Page 79 - NOVEMBER-18

85cc (9-11) Limited
THE MOTOPLAYGROUND RACE
at Ponca City
JAMES CLOUGH >> 3
Residing in Elko, Minnesota, Clough is surrounded by national caliber tracks and riders, well within his home- town’s proximity. Looking up to storybook professionals his entire life, Clough has excelled on the roughest of tracks, including that of the Millville National. No track or event seems to deter him or get him discouraged; he thrives in the largest of magnitudes, so he knew for certain that he could flourish on this substantial circuit, here at Ponca City Raceway. A sixth place start wasn’t what he was looking for to begin the moto, but he re- tained a positive attitude the entire time, and continued to climb up the ladder of success with he laps passing. He crept up behind Casey Cochran, as Bennick and Thompson were out front. It was an applaud worthy effort, one that would be quickly noted by fans and competitors alike. He was holding of a charging Diesel Thomas, and quickly blazing a trail on multiple outside lines. The chassis of the rear end, at times, would get out of shape; but his throttle would remain constant, and the more the back side of the bike would swap, the harder he would grip with his knees. Saving his arms, he would come across the line in fourth, not too far behind that of Casey Cochran. With only the top contenders in front of him, he was eager for another chance at redemption for moto number two, where they’d all come together. Bennick was the man to beat to begin the race, but Clough was truly giving it all he had in pursuit of the KTM rider. Improving dramatically off of his heat race performance, Clough was actu-
ally running in the top two, with the full pack involved! Keeping the bike humming in the meat of the RPM’s, he could found riding at a point in the middle of his seat, and willing to stand up whenever necessary. He was using his legs as addition springs, going the extra mile with body movement, in order to increase the longevity of his run. Slowly but surely, he could notice Cochran inching into his view on the opposite side of the track; but the young man from Elko truly held his own, and kept charging, no matter what was going on behind him. With names like Mason and Blecha also behind him, he would round the white flag lap, knowing the magnitude of competition he was beating. And just like that, Clough would bring it all together, with a sec- ond place finish overall! Major kudos should and will be given to Clough and his whole camp, as their efforts didn’t go unnoticed.
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