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/128202
Rider: Jake Johnson National #: 14 Age: 18 Residence: Deptford, New Jersey Team: Moroney's Harley-Davidson Tuner: Rich Hansen Career best result: Seventh place (2002) 2002 best finish: First place (Tunica Short Track) 2002 series results: Seventh place This was the new guy who had everybody looking over their shoulders in 2002, Jake Johnson was very worthy of that 01' Gary Nixon star that he wore on top of his helmet, because I believe that he is a star on the rise. And to tell the truth, I could really care less about his win at Tunica. Hell, anyone whose last name is not Roeder could win in that bullring. But like Big Geo, it's the 2002 Ricky Graham Rookie of the Year's big-bike rides that impress. The second-place battle that he had with Kenny Coolbeth in the main event at the Charlotte Half Mile is still etched in my mind. I suspect that he'll be battling like that again in 2002, only this time it will be for the lead. Look for Johnson to follow in Bigelow's footsteps and win in his first 750 National this year. Rider: Kenny Coolbeth National #: 31 Age: 25 Residence: Warren, Connecticut Team: Team KTM Tuner: Andy Fenwick Career best result: Third place (2002) 2002 best finish: First place (Columbus Half Mile) 2002 series result: Third place Uke my ace Johnny Murphree and Bryan Bigelow selections in past editions of this story, this is probably the pick that'll lose me a friend for a while. No doubt about it, Coolbeth is one of the most awesome talents in dirt track racing today, but I believe that he has a lot going against him this season. For starters, the Corbin/Samson deal - and all that went with it - is gone, and Coolbeth is now in a potentially promising position as one of two new KTM factory riders. Unfortunately, KTM does not have its twins program in place yet, which means that, like Mike Kidd did for Yamaha in 1981, Coolbeth will be riding KTM factory-backed Harley-Davidsons - and all that goes with that. Worse yet for a rider who really needs to get into a rhythm in order to succeed, Coolbeth will be starting with a new tuner, former road racer Andy Fenwick. How steep their race-day learning curve will be is anyone's guess. The distraction of developing the new KTM LC8s, due to arrive late in the season during points crunch time, won't help either. Rider: Joe Kopp National #: 3 Age: 33 Residence: Mica, Washington Team: Team KTM Tuner: Travis Smith Career best result: AMA Grand National Champion (2000) 2002 best finish: Second place (Harrington Half Mile) 2002 series result: Sixth place Call it a case of nice guys finishing last - or in this case, next to last. This former AMA Grand National Champion finished the season a decent sixth after failing to post a win last season. That tells you that he has the consistency down pat. But it all comes down to whether or not KTM will be able to give Kopp the financial assistance that he needs to run competitively week in and week out. I have no doubt that he'll be the lead rider in the LC8 test program and that he'll debut the machine first, but when? And will his XR program be strong enough between now and then? Having Travis Smith for another season won't hurt, as I'm told that Smith is especially good at working with tire setups, a crucial piece of the puzzle at any National. Aw, heck, he could wind up in the hunt for the championship all season, but something tells me that he won't be. Not until 2004. Rider: Jay Springsteen National #: 9 Age: 45 Residence: Lapeer, Michigan Team: Bartels' Harley-Davidson/Corbin Tuner: Joe Bisha Career best result: AMA Grand National Champion (1976, 1977, 1978) 2002 best finish: Second place (Claremore Mile; Prestonsburg Half Mile) 2002 series result: Eighth place This 01' man, he played eight, beat my ass for the third year straight! Personally, I couldn't be happier to see Springer hangin' in there year after year. By all accounts, 2002 was a good season. He bagged two runner-ups at Claremore, Oklahoma, and Prestonsburg, Kentucky, and posted a bunch of top-10 finishes en route to ninth. Sadly, I also heard him say that he was bothered that the mile racing game isn't played like it used to be. He also skipped his customary couple of shows to go fishing. It just tells me that Springer is comfortable, and as long as h.e stays comfortable, he'll be right th.ere, Bagging a win will vault him closer to the top five for sure. Then again, when you consider the problems that perennial top-10 finishers Hacker and King had last season, Springer could just as easily have finished 12th as eighth. Somehow, he always manages to rise to the level of the competition, though. We'll see. Rider: Rich King National #: 80 Age: 39 Residence: Dysart, Iowa Team: Team Harley-Davidson Tuner: Bill Wemer Career best result: Second place (1995, 1999, 2001) 2002 best finish: First place (Hagerstown Half Mile - August; Sedalia Half Mile) 2002 series result: 14th place What happened to King in 2002 is nothing short of bizarre. That's all I'm going to say about that. But even when you factor the bizarre out of the equation, there were still some battering injuries that kept him from being 100 percent throughout the season. Uke Jay Springsteen, when King was good, he was very good. His two back-to-back bigbike wins at Hagerstown and Sedalia are a testament to that. But like Springsteen, he's not getting any younger. Never mind the fact that he could beat me in a mountain bike race with one pedal removed and after chugging a six-pack of beer; I'm not the one he has to race anyway, Physically, I know that he'll be in awesome shape, and he'll have to be in order to outpace the young whippersnappers that make up the bulk of this list. As always, there's a wealth of tuning talent and resources at his disposal. Who knows, maybe this could be the year that King rules after all. Rider: J.R. Schnabel National #: 33 Age: 23 Residence: West Bend, Wisconsin Team: Memphis Shades/parts Unlimited Tuner: Babe Demay Career best result: 10th place (2001) 2002 best flnish: Second place (Peoria TT) 2002 series result: 12th place Schnabel's season echoes like the end of one of those old Scooby Doo cartoons: If it weren't for that meddling Nicky Hayden, he would have gotten away with his scheme to steal the Peoria TT from Chris Carr. Like his contemporaries Hacker, Muprhree, Bigelow and all the other young guns, I still say that we haven't seen the best that this kid has to offer. He finished 12th last year, but only after ride-hopping his way through the season. This year, he's bound to be better, as Schnabel has finally stepped up to a permanent ride on one of the high-profile teams, the Memphis Shades/Parts Unlimited ride, which was good enough for fourth place in the hands of Kevin Varnes last season. Miles will be a problem area for Schnabel, but he's good everywhere else. He's also one of the best singles riders around. If he and Demay can get a good rapport going on the 750s, then they'll be plenty strong. Kevin Varnes - The new Suzuki deal will be a setback - this year - as Varnes gets the SVI000S sorted out. He should be strong at the singles events. Keep your chin up, Kevin. You have your work cut out for you. Rise to it. Kevin Atherton - His Tony Dodge-owned XR750s are all up for sale, and at press time, Atherton was looking for around 560,000 just to buy the equipment and saivage a season. He'll be in Daytona. but after that he'll be in limbo. Shaun Russell - He made the top 10 last year, but only because there was a little more room to do so after the King and Hacker debacles. Still, that's not a knock. Russell can do it again. Especially if he wins a mile. Geo Roeder II - This guy is tough, but he's all over the track in terms of consistency. Skip Eaken gives him the power. It's up to Roeder to get it to the front. Jess Roeder - Could have his best season ever with Skip Eaken building the motors. For Jess, just settling down and putting it into the show week in and week out will work wonders. Willie McCoy - A disastrous 2002. He's doing his own thing in 2003. I look for him to be a top-10 finisher at a few events. Steve Beattie - He's injury prone. Third place at Columbus was his best finish in years. If all the races were run on pea gravel, Beattie could run up front every season. Unfortunately, they're not. cue I ... n eVIl's FEBRUARY 26, 2003 29