Brandon Clarke
It’s championship Saturday at the Ranch. Some riders have a hand on the title, others need a little help, and a few are about to find out just how quickly Loretta’s can turn a perfectly good week upside down.
Here are three things I’m watching today.
65cc (7-9)
Seriously, does anybody have anything for Kameron Buckman?
The kid has been absolutely on rails, consistently clicking off lap times one to two seconds faster than just about everyone else in the class.
What I love about 65cc (7-9) is that these are the younger kids on 65s, yet somehow they’re already completely comfortable getting sideways, hanging it out and looking way sendier than I ever will.
But here’s another observation that caught my attention: this class is pretty Cobra-dominated class. Can Buckman bring it home for Husqvarna?
Schoolboy 1 (12-17)
One of my favorite parts about amateur racing is the nuance of who races what class, which classes overlap and how something that happens in one moto can completely change the complexion of another.
The front-runners in Schoolboy 1 are already locked into a three-way battle, trading positions through the first two motos. But yesterday’s drama in 125 Jr. (12-17) shook things up in a big way, and now I’m even more interested to see how this one plays out.
I’m expecting a tight three-way fight between Hudson Vagele, Chase Moynihan and Noxx Lewin.
But don’t sleep on Sawyer Geick. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Geick gets himself into the mix and turns an already complicated overall picture into complete Loretta’s chaos.
Schoolboy 2 (12-17) — Can Tristan Prueitt Finish the 1-1-1?
Right now, this championship has Tristan Prueitt’s name written all over it.
But don’t mistake that for him having an easy week. Ryder Skodras, currently third overall, gave Prueitt a proper fight in Moto 1, and Dane Pappas, currently second overall, took his shot at him in Moto 2. Both have shown they can at least make Prueitt work for it.
So I see this going one of two ways. We get an absolute fireworks show if the start gets a little hectic and either Pappas or Skodras gets themselves in front of Pruiett.
Or…
Prueitt reminds us one more time just how much speed he has, stamps this championship with a 1-1-1 and gives us enough time to start packing up early and beat the traffic leaving the Ranch.
Either way, I’m really curious to see if Prueitt can finish this thing the way he started it: out front.
