Brandon Clarke
The MotoPlayground Race at Ponca City, Oklahoma, affectionately known “Ponca,” kicked off today. An early-morning deluge made for a slippery track that quickly rutted up as racing commenced.
With storylines still developing and plenty of racing ahead of us this week, these are five races that caught my eye on Day 1. You might see a few names repeated, as some riders logged a lot of gate drops today while others didn’t even don gear.
450 B LTD
McKayden Fitch started off the day in Race 1 with a holeshot, checking out on the field as he rode a clean race from start to finish to take the win. Braxtyn Mes started P4 and made two passes to take second in Moto 1, while Talen Taggs shuffled around the top five before solidifying his P3 spot in the second half of the moto. Kaylon Belles and Austin Camden round out your top five.
Mini SR 2 (13-15)
Joey Vicari came out and made an early statement, making the pass for P1 after the first lap and never looking back, crossing the checkers to take the win in Moto 1.
Dylan Graham had a solid ride, working his way from P4 on the opening lap to P2 by the end of Moto 1. I suspect as these boys head into Moto 2 deeper into the weekend, we’ll see these two battle for the overall.
Max Daniels rounds out your top three, with Enrique Rodriguez in fourth and Ryder Lane in fifth.
Schoolboy 2 (12-17)
With a field so deep, the first motos were broken up into two divisions. Dane Pappas took the lead off the start and raced out front, crossing the checkers nearly 10 seconds ahead of second place.
Nearly mirroring his total race time was McKayden Fitch, who took first in his respective division. I’m looking forward to a strong battle between these two in Moto 2.
Division 1 podium results are Pappas in first, Aidan Bailey in second, Darren Pine in third, with Gage Dunham and Ries Seeba rounding out your top five.
Division 2 podium results are Fitch in first, Davis Daniels in second, Drew Marino in third, with Ryan Jaramillo and Ryan Stice rounding out your top five.
85cc 9-12 MOD
Another deep field meant two divisions for Moto 1. In the first heat, Nolan Cobb worked his way from third to first, taking the win after passing Levi Leddy on the final lap. Leddy came home second, Benjamin Bahnik took third, while Parker Beckinton and Diego Cabildo round out your top five.
In Heat 2, Beckham Smith put on a clinic, starting out front, leading the race and finishing first while putting a big gap on the field. Jayce Owen grabbed second, Levi Gies took third, Raycin Kyler finished fourth, and Jax Baker rounds out your top five.
250 B LTD
Braxtyn Mes got the early lead off the gate with Gage Dunham just behind him. Shortly after the first lap, the two traded positions. Dunham was able to keep Mes just out of reach, while Mes was nipping at his heels the entire moto.
When the checkers waved, Dunham held his position to take first with Mes in second. While those two were battling, Colt Martin kept his presence known, lurking just behind them in third.
Your final podium is Dunhm in first, Mes in second and Martin in third. This sets up an interesting second moto, as tight as these three were, making for an exciting overall situation.
Rounding out your top five is Talan Stags in fourth and Ries Seeba in fifth.
Tune in tomorrow on FloRacing.com or follow live timing on the Vurb Prospect app.
Download the Prospect app FOR FREE on the App Store and Google Play for live race timing, past results, upcoming events, rankings, analytics, tracks to shred, and more.
