Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

back and had a good lead," Kopp said. "I looked again with five to go, and I couldn't believe the lead I had." Roeder's hold on second was under siege, but he would hold on. "Second's better than third; that's what I have to tell myself," Roeder said. "This bike was working great - it didn't wear me out or anything. I guess Joe's was working just a little bit better. I really can't be too disappointed. I rode my best and laid it on the line. I didn't make too many mistakes. Usually, when I think back, it's 'Oh I made this mistake or that mistake,' but I didn't make very many mistakes tonight. Joe Kopp just rode better than I did." Kopp's race really was as uneventful as it seemed. "The track just seemed so easy," Kopp said. "I could get into the corners superhot. cut the apex slow and come off two and four supertight. I could tell it was working when I was catching Geo. I knew if I kept doing that, I would get away, but I never thought I'd get away like that. I thought there would be a lot more guys coming after me. My line in three and four was so slow compared to one and two. I could not believe they weren't catching me and passing me on the outside. I kept waiting for some one to blow by. Then I looked back and saw they were way back. I thought, 'My god, this is working,''' King survived a late-race challenge for third, but it was not from Carr as Kopp's KTM Sportmotorcycles/Jones Powersports' Kenny Cool beth came from a third-row start to a fourth-place finish. "I just rode my own race," Coolbeth said. "I was down low, and it was working real good for me. I was able Kenny Coolbeth came from behind to finish fourth at Lima. to catch right up to those guys. Maybe a couple more laps and I could have got them. They had the same line I had, so it would have been tough." Cool beth was unable to displace King, who said that he thought, "The track was real good. "After the rain and they bladed it off, I think it was the best Lima that we've ever had," King said. "I didn't get to see Coolbeth, but I definitely saw Chris a couple of times. They rode a National race, they did everything they had to do, and I was doing everything I could do. I'm just going to have to up my training program. The last five laps, I got a little tired. I think we all three did," Also moving up from a slow start was Memphis Shades/Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties' J.R. Schnabel. "I had a second-row start, but it might as well have been third-row after the first two turns," Schnabel said. "The bike was working great, and I knew just to be patient. It came around, and we started picking guys off a little here, a little there." Schnabel said that he found a good line up high. "Nobody I was running with was running that high," Schnabel said. "In three and four I had a clear track and could just keep chopping away. I got Springer with a couple laps to go, then got Chris the next lap and finally made it into the top five. That little bit higher that I was running made all the difference. I was able to keep my momentum up. It was a little smoother, and they were fighting it on the bottom. It just allowed me to get by. If we just could have got off with those guys, we could have run with them. We were actually gaining at the end. That's what we needed, a topfive. Things are coming around for us. It's going to be good the rest of the year." Carr faded to sixth ahead of Jay Springsteen, Johnny Murphree, Dominic Beaulac and Creamer. Willie McCoy, Chris Hart, Steve Beattie, Gary Rogers, Kevin Atherton, Paul Lynch, Bryan Smith and Shawn Clark rounded out the field. Joe Kopp (3) passed Geo Roeder II (66) seven laps into the main event and then went on to win the Lima Half Mile. It was Kopp's second win of the season. Roeder finished second. race of the night, but because of the weather problems it ran right after the National. The field was made up of the fastest six qualifying heat winners. With $2000 going to the winner, the incentive was high for the win. An unusual twist was added: If a rider chose to start from the penalty line and won, an extra $ 1000 would be added to his pay envelope. Geo Roeder II, Chris Carr, Joe Kopp, Jay Springsteen, Steve Beattie and Willie McCoy were the starters in that order. Carr was the only rider to take the "challenge" and almost made it pay off. but Roeder's desire to win the race honoring his father propelled him to a wire-to-wire win, with Carr a close second after he got by Kopp. "I didn't take the 'challenge' in the dash because I wanted to win," said Roeder. "I was surprised that Chris did so well from back there. I really wanted to win that; I'm so glad I did: Carr said that he and Kenny Tolbert had made a change before the race, which may have helped. "For the dash we made a little change, and I went and had a little GEORGE ROEDER CHALLENGE talk with my rider, and we did a little better," Carr joked. "When you've Added to the program was the only got six guys in the dash, the George Roeder Challenge. The race was supposed to be run as the first water stayed a lot longer. We were cue I e better prepared for that." n e vv so • JULY 9. 2003 27

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