Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championships Round B: TH-City Speedway STORY BY SCOTT ROUSSEAU PHOTOS BY FLAT TRAK FOTOS four on the last lap, only to come up short to Kopp at the finish line. "I'm going after that number-one plate big time," Kopp said. "This is going to step me up a lot. Kenny and I had a good race in our heat race earlier. I knew that I was fast then and that I just had to get a good start [for the main]. I put everything I had into that start." Although he did finish second, thus eclipsing his fine fourth-place finish at the Springfield Mile, Coolbeth said that he expects to get started winning sooner this season. "I have a lot of confidence," Coolbeth said. "I have been riding a lot and training. This is what I do for a living, and I want to win races. We're going to get off to a better start early this season. That's what we have to do." Finishing third, nearly half a straightaway behind Kopp and Cool- GRANITE CITY, IL, J(JNE 14 fter winning the Joplin, Missouri, Half Mile in 2001, then-reigning AMA Grand National Campion Joe Kopp figured that his next victory would be right around the bend. Almost exactly two years later, that victory finally came at Tri-City Speedway, right on the Illinois Missouri border. The 34-year-old Kopp of Mica, Washjngton, piloted his KTM/Jones Powersports-backed XR750 to his fourth career AMA Grand National victory in wire-to-wire fashion on a slick, fast Tri-City half mile. After he and teammate Kenny Cool beth split from the field, the battle for the win turned into a chess game that came down to one final move on the last lap, with Coolbeth diving into turn A 30 JUNE 25, 2003' eye I e n e vv s beth, was defending series champion Chris Carr. The Quality Checked Certified Pre-owned Ford Racing-backed Carr came up from seventh place after a lackluster start to pick off Bartels' Harley-Davidson's Jay Springsteen, Dallas Harley-Davidson/Redline Oils' Willie McCoy, Moroney's H arley- Davidson/ 1-800- Fasthog's Jake Johnson and National Cycle Supply/Kersting-Perry Harley-Davidson's Kevin Atherton to earn the final podium spot. By the time that he got into third place, on lap II, there was no way that Carr could make up the real estate between himself and the lead duo. "I wish that we'd finished a little further up front," Carr said. "Those guys, [Kopp and Coolbeth] got away from us pretty good early on. Once I got into third, it felt like I stayed even the whole way. I just wish that I could have gotten a better start. Then maybe I could have got up there with them." Coolbeth sat on the pole for the 25-lap main event, lining up on the groove, closest to the wall, to start the race, but Kopp got the holeshot and led the 18-rider pack into turn one for the first time. By the second lap, Kopp was pulling away, and Cool beth was going with him. "Once Joe got out front, I knew that he was going to set a fast pace, so I latched onto him," Coolbeth said. "It seemed like whenever he screwed up, on the next lap I'd screw up, so we kind of stayed our distance. The last lap, I kind of put it in there ~ard, and Joe did also. I went through the ruts, and I was just trying to find faster lines." The two quickly pulled clear of Atherton, who was running third just