Ava and Layton Lead to Victory in Pro Women and Pro 250
Information from an AMA West Hare Scrambles press release (written by Mary Rinell)
Photo courtesy of Mark Kariya
Prineville, Oregon — Round three of the AMA West Hare Scrambles presented by Mojo Motosport, the Desperado Hare Scramble, took place this past weekend in the rural, quaint Oregon town of Prineville. By the time racers were rolling into battle for podium positions, the dry rocky terrain promised dust that would be rising through the pines come race day. The 15-mile course took the fastest pro racer just over 34-minutes to complete a lap, with final race times running 2:50:52 for the overall finisher.
With the first two rounds showcasing both FMF Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team’s Oliveira brothers (Dante and Mateo) on the podium, the question on everyone’s mind was: is this the new normal? However, 3Bros Hatch GASGAS Factory supported racer Giacomo Redondi had different plans. Both Dante and Giacomo got a good jump off the start, resulting in tight 1-2 positions the first two laps. Running ahead of his KTM competitor on lap three, Redondi made the decision to pit for gas. Oliveira decided he’d had enough of eating Redondi’s dust, and made the quick decision to hold off on pitting until lap four. Putting down the hammer in an attempt to create a gap, he pushed hard, navigating through lappers. Around that time, Giacomo lost his shifter lever, giving Oliveira an unforeseen advantage. Fortunately, for Giacomo, he was in third gear, and although not ideal to be unable to shift your bike for the remainder of the race, he was able to keep the momentum going to maintain a second place finish behind Dante.
Not far behind the duo were Dante’s teammate Mateo and Factory Beta Racing Team’s Zane Roberts. An unexpected knee injury in round two had caused Zane to have to ride smart and pull back slightly, resulting in a fifth place round two finish. After a four week break between rounds, Roberts was feeling around 90% going into Prineville. Knowing that pushing too hard this round could result in further injury, his plan was clear: maintain a realistic pace, minimizing mistakes for a clean finish. Zane lead Mateo off the start for the first two laps. Losing a position to him on lap three due to pitting first, he was quickly able to gain it back on lap four when the KTM racer had to fuel up himself. The Factory Beta racer completed the day in the final podium position.
The Pro Women’s class had a surprise entry this round, with Oregon local Red Bull JCR Honda Factory Racing’s Tarah Geiger joining the women’s line up. The three lap morning race was nothing short of exciting, with many of the competitors swapping positions at least once. Innteck-supported KTM racer Rachel Stout found herself leading the charge for lap one, having gotten the jump on her competition off the start line. But by the end of loop two, points leader and defending champion, GASGAS Factory-supported racer Ava Silvestri had found an opportunity to make the pass on Stout. The two raced all three laps within mere seconds of each other, with JCR Honda’s Geiger a comfortable three minutes or so behind the pair in third. The trio would hold these positions through the checkers, increasing Ava‘s points lead, and moving Rachel up in points to second going into the final round of the season before summer break.
The 2024 WHS season might be one of the most competitive yet in the Pro 250 class. The top two racers have swapped 1-2 podiums both rounds, allowing for tied points going into round three. With two more rounds to go before summer break, everyone is wondering where the points will fall, in this competitive class. Knowing starting position would play an important role in the weekend’s race (mostly due to dusty conditions), FMF RPM KTM Factory racer Jaden Dahners got the jump he wanted when the green flag dropped, charging ahead to lead the pack. Factory Sherco Racing Team’s Layton Smail was not going to let him off easy, sticking closely on his rear tire, patiently waiting for his chance to make a pass. By lap two the Sherco rider had seized the opportunity to push ahead, and maintained a slightly faster race pace all four additional laps securing his top step on the podium. Dahners kept Smail humble all race, but unable to take the lead again he settled for a second place finish. Not far behind the two, Husqvarna Motorcycles Factory-supported racer Ryder Thomaselli cruised into third, a little more than 3 1/2 minutes behind the pair. Ryder has been consistent all season, rounding out the podium all three rounds.
As the weekend’s race fell on Mother’s Day; from all of the staff here at the NHHA, we’d like to send a very Happy Mother’s Day to all the moto moms out there busy raising champions! Round four of the WHS is June 8th-9th in Bellingham, WA. We hope to see you there! Visit www.westharescrambles.com for more info, race registration, results, and live scoring. Follow us on FB IG and YouTube for our season series “Chasing Ribbon”.
Thank you to our sponsors FMF, Beta, KTM, Husqvarna Motorcycles, GASGAS, Cricket Speaker, Zingg, PCI Radios, Sign Art, IWC Tire Pros, STACYC, Mojo Motosports, Klim, Unsworth Racing, Racer Decal, RAD Custom Graphics.
For Full Results https://www.moto-tally.com/whs/Results.aspx