MOTOCROSS
NMA PONCA CITY GRAND NATIONAL
MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS
By Tony A lessi
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PONCA CITY, OK, JULY 29,AUG,3
ea rn Gree n racer Bill y Payne
was this year', top 12Sec Intermediate racer at the 22nd running
of the N MA Ponca City G rand
National' MX Cha mpions hi ps in Oklahom a. Payne w on both th e Stock a nd
Modified 125cc Intermediate di vision s
during the busy five-d ay event.
Payn e joined more than 1200 riders
who came in search of the glory and the
prestige of being crown ed the nation's
fastest NMA ama teur motocross racers ,
"Ponca City is located smack-dab in
the mid d le of the United Sta tes," said
the event's race promoter, Ron Henrickson. "We dra w racers from the four corner s of the country; offer a safe, equal
playi ng field for the com petitors ; and
provide a grea t racecou rse."
This year's Pon ca City race wa s held
in awesom e wea the r, as su nshine prevailed d uring all five days of com petition and temperatures ho vered in th e
90s. So often in yea rs past, severe thu nd erstorm s have w rea ked havoc on the
Ponca event.
"Ponca Ci ty h as bee n the prov ing
gro und s for the past 22 years," said race
directo r Lance Moorewood. "A win here
is almost a gua ra ntee of a future contrac t with an afterma rket company or
(Abo ve) Bill y
Pay ne (95) toppe d
both the 125cc
Stock and
Modifi ed
Intermedi ate
classes at th e
22nd ru nni ng 01
the NMA Ponca
City Grand
Nati onal MX
Champi onshi ps.
(Right) Jonathan
Shimp (10).
Johnny Marley
(90) and Justi n
Buc kelew (58) mix
it up in t he aocc
Stock (14-16)
class. Buckelew
won.
