Information from an AMA West Hare Scrambles press release
Photo courtesy of AMA West Hare Scrambles
DOYLE, Calif. — Round one of the AMA West Hare Scrambles presented by Mojo Motorsport kicked off this weekend in Doyle, California. The 2024 Turtle Mountain Hare Scramble was hosted by the Lassen M/C Diamondbacks.
The conditions for this year’s season opener could not have been better, with a late season snow melting off just in time to leave wet dirt on the freshly groomed trails, minimizing the dust. The Lassen M/C has hosted the opening round for WHS for the past 4 years, and has always set up a fun, flow-y race leading the riders up and back down steep mountainous desert terrain. The 12 mile loop ended in a huge downhill known as “Widowmaker”, which could be seen from the pits and allowed spectators and teams the opportunity to view their racers ripping into the finish line. The fastest Pro racer completed the loop in just under 20 minutes. The race was 2.5 hours long, resulting in a maximum of 8 loops over the course of the sunny day.
Returning 2023 WHS Pro Champion RedBull FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Dante Oliveira showed up in full force ready to defend his title, which is exactly what he did. After an exciting back and forth battle with his teammate Mateo Oliveira, the champ secured his P1 position finishing less than a minute in front of his brother. The two secured the first two podium positions, clocking times of 2:40:17 and 2:41:02 unofficially.
Rounding the pro podium was Factory Beta’s Zane Roberts who had a couple get-off’s that cost him a little time, but also admitted he just wasn’t tracking his competition with as much speed. Due to a number of variables including the terrain and lappers, Roberts made the wise decision to set his own pace and finish the race without issue.
The Pro Women’s class had the benefit of racing the 1.5 hour morning race, being the first to touch the race course. This turned out to be a much appreciated benefit for the women. As the course saw more and more racers, the lines became more defined, making passing in some places nearly impossible. 2023 WHS season champion Gasgas Factory-supported racer Ava Silvestri came prepared to defend her title. It is safe to say she accomplished her mission, running lap times as fast as the Pro Open class, at just over 21 minutes. Knowing with those times she would come in just under the 1.5 hour on lap 4 (forcing everyone behind her to do another lap), the Pro racer strategically paced herself to slow down only slightly so she would finish just over the time limit at 1:30:26 unofficially. Not far behind her was Innteck KTM supported racer Rachel Stout, who got off to a great start and ran her own race, staying a comfortable distance in front of P3’s finisher Factory Beta Racing’s Britney Gallegos. Being the only racer in the Pro Women’s class on a two stroke, Gallegos felt she had the advantage with some of the sandy fast climbs up and down the Northern California terrain. The WHS Pro Women’s class showcases some amazing talent in the off-road racing community, setting the stage for an exciting 2024 season.
The Pro 250 class saw some new faces mixed in with the usual subjects this round. Most notable performances this weekend include Layton Smail, bringing Factory Sherco USA into the WHS scene. Smail wasted no time letting the field know he is here to win, talking briefly at the press conference before the race on the positive changes the brand has made to his 2024 SEF 250 Factory ride. Considering his impressive finish of P1 in his class and P4 overall, we’d have to agree; the pair appears to be a match made in heaven. Finishing a little over a minute behind Layton was FMF RPM KTM Racing Team’s Jaden Dahners. Dahners stepped up to the factory supported team in 2024. Rounding the Pro 250 podium was Ryder Thomaselli, a long-time WHS racer who worked his way up through the ranks to find himself seated on the Husqvarna Factory support team this season.
James McMurray raced his way to the top of the Pro Vet class this round, after some good battles with second place finisher Steve Roberts aboard his Yamaha. By the last lap Roberts had successfully made a pass on McMurray, only needing to progress the infamous Widowmaker steep down-hill, and cruise to the finish. Unfortunately for him (but fortunately for James) a lapper got in the way of Roberts’ smooth progression, holding him up just enough for McMurray to make a last minute pass for the win. Rounding out the Pro Vet podium was Chase Rosenquist, who was celebrating his bachelor party over the weekend, and surprised himself with a podium finish considering the post-celebratory condition he was in. A special congrats to him and his fiancé!
Overall the experience at this year’s AMA West Hare Scramble season opener was one of massive fun and excitement. The premiere part of the course, ‘Widowmaker’, was one the racers either came to love or hate, there really was no in-between.
Round two of the WHS is April 13th and 14th, in Jacksonville Oregon. Visit www.westharescrambles.com for more info, race registration, results, and live scoring.
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.