Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1022726
FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 15 / SEPTEMBER 2, 2018 ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS / SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS P60 iii My Own Race: 4 BRYAN SMITH 1ST PLACE AFT TWINS "At Springfield you always want to win and I've won it more than the rest of these guys," said Smith. "I told myself, it doesn't matter where you come off the line or where you qualify, you can win it. The track was so different today. It was techni- cal. It wasn't the lazy groove that everybody can go fast on. I can't remember a tougher one. I was wobbling down the straightaway and having to hold on. I don't know why. We changed the setup all day long. It always wobbled. I thought it was me. I tried holding on different and sitting different. I even lifted my feet off the foot pegs. I tried everything. It was working good through the corners, so we didn't want to flip it upside down. We made a couple changes after the heat race when we were off the pace. After that we knew we had something for them." 23 JEFFREY CARVER 3RD PLACE AFT TWINS Carver's trail into the main event was complicated by mechanical problems in his heat. He had to use his provisional start card to get into the second semi where he was able come away with a second-place finish to Mees, from the back row. "I was hoping that I could get in the top three," said Carver. "Leading it coming to the second to last lap is just awesome. It was just determination. I wanted it to be mine. I learned a good amount of stuff out there. We were bouncing off the inside guardrail a couple times, I saw others doing that. Hitting the handlebars and arms on it. We were working the bottom of the track trying to find new lines. We were going lower and lower. [I'm] just happy to be back up on the podium. There was not going to be any breaking loose today. It was just a drag race and then slow down. We were all shutting off a little bit. It was another good learning day. It was a different strategy today being in the pack. We just need to learn how to make the bikes better. I think Jared and Bryan both had a little bit of steam on me. If you're not up there to know that, you don't know that. We know where to go now." 14 BRIAR BAUMAN 4TH PLACE AFT TWINS "I got a bad start. Jared and I kind of got shuffled back early," said Bauman. "We had to run those guys down. Once I got to them I kind of got shell shocked a little bit. I was thinking, 'Man I'm in the lead draft again. Just like this race last year.' It was a different scenario this year. The track wasn't quite as racey. I was having a hard time drafting because of the small guys ahead of me. It's easy to be disappointed, but it needs to be a learning experience. I was competitive all day and sat on the pole for the heats. All around it was a good day. I couldn't be more blessed. The wind had a lot to do with the drafting. There wasn't much drafting on the front straightaway going into the headwind. You would pull out and basically hit a wall. Being a little bit bigger makes it tough too. I think next time I will not eat for a week and a half. This time I didn't eat for a week. It was cool riding with those guys. They are some of the best that have ever rode Springfield. I couldn't be prouder to ride 25 with those guys. I can't thank Roof Systems out of Dallas, Texas enough for getting us the Indians. We have fast qualified the last two nationals. It feels good to be relevant again. I think we have been top five every time I've raced the thing. It means the world to me, just to be up there battling week in and week out with these guys." 17 HENRY WILES 5TH PLACE AFT TWINS "It was a lonely ride after those guys got off by themselves," said Wiles. "I got a great start, but Bryan just snuck up the inside of me in the first corner. I thought I could follow him through there. The bike was working well all day. We had some new suspension pieces for it. It worked better here than it did in the spring. We qualified well. We tried a little different gearing to see where we could make it work. I think we made the right choice for the main event. Just lacked some trac- tion. About the time the tire came in and I was getting good traction, they were down the road on me. I needed to be on those guys to stay with them today. We are getting closer, but on this track, we are just a tick off. A top five at Springfield is great."