Heartland Park Topeka is located smack dab in the middle of the good ol’ U.S. of A, this race was held the week of Independence Day, plus the event was called Formula USA, so you wouldn’t expect a guy named Tatsuro Arata to win this most American of motorcycle road races, but that’s exactly what happened in July of 1990. Japanese rider Arata rode a Moto-Liberty sponsored Yamaha OW01 powered by a FZR1000 motor, to his first Formula USA win of the season. Arata followed Valvoline Suzuki rider Mike Smith for most of the race then pulled ahead with three laps to go. Arata went on to win by 4.39 seconds, averaging 81.896 miles per hour on the 2.5 mile course. Smith finished second and Marlboro Roberts rider Rich Oliver rode his Yamaha TZ 250 to a solid third place finish.
Tatsuro Arata (holding up trophy) celebrates his victory in the WERA Pro Formula USA race at Heartland Park Topeka in July of 1990. Rich Oliver stands next to Arata. He rode a Yamaha TZ250 to third. Second-place finisher Mike Smith is obscured by the others on the podium. (Larry Lawrence photo)
Rider Files 
I’ll have to check the date on this, but…. if its the event I’m thinking of, WERA did a poster titled “1990 Bikes in the Heartland”, or something like that from that weekends event. It was a shot of a pack of 250’s from the Air Tech Formula 2 race coming into Heartlands 1st “S” turn. I actually still have one of those posters. Its framed and hanging on one of my office walls at work.
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For Rich Oliver…it was like bringing a knife to a gunfight.
And so in 1991..they evened up the odds and Team Roberts brought the YZR 500 GP bikes to give them a run for their money.
I remember the show they put on in Grattan, MI….UNBELIEVABLE !
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Yeah, Rich was on a 250 at this race and still ended up on the podium. He was in his prime and could just run through the turns so fast it was amazing to watch.
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