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PONC A C I T Y O K L A H O M A
JOE BUSKIRK
Joe Buskirk was the first ever Vet 40+ champion at the inaugural Motoplayground Race at Ponca City in 2016 and he returned for the second iteration of the race to defend his title at the historic racetrack. The KTM rider put together two moto victories last year in order to take the title and he was able to replicate his performance again in 2017 with another pair of dominant victories. In addition to his championship winning performance in the 40+ class, Buskirk also put together a solid performance in the Vet Open class, scoring two top five finishes with some incredibly consistent riding. In the opening 40+ moto, the Illinois native quickly worked his way into second position after a decent start. It only took one more lap for Buskirk to fight his way into the lead, setting the fastest lap of the race as the only rider under the two minute mark on the second lap. At that point, the KTM rider easily stretched his advantage at the front of the field and broke away from the pack, crossing the finish line to greet the checkered flag with a gap of almost ten seconds ahead of sec- ond position. In the second moto, Buskirk made things easier on himself at the start of the race by securing the lead on the opening lap, keeping his head down for the remainder of the moto as he charged to another victory. He circulated at a pace nearly two seconds faster than his competitors, clocking the fastest time of the race on the penultimate lap as he sprinted away to a ten second advantage at the finish line. Buskirk flawlessly defended his title in the 40+ class, making him a two-time Motoplayground Race champion in the process.
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