Page 66 - NOVEMBER-18

WYATT THURMAN >> 2 Training on the likes of Perris Raceway, El-
sinore, and Pala Raceway are great; however, when traveling to the central United States, and in particular, that of the great MotoPlay- ground Race at Ponca City, you better be ready for a truly rough awakening of a track
to tame. The crew worked for many weeks in preparation for this event, getting the soil to absolutely top, prime cut condition; just ready to be slaughtered by the top competitors in each division. And Wyatt Thurman was one of the first on the track, with his holeshot in his heat race pushing him out front, with just the frontier of open layout to look at. Deciphering lines by the hundreds, he created combina- tions that even the toughest of algorithms couldn’t follow. It was working for him, so much so, that he would hold off a hard charg- ing Grant Mcdonald, putting out the pole cir- cuit time on lap two with a two minute, twelve second mark. He would continue to just slowly inch forward with each passing lap, running consecutive two minute, thirteen second lap times for the events duration. It was enough to secure him the win for the moto, but more importantly, a great pick for the run-off; in which he would need, in order to contest for a strong overall finish. Spinning off the concrete pad, his machine would absolutely snap
once he hit the dirt, and would take off from the field. As usual, it was Cole Blecha hot on his tail, revving his motor to try and deter the concentration of Thurman. It wouldn’t work, as Thurman would lead yet another lap. Howev- er, a mistake would be made on lap two, put- ting Blecha to the front, and pushing Thurman to second. He would still hold strong though, actually chipping away at the lead on the last lap; but Blecha would be just a tad too much. Both of these riders would truly make the
race an outstanding showing, with Thurman doing just enough to secure second overall. With body fatigued, and sweat dripping from his brow, he knew he’d given it all he had. His crew was there to support and encourage him from the moment he stepped off the motor- cycle. An excellent job by Thurman yet again, reiterated just how fast he was in this highly competitive division. Leaving the raceway, he knew if he could stay on track, he could be a contender for titles in early 2019 as well.
66 MPG • NOVEMBER • 2018