Taft, CA – Dante Oliveira came out ahead of a shootout with Taylor Robert to win the opening round of the Rocky Mountain ATV MC WORCS Sprint Enduro Racing Presented by Dirt Bike at Honolulu Hills Raceway. Riding in the Pro Class, Oliveira dominated the moto tests to beat out Robert, who finished second. Dalton Shirey was third after just his second start in the Sprint discipline.

Sprint Hero features a unique format that pits racers against the clock on different course segments called tests. There was a total of twelve test with six enduro and six moto, and racing conditions couldn’t have been better with a picture-perfect day with temps in the mid-70s with clear skies. The tame the silty enduro section, the WORCS crew watered it heavily, which did make it a bit slick, but kept the dust to a minimum.

Oliveira has spent the past two years in Robert’s shadow in both the WORCS Series and in Sprint Hero. He came out of that shadow with masterful work in the motocross tests, as well as consistent times in the off road.

“I’ve been working a lot harder on sprints this year and I was able to piece it all together,” said Oliveira. “I felt great on the moto section and just tried to stay smooth on the off-road section where Taylor was a little bit better than me. I had a lot of fun, I really enjoy this series, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”

Robert stayed with Oliveira and was definitely the better of the two in the enduro sections. Unfortunately for Robert, he took a spill during the final off road test and fell to second in the final order. “Dante was riding really well, and it was all I could do to try to stay within striking distance on the moto track,” said Robert. “I tried to make up the lost time on the off road, which I did every lap. I thought I had it covered but on that last lap I just tucked the bars and went over. That was it for me.”

Shirey admitted this wasn’t his best showing. Consistency is key in Sprint Enduro racing and Shirey said he had trouble stringing everything together. With that said, it being his first time competing in the discipline in three years, Shirey did great and took the final spot on the podium. “I need to go home and put in the same amount of work the guys who regularly run this series do,” said Shirey. “The sprint is definitely something I need to learn. I would do well in one section and screw up the next. I like this format because it really shows who the fastest guy is on that day.”

The WORCS Sprint Enduro Racing Series heads to Cahuilla, CA for a double header weekend on June 6-7th.