Page 67 - NOVEMBER-18

125cc (12-16) B/C
THE MOTOPLAYGROUND RACE
at Ponca City
RYDER ELLIS >> 3
With the names of children constantly in rotating fashion, changing every decade or so, the name Ryder has come to the forefront of popularity in re- cent years. With numerous guys sporting the name nowadays, there are truly few who embody the name to the fullest extent, and are “riders” in their own capacity. But look no further than Ryder Ellis,
a young man who’s an astounding racer, embodied with little to no fear, and courage out of this world. He flows on adrenaline, yet remains calm enough to win races and piece together championships over the test of time. So coming into the ever so special, MotoPlayground Race at Ponca City, his will would be tested, but deep down, everyone in his camp knew he could come away with flying colors. Placed in heat two, the “Big Three” so to speak, were all separated, with he, Blecha, and Thurman all being sorted in different divisions. Ellis was second off the line, just behind Carmichael to begin the moto. He would quickly move into the lead, as a mistake by Carmichael would allow the raceway to be cleared. And we all know just how important a win can be, don’t get us wrong; but honestly, the most jaw- dropping statistic of the race, came with no just his finish, but the laptime he ran to get there. Ellis noted a two minute, nine second time on lap two; and the second fastest you ask? A mere nine seconds back! His pace was crazy! If he could just duplicate this for the second round, he would be in great shape, come time for the main event. For the run-off portion of the event, Ellis would be in second, and looking to move forward by the end of the moto. However, the trio was once again in tact, and series of shuf- fling would have him in third by the halfway point. He would then avoid any disturbances from familiar foe, Darren Pine, who ran fourth. The North Fork, California native of Ellis had his 877 machine ab- solutely blistering around this track. Coming across the stripe for the final time, it was a testament to
his character, displaying the raw heart he’d shown throughout the event. Tallying his scores once the race had concluded, officials had placed him in third overall, on the final step of the podium. Taking this piece of hardware and adding it to the mantle, this highly praised finish would be one for the record books, that would stand the test of time.
WWW.MOTOPLAYGROUND.COM
67