Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

I. & • • I .DIRTlatTRACK . Final Round: Oglethorpe Speedway F lorida F TrackSeries ~ rough tbe eye of t estorm (Above left) Kevin Atherton gives the thumbs up after scoring his first 750cc Expert win of 1996 durh;g the final round of the Florida Fiat Track Series at Oglethorpe Speedway. (Above) Reigning AMA 883cc National Champion Mike Hacker flat pulled away from the field to win the 883 class. (Left)Tommy Hayden was In control from start to finis h as he raced to the 600cc Expert victory. By Dave Hoenig Photos by Rat Trak Foto s SAVANNAH,GA, MAR. II n Frid ay Ma rch I , Ogletho rp e Speed way was supposed to host round o ne o f th e nin e-ra ce, $10,000 Florida Harl ey-Da vidson Dealers Associatio n-spo nso red Florid a Flat Tra ck Seri es, but ra in forced th e 135 entran ts so u th to Florida in search of d rier conditions. Un fo rtun a tely th r ee oft he eig h t 'rem aining races in Florid a were also weathered ou t, and it was a much smaller band of ride rs who escaped the "Suns hi ne Sta te " a n d re t u rned to the rescheduled Oglethorpe half mile for w ha t turned ou t to be the series' fina l race . W eath e r fo recasts d i d n ' t lo ok promising, bu t clear, cool weather gree ted the 52 riders wh o were able to stay for the Monday night event. Three ri de rs h ad a m a thema tical ch an ce to w in th e se ries. Steve Morehead held a 10-po in't advantage over Will Da vis . Team Saddlem en' s Rich King was ano ther six points back. As it tu rn ed ou t, Morehead locked up the title by qu alifyin g for the main event after Will Davis had control of the seco n d 750cc h eat u ntil his chain d erailed wi thi n sigh t of the finish line . Davis coasted across the finish line, and was elimina ted from the p rogram an d a chance at the championship. . "I d on't kriow wha t hap pened," said the di sappoint ed Total Control Racing pilot. " It didn ' t break. It jus t came off." Mo reh ead now h ad a lock on th e $2800 first-pl ace se ries money. Even if Kin g were to win an d Morehea d ru n last, they would be tied, and Morehead would have more wins. "I hate to see that (Davis' d emise)," said Morehea d. "I just hope mine keep s running. It' s the same bike I've rode all week." "I'm getti ng aro und real good, bu t so is everybody els e," said King, w h o m o ved up to secon d in the p oin ts, which was worth $2200. Davis slipped to third and claimed a $1500 bonus. O With the top three in the series finishing order already decid ed, Morehead put his F&S Harley-David son in front of King and USC Racing's Kevin Varnes as the pack slid into tum one at the start of the 12-rider 750cc main. The end of lap one saw TCR's Kevin Atherton in third behin d King. . . Lap two found Atherton in front, but on lap three, Morehead was back on top top. Atherton took the point for the final time on lap four and then rolled on to claim the win. "The track was prepared great, wide groove a nd smooth," said Atherton . "You coul d ride aggressive. 1 went off the groove, then Steve went off as we traded the first few laps. There was a lot of traction - you cou ld really dri ve off the turns. It really means a lot to me to beat Morehea d on a groove. 1 know 1 can beat him on a cush ion, but he's the best there is on a groove." Atherton led the rest of the way, but Morehead dog ged him all the way , right up to the last tum of th e last lap . Morehead tried a high line only to slip off the groove an d fall p r ey to Varnes and Corb in Racing's Davey Camlin. Morehead was philosophical after the race. "I did n't have anything to lose," said Morehead . "It was either win or slip to fourth. I wanted to win all the 750cc dirt races in th e series . 1 kn ow I won the series, but I really wanted to win them aiL" "My tire was working better as the race went on," Carnlin said. "Kevin and 1 were having a close race for third, then Morehead wen t off groove in tum three. Thank you! More money for me." "You coul d ride a high or low line, but it wa s hard to pass because everyone was SO even," said Varnes. "It was really a fast track." The 600cc Expert main, run ea rlier, was much th e .sam e. WWP Pro Raeing/ ESAB-backed Tommy Hayden led it all th e way, bu t a lat e-race charge from Bartels' Harley-Davidson's Eric Bostrom put Bostrom in posi tion to win the race. "I tried to d rive around the outside," said Bostrom, who crashed, but was not hurt, while trying to make a pass for the lead . "1 didn' t know there were so many marbles just off the groove. The back end came around and down I wen t." Robert Lewis ana Lon nie Pau le y inherited second and third. AMA 883cc Natio na l Ch ampi o n Mike Hacker led the 883 Harley Spo rtster race all the way . Bartels' Billy Martin and Hacker's Sp ectro/Moron ey' s teamm ate Jas on Fle tc he r p ressu r e d H acker until th e halfway poi nt befor e H acker pull ed away . Fletcher worked h is way under Martin wi th one lap to go, but it was too late to catch Hacker. Josh Knott grabbed the early lead in the 600cc Pro-Am main, but Californian Shaun Russell pushed his Bartels'-spo nsored Woo d -Rotax to th e front at th e ha lfway point and wen t on to score the w in. Pau l Malone hung close for third in hi s firs t 600cc rid e abo ard Dave Cam lin' s Rot ax. Aa ron Creamer h eld off Nick Davis for fou rth. Marco Morello blasted by Nick Davis on lap th ree of the 250cc Pro-Am main and ran away with the race. Davis ran a lonesome second over Jeff Earl, Don Prevost and Jason Fuller. n Oglethorpe Speedway Savannah , Georgia Results: March 11, 1996 (Round 9 of 9) 750 EX: 1. Kevin Ath erton (H~ D); 2. Kevin Varnes (Hon); 3. Dave Camlin (H-D); 4. Steve Morehead (H;D~ S. Steve Beattie (H-D); 6. Georgie Price IV (H-D); 7. Rich Kin g (Hon ); 8. Ceo Roed er II (H-D); 9. Jason Fletcher (H-D); 10. Mike Hacker (H -D~ 11. Mike Varn es (H-D); 12. Dale Jenneman (H·O). 600 EX: 1. Tommy Hayd en (Rtx ); 2. Robert Lewi s Jr. (Rtx); 3. Lonni e Pauley (Rtx); 4. Roger Durkee (Rtx); S. Ben Bostrom (W- R); 6 . Johnny Mu rphree (W · R); 7. Morgan Coolbeth (W ·R) ; 8. BiU Newkirk (Han); 9. Steve G ill (W-R); 10. Eri c Bostrom (W -R) . 883: 1. Mike H acke r; 2. Ja son Fle tcher ; 3. Bill y Martin; 4. Donnie Krusinski; 5: Shaun Russelb 6. Recil Hart; 7. Lonni e Paul ey. 600 Pro·A m: 1. Shaun Russell (Rtx); 2. Jos h Knott (Rtx): 3. Paul Malone (Rtx); 4. Aaron Creamer (Rtx); 5. N ick Daniels (Rtx); 6. Jeff Earl; 7. Mark Davidson (Rtx); 8. Sco tt H ie rs (Rtx ); 9. Jason Ful ler (Rtx) ; 10. Brian Eckhart (Rtx) : 11. Don Prevost (Hon); 12. Dave Gill (Rtx). . 250 PRO-AM : 1. Ma rco Mor ello (Ho n); 2. N ick Danie ls (Rtx); 3. Jeff Earl (Han); 4. Don Prevost (Hon) ; 5. Jaso n Fulle r (Hon) . FL ORID A FLAT T RA CK S ER I ES FI N AL ST AND IN GS (Aller 9 of 9 rou nds) : 1. Steve Morehead 103 po int s / 3 wins); 2. Rich King (84); 3. Will Davis (78/ 2 win s); 4, Kevin Atherton (nil win); 5. Geo rgie Price IV (71); 6. Kevin Varnes (65); 7. Davey Ca mlin (54); ); 8. Gee Roeder II (SO 9. Steve Beatt ie (42); 10. Brett Landes (40); 11. Mike Varnes (34); 12. Mike Hacker (33); 13. Ricky Graham (29); 14. Dale Jennem an (25); 15. Terry Poovey (23); 16. Cha rlie Orr (22); 17. Jaso n Fletcher (19~ 18. Willie McCoy (17); 19. Eric Bostro m (16); 20. Jay Spri ngsteen (14).

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