Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128229
my Own Race cB~ Bryan Smith 1] @ Dan Stanley 5th "I was fast in practice, but every race. I got a bad start," said Smith. "In the semi I finally got a good start and was able to get out front and find some lines that worked. In the main event all those lines worked perfect. If it would have been a 35-lap race, I think I could' have got up there and run with them. I wasn't even tired. I'm more tired now that I've relaxed. That's my best finish yet· sevenths at Springfield and Vemon had been my best. Fifth now... we just need to keep moving on up. I was able to pass going into tum one, up high in the loose stuff. Up in the cushion - I'm a Michigan guy. In turn four, everyone was up high, and I just squared it off and got a better run down the straightaway." 6th "Right before the main Skip [Eaken] wanted to make a change that I wouldn't have done. He softened it way up to make it get through the bumps, because it was going to get rougher," said Stanley. "That made it way better, but it's one of those things - if I'd have been here by myself, I never would have done that. I was pretty much by myself the whole race, but Bryan {Smith] got by me on the last lap. He was probably there for a few laps, but then I hit a hole in tum one, and he.got me. That's my best finish in a long time. It's nice to have a bike that works and to have somebody here to give you pointers. It makes you that much faster." ~{lt!:, Henry Wiles ® Joe Kopp ~® Kevin Atherton 1] @@ Rich King 7th "{Chris] Carr pulled away from us in the heat, so I knew·1 had to pick up the pace," said Wiles. "Our setup just wasn't quite there. I could keep up when I really pushed it, but the bike was kind of unstable. I'm pretty happy. Anytime you can get a top·10 finish with these guys, you'd better be happy. We beat J.R. {Schnabel] in our qualifying heat, so I know we're right there." 17th "I don't know what happened to the last bike," said Kopp. "We had trouble all day long with the one bike, and then we switched bikes for the main event. I don't know - it just quit. It didn't make any noise or anything, it just stopped going into turn one. It was a terrible day. I didn't have anything to lose in the main, and we were going forward. I just couldn't believe it; it's like - what else can happen." When Johnson fell, it appeared to hand the win to Carr, who has more wins on the fabled 1T track than anyone else, but Schnabel inched closer and closer with Murphree just a short distance back. Johnson remounted and still held down fourth. "I was about four bikelengths back (Above) Jake Johnson looked to have victory in hand, but a crash put him out of the lead. He still managed to finish fourth, however. (Below) The move: Schnabel goes under Carr. of Jake when he fell, so I was able to peel up, and his bike didn't do any· thing weird; I probably missed his rear wheel by a foot or two," said Carr. "All of a sudden I inherited the lead. I wasn't expecting to get it that (Bottom right) Bryan Smith flies his Honda en route to finishing fifth. 10th "I was going good early on, but during the main event, I just wore myself out," said Atherton. "I was a lillie too intense. I had a death grip on the handlebars and just wore myself out. I wasn't ready for this race yet. I broke my sternum about four weeks ago on my motocross bike, and it took a good three weeks before I could get up. I just wasn't physically ready. Since I got hurt, I haven't been able to do much. I couldn't even ride my bicycle. It's like breaking all your ribs." 18th "We had a miss problem all day· I'm assuming it was electrical," said the Harley-Davidson Motor Company-backed King. "Finally in the main it just gave up. Bill [Warnerl wanted to change bikes for the main, but being the wiser of the two, like I am, I chose to stay on this one. We were turning good lap times early, but then when we started the heat, we went about 10 feet, and the bike fell on its face. When it came off the corner, it was just clapping and banging, then after a couple of laps it cleared up. In the main I couldn't run around the bottom at all. I thought if I moved up to keep the rpms up, It might be all right, but it just quit. It stopped just over the jump. I had a good seat to see the end of the race, and it was pretty exciting." cue I e n e _ S • AUGUST 27,2003 27