IN
THE
WIND
P38
WITKOWSKI WINS MEMPHIS OMA
W
hen the Off-Road Mo-
torcycle and ATV (OMA)
Nationals returned to the Kirk-
patrick Family Compound near
Memphis, Missouri, May 7-8, for
round two of the 2016 season,
they also returned to the clas-
sic single-race format. Select
events this season has been
implementing the new two-moto
format, which was introduced at
the Sturgis Buffalo Run last year,
but the Memphis run returned
to the championship's original
one-hour and 50-minute-plus-
one lap protocol. A split opinion
among the racers regarding the
two-moto format has given way
to split scheduling for the year,
with select events following the
classic format.
When the green flag fell
on this two-hour race, what
started as a nice day for racing
quickly turned ugly, as a storm
front dumped rain on the track,
making conditions slippery for
a bit. The other side effect of
the downpour was significant
mud sticking to the bikes as the
rain subsided. Unfortunately for
reigning series champion and
round-one winner Steward Bay-
lor, his SRT/KTM expired before
the finish, a victim of caked mud
leading to extreme overheat-
ing. Baylor's misfortune left the
door open for Mike Witkowski,
on the FMF/RPM Racing KTM
to capture his first OMA Nation-
als Pro Class victory, not that
the Indiana youngster needed
more help, as witnessed by his
round-one performance, captur-
ing both holeshots and dogging
Baylor throughout both motos
to finish second. Witkowski
and his Motorcycle Superstore
KTM were in the lead pack all
day, and Baylor's misfortune
removed Witkowski's only ob-
stacle to victory.
Adam Bonneur made some
first-lap moves and had his Fun
Mart Suzuki on point for a while,
but the racer from Morrison, Illi-
nois saw his efforts dashed with
a crash that left his recently dis-
located shoulder out of socket.
Baylor had also begun a charge
and was putting in some solid
and fast laps, only to end his day
after stopping for fuel and hear-
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
JOHN
GASSO
Mike Witkowski
recorded his
first Pro win
in the OMA
Championship
with a stellar
performance
in Memphis,
Missouri.
