Dante Oliveira and Johnny Girroir Headline FMF KTM Factory Racing 1-2 at Camp Coker GNCC
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 | 1:40 PM
DANTE OLIVEIRA AND JOHNNY GIRROIR HEADLINE FMF KTM FACTORY RACING 1-2 AT CAMP COKER GNCC
KTM Offroad Weekend Update
GRAND NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP (GNCC) - ROUND 4
The opening three rounds of the GNCC season have been won by FMF KTM Factory Racing's Johnny Girroir in the XC1 Open Pro Class, but this time out in the high-speed sands of Camp Coker, it was Dante Oliveira who stood on top of the podium in a breakout performance.
Oliveira – who is filling in for injured team regular Ben Kelley at select rounds of GNCC this year – quickly established himself at the front of the pack on his KTM 350 XC-F and was able to hold on for the victory, directly ahead of Girroir as he managed to extend his advantage atop the standings.
Dante Oliveira: "Everybody had been saying Coker was my round and it was today! I felt great off the start, took over the lead in the second turn and rode smart, charged where I could, managed where I had to, and it ended up working out. Johnny got around me at the hour mark and then he ended up tucking it in one of the sand berms, so I snuck back around him and regrouped. He kept me honest the whole race and I did what I could to stay out front, so we're really happy and excited to get this one in GNCC."
Johnny Girroir: "It was a good race. I got off to a good start and was following Dante the first lap – he was ripping and had me in the open stuff. I felt like I had more in the tight stuff, but there's no passing out there. We were wheel-to-wheel the whole race and that's what racing's all about! I feel good, we've had four solid rounds, so let's keep the ball rolling from here."
FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers also starred at Camp Coker, with Gus Riordan taking full advantage of a late mishap from teammate Grant Davis to win his second race of the year, the pair delivering a 1-2 result equipped with the KTM 250 XC-F in the XC2 250 Pro Class. As a result, Riordan has reclaimed the series lead, two points clear of Davis.
Angus Riordan: "I got the holeshot and led the first four laps, then Grant got around me, but I put my head down, sort of caught him in the end there and I could see it looked like he started to make a few mistakes... He went down and I got him, so stoked! You don't give up in these races."
Grant Davis: "It was a fun race, for sure. I had a terrible start and saw Gus was in the front checking out, so knew I had to go before he got too far ahead. I started passing everybody and we got together after that and it was a fun battle all the way for the rest of the day. I had the lead, but got my front-end taken out by an XC1 rider toward the finish, so I crashed and lost the win, but congrats to Gus and the team."
The dominant results of FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers extended to the WXC division, where Brandy Richards took her second GNCC win riding the KTM 250 XC-F, becoming the first two-time winner of the year and moving to within a single point of the championship lead following four rounds.
Brandy Richards: "It was a good race for me. Started off kind of terrible, but made my way through the pack. I had a little tip-over, but knew that the second half was a little more open and I was able to get through to the front. From there on I just tried to push, get a good gap, and make it to the finish, so I just brought it home."
XC1 Open Pro Class Results
1. Dante Oliveira, KTM
2. Johnny Girroir, KTM
3. Grant Baylor, KAW
XC2 250 Pro Class Results
1. Angus Riordan, KTM
2. Grant Davis, KTM
3. Thad Duvall, KAW
WXC Class Results
1. Brandy Richards, KTM
2. Rachael Archer, KAW
3. Rachel Gutish, SHR
U.S. HARD ENDURO SERIES - ROUND 2
Round 2 of the U.S. Hard Enduro Series arrived at the Grinding Stone event in Page, Arizona, with FMF KTM Factory Racing's defending champion Trystan Hart motivated to take his first win of the 2024 season after finishing runner-up at the opener in January on his KTM 300 XC-W.
Hart won Saturday's opening race of the weekend and then repeated again on Sunday morning in Race 2, however, a dramatic final encounter saw him lead the early stages until a crash ultimately caused some damage in the technical, rocky, sand-based terrain. Still, he was able to continue on and salvage P2 in a gritty performance for his title prospects.
Trystan Hart: "In the final race I was able to rip the holeshot, but made a pretty big mistake, so lost a minute there and went back to third. I caught back up, got in the lead, and had a two-minute advantage before I made a critical mistake – a pretty big crash – and the bike landed on top of me. I bent my bars and triple-clamps, so just salvaged what I could from there – I wasn't even sure if I was going to get second. Back-to-back seconds to start the year, but we will keep pushing and onto the next one!"
Pro Class Results
1. Cody Webb, SHR
2. Trystan Hart, KTM
3. Ryder LeBlond, HQV
Upcoming Offroad Races – April 2024
4/1: U.S. Sprint Enduro Series - Round 3
4/8: National Grand Prix Championship - Round 4
4/8: National Enduro Series - Round 2
4/15: Grand National Cross Country Series - Round 5
4/15: West Hare Scrambles Series - Round 2
4/22: U.S. Sprint Enduro Series - Round 4
4/29: Grand National Cross Country Series - Round 6
4/29: National Grand Prix Championship - Round 5
4/29: U.S. Hard Enduro Series - Round 3