Triumphant Trio
KTM’s Dante Oliveira, Mateo Oliveira, Brandy Richards win AMA National Grand Prix Series titles
November 1, 2022
By Keaton Maisano
At the penultimate round of the AMA National Grand Prix National Championship Series, KTM-sponsored riders ruled the day.
FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Dante Oliveira capped off his great season with a sixth victory, one that clinched his second-consecutive AMA National Grand Prix Championship. The Round 9 win in Blythe, Calif., saw Oliveira get pinched off at the start of the race before he fought back to claim the 2022 AMA NGPC Pro Championship.
“It was a super good race for me — my body felt awesome and the track was super fun,” Oliveira said. “It was not as rough as it has been in the past but some of the insides were starting to chop up pretty good and the bike worked awesome. I got the championship one round early, so that’s awesome. I wrapped it up here last year for Grand Prix as well, so I’m stoked to do that twice and just stoked on the year in general!”
While Blythe was the site of Dante’s title defense, it was also the place for championship breakthroughs. FMF RPM KTM Racing Team’s Mateo Oliveira avenged his 2020 and 2021 runner-up finishes by securing the Pro 2 class title.
“I was able to get a semi-okay start and then found my way into the lead pretty quick,” Mateo Oliveira said. “I tried to just push as hard as I could, because I wanted to get as far away from my class as possible and not be in the dust in the pro section. I stayed out the dust and then just stayed on top of the sand whoops today. I’m stoked. I’ve been super close the last three years in this championship, so it feels awesome to finally win this championship by winning all but one race. I’m just stoked. I can’t thank the whole RPM KTM team enough. And my family and friends that support me, thank you.”
KTM’s Brandy Richards is no stranger to winning, notching her eighth win of the season to clinch her third consecutive Pro Women’s title.
“I’m really stoked on my race today and winning the championship here in Blythe,” Richards said. “This is one of my favorite tracks and the bike was so good out there. I can’t thank everyone enough for their support today and this season.”
The final round of the series is Nov. 13 in Lake Havasu, Ariz.