PR and Images Courtesy of KTM Press Center
PRIMM, Nev. – The 2020 World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) got underway this weekend in Primm, Nevada and FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Taylor Robert got off to a great start in defending his 2019 title as he secured the opening round victory over FMF/RPM/KTM Racing Team Maxxis rider Dante Oliveira, who put in a great ride for second overall.
With ideal track and weather conditions, Sunday’s season opener boasted a more technical course with lots turns, multiple race lines and a rough and tumble ‘offroad section’ that made for great racing across the board.
In the Pro class, Taylor Robert lined up aboard his No. 1 KTM 450 XC-F, where he powered his way to a third-place position off the start. He quickly moved into second early in lap one and he set his sights on the leader of Zach Bell ahead. With Robert close behind, Bell had an issue and pulled into the pits on the opening lap, which allowed Robert to overtake the lead early on. Oliveira eventually settled into second and Robert maintained a 10-second lead through the first half of the 12-lap race. By lap seven, Robert began making a charge where he ultimately finished 43 seconds ahead for the opening round victory.
Robert: “After I got by Zach [Bell], I kind of put the charge down. Dante was riding really well and I couldn’t shake him. I just kept pushing through the whole two hours and I think I was finally able to break him and just kind of keep an aggressive pace all the way through. It felt pretty good though. The track was nice and rough, which I liked.”
Round 2: Taft, California – February 21-23, 2020