By: Connor Moore

It’s Memorial Day weekend, and what better time to kick off the last round before the summer break of the Rocky Mountain WORCS ATV/MC WORCS series. The race was held at the Three Peaks Oasis center in Cedar City, Utah, and with the course being over five miles, we would see the average lap time clock in at just over the 9-minute mark, with leaders getting laps in around 8 minutes and 45 seconds. The Oliveira brothers would both win in their respective classes aboard their KTM machines, as Collier Martinez would take the win in Pro-AM and Brandy Richards would stand on top during the Women’s Pro race on Saturday. 

The WORCS crew built an outstanding track at Three Peaks Oasis as it would send the riders back and forth thru the trees with over 200 turns on the course. Pro 450 and 250 would line up together, giving the first glimpse of Dante and Mateo Oliviera starting side by side before the 2-hour-long moto.  Onboard his Factory Rockstar Husqvarna, Austin Walton would pull the holeshot as both Tyler Lynn and Dante Oliveira would be right behind after the first turn.

Lynn would pass Walton on the first lap of the race but would have some minor bike issues that would require a quick pit stop by his Precision Concepts Kawasaki team to get it all fixed and back on the course. This would allow Oliveira to slide behind Walton as they would battle hard against each other for a few laps while he tried to hold off the points leader. Once Oliveira made the pass on his RedBull KTM, he would have clean air and made the best of it by setting sail and putting a gap on his competitors. 

Birthday boy Dare Demartile who would start near the back of the pack after the dead engine start on his Factory beta machine would put on a clinic as he made his way thru the dust up to second place. He would put a hard charge the entire race as the final laps occurred; he would catch up enough to see Oliveira but would have to settle for second place after an impressive comeback. This second place would be his best finish at a WORCS event and the best finish for Factory Beta Racing at any WORCS event. After the minor mechanical issues, Lynn would fight his way back into third as he pushed hard to get around Demartile but would wind up having to stick with third place as the checkered flag waved. Lynn would find himself on the podium for the third straight round, making it his personal best and sitting second in points leading into the break.

Mateo Oliviera would start in the 5th position overall and first in class after the start. He would keep pushing hard through the race at one point, being pushed hard into a corner by a 450 rider but staying consistent would be able to take his RPM KTM to another first-place finish. This will make him the first rider to be able to start the year 12 for 12 in any Grand Prix-style racing format. Behind him was another moto specialist turned off-road racer Kai Aiello on his 3Bros Kilmartin Racing Husqvarna. He would begin fourth or fifth on the line, but his cornering skills would help him fight to a second-place finish. Thomas Dunn on his Purvines Racing Yamaha, would battle with Aiello and settle for third place after the moto. The points race behind Oliveira is heating up as Dunn and Aiello will be going into the break only separated by one point and our next round being a double round for points; it’s anyone’s game! 

In Pro-AM, Collier Martinez on his SLR Honda machine would continue his perfect season with another dominating victory at Three Peaks Oasis. Martinez would get an okay start as he was towards the back of the pack, but it didn’t take him long before he found his way thru his competitors to find himself out in front. He would lay down the hammer as he began to space out from the rest of the field where he would finish first. Brandy Richards, who won the Women’s pro race on Saturday over Mica Diaz, would race again on Sunday in the Pro-AM class, where she would come in second. Lastly, Hayden Florez would find himself on the box for the first time this season as he had a big comeback to take the 3rd place position.

Thank you to all the racers, sponsors, and the WORCS crew for putting together a fantastic weekend in Cedar City. We hope everyone has a great summer break and want to see everyone at Preston, Idaho, on September 16th-18th for Round 7&8 of the WORCS Series.