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[Top) All the riders parad8d through
Ponca City before the race. (Left)
Kevin Vaught leads a 125cc Novice
class. lAbove) Greg Baker 1112) '-ds
-up Chip ShipIet in 1l16cc Open action.
Burnworth, Hemme
star in Yamahal
NMA Grand Nat'l
Championships
By Keith Clemons
PONCA CITY, OK , AUG. 11-13
Yamaha and the National Minicycle Association, aided by the
very hospitable town of Ponca
City, OK, put together a dyna-
36
mite show in the fonn of the ir threeda y Grand National Championship.
Ponca City went alI ou t ·to host the
event . Before the rac e, Mayor John
Rob inson · a rra nged for all 1,000
minicyde entries to parade through
the main streets of town, riding their
bikes in full race gear. The local high
school cheerleaders joined in by
carrying banners announcing each
region by name.
Out at the track, the local chapter
of AMBUCS (American Businessmen's
Club) donated their time to operate
the pa rk , includi ng grading, watering,
starting, flagging, announcing and
officiating. They then turned around
and gave all the profits from gate fees
and concessions to charities that help
deaf, mute and blind children.
Oklahoma Senatorial candidate
Johnny He inze came ou t to put his
blessing on the race. The local police
donated th eir ti m e to patrol the
grounds and make sure that no one
who wasn't supposed to be there could
get onto the track. The local radio
station, KLOR, parked a truck on the
grounds to broadcast live play-by-play
action to the ir listeners. The citizenry
showed up en masse to pack the park
with people, and even a staff of Ponca
City doctors gave time to be there just
in case someone got hurt.
Yamaha got behind the program by
sponsoring
all
60
regional
championships and donating five
YZ80s to those who , in the five major
Stock classes, won the title of Grand
National Champion. In addition ,
Yamaha flew in new two-time I25cc
National Motocross Champion Broc
Glover and new factory Yamaha rider
Jeff Ward , a five-time .N MA
Champion , to preside over the
festivities and be in the parade.
Out of the more than 1,000 entries,
one of the best was Ll-year-old Rick
