13.06.2021
PRESTON, Idaho – FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Dante Oliveira returned to the center of the podium on Sunday with his third victory of the season at Round 5 of the 2021 World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS). Oliveira successfully fended off his hard-charging teammate, Taylor Robert, who battled his way to a close second-place finish.
Temperatures in the high 80s created dry and dusty conditions at Cache Valley MX, making it difficult to pass in the higher speed grassy sections. Oliveira got off to a great start, grabbing the holeshot aboard his KTM 450 XC-F and assuming the early lead. He maintained a solid pace out front for the first half of the race but Robert was able to catch up after his pit stop. Making the pass on Oliveira, Robert’s lead was short lived as he quickly went down and Oliveira was able to reclaim the lead and carry it through the checkers to claim his third victory of 2021.
Oliveira: “I was able to grab the holeshot and take off early but I wasn’t able to get a gap on the other riders, so I relaxed and put my head down and rode smooth. Taylor put on a charge around the halfway mark, catching me the lap after my pit. I kept the pressure on and he tucked the front wheel, giving me the lead and a chance to catch my breath to hammer out the last two laps and grab the win.”
For Robert, he found himself back in fourth after getting pushed wide off the start but he quickly powered his KTM 450 XC-F into third by lap two. He eventually got into a groove that allowed him to charge up to second later in the race and he strategized a pass for the lead just after Oliveira’s pit stop. However, Robert tucked the front end while in the lead and went down, dropping back to second late in the race. Despite a valiant effort, Robert finished about nine seconds back for second overall.
Robert: “It definitely wasn’t my best race but I was able to salvage something out of it. The track was extremely dusty and it was really hard to pass but I did have a couple good lines out there. I passed Dante and was in the lead for only about a minute and I parked the front with about a lap and a half to go and he got by me again. After that, I just couldn’t get by him again so I got second on the day but I’m glad to walk away healthy. It’s still a super tight championship chase and now we’ll just focus on these next few hard enduros and ISDE, and hopefully get a little recharge going into the second half of the season.”
KTM-Supported rider Brandy Richards had another stellar ride in the Pro Am division, where she came away with a second-place podium finish in the highly-competitive class. Additionally, KTM-mounted riders Angus Riordan and Colton Aeck secured a pair of podium finishes in the Pro 250 class.
Round 6: Wickenburg, Arizona – September 10-12, 2021
Results – Round 5
Pro 450 (MC) Results
1. Dante Oliveira, KTM, 10 laps
2. Taylor Robert, KTM, +09.593
3. Austin Walton, HQV, +18.337
Pro 250 (MC) Results
1. Chance Hymas, KAW, 10 laps
2. Angus Riordan, KTM, +53.679
3. Colton Aeck, KTM, +27.717
Pro Am (MC) Results
1. Evan Stice, HON, 10 laps
2. Brandy Richards, KTM, +11.421
3. Dallas Serpa, GAS, +02:39.204
Championship Standings – After Round 5
Pro 450 (MC) Standings
1. Dante Oliveira, 117 points
2. Taylor Robert, 116
3. Austin Walton, 95