28.03.2021
TAYLOR ROBERT BATTLES BACK FOR A RUNNER-UP SPOT
Round 3 - WORCS - March 28, 2021
LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Dante Oliveira dominated Round 3 of the 2021 World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) with an impressive flag-to-flag victory over teammate Taylor Robert in the Pro 450 Open class. The duo came into Sunday’s race in Lake Havasu City, Arizona all tied up in the championship standings but Oliveira now leaves with a three-point advantage after claiming his second win of the season.
Oliveira got off to a second-place start in the Pro 450 Open class but he quickly powered his KTM 450 XC-F into the lead on the opening lap and he never looked back, slowly breaking away from the rest of the field. By the time Robert caught up to the second-place position, Oliveira had managed to create a 40-second gap out front. He maintained a strong pace through the second half of the race to ultimately finish 21.5 seconds ahead of his teammate after 23 laps of racing.
Oliveira: “I made the pass about halfway through the first lap and just started riding my own race. I just chilled out in the first half, paced myself and rode smooth, I didn’t want to push and get tired with the heat and these guys were riding great. My bike worked awesome and I felt awesome, it felt like home at Havasu.”
For Robert, it was all about making the best of a tough day. The reigning champion found himself in an unfavorable position off the start and charging through the pack on the opening lap, he got taken out by another rider and went down, allowing everyone to pass by. Robert got up and started making quick moves but he was taken out once again on lap two by a different rider, leaving him with his work cut out from the start. He put his head down and powered his KTM 450 XC-F into second halfway through the race, working hard to close in on the leader’s gap. Robert was able to cut his deficit in half but he ultimately ran out of laps, finishing second on the day.
Robert: “I got a terrible start and I knew I was going to have some work cut out for me. After getting cleaned out twice, I made some moves and got up front but I just lost too much time on the early laps. Once I got through the pack, Dante and I were running the same speed, which has been our program this year, so if I give him a 45 second head start it’s pretty much impossible to catch back up. I rode as hard as I could and I stayed consistent all day, I’m just going to have to get him at the next one.”
FMF/RPM/KTM Racing Team Maxxis rider Mateo Oliveira finished on the Pro 250 podium in third, where he maintains the early lead in the championship standings with two wins behind him.
KTM-Supported rider Brandy Richards secured two big victories in front of a hometown crowd over the weekend. On Sunday, Richards captured her first win in the highly-competitive Pro Am division, while also extending her win-streak in the Women’s Pro class to three-in-a-row at Round 3.
Round 4: Taft, California – April 16-18, 2021
Results – Round 3
Pro 450 (MC) Results
1. Dante Oliveira, KTM, 23 laps
2. Taylor Robert, KTM, +21.482
3. Austin Walton, HQV, +02:30.690
Pro 250 (MC) Results
1. Chance Hymas, KAW, 23 laps
2. Tallon Lafountaine, HON, +55.236
3. Mateo Oliveira, KTM, +01:11.974
Pro Am (MC) Results
1. Brandy Richards, KTM, 21 laps
2. Evan Stice, HON, +01:16.932
3. Alex Morgan, HQV, +02:59.971
Championship Standings – After Round 3
Pro 450 (MC) Standings
1. Dante Oliveira, 72 points
2. Taylor Robert, 69
3. Austin Walton, 53