Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing riders Austin Walton and Dalton Shirey started their 2024 AMA National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC) campaigns with a pair of consistent Pro Class results as they battled through the rugged, blue-grooved terrain of Delano, California.
A 10th-place start for Walton aboard his Husqvarna Motorcycles FX 450 made for a challenging day out for the Pro Class contender, racing hard throughout on the hard-pack surface across the duration of the 10 laps to place 11th at the season-opening round.
“I didn’t get off to a good start and that did not help me because there wasn’t a lot of separation on this track,” Walton commented. “We’ll need to find a little bit more speed when it comes to the hard-pack, dry stuff that we had today, so we have some things to work on to keep improving. We’ll take what we can from Delano, learn what we can knowing it’s a unique race, and work on those things heading into Round 2. A big thank you to the whole Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing crew, we will look ahead to the next one.”
Meanwhile, a slow start for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna teammate Dalton Shirey made for a difficult race as the Pro Class racer continues to recover from knee surgery, finding a flow during the final three laps to make his way up into a 12th-place result. With a limited pre-season, he will gain strength as the season continues.
“I’m still recovering from having knee surgery just two months ago, so I’ve really only had two weeks on the bike,” recalled Shirey. “That means that my preparation was low coming into this race, so there were no real expectations for me here – it was more about getting through it and coming up with a plan afterward. Race-wise, not a very good start and I suffered with arm-pump until the last three laps, where I started catching the guys in front of me. All I can say right now is, just need to keep doing the homework and we will keep making progress.”
Next Round (2): Taft, California – February 2-4, 2024
Pro Results
1. Dante Oliveira, KTM
2. Dare Demartile, Beta
3. Justin Hoeft, Yamaha
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11. Austin Walton – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
12. Dalton Shirey – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
1. Dante Oliveira, KTM
2. Dare Demartile, Beta
3. Justin Hoeft, Yamaha
…
11. Austin Walton – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
12. Dalton Shirey – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
Pro Championship Standings
1. Dante Oliveira – 30 points
2. Dare Demartile – 25 points
3. Justin Hoeft – 21 points
…
11. Austin Walton – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 10 points
12. Dalton Shirey – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 9 points
