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/127934
(Opposite page) Scott Parker fulfilled a dream when he won his first Daytona Short Track at Municipal Stadium. For the first time in his career, the 36-year-old Michigander leaves the opening round of the AMA Grand National Championship Series with the points lead. (Above) Defending event champion Terry Poovey (18) came about as close as possible to beating Parker (1) without aCtually doing it. Arguably the best short tracker going, the Texan went on a rampage late in the event, passed Joe Kopp (43) and Brett Landes (41), and finished second by a couple of feet. (Right) Joe Kopp (43) led a Municipal Stadium main event for the second night in a row on his factory KTM 600LC4. After Terry Poovey (18) got by, Brett Landes (41) took his shot on the final turn and snatched away the final spot on the victory rostrum. Kopp clung right to the bottom and stayed there for the rest of the race. Poovey squared it off under him on hip 20 after a brief back-and-forth battle, and Landes nipped him at the flag. But with all his excitement in the KTM pits afterward, you might have thought that the Mica, Washington, Tider had won the thing. "We're really pumped, and I'm real happy for KTM," Kopp said. "It's one thing to come down here and do good once, but we did it consistently. I think we've got a setup. A few people told me that I was taking a chance when I told them I was going to ride it, but I think the bike is damn good." Tom Cummings Racing's Will Davis ran well enough to record a fairly lonely fifth-place finish. The 32-year-old North Carolinian punched his Panther / ATK off the line fourth, but as the pack sorted out, Davis found himself fifth, fighting to hold off the rest of the pack. It didn't take long for Davis to pull clear, as he u ed the outside line early. Then it dried up, and Davis was stuck. Just the same, the spot was good enough to vault Davis into a tie with Kevin Varnes in the Florida Flat Track Series final standings, and Davis will get the lion's share of the $10,000 Florida Harley-Davidson dealers points purse by having scored one more runner-up finish than Varnes during,Daytona Bike. Week. "1 feel wonderful getting fifth at Daytona," Davis said. "We were aU there, close, and I coulda just as easily been watching the thing, because it-is so tough here:I couldn't be happier... Well, if 1 won, 1couIda been a little happier." Corbin R.acing CCM rider Ridl King was sixth, ahead of Scott Adams Racing's Charlie Orr, MMI's Roger Durkee, Rose Racing's Kevin Varnes and Gardner Racing/Walters Bros. H-D rider Dan Stanley. Bartels' H-D's Jay Springsteen, Team Powell/Torque Center's J.R. Sclmabel, TLC Racing's Chris Evans, TCR's Nicky Hayden and KK Racing/Tucker Rocky's Willie McCoy occupied spots 11 through 15. Former Daytona Short Track winner Ronnie Jones finished last on the Weirbach/RJ Performance entry after crashing. The Daytona win gives Parker another career first: It marks the first time in his Grand National career that he has started the season in the points lead. With the cushion-style half mile at Harrington, Delaware, and the Springfield Mile being the next two stops on the series tour, the rest of the Grand National title contenders could be in for some serious trouble. HEATS Some 100 entries invaded the Municipal Stadium grounds, necessitating the usual rounds of qualifying heats to pare the field down to 60 contestants for the six 1D-mart heat races. But in an effort to speed up both the Friday and Saturday shows, and give ample.time for track maintenance, promoter Jim·France and the AMA elected to run the qualifiers in the morning. The regular 10-lap heats began promptly at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night, with the trophy presentations taking place by 10:35 p.m. Parker served notice that he was focusing on the big trophy when he took the hoIeshot in the first heat race from the pole and pulled out to a straightaway's lead over Wille McCoy, Mike Varnes and TCR rider Paul Bergstrom. But the reigning champion soon left McCoy and Varnes far behind, leaving them to scrap over the second and final direct transfer out of the heat while he rolled to a full-straightaway win. Both . Varnes and J.R. Sclmabel tried to knock McCoy off, but the tough Texan earned a direct ticket into the feature. During the race, Parker noticeably slid up high a couple of times to test the track conditions. "Just wanted to check it out, dance around on the high side and see what it was like," Parker said. '1t's a little slick in three and four, but it's pretty good in one and two." Poovey, the '97 Daytona Short Track and Hot Shoe National winner, pretty much followed Parker's lead in the second heat race by all but checking out on the field on the way to dominating the fastest heat race of the night. Roger Durkee and Mike McKee battled over the transfer spot, but McKee threw a chain as they crossed the start/finish line to start lap six, allowing Durkee to move on to the main event uncontested. But Poovey looked as though he had it in him again. "1 really like the track tonight, and my motorcycle i working good," Poovey said. '1 was fast last night, too, but winning the heat race doesn't mean you're gonna win the feature." Heat three featured the evening's first real battle for the lead, as Jay Springteen and Ronnie Jones went at it nose to tail and side by side for eight of the 10 laps. Springer chose the high road and eventually worked past Jones off turn four on lap seven, but Jones remained in the hunt before bobbling on the groove in one and two on the last lap. Both riders had a good time, as evidenced by their laughter once they removed their helmets.