Page 24 - mpg-august

theGRIT
In the six motos that Hunter Yoder raced throughout the taxing week of inclement weather and brutal conditions, he only finished off the podium one time. He put on a remarkable display of speed, style, and composure with arguably the most impressive rides of any class from the 50’s to the plus 50’s. In the 65cc (7-11) class, the young Californian put in some exceptional rides with two moto wins in the first and third races. In both motos, Yoder was able to get away at the front of the pack by putting his Orange Brigade KTM power ferociously into the Tennessee soil and checking out almost instantly. He set the fastest lap times in both races and set a pace that none of his competitors could match, winning the last moto by a preposterously large gap of 45 seconds. Yoder almost pulled the same disappearing act in the second moto, but he didn’t quite have the speed advantage on LeBlanc and DiFrancesco that he did in the other races. He wasn’t able to match their best lap time in the 2:17’s and he made a costly, out of ordinary mistake on the final lap which caused him to fall all the way back to 8th position. His victories kept his overall score low enough that he was able to land on the last step of the podium just in front of Little Red Dog, Evan Ferry. The 65cc (10-11) Limited class was also one moto victory away from being a clean sweep for Yoder, but he managed to stay on the podium in his worst moto which drastically improved his overall score. His starts gave him a significant advantage over his adversaries throughout the week and it was no different in all three of his motos. The last race saw him check out in familiar style and set a blistering pace that was only partially matched by the 99 machine of Ryder D, although Yoder still managed to win the race by 30 plus seconds. In the first moto, Yoder fought his way back from a lowly top ten start to 3rd position by the end of the opening lap; he then devoured a 7 second gap in one lap as he took advantage of a Ryder D and Evan Ferry tussle which gave him the opportunity to pounce for the lead. From that point forward, he didn’t look back and he was able to tie up the victory with a 40 second gap back to 2nd place. It was an incredibly dominant week for Yoder barring a couple of mistakes, but it seems almost infeasible to believe that he hadn’t won a title at Loretta’s with the riding ability that he showcased in 2016. He’ll be one to watch out for next year on 85’s as this could be remembered as a breakout year later down the road in his career.
words/LAKEKILPATRICK
24 MPG • AUGUST 2016