Having won the opening
round of the AMA WHS two
weekends ago, Oliveira is tied
with Roberts at the top of the
newly created, 13-round Off-
Road Masters Championship,
which combines points from
the AMA West Hare Scrambles
Championship and Hare &
Hound Championships into one.
Separate champions, however,
will still be crowned.
Current Pro 250 H&H champ
Pretscherer found himself
playing catchup all day on his
Precision Concepts/Goldentyre/
Troy Lee Designs FX 250, at
one point stopping to assist the
fallen Preston Campbell. The
3Bros/Hatch Racing Husqvarna
Hare Scrambles (WHS) Regional
Championship Series, where
he's a two-time champ. The Red
Bull/Motorex/Alpinestars 450
XC-F rider Oliveira said, "I like
to say I got the whole hare and
hound experience this week
-
end. The bomb was wild! I got a
decent
jump, but then I funneled
in behind Shirey.
"I charged where I could and
where I was confident, and I kind
of pumped the brakes where I
wasn't too sure. It was an alright
day, but Zane, he put on a clinic
and absolutely smoked us, so
if I want to be competitive and
have a shot at winning this, I've
got some work to do—but I like
that!"
Former champ Shirey finished
the 40-mile first loop one minute
and 30 seconds behind Roberts
after reportedly getting lost off
the course. The Rockstar Energy
Husqvarna Factory Racing Off-
Road Team stalwart appeared
to be headed to a sure second
place in the latter stages of the
50-mile second loop but appar
-
ently went down fairly hard. That
allowed the charging Oliveira
to
slip past after holding a strong
fifth as they began the second
loop.
Though not known as a
desert racer, Oliveira was testing
the hare and hound waters, as
he considers chasing the title
or remaining in the AMA West
ROUND 1 / JANUARY 25-26, 2025
JOHNSON VALLEY OHV / LUCERNE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
OFF-ROAD I AMA HARE & HOUND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
P82
After stopping to
assist a fallen rider and
getting lost a couple of
times, Pro 250 champ
Sam Pretscherer
climbed through the
pack to win the class in
third overall.
