Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1527275
DeMartile Wins Ridgecrest NGPC E very year, the small desert town of Ridgecrest, California, comes to life with thousands of racers and spectators as the annual Desert Classic Grand Prix rolls into town. Hosted by the Viewfinders MC for the 50th time, the Desert Classic Grand Prix made up round seven of the Parts Unlimited AMA National Grand Prix Championship, presented by FMF, September 28-29. Being the first race after a long summer break, nothing was set in stone as the racers embarked on a challenging course that tra - versed city streets, blue-grooved hard pack, sand and silt, and piles of asphalt that made up the nearly nine-mile loop in triple- digit temperatures for 90-plus minutes in the feature Pro race on Sunday afternoon. Fresh off an AMA WHS win in Washougal the day before, four-time and defending series champion Dante Oliveira came in with a fight on his hands as he returned from an injury sustained at the Washougal AMA Pro Motocross National in late July. As the light turned green and the bikes fired to life, it was Purvines Racing Yamaha's Jack Simpson who snagged the holeshot and early race lead ahead of Tyler Lynn, Dare DeMartile and the rest of the Open Pro field. Simpson held a strong pace through the first lap and led DeMartile into lap two with a sizable margin on the rest of the field. Knowing the importance of getting out front early with dust being a major factor, DeMartile made a pass on Simpson to put his Factory Beta 480RR Race Edition in the lead on lap two. And just as DeMartile passed into first, Dante crept up to the rear wheel of Simpson, stalking the Yamaha rider as they embarked on the third of seven laps just a few seconds behind DeMartile. In the early stages of lap three, Oliveira worked his way up to second with sights set on the Beta pilot. However, as the race neared the one-hour mark, DeMartile started to inch away WIND IN THE P52 The NGPC Series resumed in Ridgecrest, California, and Beta's Dare DeMartile ran off with the win. PHOTOS: RYAN VITELLI