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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127996
after setting fast time and all," Butler said. "The bike was working excellent, and I love this track. After we took that little spill in the heat race, we had to gather it back up and put together a good semi. I felt real good about winning the semi. Coming right back out for the main, I knew where 1 had to be, and we made a few changes to the bike. It worked real well, and 1 got a good holeshot from the third row. I ate about a pound of dirt and could hardly see. I found a good line and started coming up on the bottom. Another top-10 finish, that's where we want to be, but we should be farther up than that after setting fast time." Mitchell's Mode to Harley-Davidson/Rogers/Lake-backed Gary Rogers won his second Harley-Davidson Sportster Performance Series National in a row. Rogers had to overcome the challenge of a restart at the midpoint of the lZ-lap race. Nate Wait was in second place and closing when he fell at the exit of turn four, leaving JMK Pro Racing/Howell's Harley-Davidson's Rob Miller a solid second. BADDAR Racing/Ed Albright-backed George (Above) Chris Carr landed solidly on the podium with a runner-up finish after having led the first 12 laps of the Grand National main event. The finish gave him the series points lead. (left) Contrasting styles: Geo Roeder II (66) used all the cushion that he could en route to a third-place finish, while Will Davis (21) kept it low and finished fourth. into second, the National field was set. Mike Varnes, Kenny Coolbeth and Brett Landes were among the riders not making the mai.J;1. from this semi. GRAND NATIONAL Richtmeyer got a great restart On his Moroney's Harley-Davidson and held off Shaun Russell for third. HEATS Roeder led Steve Beattie, Butler and Bigelow into tum one of heat one. Roeder and Beattie slipped away a little as Butler and his former teammate battled it out. By lap three, Bigelow had dropped Butler to fourth and closed on Beattie. Lap four saw Butler's race end in tum three, where he lost the front end and fell. Bigelow took second away from the Stylemaster Custom Motorcycle/ AFAM/Bicycle Works-backed Beattie at the halfway point and held off the Canadian for the rest of the race. Shawn Clark held a solid fourth over Willie McCoy and Kenny Coolbeth, but all were semi bound. . Steve Morehead led the second heat as fa r as tum two before giving way to a flying Parker, who pulled to an easy win over the F&S Harley-Davidson/KK Supply /John Sheperd-backed Morehead. But the series' grand old man was still a comfortable second, ahead of a three-rider war over the last direct transfer into the main. Dan Stanley, Jay Springsteen and Hayden were all over the track in their battle for third. Hayden finally inched his way into third with one lap to go and held on over Stanley and Springsteen. The Varnes cousins, Mike and Kevin, led the third heat off the line over Davis and Dave Rayburn. Evans came from nowhere and rode the high line to lead the first lap. 'From there, he pulled to a convincing win. Davis slipped into second, leaving Mike and Kevin to dispute third. By la p five, Kevin had taken over and closed quickly on Davis. The orth Carolinian was able to hold on to second, with the Saddlemen/Lancaster Harley-Davidson/ Dodge Brothersbacked Kevin Varnes getting the last transfer. Mike Varnes led Rayburn, Mike Hacker and J.R. Schnabel into the emis. The last heat was a runaway for Carr. After a short tussle, Atherton moved around King and took second. Fil}ishing just off the pace were Johnny Murphree, Davey Camlin, Gary Rogers and Joe Kopp. SEMIS Camlin wasted no time putting his Gardner Racing/Springfield Armory / Wiebler' Harley-Davidson-backed Harley to the front of the first semi. Camlin and Springsteen then bumped, sending Springsteen back into the pack. Hacker and Clark took advantage to run second and third. Springer was On the move, however, and by lap three he was challenging Hacker and Clark. Springsteen first disposed of Clark, and then on lap six he got by Hacker. Camlin was long gone as he led the Bartels' Harley-Davidson/Real McCoy's, Japan/SuperTrappsponsored Springsteen to the main. Camlin's Gardner Racing teammate Stanley was running away with the second semi when an oil leak forced him to be black-flagged. This ¥ned the lead over to the KK Supply/Deprank Autobody /Jeanine Rayburn-backed Rayburn. By the halfway mark, Butler had worked his way to the front. He took the lead on lap six and went on to the win. Rayburn held on to second over a fastclosing Willie McCoy. Mike Varnes led the last semi around for lap one, but Kopp was right on his rear wheel. By lap two, Coziahr HarleyDavidson & Buell/Buck/Memphis Shades' Johnny Murphree had shot to the front. After Kopp slipped hi Dave Burks Motorsporls/Harley-Davidson of Missouri/Carl Patrick-backed Harley The Grand National field made one quick warmup lap and 'then chose their starting positions. Fast qualifier Roeder used his number-one pick to take the second spot from the top of the front row. Parker was to his right, with Evan , Carr, Morehead and Bigelow to his left. Davis, Beattie, Hayden, Varnes, Atherton and King made up the second row. Back in the dust on row three were Rayburn, Carnlin, Murphree, Butler, Springsteen and Kopp. Roeder was the'first to hit tum one, with his Ohio rival Morehead right there, along with Bigelow. Roeder maintained his advantage at the end of lap one, only to fall victim to Carr's assault a lap later. A lap after that, Roeder lost second to Parker and started a downward spiral that would drop him as low as sixth before he moun ted his charge back toward the front. "I got by Will once, and then J screwed up - I couldn't believe 1 did that," Roeder said. "The track changed a Jot through the main event. The rider that makes the least mistakes was going to win the battle. I started ea ing the gas on more, and it started working for me. After 1 got by those guys, 1 had a cou\lle of mental lapses again. The bike was working real good, and once I got past them, 1 knew 1 was all right." Meanwhile, the lead duo was pulling away. '1 had to dice with them a few laps, and that let Chris get out,'" Parker said. "He was able to cut laps alone and stretch out a few bike lengths. 1 kept my head down. 1 knew 1 had to get to the front. He had some lines he was using, and I was moving around on the race track, find ing some that would work 13