Dalton Shirley Starts Hare & Hound Title Defense with Lucerne Valley Victory

ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA RACERS CLAIM STRONG HAUL OF RESULTS ACROSS WEEKEND

MURRIETA, CA – January 22, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing was out in force this past weekend, as the offroad team earned a haul of strong results across multiple series. Defending champion Dalton Shirey topped the opening round of the 2024 AMA Hare & Hound Championship, as Austin Walton, Korie Steede, Craig DeLong, and Ryder LeBlond each raced to podium results in their respective outings.

Hare & Hound Championship – Round 1

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.”

Pro Class Results

1. Dalton Shirey – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
2. Zane Roberts (Beta)
3. Austin Walton – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing

U.S. Sprint Enduro Series – Round 1

Craig DeLong took a consistent 2-3 scorecard across both days of the AMA U.S. Sprint Enduro Series, contested in Hephzibah, Georgia, and that earned the Husqvarna Motorcycles FX 350 pilot third place overall. New signing Korie Steede also lined up and captured a convincing second place finish in the Pro Women’s category.

“Saturday was good,” reflected DeLong. “The track was smooth and anybody can go fast when it’s smooth – I just have to figure out these second days and kind of keep the same speed. Usually, at a GNCC, the track is rough and you just attack it and ride it…