Race of Champions winner. Takehiro Yamamoto (2 ) leads second overall f inisher Nobuhiko Nakashima (4) past Danielle Mabey (6) in heat two.
Satoshi Og i chased Stock Expert class winner David Trager to the f in ish.
Ogi f in ished second. but won the Modified Expert class later in the day.
Japanese riders
shine..a t Ponca City
YSR .Finals
By Nate Rauba
Photos by Kinney Jones and Rauba
PONCA CITY, OK, AUG 4-6
Sa toshi Ogi an d Takehiro Yamamoto made
th eir long trek from Japan to Ponca City
a successful on e with win s in th e Modified
Expert and Race of Champions events,
respectively, at the National
Motosport
Association 's
ยท
Yama h a YSR50 World F Ina I s.
Ogi backed up his Modified
26
Expert class win with a second
behind David Trager in the Stock
Expert class and a third overall in
the ROC. Nobuhiko Nakashima,
also from Japan , made it a Far East
sweep in th e ROC by finishing
second overall behind Yamamoto.
The event, run in conjunction
with th e NMA 's annual Gra nd
National Championship MX, pitted
riders from the United Sta tes, Canada and J apan in several different
events . A special q uar ter-mile road
race track was built adjacent to the
motocross course for the YSR "mini"
road races.
After qualifying heats were ru n on
Friday, the final lineups for Saturda y's main events were established.
Foll owing the mains! 10 riders were
chosen .to compete m .the Race of
Champions event, which put the
rid ers on stock Yamaha YSRSOs for
a two -heat showdown.
'
After one false start, Kurt H enricksen grabbed the lead at the
beginning of the first heat followed
by Yamamoto, Dou~ Carmichael
and John Kindhart, Kindhart moved
up to challenge Yamamoto for
second by the fourth of the 10-lap
heat, but Yamamoto forced him to
go wide and off the track in a tigh t
turn. Carmichael and Nakashima
both slipped by Kindhart .
H enricksen slipped away a n d .
eventually too k the win by a couple
of secon ds, while Yamamoto led
close pack consisting of Carmichael,
Nakashima" Kindhart and Ogi
through the latter stages of the race.
When they sorted out before the
finish , it was. Yamamo to taking
a
