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AMA National Hot Shoe Series Florida Flat Track Series Rounds 1/1 : Oglethorpe Speedway (Left) The HarleyDavidson Sportster 883cc claaa launchea off the line at the Hot Shoe Hason opener. The event waa also the tim round of the AMA'a Hot Shoe Serlea. (Below) Third-place tlnlaher Mike Hacker, winner Ken Coolbeth Jr. and Will Davia pen to rlght! receive their awarda on the 750cc Expert podium. way with Scott Scherb, the only rider even close. Last season's Rookie of the Year, Jason Tyer, was a solid third over Mike Speh and John STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAVE HOENIG/FLAT TRAK FOTOS SAVANI'IAH, GA, MAR. 2 he 2001 AMA flat-track season got off to a big start, as over 150 entries flooded the Oglethorpe Speedway for round one of the AMA's National Hot Shoe Series. For the 750cc Experts, it also doubled as the first race of the Florida Flat Track Series, the annual circuit that wraps up at the Grand National in Daytona. Corbin Racing/Dave Burks Motorsports/HoD of Missouri's Ken Coolbeth got a leg up on the competition, as the Connecticut youngster captured both the 750cc Expert and the 600cc Expert mains on the slick half-mile. It was a full night of racing, with 48 races including the five 12-lap mains. The last race was over just minutes past the 11 :00 p.m. curfew. The new 250/505cc Pro-Sport class drew a large number of entries (24), doubling last year's 250cc-only division. Heat wins fell to former expert Noot Irvin, Jake Johnson and Mike Lounsbury, and Jerad Cheney led the main into turn one ahead of Johnson and Jason Storms. Lounsbury Builders & Erectors/Jay Skidmore/On Time Productions-backed Mike Lounsbury was worldng his way to the front. At the halfway point of the 12-lapper, he wedged his way past Johnson for second, and both riders closed on Cheney. Lounsbury took the lead on lap nine. Two laps later, Chaney's race came to a premature end. Johnson was a solid second, but Wes Brown slipped by Storms on the last lap for third. Hard-charging Bryan Smith ran away with the Harley-Davidson Sportster Performance main. The youngster from Michigan led all the T 40 MARCH 21, 2001 • cue I Grant. The two heats were won by Smith and Scherb. Kenny Coolbeth easily won the 600cc Expert main on his Corbin Racing/Dave Burks Motorsports/Missouri Harley -Davidson - backed Rotax. Coolbeth got the holeshot and pulled to an easy win over his teammate (Left) After a pair of reatarta, Jake Johnaon aped to the 800cc ProSport victory. _ and defending 600cc Hot Shoe Champion Joe Kopp. Kopp worked his way around Gardner Racing's Steve Beattie, but couldn't gain on the long-gone Coolbeth. Beattie later came under attack from Mike Hacker. Kopp slipped off the slick groove with one lap left, and Beattie and Hacker both closed to his rear wheel, but no positions were exchanged. Greg Tysor finished just ahead of a tight battle between Shawn Clark, Geo Roeder and Johnny Murphree. Murphree locked the position away with two laps to go. The four 600cc Expert heats had gone to Kopp, Beattie, Murphree and Coolbeth. n __ • Jake Johnson overcame two restarts to take the 600cc Pro-Sport main on his Deptford Honda Metro Racing/P&L Cycles-sponsored Rotax. Familiar faces were battling it out as Jason Storms led for one lap before Johnson took command. The race was now for second, and Mike Lounsbury and Jared Cheney dueled all the way to the finish line. Lounsbury got the nod over Cheney, as Bob Weiss moved into fourth. Storms lost fifth in the waning laps to Joe Zydinsky. The four heats had been won by Lounsbury, Johnson, Storms and Cheney. The last race of the night was the 750cc Main. It was no surprise that Moroney's H-D/fasthog.com/Gould Erectors/Racing for Kids' Will Davis stormed off the line first, but Coolbeth wasn't about to hand it to Davis. "I really worked hard this winter, and it already shows," the young veteran said. "I just put my head down and went after him. " Cool beth marked time in second until the start of the eighth lap, when he dove under Davis going into the first turn. "That was a heck of a move," Davis said. "I just left a little too much room inside, and he took advantage of it. I know I was holding him up. Kenny really had it dialed tonight." After capturing the point, Cool beth steadily pulled away. Davis was able to hold a safe second while Mike Hacker and Murphree banged away over third. Saddlemen/Lancaster H-D/Dodge Brothers-backed Hacker was able to pull clear in the late laps. Murphree held on to fourth over II closing Beattie and Kevin Varnes. In the first heat, Hacker and Murphree had battled all the way, with Hacker taking the narrow win. Jason Tyer and Jess Roeder had also moved into the main. The second heat was a little easier for Will Davis. After he had slid by Geo Roeder, the two pulled clear of a battle for third between Beattie and Bryan Bigelow, and the teammates both moved on into the main. The last heat had belonged to Coolbeth, as he got the holeshot and left his teammate to hold off Varnes. Varnes quickly took second, but only lost ground to the fleeing Coolbeth. Kopp shadowed Varnes the rest of the way. John Nickens came out on top of a race-long battle with Shawn Clark for the last transfer. eN ....elII.,. SpeetIwe, s.-.a, &e.tla 1IesuIb: Men:b Z. 21U1 505 PRO· SPORT (12 laps, 12 riders): 1. Mike Lounsbury; 2. Joke Joh"""n; 3. w~ Brown (Hon); 4. Jason Storms; 5. John Raun Wood (Han); 6. Josh Toungett (Hon); 7. Nool Irvin (Hon); 8. Brody Miller (Hon); 9. TImmy Mitchell 0; 10. Bill Bromley (KTM); 11. AJIen Weinberg (Rot); 12. Jerod Cheney (ATK). H-D SP 883 (12 laps, 12 riders); 1. Bryon Smith; 2. Scott Schetb; 3. Joson Tyer: 4. Mike Speh; 5. John Grant; 6. Shane Fox: 7. Gerry Booher: 8. Kevin Hilbert; 9. Kyle Long; 10. Lee Parker; 11. 8teplusnie Welch. 600 EX (12 lops, 12 riders): 1. Ken Coolbeth Jr. (W·R); 2. Joe Kopp (Rot); 3. Steve Beattie (ATK); 4. Mike Hocker (ATK); 5. Greg Tysor (ATK); 6. Johnny Murphree (W·R); 7. Goo Roeder II (Rot); 8. Shown Clark (Rot); 9. Tony Souza Jr. (CCM); 10. TIm Eades (Rot); I I. Bryon Vincent (Rot); 12. Gory Rogers (Rot). 600 PRO·SPORT (12 laps, 12 riders); 1. Joke Johnson (Rot); 2. Mike Lounsbury (Rot); 3. Jared Cheney (W·R); 4. Bob Weis. (Rot); 5. Joe Zydinsky (Rot); 6. Joson Storm. (Rot); 7. Brody Miller (Rot); 8. Brandon Laursen (W·R). 750 EX (12 laps, 12 riders); I. Ken Coolbeth Jr. (H·D); 2. Will Davis (H-D); 3. Mike Hocker (H·D); 4. Johnny Murphree (H·D); 5. Steve Beattie (H·D); 6. Kevin Va me. (H·D); 7. Joe Kopp (H·D); 8. Geo Roeder II (H·D); 9. Bryon Bigelow (H-D); 10. John Nickens III (H·D); 1 I. Joson Tyer (H·D); 12. Jess Roeder (H.D).