Oliveira Tops Glen Helen West
Hare Scrambles
O
ne week after a disappointing
fourth place at the recently
relocated Grand Prix, Rockstar
Energy Husqvarna's Mateo Olivei-
ra returned to Glen Helen Race-
way for round four of the AMA
West Hare Scrambles (WHS)
Regional Championship Series,
presented by FMF, and walked
away with his third Pro/AA win
of the season, beating round-two
winner Giacomo Redondi and
Liqui Moly Beta's Zane Roberts.
Canyon Excavation/Let's Ride
Kawasaki's Layton Smail wasn't
far behind those three, claim
-
ing his fourth-straight Pro 250
victory over FMF/RPM Racing
KTM rider Jaden Dahners, with
reigning class champ Ryder
Thomaselli recovering from a
spill to earn third.
And in Pro Women, Norman
Racing Husqvarna's Ava Silvestri
kept her perfect WHS season go-
ing with a dominating ride over
defending class champ Rachel
Stout, who had to work her way
around persistent Canyon Ex-
cavation/Let's Ride Kawasaki's
Ashlee Gage.
Hosted by the National Hare &
Hound Association (NHHA), the
course was surprisingly techni
-
cal, with an abundance of single-
track, some of which hadn't been
used in years. That, along with
the two-and-a-half-hour length,
set it apart from the usual Glen
Helen GP.
Asked to explain the differ-
ence, FMF/Dunlop/Fly Racing
FE 450-mounted Oliveira said,
"Honestly, the main thing is just
getting used to no practice at
a hare scramble. Walking up
Sunday, you've got your levers
and bars set, but you never get
to go and shake out the bike [like
other races]. You get so comfort
-
able with showing up that you
WIND
IN THE
P42
His third Pro/AA win
of the season padded
series champ Mateo
Oliveira's points lead
over Zane Roberts, who
was third on the day.
PHOTOS: MARK KARIYA
