey (Husqvarna)
Mateo Oliveira topped the Pro 250 class.
Eventual runner-up
Austin Walton (50)
leads the start of the
Pro 450 class.
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 8 FEBRUARY 23, 2022 P43
