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take me two or three laps to get back up there. But the track was excellent. The lap times were a lot faster in the main event." If we can get out front and set our own pace, we'll be all right. We're coming off the corners really good." Schnabel posted the cleanest win of the three heats, pulling the holeshot and leaving Mayott's Honda/Randy's Ring & Pinion-backed Dan Stanley and 1st Racing Honda's Bryan Smith and Aqua-Flo, Inc.'s Jethro Halbert in his wake. Schnabel was far from satisfied with the win, however. "We're hitting the rev limiter so early, so for the Dash For Cash we're going to play around and try some things," Schnabel said. "I want to win the dash - that's important me - but I also want to get as many points as I can in the main event, and right now I feel like I can't pass anybody. I'm tapping out too early on the straight." DRS/Rockwall Honda's Willie McCoy came from the penalty line to win the first of two semis that would advance the top three in each to the main event. The Texan kept his Honda 450 wound out around the top to win, with Bartels' Harley-Davidson's Shaun Russell finishing second before Monster Plates/Paradise Truck Tire's Tom McGrane. JB Racing's Brian Vincent and PHB Racing's Justin Filice, the son of former AMA 250cc Grand Prix Champion Jimmy Filice, finished one-two in the second semi, with reigning series champion Terry Poovey finishing third to earn the last spot in the main event. MAIN Kopp and Schnabel battled side by side down into turn one, with DeRuyter, Coolbeth and King mixing it up behind them. Then Kopp drifted high in turn four, and DeRuyter shot underneath him to take away second. The reigning event champion, Kopp, went from last year's hero to this year's zero when his bike went sour. "I thought I was going to be able to win it again," Kopp said. "We got off good, but then down in turns three and four it felt like someone was rubbing on my rear wheel. It felt like I was just locked up with somebody, but then when I got up on the front straightaway, there was just no power. I just drifted up out of the way. It really sucks, but we'll be back." Schnabel was cleanly out in front, (Left to right) Schnabel, Cool beth and King take to the podium. Plymouth marked the first time that three different factory-backed brands landed atop an FUSA podium. Coolbeth was well clear of Schnabel when he encountered lapped traffic about two laps from the finish; running among them was a clearly struggling Poovey. The champ would finish 13th. "It was my kind of track, but it wasn't my night," Poovey said. "I was fast as anybody out there, I felt. I just got in with those guys, and they were holding me up. I tried to go up top on the first lap, but I got hit so hard up there that it took the throttle pipe and pushed it in. I had to go a couple laps just to make sure that the throttle was going to work before I took off again. That's just the way it goes. We got some points. That's what counts." While Coolbeth was hung up, Schnabel pulled. to within two bikelengths and began looking to find a way to use the traffic for a pass. "It would have been a cheap way to do it," Schnabel said, "But a win's a win. It just didn't work out that way." Coolbeth hit the line first, with about four bikelengths between himself and Schnabel. "I got around J.R., quicker than I thought that I was going to," Coolbeth said. "I put my head down and rode probably five hard laps to get some distance between us. Then the lapped riders kind of held me up. I looked _ _ back a couple times, and J.R., but Cool beth was on the move. DeRuyter slipped back ~~~!i'~tI he was catching me. Both my tires went away at the end of into the pack, suffering with a serious push and Winding up o6oiii... !"-' the race, but we pulled it out, and I'm happy. This is a good 11 tho King held second, but paycheck. KTM is really Coolbeth was already figuring pumped about the whole thing. out how to roll around just We like this series, and we're above the low groove. He got going to as many as we can."cH it right in turns three and four on lap five to take over the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds Plymouth, Wisconsin second spot. Then he set out Results: June 7, 2003 [Round 1 of 91 after Schnabel, who said that PRO SINGLES MAIN (25 laps; 18 he heard Coolbeth coming and riders): I. Kenny Cool beth (KTM); 2. J.R. Schnabel (Yam); 3. Rich King (H-D): 4. attempted to block the low line Jethro Halbert (Hon); 5. Brett Landes (Hon); off turn four. Cool beth antici6. Willie McCoy (Hon); 7. Bryan Smith (Hon); 8. Dan Stanley (Hon); 9. Shaun Russell pated the move and made (KTM); 10. Kyle Ragsdale (Hon); 11. Jeremy DeRuyter (Hon); 12. Jerad Cheney (Hon); another outside pass to take 13. Terry Poovey (Hon): 14. Justin Filice (Hon): 15. Tom McGrane (Hon): 16. Brian the lead. Vincent (Hon): 17. Kevin Atherton (Yam); 18. "Kenny just schooled me," Joe Kopp (KTM). Time: 6 min.. 49.663 sec. Schnabel said. "I got the SILVER CUP (10 laps; 18 riders): J. Rob Pearson (Han); 2. Benny Carlson (Han); 3. holeshot, but I was just riding Nick Cummings (Hon); 4. Willie Broten a little too slow, and he went (Yam); 5. Justin Voight (Han); 6. Matt Burton (Yam); 7. Jason Tyer (Han); 8. Shane Vance around us. I was trying to proRobP.- _ _ (Han); 9. Erick Gruber (KTM); 10. Shane. Livingston (Han); II. Brandon Laursen tect the inside too much.ยป (Hon); 12. Scooter Vernon (Hon); 13. Dan 10-1. SlIver Cup main - . Vrana (Han); 14. Jimmy Wood (Han); 15. In the meantime, King also for nonquallflers. Eric Mischler (Rot); 16. Tony Giorno (Han); caught Schnabel and was J7. Frankie Kaiser (Hon): 18. Robert Buffington (Han). attempting to rush his way past the FORMULA USA K&N PRO SERIES POINTS just couldn't get around him," King STANDINGS (After I of 9 rounds): I. Kenny Yamaha rider into the turns. Cool beth (44/ I win); 2. J.R. Schnabel (38): 3. Rich said. "A couple times I just got a little "When Rich was there, I knew that King (34); 4. Jethro Halbert (30); 5. Brett Landes (28); 6. W:H;e McCoy (26); 7. Bryan Sm:th (24): 8. squirrelly, so I backed it down. I I needed to stay in the middle of the Dan Stanley (22); 9. Shaun Russell (20); 10. Kyle thought we were pretty fast, but it Ragsdale (18); II. Jeremy DeRuyter (16); 12. Jerad track so that I could block him off the Cheney (14): 13. Terry Poovey (12); 14. Justin Filice was just the difference in the way the (10); 15. Tom McGrane (8); 16. Brian Vincent (6); corner," Schnabel said. 17. Kevin Atherton (4); 18. Joe Kopp (3). power comes on between the bikes King continued to attack until the [Blast vs. the overhead cam singles]. Upcoming Rounds: five-lap sign was shown to the field Round 2 - Rochester, New Hampshire, June 13 Every time that I would get close to before putting it in cruise mode. Round 3 - Houston Raceway Park, Houston, making a pass, it seemed like I would "I tried and tried and tried, and I Texas, August 2 get bogged down, and then it would ..-'.!I .1.1"'...... cue I e neVlls JUNE 25, 2003 51