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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128161
(Left) Terry Poovey (1) battles with Joe Kopp (3). Poovey finished second, Kopp fourth. (Above) Rich King appeared to have second locked up until his factory Harley did the same, forcing him to drop out. (Below left & rlght) Schnabel said that a gearing change made all the difference in his bid for the win. After the race, he held up his trophy, a handmade plaque created using exotic woods from the African continent. jump on the field from Bruce Transportation Group's Jeff Swensen, with Poovey third in the early going. Poovey was up to second by the third lap and chasing Kopp as the pair left the field behind. Poovey's best corner was turn four, which was where he passed Kopp on the fifth lap. Poovey took the checkered flag just after a red flag was thrown for an accident in turn four. There was no official time of race. "I was getting off the comers better than Joe [Kopp]." Poovey said. "I had a better tire than him." "I knew he was going a little faster than me," Kopp said. "There's so many holes. You hit one and bounce away. You've just to go judge the roost out there. There's plenty of different lines to try. You've got to find one where you can see." The first attempt at starting the third heat was red-flagged after Coolbeth had gotten the jump. The result was the same on the restart, Coolbeth jumping to the front and pulling away. By now, the weather had dropped into the 50s and the rain, which had been a light drizzle since the start of racing, was beginning to pick up. Coolbeth pulled away, with Schnabel making his way into second in the latter stages of the race. "I thought I heard someone in back of me so I kept charging," said Coolbeth, who won large. Schnabel said he was hurt by a gearing change he'd made after practice. For the main, he'd revert to the earlier gearing. Moroney's H-D's Jared Mees won the first semi on his Honda, over KTM-mounted Scooter Vernon and Roger Durkee, the trio advancing to the main. Harley-Davidson's Jennifer Snyder, in her second race back after injury, missed by one spot, finishing fourth. Pegram won the second semi flag to flag, ending with a full-straightaway on second-placed Marc Williams and his Woods Rotax. Trenton Bailey got the final transfer into the main. As if on cue, the rain let up as the l8-rider field was gridded for the 18lap main. King got the jump, taking Poovey and Coolbeth with him, with Schnabel not far behind. Fairly early on, King knew he was in trouble. "It started slowing down the second or third lap," King said. "I slowed down, I changed my line. I thought we were going to make it." King said the initial prognosis was a burnt piston. Schnabel took the lead when King bobbled on the fourth lap, the pair moving away from the field, with Schnabel moving away from King. King would come back at him, only to see his race end on the eighth lap. Once alone, Schnabel had no pressure and raced to a dominant win, his gearing change having paid off, along with his motocross training "The engine revved less and gave me more top-end speed," Schnabel said. "The track was so rough, I knew it couldn't pull it. I knew the track would slow down, and it did. It was perfect. With the track getting rough, it suited my style. The key tonight was blasting through the holes." Poovey was forced to try a different track when he lost most of his vision. "I couldn't see," Poovey said. "I lifted my visor on the back straight and the front straight. I'd take my glove and try to wipe it. When I came in, you couldn't see at all." Poovey said early in the race he decided he "wasn't going to ride like J.R. [Schnabel]. I like the inside, not the outside. He did a great job. He's a big, strong guy. I couldn't see and I said I know there's a bunch of bumps out there. I wanted to ride over the bumps straight up and down." Coolbeth spent the first half of the race chasing teammate Kopp, the second half trying to catch up to Poovey. By the time he passed Kopp, Poovey was too far gone and the track was changing too much. cue I • "I just ran out of time," Coolbeth said. "The bottom was brushed off. It was real rutted." Kopp said he began to struggle with arm pump in the middle of the race. "I just started getting severe arm pump," he said. "It was terrible. 1 starting slowing down and thought I rode the bike worse." CN Rochester Flirvraunds Rochester, New Hlmpshi", Results: June 15, ZOOZ (Round 4 of 1ZI PRO SINGLES (18 lops, 18 riders): I. J.R. Schnabel (CCM): 2. Terry Poovey (Hon); 3. Kenny Cool beth (KTM): 4. Joe Kopp (KTM): 5. Aaron Creamer (Han); 6. Cory Mcdermitt (Rot); 7. Roger Durkee (Rot); 8. 1....llIrry Pegrllm (Suz); 9. Cory West (Han); 10. Trenton Bailey (CeM); 11. Brian Vincent (Han); 12. Scooter Vernon (ATK); 13. Matt Wait (Han); 14. Marc Willillms (W·R): 15. Adam Laviolette (Rot); 16. Steve Murray (KTM): 17. Rich King (H-D): 18. Jared Mees (Han). FORMULA USA NATIONAL DIRT TRACK SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After 4 of 12 rounds): 1. Terry Poovey (142); 2. (TIE) Joe Kopp (124/1 win)/J.R. Schnabel (124/1 win); 4. Kenny Coolbeth (104); 5. Rich King (100); 6. Chris Carr (86/2); 7. (TIE) Lorry Pegram/Jared Mees (62); 9. (TIE) Willie McCoy/Bryan Smith (50); 11. Steve Murray/Dan Stanley (46); 13. Trenton Bailey (40); 14. Mearle Scherb (38); 15. Aaron Creamer (32); 16. Bryan Bigelow (28); 17. Cory Mcdermitt (26): 18. (TIE) Roger Durkee/Rob Pearson/Brendon Cartwright (24). Upcoming Rounds: Round 5 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, June 22 Round 6 - Duluth, Minnesota, July 20 n e _ 51: • JULY 3, 2002 37