Taking no time at all to start the year as Rocky Mountain ATV/MC WORCS returns to Honolulu Hills for the first round of action last weekend. This a stark contrast from the final round, as cold weather and a sprinkling of rain kept the dust down and the dirt tacky for the riders to put down some fantastic lap times. Dare Demartile begins his season with his first 450 Pro victory aboard his Beta USA ride. In 250 Pro, MX Phenom Brock Bennett showcased his versatility by taking the win. 

For the 2024 Season, FMF has Partnered with WORCS Racing to bring a $1000 cash purse for the winner of the Pro 125 class. As the gates dropped, Tristun Alvarez would fly out of the gate with the holeshot. Behind him, Travis Damon and Justin Seeds were flowing as they worked the fast, wide-open layout of Honolulu Hills. Alvarez put down the quickest lap of the weekend at just over 9:10.  Seeds had a late charge on his Purvines Racing Yamaha as he steadily knocked down the gap between him and Damon. Still, it was too late as Damon used all of his Perry Concepts Racing Engine to finish in second place. Also on Saturday, Women’s Pro lined up as Kaitlyn Jacobs looks to retain her championship plate. She was battling with former WMX Pro Nico Madsen as she showcased how she still can battle with the best. Jacobs finished first on her FMF RPM KTM, with Madsen finishing second.

In the 450 Pro Class, the top 5 were battling it with multiple lead changes during the 120-minute moto on a cold, breezy Sunday afternoon. Ryan Surratt shot out of the gate, grabbing the holeshot in front of Trevor Stewart and Tyler Lynn. Stewart, aboard his Purvines Racing Yamaha, quickly got ahead of Surratt as he battled with an arm pump and a shoulder flaring up from a past injury. Surratt would hold on but have to settle for 4th place. Demartile had a rough start as he looked up buried in 5th place, but it didn’t phase him a bit as he charged through the field using his Beta Machine to make quick work of the field, getting behind Stewart as the halfway point came quickly. Stewart and Demartile went into a pit on each other’s tails, but a quick pit by his new mechanic (His Father) pushed him into first as they left the pits side by side. Stewart sadly had a mechanical issue that would take him out of the running as his day was cut short. Justin Hoeft, who battled an illness all weekend, was determined to get as many points as possible, and as the track developed, it allowed Hoeft to put down the fastest lap in just over 9 minutes flat. He would finish in second as he could not reel in Demartile as the dust settled. SLR Honda newcomer Tyler Lynn also fought, finishing in third place on his new ride. Rounding out the top 5 was 450 Rookie Jack Simpson, a respectable performance for his first ride in the premier class. 

12 People lined up for the 250 Pro Class as the championship is anyone’s game, with the Simpson moving up to the 450 class. Aboard his 3 Bros Husqvarna, Kai Aiello showed his speed down the start, sliding into the first spot early on as the field behind him heated up. GNCC rider Mason Semmens, riding for KTM FMF RPM,  came to play with the West Coast riders as he made quick moves to find his way into the lead, slowly putting a gap in the rest of the field. A small mistake caused him to blow the back tire out, causing him to walk it back into the pits and lose a significant amount of time, but he was able to fight his way back to seventh place for his first WORCS race.

A local to this track is Moto rider Brock Bennett, who came to put his mark on his home turf. He kept his eyes on Aiello and Semmens, making his moves as he got around him, finishing in first just 3 seconds ahead of Aiello. Colton Aeck had quite the battle with Cole Zeller as they were fender to fender for multiple laps as they went through the rhythm section side by side, allowing him to pass Zeller and land himself on the podium’s final step, with Zeller getting 4th. Jake Alvarez finished out the top 5 riding for KTM FMF RPM

Pro-AM had a whole group of fresh faces, with many jumping into the pro ranks this year. Jackson Glathar put on a show coming down from St. George winning the Pro-AM by a 40 second gap over the 2nd place Keegan Hardy aboard his 125 two-smoker. Alex Dorsey finished out the podium as KTM sweeps the Pro-Am class.