Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.FL DirtTrackSeries ' Round 6:East Bay Speedway A TR CK. I A F lorida , ore 0 r (Left) Steve Morehead (42) was unstoppable at Eas t Bay Speedway In Tampa. Despite having a carb uretor come loose, Morehead scored the 750ccclass win. By Dave Hoenig Photos by Flat Trak Fotos TAMPA,FL,MAR 5 tev e .Mo reh ead con tinued his points-gathering march th rough the Florida Harley-Davidson Dealers Association / Drag Special ties / Wiseco / Dirt Sh ir t-sponsored Florida Flat Track Series at East Bay Speedway by racking up another victory. The KK / F&S H arley-Davidso n / Shepherd /Dragoo-support ed Morehead rode the hay bales for 10 laps to pad his series points lead over last year's winner Will Davis. "1'd rea lly like to get a big enough leadso 1 'd on't have to go up to Savannah (the rescheduled rou nd set for Monday after th e Dayt ona 200). Cindy and Katie are coming d own , and we try to take some time after bike wee k for the family," said Moreh ead. P rom ot e r Ken Coolbe th b r ou gh t motorcycles back to the East Bay Speed- . way for the Spectro Oils-sp onsored halfmile. Nea rly 130 riders m ad e th e trip down fro m Dayton a to ride th e sho rt, tacky oval. USC Racing's Kevin Varnes held off th e challenges of Rich King to take the 600cc Expert main . The 883 Harley-Da vid son fina l was an all Sp ectre -Moroney's affai r. New team member Nate Wait passed h is teammate Mike Hacker just befor e the halfw ay point. Wait held on for th e win over Hacker and Jason Fletcher. Virgina's Tim Eades easily won the 600cc Pro -Am main ove r Robert Weiss and Scott Shinn. Originally th ere was $800 on the line in the Dash for Cash, but contribu tions as the night went on pushed the total to over $1800. Will Davis wo rked his wa y arou nd Kevi n Varnes to take the winner's share. Scott Shinn, Marco Morello and John Nickens led the 600cc Pro-Am main into the first tum, but Ead es quickly moved into conten tion. Eades took the lead on la p four and p ulled to a safe lea d . "We've got it (the motor) ru nning p retty good - well m y Dad d oes," said th e happy Eades . Ro ber t W e iss was a b le to wo rk arou nd Shinn on lap eigh t and set the final order. Kevin Varnes led th e 600cc· Exper t main unti l the red flag come ou t on lap tw o. Georgie Price had fallen at the exit of turn four . Varnes, King an d Kenny Coolbeth rep eated their first start and Davis' teammate Kevin Atherto n finished a fading fourth ov er Ke vin Varnes . Geo Roed er m oved by Da ve Camlin late for sixth . Moreh ead' s race wa s not enti re ly uneven tful. "1 had a carb come loose wi th abo u t three laps left," he said. "It star ted missing, but we held on." After some quick r ep airs to Mor ehead's Ha rley, the Dash for Cas h competit ors were called to the line. Davis chose the bo ttom w ith Roeder, Morehea d, Kevin Varnes, King and Poovey to his right for the start of the six-lap d ash. Roeder got the holeshot, with Davis and Varnes in h ot pursuit. Lap two sa w Davi s and Roeder cross the line together with Morehead joinin g in . As Morehead and Davis finished lap three, Roeder was falling hard at the exit . of tum four. The red flag ~ame out and a complete restart was ordered. Roed er, uninjured, retreated to the pits, a s Va rnes grabb ed th e rest art. Davis was on the bot tom a gain an d mad e it work this time, taking over the po int at the halfw ay mark. " 1 had to win two das hes, bu t it made for a good show," said Davis. " 1 missed third gear again; this time 1 didn't get it back in righ t away," sai d Morehead after he finished a d ist ant fou rth to King. l~ Eas t Bay Speedway Tampa. Florida Results: March 5, 1996 S 750 EX: 1. Ste ve Mor eh ead (H· O }; 2. Rich King (Ha n ); 3. Will Davis (H·O); 4. Kevin Ath ert on (H-D); 5. Kevin Varnes (Han); 6. Geo Roed er n (H- D); 7. Dave Cam Hn (H -D); 8. Terry Poovey (Han); 9. Georgie Price (H·D ); 10. Mike Hacker (H-D); 11. Mike Varnes (H-D); 12. Sieve Beatt ie (H· D). . FLORIDA FL AT T RA CK S ERIES POI NT promptly ran th ree wi de for the lead while -the rest of the field also bu nch ed up. Varnes and King pull ed free. "1 really wanted the holeshot and then just be as steady as 1 could," said Varnes. "1 saw him (King) back there. H e 'was rea lly screami ng up on me, and 1 knew 1 had to hold a tight line." "1 couldn 't find a lin e," sai d King. "High worked the best for me. 1 was jus t a little short tonight, but it was a fun track to rid e a 600 on." N ate Wait too k control of the 883 race, but th e red flag came ou t on lap three w he n Gary Rogers fell in turn thr ee. Defending 883 champ Mike Hacker to ok full adva n tage of th e complet e restart and stormed to the front ahead of Rob Gette and Wait. Th e ju nior member of th e Spectro Moroney' s team was not satisfied to sit behind his teammates an d took over the lea d on lap fou r. Ha cker stayed right behind until lap eight wh en a tan k slapper off tu rn four dropped him into a brawl with Jason Fletcher. Chan ce Darling moved up to fou rth over Gette. Rich King had his Saddleman's / R&R Racing H onda on th e ou tside pole for th e 750cc Expert main, bu t Morehead got the jump from the second position lead ing Poovey and Varnes into turn one. Morehead went straight to the top of the track . "1blew.third gear on the start, (Above) KevinVarnes (shown) had a race-long battle with Rich King Inthe 600cc Expert class. Varnes came out on top. (Right)Tim Eades topped the 600cc Pro-Amfinal. bu t it went right in," said Morehea d . "1 knew 1 h acL to r ide the cu shion. 1 couldn' t get it to work, squaring off the comer and crossing the groove." At the sta rt of lap two Davis dived to the bo tto m of the track only to catch a rut. He fough t th rou gh a sev ere leg whip, but dropped into a swarm of closing riders. "1 tried low an d almos t fell," said Davis. "1 got boxed in fourth, so 1 we nt high an d th at d id n' t work. Rich and 1 went to the bott om and 1 th in k that was the fastes t line, bu t Steve was just gone." "1 cou ldn' t get consistent; when I'd find a lin e, I'd hit a hole and that would th row, m e off for a cou ple la ps, " sai d Kin g of the charge tha t fe ll sho rt of Moreh ead. He did, however, hold off Davis. STANDINGS: 1. Steve More head (65/ 2 wins) ; 2. Will o Davis (49/1 ); 3. Ge rge Roed er II (39); 4. Rich King (38); 5. Kevin Varn es (30); 6. (TIE) Kevin Atherton / Steve Beattie / Dave Cam lin (28); 9. Geo rgie Price IV (25); 10. Mik e Ha ck er (24) ; 11. Mike Varn es (20) ; 12 . Da le Jen neman (18 ); 13. Brett Land es (13); 14. (TIE) Eric Bostrom / Terry Poovey (11); 16. Robert Lewis (10); 17. (TIE) Willie McCoy /J ason Fletcher (9); 19. (TIE) Chris Evans / Paul Lynch (8), 600 EX: L Kevin Varnes (Rtx); 2. Rich King (Rtx); 3. Jell Randolph (Rtx); 4. Kenn y Coo lbeth (Rtx); 5. Robert Lewis (Rtx ); 6. Pau l Lyn ch (Rtx); 7. Lonni e Pau ley (Rtx ); 8. Mike Varnes (Rtx); 9. j .R. .Sch nabel (Rtx): 10. Jaso n Sentell (Rtx); 11. Georgie Price (KTM); 12. Char lie Orr {Rtx] . . 883: 1. Nate Wait; 2. Mike Ha cker ; 3. Jason Fletcher; 4. Chance Darling; 5. Rob Gctte; 6. Gary Ro gers: 7. Billy Mar ti n; 8. Pau l Lync h ; 9 . A .J. H er rera; 10: Joh nn y M urphree; 11. Sh aun Russell. 12. Josh Butl er. 600 PRO~AM: 1. Tim Eades {Rtx}; 2. Robert Weiss (Rtx); 3. Scott Shinn (KTM); 4, Ma rco Mor ello (Rtx); 5. John Nickens III (Rtx); 6. Roy Mill e r (W-R); 7. Sh aun Rus sell (Rtx); 8. Bob Decker (Ho n); 9. Robert Babcock (Rtx); 10. Scott Deubler (W-R); II. Kenny Dahl in (Rtx); 12. Tim Sears (Rtx). • DASH FOR CASH: i.wm Dav is (H-D ); 2. Kevin . Varnes (Ho n); 3. Rich King (Ho n); 4. Steve Moreh ead (H-D); 5. Terry Poovey (Ha n); 6. Goo Roed er II (H·D ).

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