Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Cycle News 1999 08 04

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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engaged in a tight race for the lead . For a sho rt time it appeared as tho ugh th e th re e lea d ers w ould pull a wa y , but Morehead method ically closed the gap. Willie McCoy pushed his Harl ey-Davidso n o f Dall a s / Eagl e Securit y into th e le ad d ra ft, before also pulli n g to the side lines. "I d on 't know if the track go t better or my tire go t bett er, but I wo rked my w a y r ig h t up the re," M cCo y sa id . "I cau ght the lead pack, then the bike backfired d own th e stra ight. I d id n't kn ow wha t it wa s, but I didn't wan t to take any chances, so I just pu lled off. I wish I cou ld have kep t on going, but that 's the only motorcycle I' have. I d idn't wan t to tear something up and not be read y for next week. I'm thi nking maybe it's just dirt in the ca rb u re to r. It did it a fe w tim es earlier, and it kind of scared me d own the front straight. I didn't want to blow a motor and spray oil everywhere or have someone hit me a nd cause an accident, so I jus t pulled off." Ab out this tim e, Beatti e showed the mu scl e o f hi s St yl ema st er C u stom Mo torcycles-backed Harley and moved into fourth. " I ca ugh t right up with the leaders and was in fou rt h for a litt le while, " Beattie said . "I realized I had a shot at a podium finish and ma ybe eve n som e of that lap money, but I go t a little excited , mes sed up and slipped bac k." With five laps to go, the lead d raft contained Springst een , King, Morehe ad , Davis , Po o vey , Beattie an d Sadd le men /Bartels Harl ey-Davidson's Shaun Russell . Then Davi s slipped just off the pa ce , lea ving Spring steen , Kin g a n d Morehead fighting over the lead. "We led a couple of laps in the first half, and I thou ght we led a coup le in the seco nd , bu t they s ay we didn 't," Davis sa id. "Th e re a t th e e n d , I just co uld n' t get hooked up . Couldn't ge t hooked up off the corners. We were just spi nning the tire." Last-la p strat egy quick ly took shape. "King passed me going into turn one, and I dropped back and followed him d o wn th e ba ck s t ra ig h t," Mo rehead . sa id. " I was jus t h opin g th a t no o ne wo uld stu ff it under us. I tried to hold a line w h ere th ev w ou ld have to ro ll around the ou tsid e of us. I stayed rea l tigh t o n Rich ' s r ea r wheel wh en w e ent ere d (the co rner) a n d all the w a y through it. If someone d id come around . on the ou tside, I didn't wa nt them coming d own on top of us. I figu red I could ge t a run on Rich and hopefully beat him to the finish line. He was down the middle o f th e ra ce tra ck . I co ul dn 't decide insid e or outside. I decided, 'He ll with it , I'm going to th e in sid e .' I've seen more races won on the inside than the outsid e." Springs teen was a lso ri ght in pl ace for the thrilling ph oto finish. "Morehea d go t me go ing into o ne and I couldn't ge t back by him d own the backstraight," Spri ngs teen sai d . "I th ou ght if I got b y one of th em , I' d have a good cha nce of winn ing . Then I go t th e dra ft off b oth o f th em a n d sli ngs ho t to th e ou tsi de . I th o ugh t I wo n, but I d on 't kn ow , The who le race I felt like I was right where I wa nt ed to be , I ju st hung ri gh t w it h them a n d stayed there as long as I cou ld . In tve seco nd half, I turned the wick up a lit tle more, b ut 's o did eve ry o ne e lse . I thought it wa s just me , Rich and Will , then all of a su d d en her e' s Moreh ead in th ere too." King was also in contention. He had been making good tim e in the corners for the en tire d istan ce, "The bike was handling grea t," King sa id. "I was getting through the comers (Above) After 15 laps , the race was yellowflagged and the riders were able to pit for adjustments. The competitors then restarted in a car like rolling start to comp lete the last 15 laps . (Right, left to right) Crazy from the heat : Tough old guys King, Morehead and Spr ingsteen enjoy the spoils of the podium in the merciless Du Quoin heat. really good . O n the last lap, I felt that if I cou ld n' t be in seco nd , down in turns thr ee and four, 1 didn't wa n t to ta ke the c h a n ce of b ein g in third . I kn e w 1 cou ld n' t win it from third. I cou ld have wo n it fro m second or I had to be lead ing. I wa s seco nd on the back straight, and I was afraid so meo ne was going to dra ft up on me, so 1 went a h ead a nd took a late draft and went to the lead . I thou ght, ' Boy, now's th e tim e to cu t a perfect co rner.' I cut it a w ful good . I d idn't think they could ge t me by the line, but they d id." Th e w in w en t to M orehead ove r Springsteen and King, leavin g Davis just off the pace. "We were right there, I just cou ldn't ge t in that d raft," Da vis sa id . " I d on 't know if we made a wrong gear choice, We put a lot of gea r on it, to get off that last corn er," Davis said . "I' m happy, We wanted to win it, but we 're glad to see Mo rehead wi n it." Morehead ' s trip to th e fron t wa s met hodical. "I thou ght I was going to be in tro ubl e o n th e ge a ring, because ea r ly on w he n I was coming throu gh the back, the guys I was racing with wer e getting s idewa ys o ff th e co rn ers a n d it was slowing m y m omentum d own, and I didn't ha ve any accelera tion," Mor ehead s aid. "The clos er yo u ge t to th e front, those boys roll it thr ou gh the corners a little faster, and then my gea ring ca me into pl a y . When yo u ge t wi t h King, Davis and Springsteen , those guys are ro lli ng it through th e co rners fast enough on the exit speed that it didn't s crew up m y run up so that I co uld ca rry m y momentum on d own to th e other end ." Bea tt ie was s hadow ed by Russell, w h ile Dal e Je n n em a n pu sh ed hi s H arl e y -D avidson Centra l /Fr on tier Harl ey-D avid so n past Powell Racin g / Sunoco Racing 's J.R. Schna bel on the last lap for eighth place, "We were just a littl e shy, we're getting closer," [en nernan said , "We' ve still go t a little more to gain, bu t we' re going through a process. We just can' t put one tog eth e r like T om m y C u m mi ng s or Dennis Towne, but we' re ge tting a lot close r. This sho uld reall y help. All the R&D w e've b e en d oin g reall y cos ts mon ey and doesn't make mu ch. I think th ere is s o me th in g wron g w it h th e swingarm. Just past the halfway point it s ta rted bo unci ng around . I'm no t su re CN where the problem is." At the rider s ' meeti ng , IMDA rac e director Dave Kieso"; announced that the lap money from the aborted Grand National would be added to the lap money for the 30·miler and paid out through the 30 laps. -We had a few lap sponsors drop out when weshortened the race , but most s tayed on, and we have 'around $9000 in lap money." Kiesow sa id. Chris Carr led laps one through eight. and laps '11.12 and 14. Rich Ki<1g led lap nine, laps 15-20 and lap 23.·Jay Springsteen led laps 21:22, and 24·26, Steve Morehead led laps 29 and 30. . . . The race definitely 'marked major payday for the riders, and with' the amount of money involved 'jf s n wo nder that o HEAT 1 (Five la ps ; seven riders, top fiv e tra nsfer); 1. Chris Ca rr (H-D); 2. Jay Springsteen (H-Dl; 3. Steve M o re he a d (H·D) ; 4 . Shaun Russell (H - D); 5. Willie McCoy (H· O); 6. Chris Evan s (H-D); 7. Paul Lynch (HOI, Ti m e: 3 mi n.• 02.013 St.'C. H EAT 2 (Five laps; seven riders, top fiv e transfer): I. Will Davis (H -DI; 2. Joe Kopp (H -D); 3, Dan Butler (H- Dl; 4. Steve Beattie (H-D); 5. Nicky Hayden (Ii -D); 6. Brian Kromr oy (H·D) ; Joey Brock (H-D>. Ti me: 3 m in., 01.119 sec. HEAT 3 (5 laps; 7 ri d er s, top 5 tr an sf e r): 1. Rich King (H -D); 2. Da n Sta n ley (H-D); 3. Terry Poovey (Hen): 4. J.R. Schnabe l (H -D); 5. Dale [cnn cma n (H -D l; 6. Pa ul Morga n III (1-1-0); 7. Devon Pritcha rd (Ii -D), Time: 3 m in.• 03.027 sec. SEM I 1 (Five laps; six ri ders, top three tra nsfe r): 1. Chr is Evans (H~D); :!. Devon Pri tchard (H· Ol; 3. Joey Brock (H - D ); 4 . Pa u l Morgan III (1-1- 0); 5. Bria n Kromruy O'-{·D); 6. Paul Lync h (H · O). Ti me : 3 min ., 07.171 sec . 30 - r ~U lE R MA IN EVENT (30 I.lpS; 18 riders): 1. Steve Morehead (H-D); 2. Jay Springsteen (H-D); 3. Rich King (H· O); 4. Will Davis (H-D); 5. Terry Poo vey (Hon): .. 6. Stev e Beattie (H-O); 7. Shau n RusSt=1I (H· D); 8. Dale Je n ne m a n (H ·OI; 9. J.R. Schnabel (H· O); 10. WiJIie McCov (H ·D ); 11 . Dan Butler (H · D ); 12 . Devon Pr it chard (H · D); 13 . Nicky Hayden (H·DI ; 14. Da n Stanley (H·Dl; 15. Chris E\'aits IH:O); 16. Chris Carr (HDI; 17, Joey Brock (H-Dl; 18, Joe Kopp (H -Dl, "This is something, lsn't it. the two oldest guys,running one. two?" Jay Springsteen said.,S teve Morehead added, "lfthey decide to run this as a 50-miler next year, maybe Sprinqerand I should come back as a tag team, I think'we'd be,pretty tough ," . Brieflv.... .. DuQuoin State Fairgrounds DUQuoin, Illinois Results: July 25 , 1999 some riders questione d their final positions: Morehead pocketed $9000 for first,.with $6500'and $4000 gO to Springsteen and King, The pay out continued down to ing' $1500 for 18th. ' , Everyone fouqht the oppressive heat as ;"ell as .the emotions of the weekend. "The heat really got me," Jay Springsteen said, "I wodays of this really drained medow n to nothing, "You .don't notice the heat so much'while you're riding. but as soon as you stop, it's almost unbearable. I've been la ying up there in' the air conditioning, and I'm still light headed, Joe (Bishe) just dropped after the pit stop." ",I woke up. Davey

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