Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

BRIEFLY• •• ..Ioe Kopp said that he had expected to finish better than ninth at the Springfield Mile, especially after getting a good start to the day. In the opening practice session, Kopp had lapped the mile at better than 106 mph, A gearing mistake in the final cost him a potential podium finish, however. "We just had a pretty tall gear on it. and there were just too many guys switching up in the corners," Kopp said. "I just couldn't get off with them, I should have listened to Travis [Smithl. He wanted to tighten it up, but I figured that we would be okay because I had been able to draft with two or three guys earlier in the day. But drafting with two or three is a whole lot different than drafting with nine or 10. Joe Kopp also said that the chances were good that he will be coming to Springfield next year with a KTM Le8-powered factory dirt-tracker. "We're working on it," Kopp said. "Maybe by the spring race we'll have something ready to go." Despite having bad luck ruin his day at the Springfield Mile, Kevin Varnes was happy with the way that his year has gone, and said that his Memphis Shades/Drag Specialties/Parts Unlimited package is already pretty much in place for next year. "This was a good building year for us," Vames said, "Next year, we're going to be fighting for that championship even harder." Vames' tuner, Babe Demay, agreed. "For this being a brand-new team, we're already two years ahead of schedule," Demay said. If Nicky Hayden failed to win the Springfield Mile (and he did), it wasn't going to be due to a lack of horsepower from his Honda RS7S0. Bike owner Terry Poovey made damed sure of that. "My brother built Nicky a horse and a half for this race," Poovey said. "It's way better than the one I'm riding. I can keep coming back to these miles, but Nicky can't." Poovey finished 1Oth in the main event. After crashing and breaking his neck during the spring edition of the Springfield Mile, Steve Beattie said that he took a good, long look at the spot where it had happened when he went out for first practice. "I had to look," he said. "I don't care what anyobody says, when you get off going that fast. you're going to think about it next time you go out." Beattie was fast all day but failed to make the cut in the semis. ..I.R. Schnabel definitely got his exercise at the Springfield Mile, as he performed double duty riding for the Lancaster Harley-Davidson squad and the factory Harley team. Factory tuner Bill Wemer once again enlisted Schnabel for some seat time aboard one of the team's Blast-powered SOOR singles in the SOScc Support race. "I really like the way the bike handles," Schnabel said. "For the mile, there are some things that they have got to worlk out yet. and they know that. I guess that's why they asked me to ride it. It's a fantastic opportunity, and I'll make the best of it." Schnabel was competitive aboard the machine but just missed out on a main event berth. According to Wemer, that was fine, "We just wanted to get some more track time on these bikes," Werner said. "There are some things that you can leam from the dyno, but until you get out in real-world conditions, you can't be sure that the direction you're going in is the right one. We're just going to take what we have learned today and apply it for next time." Speaking of R&D, Larry Pegram came to Springfield with a new Suzuki TL 1000, and it appeared to be competitive, but the Ohioan was snakebit all day while trying to get in the show. Pegram missed a gear in his heat race and then was sent to the penalty line when officials claimed that he had jumped the start in his semi. "I put my hand up because the bike was overheating and dumping water on the race track, and then I moved," Pegram said. "They said I jumped, but I asked them if they saw my hand up, and they said yes, but it wasn't up long enough. Well, how long is enough? They have to learn that they can't keep these water-cooled bikes on the starting line for that long. " Larry Pegram said that he feels the TL1000 can be a competitive dirt-tracker, but more development time is needed· much more than the bike has had so far. "I'd need a day or two to really get it right. and I'd need to be changing a lot of parts and trying stuff," Pegram said. "I think it needs a progressive rear-shock linkage. I think that would help it a lot. Our 500 is already not too bad. It's no missile, but it's not the slowest thing on the track either." Team Harley-Davidson's ..Iennifer Snyder survived a scary incident at the start of the SOScc Support main event. Snyder was forced to lay her bike down in turn three when the throttle apparently hung open going into the comer, smacking the hay bales hard. "I was having trouble with the throttle hanging open before the start of the race," Snyder said. "Going into comer three on the first lap, it just hung open, and I couldn't do anything to get it shut down. I just laid it down. All in all, I'm pretty fortunate not to be hurt any worse than I was." Snyder was not seriously injured, but she was disappointed. "If I could have gotten a good start, I feel like I could have won it." she said. "So I've just got a lot of things to work on, and hopefully I can come back to the next race and get it together a little better. " that it be the site of his first career Grand National podium. "This is it, man," Russell said. ''This what I've worked for. I just can't say enough about my mechanic, Ronnie Brown. This is his first year working with someone, and we've come a long way together already. I'm excited about the future. I also want to congratulate Chris and Rich for their rides. Hopefully we'll be up here many more times." Dodge Brothers/Team Saddlemen's Kevin Atherton, Carr, Russell, Gardner Racing/Walters Brothers Harley-Davidson's Bryan Bigelow and JAB Computing/CTC Racing's Paul Lynch broke away from the rest of the field in the first heat race. The front four reshuffled at every run down the straights, with Lynch tailing them and trying to work his way into the mix. Carr was on top when it mattered, taking the win ahead of Atherton and Russell. Bigelow and Lynch were sent to the semis. on the track, Bartels' Harley-Davidson/Corbin's Jay Springsteen and I stlegal.com/Pro Honda Oils-backed Hayden finished second and third, respectively, leaving the Jones Powersports/KTM-backed Kopp as the odd man out. King's winning time of five minutes, 56.649 seconds was good enough to take the pole for the main event, Team WE Racing!West Bend H-D's J,R. Schnabel looked strong aboard Lancaster Harley-Davidson's Buellbased SuperTracker, as he led several laps of heat three while battling with Varnes, Dallas H-D/KK Motorcycle Supply's Willie McCoy and Custom Chrome/Kiesow Racing's Gary Rogers. In the end, though, Varnes made his way to the front, towing Rogers and McCoy to the main event. Murphree led the first two laps of the final heat race but had plenty of company. Corbin Racing/Samson Exhaust-backed Kenny Coolbeth, USC Racing/l stlegal.com's Terry Poovey and Las Vegas Harley-Davidson/KK Motorcycle Supply's Geo Roeder II pulled away from the rest to duke it out for the last three direct transfer spots. Poovey elected to lead off turn four on the final lap, allowing Cool beth and Roeder to draft past him. Murphree found himself headed to the semis - something that doesn't often happen on a mile, Lancaster Harley-Davidson/Saddlemen Racing's Steve Beattie, Bryan Smith Racing/Paul Lasko's Bryan Smith and Kopp came across the stripe together in a photo finish during the first semi. After a review of the tape, Beattie was on the truck, and Kopp and Smith were through to the main event, Skip Eaken Racing/Maryotts Honda-backed Stanley, Johnson and Bigelow diced for the two available spots out of semi number two. Bigelow took a gamble and elected to lead it off the last corner, only to get bum rushed on both sides by Johnson and Stanley. His failure to make the big show also meant that his championship hopes took a serious knock. Schnabel and Murphree were the primary combatants in the final semi, although Allen Racing/DavidsonDouglass Racing's Jason Tyer and Performance Harley-Davidson/Lombardi Harley-Davidson's Chris Hart tried to hang with them in the early going. Schnabel proved just how much straightaway speed the 1250cc Buell has by blowing past Murphree, whose Mike Wheeler-tuned XR750 arguably ranks among the fastest of its breed, for the win. Both men moved into the final, setting the field. The green light flashed for the main event, with Varnes drafting his way to the lead when they 18-rider field hit the stripe on the first goaround, but then Stanley suffered his harrOWing accident, bringing the race to a halt. The crash appeared to be very serious, but Stanley was lucky only to be left battered and bruised from it. His motorcycle fared worse; it was torn in two from the melee, "The swingarm broke right at the pivot," Stanley said afterward. "That whole thing felt like slow motion. My leg got hooked up and it threw me over the high side. I think the bike got me in the back one time, but that was about it. My left pant leg was torn in half from whatever it was hooked on." Heat two came down to a tough battle among the current Harley factory rider, two former Grand National Champions and the current AMA Superbike Champion (how's that for a star-studded affair?). King's Bill Werner-tuned factory horse appeared to be the most dominant when running back to the stripe, and he led the last eight of the IO laps at that point King (80) appeared to be the most dominant rider in the lead draft for most of the race. He finished second by mere inches. Kevin Atherton (23) was forced to back off the pace when his motorcycle developed a dangerous wobble. cycle n e _ os • SEPTEMBER 1 1. 2002 23

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