After 36 straight hours of driving we finally made it. Traveling from Portland, Oregon to Ponca City, Oklahoma seemed easier three weeks ago when we concepted the idea, but the actual run was much worse. No worries, though; we’ve been through much more grueling trips in our day, and now that we’ve finally arrived it all seems worth the while.

Welcome back James Justice! After a slew of injuries that kept him out of the spotlight for much of the last year and a half, James “Judge” Justice looks to be healthy and, above all, back up to pace. He took to the first corner of Division 1 of the 250 B Stock class in third and quickly moved his way into the lead. It would not be an easy win though, which gives us more reason to believe that Justice has found his rhythm again. Brad Frace eventually put pressure on Justice towards the mid-way mark of the moto only to go down two turns before the finish line. However, that wouldn’t be the last we’d see of Frace. A quick pick up and a few hot laps later and the Honda of Houston rider would soon reel in Justice again. The two were less than a bike length apart once all was said and done and both have officially been chosen for Hot off the Gate. Justice would put in another solid performance late in the day when he placed third behind Eli Tomac and Justin Bogle in Division 2 of the 250 4-Stroke Non Pro.

Last we saw, Kyle Peters he was putting in some of the fastest lap times in the entire Intermediate class at Lake Whitney. Wait, scratch that. The last time we saw Kyle Peters he was on his way to the hospital after getting into it with Lance Vincent and getting his finger gouged off. We’re happy to report that Peters is back. And he’s going pretty damn fast, might we add. After ripping the holeshot over Geico Honda ace Eli Tomac he quickly dropped to second, but looked smooth holding off the rest of the pack. With Tomac lurking around he might not have a shot at a title, but podium definitely isn’t out of the question. Either way you spin it, he definitely put in a solid start to the week.

Eli Tomac is here…enough said.

Justin Bogle has yet to really impress on the big bike this year, but all that might be about to change. He pulled the holeshot on Tomac in Division 2 of the 4-Stroke Non Pro class and continued to lead countless laps until finally being passed. His pace was there and he looked confident crossing the finish line. If he can pull off more starts like this, don’t be surprised to see him with a title or two come Saturday.

Stilez Robertson isn’t quickly making himself known on the amateur circuit. He’s been known. This kid has been winning motos since Ponca ’08 and it doesn’t look like he’s going to stop anytime soon. We’re not sure how long you have to win before you’re labeled as the next hot up and comer, but Robertson is well on his way. Ethan Mann is another rider to keep an eye ball on this week. He led Robertson for much of the moto and looks capable of taking home a title if all goes his way.

Mitch Oldenburg is out to prove his title at his home track at Oak Hill was no fluke. His first moto of the afternoon was the 150 4-Stroke class and he and Brady Kiesel went at it like two first graders fighting over a monster truck. Kiesel was impressive early as he continued to fend off advances from Oldenburg. Three laps in and Kiesel looked to have to speed to wrap up a first moto win. But Oldenburg had other plans in mind. Patiently he waited until the opportunity to pass presented itself. Oldenburg went on to take the moto win, but both riders earned their way onto our Hot Off the Gate list.

Killy Rusk might be the biggest sleeper of the first day of racing. His third in 250 B Stock matched with a second in his Schoolboy division was more than impressive. Rusk has put himself in the spotlight intermittently over the years, but with the kind of speed he showed on Tuesday, you just might be hearing his name a lot more.

Adam Cianciarulo is one of the most dominant 85cc riders since Stewart and Carmichael. He’s fluent, precise and ruthless when he has to be. AC won every moto he was in on Tuesday, including a shellacking of the Supermini class, and we can’t really see any reason why he won’t continue this streak through Loretta’s. He’s just that good.

After taking it to the European’s at the 2009 MX Master Kids showdown in Belgium, he’s back stateside in Ponca taking it to his fellow countrymen. Brandon Smith took the first moto win in the PW Stock 7-8 class, but will have to deal with the likes of one of his top competitors, Jordan Bailey, if he wants to find himself with another title.

As with most amateur nationals you know when the pro moto is about to set off at Ponca based on how packed the fence line is. While not nearly every pro capable of winning a moto showed up in Oklahoma, there is still an abundance of riders capable of putting in some fast laps. Plenty are capable, but one will look to do it more often than the rest. Yep, Dean Wilson is in the house and he made sure everyone knew it when the first 450 Pro moto of the week lit off the line. Lowell Spangler played the groom in this moto, but in his defense he was eons ahead of the rest of the pack. Both he and Wilson rolled into the first corner chasing the five-o machine of Sean Lipanovich (who also rode a solid race) and after making the pass it looked as if the two would put on a show. That was not to be. Instead Wilson made the pass and proceeded to check out. Third place, and another Hot Off the Gate finalist was Randy Dibartolo, who always seems to show up big in Ponca. Perhaps one of the fastest riders on the track, and you wouldn’t know if from the results, was Justin Weeks. After a terrible start the Suzuki rider pressed the entire moto until eventually catching and passing Lipanovich on the final lap. It looks as if it might be the Dean Wilson show this week, but with a semi deep field of capable riders, you never can tell.

New Mexico’s been looking for the next Ivan Tedesco or Jason Anderson, and they just might have found him. Alongside Brandon Smith, Johnny Garcia is one of youngest riders to make waves in New Mexico. It’s early to tell what might lie ahead in his future, but for now things look bright. Garcia put a hurtin’ on the Jr. Cycle Stock 6-8 class Tuesday afternoon.

As we write this, the heavens have opened and torrential and gale-force winds have hit the motorhome city at Ponca National. Whether this weather will affect the track remains to be seen, but either way, we are looking at an exciting week of racing.