Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

r---- L : , - ' : .lL.,' - - , I -J I , j I AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championships i ~t;r~ Round 3: Illinois State Fairgrounds had that red flag, we might have broken the 25-lap record here today. I cut a 33.9 on lap 24. That's moving pretty good around here." After sizing up matters, King broke into the lead on the back straight, with Carr and Springsteen slotted in behind him. "Chris really showed me how fast he could go through three and four, and he really stretched me about 20 bikelengths on one lap," King said. "I just felt that my best chance for the win was to lead it off of four. The thing is, leading through three and four, if you have a good horse, you can determine your own destiny. It's hard to get there from second or third when so many guys are up in the lead pack. If you're fifth or so, getting to second is tough to do. My best opportunity to win was by leading it. That's my Own Race (1)® my usual Springfield bike, and I struggled setting some stuff up. We Shaun Russell rode his Harley to a fltth-place finish in the mile. just picked the wrong gear for the main event, and I couldn't draft like I wouldn't turn in the middle of the cor- wanted to. It's one of those deals ner. With the gear that we were where I couldn't really pass them. I to make it work. I was driving around fully, we'll be right." there after the restart waiting for something to happen, but we had 6th pulling, we had to run in the top three was kind of stuck. Next time, hope- Joe Kopp After leading two of the first three laps, Kopp said that he really expected a strong finish. Sixth place was not what he had in mind. "But that was my own fault," he said. "Going into tum one, Springer passed me on the outside two times. I tried to get back around guys, but I went back to fourth. I kept trying the high line, and it didn't work, and I slipped to 10th. In the last few laps, I just put my head down and went back to the bottom. When I had clear breathing room, it seemed like everything was working great, but the further back in line I got, the harder it was to get into the comer because guys were checking up so much. In three or four laps, I went from leading it back to about ninth. I just couldn't dig myself out of the hole quick enough. I think we could have been on the box if I wouldn't have been trying that damn high line. The bike was running great, I thought." Surprisingly, Russell left behind a strong miler in Murphree en route to the spot. Murphree's chances for the win were done for sure when his machine began to smoke with about five laps to go. Instead of a shot at Springfield glory, the Californian ended up seventh - and was lucky to get that. AMA officials nearly black- something go wrong, and the next thing you know, I couldn't get off the corner with them, and they just drove away from me. It's a bummer, because I think that we had a bike to Bryan Bigelow (1)~@ Steve Beattie Carr got more active at about the when his machine did not trail any same time that Atherton bowed out, haze on the next circuit. Still, the leading at the stripe on laps 17, 18 damage was done. and 20. He was there again when they started the last lap. tle before that," Murphree said. "I "I came across the white flag, could feel my left footpeg starting to get a little slick. I was sliding around on the thing, and I knew I was leaking thinking it was going to be the checkered, but I was still in position so that didn't really matter," Carr said. "When Rich was leading, there were times that I could beat him to the line, and there were times that I couldn't. The last lap, I guess I couldn't. Simple. That's the way Springfield works. We knew the tires weren't an issue today. If we hadn't 11th The Lancaster Harley-Davidson/Saddlemen Racing-supported Canadian was back to challenge the place that had left with him with a broken back and a broken neck in two previous visits. Today was dull by comparjson, as he tucked in and rode out the main event, finishing 11tho "It was kind of uneventful," Beattie said. "I really wanted to get to the front, but I never got there. But 11th is okay, considering my history at this place. I think I just needed to make a few more changes. I really needed another half a tooth of gearing to get a run off the comers. We just didn't quite have it, and you need to when you're coming off the third row. You need to be able to start strong and pass one guy per lap. I couldn't quite get that done, so we'll just bank this one and be better next time." .(1) ~® Kevin Atherton (1)®@ oil because nobody in front of me was spitting any oil. It got all over the back tire, obviously, and the thing A typical mile finish: King (1001 nips Carr (11 with Springsteen (91, Coolbeth and Russell In tow. 9th run up front today. We'll just head on to Chillicothe, Ohio, and we'll be looking for another win." flagged Murphree but backed off "It actually started happening a lit- (1) 1] 1] "I'm still behind the ball in the mile game as far as technique is concerned, but I really found out what worked and what didn't work today," said the Gardner Racing/Walters Brothers Harley-Davidson-backed Bigelow, who was able to hang at the tail of the lead draft in the early going and diced with Willie McCoy and Johnny Murphree late in the race. "It's not an excuse, but with six to go, Murphree started pucking oil, and I guess I just got gun-shy. I was out of tearoffs, and I was wiping my shield, and it just wasn't working. But it was a very good building day for us on the mile. I just have to get up there and be more aggressive. Last year when I was here, I watched this race from the top of the truck, so a top-10 here isn't so bad. I'm really looking forward to the 1T tomorrow. Today is over." Kevin Varnes 12th "I just got sucked in a little bit," Atherton said after blowing the groove in turns one and two late in the race. "There were a few guys up there who could get into the comers fast, and some others who weren't. I thought it was going to be a fast lap, and it tumed out to be a slow one, and I just had to go wide. That's racin'. About halfway, it developed a wobble, and I got into the guardrail down in one and two a little bit. On the 15th or 16th lap, it just gradually got worse. The shock feels good, and the fork feels good, so I don't know if it's something in our chassis or what. They are made a little bit different to suit my style, but I'm fighting the thing. It would straighten up a couple times, but I got tired of fighting it. I'm bummed. Twelfth place sucks. We had an easy top-three finish in us today." 13th Varnes earned a historical footnote at Springfield by becoming the first rider to place a Suzuki TLI ODD-based dirt-tracker in a Grand National main event. After that, it was all gravy for the factory Suzuki-backed Pennsylvanian. "Thirteenth is not bad, really, because I'm usually not known for my mile track racing anyway," Vames said. "But after winning my semi, I thought I would do a little bit better. But then the clutch started slipping a little bit off the comers in the main. I could feel the motor winding up a little bit more, so that hurt us. But I can't complain. Every time we went out, we got better and better. All the changes we made, we got better. This is a huge day for the Suzuki program. A.J. {Eslick) was looking fast on his bike, too, and Kenny Yoder made the main event on a Suzuki. We're coming around. Our spirits are high." (1)@® Gary Rogers 17th The Custom Chrome/Kiesow Racing·backed Rogers was in the top 10 early, before dropping out of the race. "It broke a wire," Rogers said. "It's too bad, because I felt good today. To get second to Carr in the heat race and know that we were just as fast as him, we definitely are feeling good. I've always known that I can get up there and run with these guys, and I'm doing what I can. Having Bubba [Shobert] here to help me by pointing out a few small things that we're doing wrong is just going to make us stronger. He's going to be a great asset to our team. We're going to come back in September, and we're going to be up there." 12 JUNE 4, 2003' cue I e n e vv s

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