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250 B
THE MOTOPLAYGROUND RACE
at Ponca City
brief moment. There was no short- age of raw speed possessed by the number seventy-four, as he tried his best to chase down Chandler Baker of Tulsa, and Bryce Hansen of Wis- consin. With laptimes at the top of the leaderboard, his pace was apparent. By the time the last flag had flown, timing and scoring registered him in third place, where he would try to best in the second moto. The second moto saw Schwartz off to a fifth place start, and eager to work his way forward. Chomping at the bit to move ahead, the fifth place of the first lap quickly transcended into third; where on lap four, he would run a one minute, thir- ty-eight second laptime (the fastest of the moto, matter of fact.) But the early sprinting of Walther and Kniffing, who had gotten off to better starts, was just a bit too much for the six-lap trial. Hoards of fans line the “GRIT MOTO” catwalk, just watching the number seventy-four from above. They could visually see him beginning to reel in the leaders, yet just running out of time. For everyone in attendance, they knew who was a true contender, even though his result was still held
in high regard. Still acclimating to the new bike, we can’t wait to see what’s in store for Schwartz and crew, as we roll into the 2019 season.
CHANDLER BAKER >> 3 As the amateur motocross schedule has wavered over the past few decades, we’ve seen many nationals come and go with the fluctuation of our sport and it’s parameters. With the likes of Loretta Lynn’s, Freestone Championship, and Mini O’s, being staples on the tour, there’s been a gap of sorts and a spot to be filled in recent memory. And that’s exactly where Chandler Baker would come into play, as a Tulsa, Oklahoma na- tive himself. A stud aboard Yamaha, 250f machinery, Baker came into the MotoPlay- ground race with a bit of home court enthu- siasm, even though the track was relatively
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