Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

(Above) Carr (4) broke Into the lead at the start of the 25-lap feature, with Kenny Coolbeth (31) and Bl')'an Bigelow (11) following him on the notch while Jay Springsteen (9) and Rich King (80) tried to bump the cushion. Springer dropped ou1 eariy with mechanical trouble. wanted to be behind Chris and do the same thing, but Rich got in there and it didn't happen. We struggled on tires. We didn't know what tire to go with. Everybody had a different idea. We've got one more try. It'll drive me crazy to go through winter without winning one of these." Gardner Racing/Lancaster HarleyDavidson's Bryan Bigelow had steadily worked his way up to fourth. "We started the race with a new tire and it took a little while for it to start working," Bigelow said. "I think I'm getting a little bit smarter, I broke it [the tire] in easy. I didn't charge right to the front, thinking, 'I have to Jead, I have to lead.' I knew it was going to be a tire-eating track. Somehow I left everybody and caught the top three. They were charging hard and started getting a little squirrelly .• The last five laps, I had the best motorcycle out there - you don't catch the whole lead pack by yourself on a mile. I had a motorcycle that could win, but the passes I would have had to make to get up to third or second would have been pretty dirty, and I don't ride like that anymore. It's not worth it. I was happy with fourth." Memphis Shades/Coziahr HarleyDavidson's Kevin Varnes had a hardearned fifth. "I just went as slow as I could," Varnes said. "Everyone was messing up and blowing the groove, and I just kept inching up and inching up. It was terrible trying to see. From about fifth on back, you couldn't see any- thing. Chris Hart and I were talking about the restart. Going into turn three, you couldn't see. We were going down the back straight and it was like, 'All right it must be time to turn,' so I just started easing down. All of a sudden I see the white pylons [marking the inside of the track] on my right side. We were in the infield!! I blew across the groove and went way up high. After that, I just tried to stay on the groove. There at the end, I could see the leaders and was gaining on them. Finally got a top-five finish, my first since Daytona." Varn'es' Coziahr HarleyDavidson/Memphis Shades teammate Johnny Murphree struggled home sixth. "That was the most uncomfortable, awkward, dangerous situation that I've ever been in on a motorcycle," Murphree said. "You go halfway down the back straightaway and it was 'lights out' completely. You had to guess where the corner was, and one time I looked over and the pylon's on my right side. I dove into the corner that deep and, oops, the corner wasn't there. Once guys gapped out, I started drafting by guys, one at a time. When I finally got out of the cloud of dust, I saw the leaders and we were gaining on them, but it was too little, too late. We had the thing set up real good, and I probably could have run up front, but I had a bad first lap." cue' _ n Beattie finished seventh, with Bartels' Harley-Davidson/Custom Chrome's Shaun Russell eighth. "I still can't see," Russell said. "J wasn't here last year, but everybody said it was a great track. It just didn't have enough water, it wouldn't hold water. It was an iffy deal, but everybody made it through all right. I was on the third row for the main but got a really good start. Everyone kind of drifted up to the cushion, but I stayed right on the rubber the whole time. I was up in the front when the red flag came out. On the restart, we just got into a pack; then my tires started to go away and I started slipping off the groove. II Jess Roeder had worked his Las Vegas Harley-Davidson/roederharley.com mount as high as sixth before falling back to ninth. "On that restart, you couldn't see a thing going into three, so I just went high and held it wide open," Roeder said. "It was working great, but then I lost my breaks and I was having a hard time staying on the groove, so I just stayed up as long as I could. Finally I just ran out of laps up there. I knew I would eventually. This bike is really fast. I take it apart and put it back together, but Dad and Geo do the work on the pistons and all that stuff. It's definitely capable of winning. I've just got to ride it better." Normally a strong contender for the podium on a mile, Saddlemen/ (Below) King (80) caught up to Coolbeth (31), the two restaging their Du Quoin Mile battle from eariler In the season and having another photo finish at the line· this time for second place. Coolbeth got the nod. __ • • SEPTEMBER 19. 2001 21

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