Dahners Tops Great Escape Hare Scramble;
Mateo Takes Title
F
MF KTM Factory Off-Road
Racing Team's Mateo Oliveira
earned his first major champi-
onship since graduating to the
Open Pro division after being
first to the checkered flag at the
Great Escape Hare Scramble in
Bellingham, Washington, June
29. The sixth and final round of
the AMA West Hare Scrambles
(WHS) Regional Championship
Series, Presented by FMF, visited
the tight woods of Hannegan
Speedway for the finale, hosted
by the National Hare & Hound
Association (NHHA).
However, when adjusted times
are factored in, hometown hero
Jaden Dahners of the FMF/RPM
Racing KTM team was actually
40 seconds quicker than Oliveira
overall, not only taking his sec
-
ond consecutive Pro 250 victory
but also the overall win for the
first time. He completed the race
in two hours, 34 minutes and 18
seconds.
Defending Pro 250 champ
Layton Smail was a close third
overall, another 20 seconds back
after leading during the middle
stages, while second-year Pro
Ryder Thomaselli held off Colton
Aeck by one second for fourth
overall. Thomaselli managed to
clinch the Pro 250 championship
by just five points over Aeck,
138-133. In addition, the 395
Motorsports Husqvarna rider
took second in overall AA points
behind Oliveira, 147-111.
As he'd done multiple times
during the season, Oliveira got
out front early aboard his Josh
Zoppelt-prepared Red Bull/Dun
-
lop/Alpinestars-sponsored 450
XC-F and kept that physical lead
all afternoon.
"I really wanted to win the
race. I'm a little bummed I didn't,
but I figure I was a little too con
-
servative in the beginning, being
too patient and not realizing how
good [Smail and Dahners] were
WIND
IN THE
P36
Winning Pro/AA and
finishing second overall
at the finale was more
than enough to give Mateo
Oliveira his first major Pro
title since graduating to
450s.
PHOTOS: MARK KARIYA
