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PONC A C I T Y O K L A H O M A
CASEY COCHRAN
There’s a reason that Casey Cochran represents Cobra as one of their elite riders and heads the RM Army as one of the standout amateur racers aboard a Suzuki. The Georgia native proved that he can do it on both the CX65 and the RM85 at the 2017 Motoplayground Race at Ponca City, scoring podium finishes in both classes. Although his speed was evident on either machine, the majority of his success came in the smaller classes on his Cobra, finishing the 65cc (10-11) Limited class with a third overall, and tak- ing the title in the 65cc (10-11) class. His consistent results throughout the weekend was arguably his most impressive characteristic, finishing only one race outside of the top five in which he started well outside of the top fifteen. The Team Dunlop Elite rider struggled to get starts at the front of the field, but he never stopped charging from the gate drop to the checkered flag, allowing him to burst onto the podium in the waning stages of the race. The opening 65cc (10-11) moto saw Cochran come out of the first turn outside of the top five, forcing him to battle his way into contention throughout the majority of the moto. He crossed the finish line for the first time in fifth position and continued to charge forward, matching the pace of the leaders while battling through traffic. The Cobra rider fought his way up to fourth position by the midway point of the race, forcing his way past Brandon Shaw in the process. One lap later, he set the fastest lap of the entire moto and promoted himself to the final spot on the podium, making a move on Carter Malcolm. His determina- tion put him in a good position for the overall heading into the final moto, and he rose to the occasion. The youngster out of Georgia found himself in fifth place again on the opening lap, but this time he sprinted to the front of the pack -- Cochran forced himself into third position by the second lap, passing two riders back-to-back. From that point forward, he hunted down the KTM of Brandon Shaw with the checkered flag looming in the distance, finding his way around the Texan with only a couple of corners remaining. He pulled into the cool down tent, completely unaware that the championship was his, making the sweet taste of the victory bubbly that much sweeter.
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