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AMA National Hot Shoe Series
Peoria Race Park
STORY AND PHOTOS BY
DAVE HOENIG/FLAT TRAK FOTOS
PEORIA, IL, JUNE 9
T
he AMA's National Hot Shoe
Series came to the fabled Peoria
Motorcycle Club's Peoria Race Park
for round five of the 2002 series. The
50 riders who turned out were greeted
with clear skies and hot, humid conditions, more in-line with the August
National than June.
When the dust settled, it was KTM
Factory rider Joe Kopp on top of the
box. The Jones Powersports-backed
Kopp had to work his way to the front
after Gardner Racing's Bryan Bigelow
got the holeshot in the 12-lap main.
Bigelow was able to keep his Honda
out front for six laps, with Kopp, Bartel's Harley-Davidson's Shaun Russell, BBRP's Dan Stanley and Memphis Shades' Kevin Varnes all
bunched up behind him.
Russell grabbed second when
Kopp slipped high in turn one, but
Kopp quickly regained second a lap
later. Kopp finally wrestled the lead
away from Bigelow on lap seven and
pulled to a comfortable lead on his
stock-framed KTM. The action was
still heating up behind him, though,
as Russell attempted moves all over
the track.
Finally, on lap 10, R'ussell took
over second and left Bigelow to fend
!Above) Joe Kopp rode his factorybacked KTM to victory at the Peoria
Hot Shoe TT. Kopp appears to have his
machine sorted out for the big AMA
NatIonal to be held there In August,
when he will be gunning for his second
Peoria Grand NatIonal TT win.
off Stanley and Varnes. That is the
way it ended two laps later. Having
their own private war, some distance
back was Dallas H-D/KK Motorcycle
Supply-backed Willie McCoy (ATK)
and Team WE Racing's J.R. Schnabel
(CCM). Though they ran nose-to-tail
most of the race, McCoy was able to
come away with sixth.
!Above) Wes Brown rode a Honda
CRF450R to victory In the 505cc ProSport main event.
After setting a blistering pace early
in the day, Kevin Atherton's Woody
Kyle-built Honda ran into mechanical
problems. Dodge Brothers/Saddlemen-backed Atherton was just able
to hold off Gary Rogers on his Custom Chrome Honda. Rogers was the
second DTX-style bike home, finishing in ninth place.
C&C Racing/Inglewood Machine's
Chris Boone wrestled his Wood-Rotax
home 10th, with Aupperle Racing/
Mahler Racing' Eric Rickman (Rot),
Clyde Day/A&A Megacycle's A.J.
Eslick (Rot), and Allen Racing's
Jason Tyer (ATK) following. The
DTXed Yamaha of RJ-Victory Performance/H-D/Buell Cycle Center's
Trenton Bailey was the third and last
DTX finisher, in 14th place.
