By: Connor Moore

February 14th, 2022 – Devore, CA – Hundreds of racers showed up for this Presidents Day Weekend edition of the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC WORCS series at Glen Helen Raceway. Southern California is known for its rich motocross history, and there are not many more historic sites for off-road racing than Glen Helen. Both days this weekend had gorgeous weather with the wind staying under control and the temps hovering in the mid-70s. Dane Perry and the rest of the WORCS Crew built a fantastic track with everything from wide-open sections to technical rock sections and a pro section that included k-rails on the short course section. After the dust settled, Dante Oliveira brought home the win in 450 Pro on his Red Bull Factory KTM; his brother Mateo Oliveira won the 250 Pro class on his RPM Racing KTM. in the Pro-Am class, Collier Martinez fought from the back to take home the hardware.

Gates dropped at 1:00 PM for the two-hour-long race, and the action would start immediately as the riders would come into the famous Talladega turn at full speed. Dante Oliveira would start the race back in 3rd but quickly make the passes around Walton and Cole Martinez to get into first, where they would battle for those positions most of the race. In the middle of the race, Martinez had an incident that resulted in him pulling into the pits to replace bent handlebars. “I was able to pass Cole on the k-rails just was able to get a better drive out of those.” Said Oliveira.  

In the second place, Walton aboard his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna was riding a smooth and fast pace to keep him on the podium after grabbing the holeshot.  He was putting on a charge late in the race showing his fitness and mental toughness, knocking a few seconds off the leaders’ lap time, causing a close race to the finish. Dare Demartile on his Beta Factory Racing machine finishes on the podium in third place; this is the first finish for Beta on the platform since 2014 and Demartile’s first WORCS podium ever. “My goal was to keep it on two wheels and give it all I got, and I couldn’t be happier with where we are today.” Said Demartile. 3rd place was no easy task with multiple riders very close behind, all trying to find a way to get by and get on the box.  

Mateo Oliveira started the race a little farther back after not getting the best start on his gate, and he made some smart and quick passes to get into that lead where he stayed to take home another in the Pro 250 Class. “I was able to settle in after making those passes and was able to hit my marks. Allowing me to be smooth for most of the 2 hours.” Said Oliveira. Australian rider Jack Simpson on his SLR Honda started about 4th over the Talladega and then was patient the first couple laps trying not to make any mistakes. A new face on the podium with Kai Aiello riding on his 3Bros Kilmartin Racing Husqvarna, who also was able to take the holeshot and lead the first lap. “I went down in the creek which shuffled me back, Jack passed me, and then the guys behind me caught up, which made for a hectic middle of the race but was able to smooth it out.” Said Aiello. 

Pro-Am was last off the line in the pro-race, with Collier Martinez taking the victory in the class but not without some hard battling done by the SLR Honda rider. Martinez had a spill in the second turn of the race, which had him buried in the very back of the pack to begin the race. The following two finishers, Mason Decunzo and Connor Eddy, were their 1st time on the Pro-Am podium. “It was my second time ever hitting K-Rails in my life, but we got through them pretty clean, so I am pretty stoked on that.” said Eddy. 

On Saturday, The Women’s Pro Class took the course during the day’s last race. Brandy Richards, on her Elite Racing KTM, was on fire, grabbing the holeshot and not only winning her race but finishing 3rd overall in the race with 450 and 250 A on the track. Kaitlyn Jacobs on the FMF RPM-backed KTM landed herself a 2nd place after missing round 1 with a shoulder injury. In third place, Lauren Woods on the 3Bros Kilmartin Racing GasGas machine came in 3rd place after battling with Jacobs the entire race, with the finish only being a few seconds apart.

The Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Series will be returning on March 11th-13th for the always fun round at Crazy Horse Campgrounds in Lake Havasu.