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250 C Jr (12-17)
THE MOTOPLAYGROUND RACE
at Ponca City
LUKE FINEIS >>
If you’ve been following the amateur circuit in any capacity this year, you’re sure to have heard a par- ticular name across media outlets, P.A. systems at the track, or throughout friendly banter on the fence lines. Of course there are the usual players, those who have been taking championships for what seems like decades. However, there’s a young
man out of Zionsville, Indiana, who’s taken the C class by storm. Luke Fineis is a national standout, cleaning up everything from Loretta Lynn’s Ama- teur National Championship, to the smallest of
local races in his area. The magnitude of the event doesn’t matter, he simply comes to race anyone on the line; and in doing so, searches for the win. And the MotoPlayground Race at Ponca City was no different. With the aura of legendary battles looming this raceway, the morning fog provided a vibe of storied pasts, with an extremely bright future wait- ing at sunset. He awoke to a track as pristine as they come, dirt tilled to the smallest of fragments. With heavy machinery prepping this course with the most delicate of intent, he salivated as he waited his turn to rip it to shreds. Second place off the
line had the holeshot device disengaging in a near perfect manner, only to be a fraction behind Cali- fornia’s Jesse Grasso. Fineis, seemingly at his limit with trailing the lead, couldn’t take it anymore; and by lap two, threw down the fastest laptime of the moto, with a one minute, forty-five second laptime. Grasso was doing all he could, but the number ninety-nine of Fineis, was showing full “one-hun- dred” percent effort, taxing the field of both mentally and physically with his lucrative line selection and marksmanship. He would go on to lead every lap, and take the moto victory. Looking to go two for two, the heats had now come together, concocting for one final run-off. It was the platform where Fin- eis excelled, and he flourished early with a spec- tacular holeshot. Mark Wilson was willing to contest with him just behind, going toe to toe for a few laps. A solid effort by the Kawasaki rider, Fineis just re- ally seemed to have the track pieced together; hit- ting the logistical shortest distances from corner to corner, with the most sound throttle control. There simply was no over revving, or miscalculation with his shifts. The bike was purring in the most efficient RPM possible, all the way to the checkered flag. Once crossing the finish line, he was as satisfied as ever; doing just what he had came to do, claiming championships.
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