Primm, NV –  RPM/KTM’s Dante Oliveira scored his second Pro class victory of the season during the Rocky Mountain ATV MC WORCS Series Presented by Polaris RZR and Dirt Bike Pro Motorcycle race at Buffalo Bills Resort and Casino. The event was the penultimate race of the season for the motorcycle classes. Mateo Oliveira won the Pro 2 race, Tyler Lynn finished first in Pro 2 Lights, and Brandy Richards netted the Pro Women victory to clinch the championship.

The event was held on the combined motocross and off-road course in the desert adjacent to Buffalo Bill’s. A regular stop on the WORCS tour, the officials elected to make the already challenging course even more exciting with the addition of two Pro-only rocks sections.

In the Pro race, Oliveira again eschewed his typical hardcore riding style and rode a steady but fast pace on his KTM for the first hour of the two-hour race, riding third behind the KTM of Taylor Robert and Zach Bell’s Kawasaki. Then he made his move. After pitting with Robert, he capitalized on a Robert’s miscue in one of the rock sections to take the lead for good. Robert finished second, ahead of Bell.

“I got a third-place start and stayed mellow for the first hour, watching Taylor and Zach to see what they were doing,” said Oliveira. “Once Taylor made a mistake, I put a charge on and ran smooth the whole race. The rock sections were nasty, but I was able to get through them cleanly every lap. WORCS did an awesome job with this course. It flowed amazingly. I really enjoyed it and I heard a lot of good things about it.”

Robert fell to third after going over the bars in one of the rock sections. He eventually caught Bell, but was gassed after having to make up so much time. Though he finished second, he missed locking up the 2020 Championship by one point, giving Oliveira one more extremely outside chance to unseat him at the finale in Lake Havasu. “I made a little mistake and Dante got past me,” explained Robert. “Then I dropped my wheel into a hole and I went over the bars. It took me a lap to really get going again. I got past Zach in the rocks, but I just didn’t have enough in me to get up to Dante. This was probably one of the best Primm tracks we’ve had in a while.”

Bell, who isn’t in the points after missing two races in the middle of the season, is riding just for results and his finish here was his best so far this year. He had to overcome a broken clutch lever to score the final spot on the podium. “Today was tough because a rock came up and broke my clutch lever and the auto clutch wasn’t working,” said Bell. “It was struggle through the rocks because the bike would stall out and I would fall over. I gave it my all and I’m ready to keep pushing.”

After scoring his first Pro win at Blythe, Austin Walton was missing from the lineup this weekend due to a medical issue, but he should be back in action for the final round of the season.

In Pro 2, Mateo Oliveira padded his points lead with his fifth victory of the season. Riding a KTM, Mateo Oliveira didn’t get a great start, but used the first rock section to his advantage taking the lead on the first lap. From there, he held off a charging Tallon Lafountaine on his Honda for the victory. Todd Sibell finished third on a Kawasaki.

“I didn’t get the best start but WORCS threw in two really nasty rock sections,” said Mateo Oliveira. “There were two lines through the first one and I made three moves on everyone to get the lead. From there I pushed my pace the whole two hours. Tallon and I were really moving.”

Though Lafountaine lost five points on Oliveira in the title chase he’s still just 12 points out of the lead going into the final race. He has come on strong late in the season, and that should make for an interesting finish to the season in Havasu. “Mateo had five or six seconds on me in the first hour and then I pitted early,” said Lafountaine. “I came back out and put the hammer down knocking out two really good laps and I reeled him in. We had a really good battle for an entire lap. Overall, this was one of my best races of the year. I was the faster guy today, but Mateo had more experience.”

Sibell started dead last after having issues on the start line. He spent the entire two hours making a methodical drive through the field to finish third, marking his third consecutive podium. “I got a dead last start so I didn’t even get to see the front of the pack,” explained Sibell. “I had to make my way to the front. I did what I could and I managed third today. The course was brutal and the rocks section was gnarly; I’ve never ridden anything like it.”

In Pro 2 Lights, Lynn added to his points lead with his sixth win of the season on his Yamaha. He now sits 12 points ahead of Angus Riordan, who finished eighth on a KTM. Jake Alvarez was second on a Kawasaki, ahead of the KTM of Will Riordan.

“I got a really good jump at the start and made it up to second,” said Lynn. “I took the lead going into the second lap and just put it on cruise. It’s really nice because this gives me a nice cushion in my points lead and it’s always good to get a win.”

Alvarez’s second-place finish moves him to third in points just one point behind Angus Riordan. With just 13 points separating them, it will make for one thrilling three-bike battle for the title at the season finale. “I missed the start and that set me back,” said Alvarez. “I fought through the pack the entire race and luckily, I made a pass for second on the final laps and that’s where I finished.”

Will Riordan rounded out the top three in the Pro Lights class, which is his third podium finish of the season.

Richards remained perfect in the Pro Women class, winning her eighth consecutive race, which clinched her the championship. Kaitlyn Jacobs was second, followed by Lauren Woods. All were riding KTMs.

“I didn’t get the holeshot so I had to make some quick passes to take the lead,” said Richards. “From there I just rode my own race and pushed into the people ahead of me.”

The WORCS motorcycles will finish out the season in Lake Havasu City, AZ December 4-6