Defending champion Dalton Shirey was fast from the outset at the 2024 AMA Hare & Hound Championship opener, as he launched his Husqvarna FX 450 to the holeshot and never looked back, earning a dominant victory in Lucerne Valley, California. Behind him in third place was teammate Austin Walton, which also marked a successful opening round.
“I’m still coming back from knee surgery, which really kept me down for two and a half months,” explained Shirey. “I had three weeks on the bike, which was just enough for me to get it done today, but I still feel like I need more seat time to feel completely comfortable. Today I ripped a great start, everytime I come to a desert race I feel at home, but just pulled a gap and managed it from there.”
“The track was sweet here for my first national Hare and Hound event,” commented Walton. “The first loop was super fun and flowy, then the next loop was more challenging and technical, with the rocks especially. But overall, I’m stoked, first race for me, we made a good push and came away with third place. I can’t thank the whole team enough, this was awesome.”
