Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128171
., , '~""'-----'I AMAIProgressive "" -, ,~ '¥.--J , '< , . Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championships J , rd~tr~ck Round 15: Illinois State Rairgrounds (Leftllt's not the Slam, but hey.••: Nicky Hayden stood atop the Springfield Rodeo Arena podium for the third time this season when he won the Springfield Short Track. It was his fourth win of the year, making him the wlnnlngest flat track racer thus far. Hayden completes Springfield Rodeo Arena Sweep winning his heat race, Hayden started off the 16-rider, 25-lap main event second, behind Memphis Shades/ Parts Unlimited's Kevin Varnes, He then drove around Varnes off turn two at the halfway point to take the lead, and easily pulled away to win by almost a full straightaway. "It feels really great to come out here and do good on a track like this with so many great riders," Hayden said. "I got a good start, and I got behind Kevin [Varnes], and the cushion went away, so we started to move down. I just started moving around and trying to figure a way to get by him, and made it work. I love coming to Springfield. This place has been really good to me." It was actually Hayden's fourth win of the season, making the reigning AMA Superbike Champion also the winningest dirt tracker of the season to date. "I like the sound of that, but I'm a dirt tracker too. People think, 'Oh, By SCOTT ROUSSEAU PHOTOS BY FLAT TRAK FOTOS SPRINGAEID,IL, AOG. 31 1lheY've already come up with a - new nickname for the Springfield Rodeo Arena, affixing it with the ceremonial moniker "Hayden's Hollow" in honor of the Kentucky clan's dominance of the tight bullring adjacent to the legendary Illinois State Fairgrounds' mile track. But you might as well just call it Nicky's Place. That would better describe American Honda/Pro Honda Oils-backed Nicky Hayden's awesome performances at the facility, especially since nobody else won there this year. Hayden completed his sweep of the three rounds of AMA/ Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championships racing at the Rodeo Arena with an easy win in the Springfield Short Track, adding it to his victories in the Memorial Day Weekend IT and the summer short track in July. After 28 SEPTEMBER 1 1, 2002' cue I • n • _ s he's winning road races,' but before I was road racing, I was a dirt tracker. I still am, part-time, but this may be my last year doing it... That's not my call .. ." Moroney's Harley-Davidson/Super Trapp's rookie stud, Jake Johnson, came from well behind Varnes to pressure the Pennsylvanian late in the race. Like Hayden had earlier, Johnson then shot around the outside of Varnes in turns three and four on the last lap to steal away the runner-up spot. "We had a pretty good starting spot off the inside of the second row," Johnson said. "That's just as good as the outside of the front row. I got a good start, and the first lap there was some contact. My second start was even better. I was fourth, and then I passed Bigelow. Slowly but surely, I was reeling Kevin in, and he started looking like he was getting a little tired, and the track was drying out and he was spinning. I just kind of went for it on the last lap, and it worked. I've gotten a couple fourths, couple thirds, and now a second. The only thing left to do is to win one of these things." Varnes was third, followed by Gardner Racing/Walters Brothers Harley-Davidson's Bryan Bigelow and Team WE Racing/West Bend HarleyDavidson-backed Schnabel. "I didn't think that he [Johnson] could beat me back to the line, but he did: Varnes said. "I just didn't really think that he was going to get that good of a drive coming off the comer. After the finish line, I sort of stuck my leg out to try and slow him down, but I should have done it sooner [laughs]. I'm still really happy. I felt really fast all day, and I thought that I might have something for Nicky, but that track started drying out real quick, . and I just started losing my momentum. I know that Nicky was right there on me, and I tried to block his line, but he was able to make it work on the outside." Reigning U.S. Flat Track Champion Chris Carr came from row two to land seventh aboard his Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Ford Racing/David Liles Fuels-backed Vor, doing his series points lead little harm. Bigelow and Varnes finished ahead of him, but both of them also have further ground to make up in the title chase. Coziahr Harley-Davidson/Country Motors' Johnny Murphree finished 12th, dropping him to third, behind Bigelow, in the standings, leaving Carr none the worse for wear heading into the next day's Springfield Mile. "I think that we actually picked up a point on second place," Carr said. "Coming from the second row, it's tough. The spray is brutal the first few Japs. I didn't have a really good first five laps, but as things spread out I was able to pick a few guys off and come forward. I caught a whole gaggle of them at the end, but I just ran out of time. The Vor is encouraging, and I scored a lot more points than I did the last time I was here with it." Hayden grabbed the holeshot and led the first heat off of turn two, but Schnabel shot past him down the back straightaway and pulled clear of him for several laps. Team HarleyDavidson's Rich King ran third early aboard his Blast-powered Harley 500R but dropped backed immediately. Hayden waited patiently and then ran it in underneath Schnabel in three and four to take the lead on lap