Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Right) Joe Kopp (43) and Brett ~ndes (41) ended up in a heated battle for second place, with Kopp coming out on top of the side-byside battle. (Far right) Carr (center) celebrates his win with Landes (left) and Kopp (right). field tightened up, but Nickens held the lead to the finish. "It's great to be here," Nickens said. "AU the fans cheering for me - that's great. I just hope that I can keep it up for the main 'event. A lot of people don't like the stadium. I don't really like it, either, but I do good here." Heat three almost turned into a demolition derby when second-placed Kopp bumped Team Powell/Sunoco's J.R. Schnabel in turn two on the fourth lap and stuffed it underneath Schnabel for the lead. Not one to take that kind of crap, Schnabel came roaring back one lap la ter and railed Kopp in about the same spot to retake the lead. Kopp then waited it out and made a dean pass under. Schnabel on the last lap to take the win, with both riders going through to the main event. "That was classic short-trackin' out there," Kopp said. "I got hit hard a couple times, and I hit some people hard a couple times; I think we're even. The track's perfect right now. I just have to wait for someone to make a little bobble and capitalize on it." Gardner Racing/Walters Bros. HD/Springfield Armory rider Dan Stanley had a great run in heat race number four, as he took the measure of former teammate Dan Butler and pulled into a lead that he would not relinquish. Nonetheless, the two diced it up, pulling even in turns one and two and in three and four several times. In the end, Stanley took the win, while Butler rolled the dice one too many times and wound 'up drifting high, where he was mugged of his transfer by Mike Butler Racing/Roth Racing's Samuel Lowe. "We're going to have to get .the bike working a little bit better than that if I want to win this thing," Stanley said. "I couldn't get around the bottom, so I moved up and I saw Butler using a good line. J"tried that and it worked for me. In the main, I'll probably have to run up there and hope for the best." . Sick and tired, suffering from a cold, Morehead gutted it out to take the win in heat race number five in a race that included several young guns and a former winner: Ronnie Jones. Morehead simply took command at the start and then pulled away from the battle for second place between Lewis Motor Sports' Robert Lewis and Bartels Harley-Davidson's Shaun Russell, who was astride Jay Springsteen's backup machine. There was no catching Morehead, who was clearly winded at the end of the , hea t race, as he led Lewis and Russell across the line. "That was fun," Morehead said. "Tha t's w ha t comin' to Daylona is all ·about. We've been known to put on a lot of good shows here, running around on top of the cushion, but 1 think we need a little more water up there. It's nice to be in Florida, but I'll tell you, if you catch a cold down here, it really wipes you." The last heat race was a tight one, as Carr got off the line fourth but quickly went to work by diving under a struggling Rich King. He then took the lead after 1996 Daytona Short Track winner Will Davis pulled his Eaken Racing ATK off the track with a smoked clutch. Terry Poovey worked through the ranks from a poor start and trailed winner Carr to the finish by about 12 bike lengths. "1 didn't have any brakes," Carr said. "There was a little bit there, but I'm used to stomping on them. I think that the track isn't drying out as quickly as normal. Once 1 got out front, I was just able to run my own pace, and the bike worked good." The first semi was just about all Parker, as he quickly jumped from his second-row start and headed for the high line, where he caught race leader Willie McCoy and then checked out to take the win and the only transfer to the main event. The second semi got a little wild when Murphree crashed in turn three, and then Camlin took a header on the front straightaway, causing the red flag to be thrown. Both riders would make the single-file restart. Lonnie Pauley was at the front of the line when the green light flashed, but Mike Hacker and Kenny Coolqeth quickly displaced him. It didn't last long, however, as Murphree went down again, this time colliding with Ken Yoder, causing another red flag and another restart. Then Murphree wound up in the hay bales again on the ensuing restart, and he was done for the night. Coolbeth snookered Hacker for the win in the ensuing two-lap sprint to the finish. Doug O'Boyle took the lead off the start, but Craig Estelle quickly motored by in the third semi. Meanwhile, Wade Camlin and Davis - who had come from the third row - also ran up front, with Davis dropping under Camlin for third in turn three. Two laps later, Davis shot into the lead and held it the rest of the way, forcing O'Boyle, Camlin and former Daytona winner Ronnie Jones into the trailer for the night. It was clear that at least one - and maybe both - of the Team Saddlemen riders would be through for the night after the final semi, as both Butler and Varnes were in it, along with Corbin Racing's Rich King. Varnes got the holeshot, with Butler running second, while King went from sixth to third after tough battle with Pat Behrle and Greg Teague. Up front, Varnes was simply better than Butler in turns one' and two, and that was all that the Pennsyl- vanian needed to take the win and salvage a start in the main event. When the 16-rider field thumped away from the starting line, Parker was clearly the man on the move, as he worked his way from dead last to the lead in just three laps. "Hey, nobody was watching what 1 did," Parker said. "When everyone went high in turn one, I went around the bottom and boom!, there was the whole back row and a few more guys. Then everybody started dropping into line down low in three and four and boom!, there were four more guys. Then I dropped down. I knew I couldn't stay up there all night, but I probably should have rolled around the bottom only until they reeled me in." Instead, Carr caught Parker on about lap 10 and shot past for the lead. Parker tried to stay with him, but Carr just seemed to be dodging the holes well. "It (the bike) was easy to ride, and I was able to avoid the holes," said Carr. "The motor felt like a sewing mach,ine. It wasn't fast, but it was smooth. Our fastest laps in the main event were the slowest ones all night." By the time Parker dropped out and Landes and Kopp started duking it out for third, Davis and Coolbeth had run through the field to pick up the fourth and fifth spots, respectively. There was little racing behind them as the field stretched out, and Coolbeth wound up with the fifth spot. "We did it the hard way tonight," said Coolbeth, the defending 600cc Hot Shoe National Champion, who came through from the semis to make the main. "I was just trying to dodge the holes out there. My line seemed to be working. I wasn't making that much time on Will, but I think tha t we were both catching the lead pack. I know that I'm in the hunt, but if you don't get off the line once all night, it pretty much ruins your whole night." For Davis, fourth was at least a good indicator of the caliber of his Skip Eaken-prepared equipment, as if there was any doubt. "It was' fun out there," Davis said after finishing fourth. "I fried that clutch in the heat race, and then I had to come back and ride this bike in the semi and start in the back. The bike is brand-new, but now I know that we've got two good ones. We just came from so far back." As for Carr and the sweepstakes? With a win tonight, he is in the running to become the third rider in as many years to pull off a double, following Terry Poovey (1997) and Parker (1998). It is a feat that he has accomplished before (in 1994), so what are the odds? "This is just like any other Daytona, man," Carr said. "You roll the dice and see what happens. Tonight doesn't mean squat. It worked tonight. It could be shitty tomorrow. Tonight it was good." CIII Daytona Municipal Stadium Daytona Beach, Aorida Results: March 5, 1999 (Round 3) HEAT 1 (10 laps; 10 riders, top 2 transfer): 1. Brett Landes (A TK)i 2. Greg Tysor (Rtx); 3. Wille McCoy (ATK); 4, Rorutie Brown (Yam); S. Ken Yoder (ATK); 6. Toby Jorgensen (CCM); 7. Jason Sentell (Rtx); 8, Kyle Long (.Rtx); 9. Richard Wi.nsett (Rtx); 10. Charlie Orr (ATK). Time: 3 min., 20.298 sec. HEAT 2 (10 laps; 10 riders, top 2 transfer); 1. John Nickens III (Rtx); 2. Chris Evans (Hon); 3. Mike Hacker (Rtx); 4. Dorutie Steward (ATK); 5. Steve Beattie (ATK); 6. Lonnie 'Pauley (Rtx); 7. Josh Butler (Rtx); 8. Paul Lynch (Rtx); 9. Scott Parker (H-O); 10. Paul lwanaga (Rtx), Time: 3 min., 21.731 sec. HEAT 3 (10 laps; 10 riders, top 2 transfer); 1. Joe . Kopp (KTM); 2. j.R. Schnabel (W-R); 3. johnny Murphree (W-R); 4. Kenny Coolbeth (W-R); 5. Bryan Bigelow (Rtx); 6. Michael Varnes (H· D); 7. Davey Camlin (Rtx); 8. loe Eades (Rtx); 9, Gary Rogers (Rtx); 10. Tony Souza (Rbc), Time: 3 min., 24.269 sec. . HEAT 4 (10 laps; 10 riders, top 2 transfer): 1. Dan Stanley (Rtx); 2. Samuel Lowe (Rtx); 3. Dan Butler (Hon); 4. Chris Hart (Rtx); 5. Craig Estelle (Rtx); 6. Randy Bereman (ATK); 7. Roy Miller (Rtx); 8. Wade Camlin (Hon); 9. Jeff Randolph (Rtx); 10. George Richtmeyer (Rtx). . Time: 3 min., 23.793 sec. HEATS (10 laps; 10 riders, top 2 transfer): 1. Steve Morehead (Rtx); 2. Robert Lewis (Rtx); 3. Shaun Russell (Rtx); 4. Greg Teague (Han); 5. Scott Sehl (Rtx); 6. Eli Price (Rtx); 7. Beau Brown (Rtx); 8. Randy Shank 11 (ATK); 9. Frank Kaiser (W-R); 10. Ronnie fanes (Rtx). Time: 3 min., 25.617 sec. HEAT 6 (10 laps; 10 riders, top 2 transfer): 1. Chris Carr (Rbc); 2. Terry Poovey (Rtx); 3. Will Davis (ATK); 4. Doug O'Boyle (Rtx); 5. Todd Winsett (I<1'M); 6. Kevin Varnes (Rtx); 7. Shawn Oa,k (Rtx); 8. Tim Eades (Rtx); 9. Mark Larive (Rtx); 10. Rich King (CCM). Time: 3 min., 23.785 sec. SEMI 1 (8 laps; 12 riders, winner: transfers): 1. Scott Parker (H-O); 2. Willie McCoy (ATK); 3. Donnie Steward (A TlQ; 4. Bryan Bigelow (Rtx); 5. Steve Beattie (ATK); 6. Mike Varnes (H-D); 7, Ronnie Brown (Yam); 8, Gary Rogers (RW; 9. Kyle Long (Rtx); 10. Tony Souza (RW; ll.)ason Sentell (Rtx); 12. Paul Lynch (Rtxl. Time: 2 min., 43,531 sec, SEMI 2 (8 laps; 12 riders, winner transfers): 1. Kenny Coolbeth (W-R); 2, Mike Hacker (Rtx); 3. CharH. Orr (A TK); 4. Lonnie Pauley (Rtx); 5. Richard Winsett (Rbc); 6. Davey Camlin (Rtx); 7. loe Eades (Rtx); 8. losh Butler (Rt:x); 9. Paul lwanaga (Rtx); 10. Johnny Murphree (W~R); 11. Ken Yoder (ATK); 12. Toqy jocgensen (CCM). Time: None, due to red flag SEM13 (8 laps; 12 riders, winner transfers): 1. Will Davis (ATK); 2. Doug O'Boyle (Rtx); 3. Craig Estelle (Rtx); 4. Shawn Oa,k (Rtx); 5. Wade Carnlin

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