Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Cycle News 2003 08 20

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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Formula USA K&N Filters Pro Series Round 3: Houston Raceway Park By NICALEE SOWDERS PHOTOS By GARY KIDD BAYTOWN,TX,AUG.2 ©he orange and black of Team ~ KTM continued its dominance at the Foremost Insurance/K&N Filters Pro Series National Dirt Track sanctioned by FUSA. Joe Kopp, who has come out strong in 2003, took the Pro Singles win with Wisconsin winner/teammate Kenny Cool beth finishing second. Both KTM riders won their respective heat races along with Hondamounted Jared Mees. Brian Vincent and Scooter Vernon won the semi races, and John Raun Wood took advantage of the Silver Cup money. Jason Tyer grabbed the holeshot in the first heat race. Kopp passed Tyer coming out of turn one to take the lead. Tyer was second and Willie McCoy behind in third. Kopp started Team KTM's Joe Kopp (3) and his teammate Kenny Coolbeth (31) ran one-two at the Fonnula USA Foremost Insurance Houston Half Mile, giving the orange brand its second victory in three events; Coolbeth had won the series opener in Wisconsin. to pull away from the rest of the pack while Tyer had his hands full with McCoy and Greg Teague. Teague was around McCoy and up to Tyer's rear wheel for third place. Kopp continued to pull away. Teague tried to get under Tyer coming out of two, but it was no go. McCoy, who was in the final transfer position, had to deal with John Hlebo III. Hlebo got past the Texan with two laps to go. Kopp held for the win. Tyer barely finished second and Teague third. Hlebo grabbed the final transfer position with McCoy finishing a close fifth. 38 AUGUST 20,2003' cue I In heat two, Mees got the holeshot. J.R. Schnabel, Rich King and Mike Hinds followed. Marc Williams got high and into the tuff blocks in corner three, leaving Ronnie Lebleu nowhere to go. The crash caused a red flag, but both riders were up and okay, and the race was a complete restart. When the green showed, Schnabel grabbed the holeshot over Mees, Merle Scherb and Wood. Schnabel and Mees began to separate themselves from the pack while Scherb and Wood battled for third. Mees got under the Yamaha rider in turn one e n e _ s lead on lap two. Coolbeth and Stanley basically switched positions, as Coolbeth moved through the pack from fourth to second. Stanley dropped to fourth with Hacker still in third. Richard Winsett moved up to fifth. Terry Poovey made short work of Winsett and Stanley to take fourth. Smith continued to lead with Coolbeth putting on the pressure on the for the lead. King moved up through the pack and around Wood for fourth, only to set his sights on Scherb. With two laps to go, Mees had the field covered. Schnabel was content with second; Scherb had a race on his hands with King. Coming around for the white flag, King was around Scherb for third. Mees took the win, with Schnabel second. King and Scherb rounded out the transfers. Heat three's holeshot went to Dan Stanley. Bryan Smith followed in second and Mike Hacker in third. Smith moved a round Stanley and into the back straight. Poovey moved to the inside of Hacker to try for the third place position. Poovey's persistence paid off as he was able to get around the Virginia rider for third. Cool beth made his pass stick on leader Smith with three laps to go. Smith's troubles weren't finished yet however, as his Honda teammate Poovey got past him with two laps to go. But it was too late to catch Coolbeth. The KTM rider took the win, with Poovey in second. Smith and Hacker took the transfers, and Winsett finished fifth.

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