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PONC A C I T Y O K L A H O M A
GRANT HARLAN
Grant Harlan was one of the outstanding riders in the 450 B class at The Motoplayground Race at Ponca City, but he also found suc- cess in the ultra competitive Schoolboy 2 and 250 All-Star A/B classes with fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively. The Yamaha rider was able to showcase his speed against some of the nation’s top amateur talent, but it was the 450 B class where he was at the top of the field. Harlan scored a second place in the opening moto and wrapped up the championship with a first place in the second moto, collecting a plethora of prizes to take back to his home state of Texas. In the opening 450 B moto, Harlan struggled for trac-
tion off of the unique concrete starting pad, forcing him outside of the top five on the opening lap. The Yamaha rider overcame the adversity, kept his head down and continued to charge forward all the way to the checkered flag, eventually salvaging a second place finish. The teenager out of Texas fought his way into podium contention within just two laps of racing, but the gap to the leaders was already insurmountable by that point. Nonetheless, he kept pushing forward and he was able to lay down his fastest lap of the moto on the penultimate lap, a testament to his fitness and determination late in the race. Harlan was able to capitalize off of a mistake further up the field and finish in second position, leaving the overall up for grabs in the second moto. The #111 Yamaha rider was able to improve his start from the first moto and blasted into the first corner with the advantage of leading the pack. He comfortably earned the holeshot and immediately set his personal best lap of the race in an attempt to build a cushion ahead of his competitors. Harlan kept it calm, composed, and consistent at the head of the field, leading the way with a solid pace that kept second place comfortably at bay. The Texan crossed the finish line with a gap of almost seven seconds ahead of his nearest opposition, claiming the championship in fine style.
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