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/127775
the race track be fore the s ix -t im e cha mp's Bill Werner-tuned, singleshocked H a rl e y -Da v id s o n XR600 appeared to be getting a better drive off the turns, allowing him to pull out the win. "I knew he was back there, but he never really bothered me all that much," Pa rker said. "You still gotta get that start." (Left) Joe Kopp (43) actually got the best start In the 25-lap main event faded to seventh by the end . Form er Daytona winner Brett Landes (41) wound up fourth. (Below) Kevin Varnes had to almost cras h In order to lind a fast line In t he mai n event. He did so and parlayed It Into a th ird-place f in ish. passing the former three-time champion for good and continuing to charge past both Kopp and '95 Daytona Short Track winner Brett Landes for the third spot. " I was suckin ' th e re for a while," Varnes said. "But then) made a mistake and got on the gas too hard. I actually hooked up and learned a new line that got me goin.?' Landes' atte mpt to defend his title of . a year ago resulted in a fourth-place finish aboard his Team Un do! Q uaker State! Audiox Rot ax. Fifth went to Kop p on the Har ley-Davidson of Sacramento Rotax . HEATS ยท So me 99 Experts showed up 10 d o battle on the Municpal Stadium qu arter m il e , 'n e ce s s i ta t in g t w o rou nds of scratch heats to set the 60-rider field for the prog ra m. Cayuga Tool & Die' s Shawn Clark go t the jump in the first of the six LO-lap regular heats and led the opening lap before falling off the groove in turn three and h an d in g the lead to Landes while King also powered through to . lock down the second and final transfer spot. King ran ever lower off tum four in or der to catch Landes, but the youngster refused to be caught as he went on to take the win in what wo uld tum out to be the fastest heat of the night. " The track was smooth, " Landes said. "I think that the fifth and sixth heats had more ruts to dea l with than I did, so that's why I was faster. It sure feels good to sit on the pole, though." Winchester Harley-Davidson! Eddie Ad kins Racing's Ken Coolbeth Jr. blas ted out to the lead in heat tw o and would not be bea ten, while Davis was forced to earn h is t rans fer spot by d isp la cin g Roger Du rkee. Davis di d so at the stripe on the second lap. Davis then worked jus t off the low line in tum one to reel in Coolbeth, but the Co nnecticu t yankee pulled away from the sou the rne r to earn the front-row starting spot for the mai n event. "We wer e set up a little different in the heat race," Davis sai d . "I was trying to pole p utt, bu t I knew there was a better line up high er on the race track." Team Harley-Davidson's Scott Parker and Ke vin Varnes gave the fans a thrill by brawling for the third-heat win. The two diced back and fo rth early, forcing each other to go ever higher on Graham took center s tage in heat four - in a most spectacular and unwanted fa shion. While dicing for the lea d with Kopp and Bartels' Harley-Davidson 's Jay Sp rin gsteen, G ra h am d ived into tum one and appeared to hit a hole, which cat apu lted his Ho nda into the air . He went over the high side, was unabl e to get cle ar of th e ma ch in e, an d w as pile-driven into the grou nd. "Th at thing slam me d me," Gr aham sai d . "I was in a drift when) felt the back wheel hit some thing. Oh well, here we go again . Everytime I pu t on a new set of leathers, I have to break them in." The '93 se ries winner was on the ground for sever al minutes but mad e the res tart. Kopp took the win ahe ad of Spring steen, a nd th e tw o were ma in event bound. TCR's Kevin Atherton tus sled bri efly with former teammate Dan Butler - now aboard Gardner Ra cing' s equi p men t then spanked the competitio n en rou te to the fifth-heat win. "Wha t can I say?" Atherton said . "I liked the race track." Poovey and Texas pal Charlie O rr ran one-two in the final heat. The former Team Honda rider trailed Orr in th e early going before blasting by hi m up the front straight to claim the victory. "I pretty much knew how to handle him," Poovey sai d of Orr. "He' s a great 600 rider, b ut) knew that once ) got insi de hi m, he was gonna have a ha rd tim e. " SEMIS It too k four more eight-lap semis to fill out the field with the winner of each earning the on ly ticket in to the poi nts-