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/128232
Jay Springsteen continues to thrill his legions of fans on his farewell tou r. At Vernon he did it by setting fast qualifying time in his four lap qualifier then comi ng back with a con vincing heat race win . Canadian riders Dominic Beaulac and Steve Beatt ie were holding the oth er two transfer spots until Dallas Harley -Davidson's Willie McCoy blasted into second and left them to battle over the last ticket to the main . Beattie would send Beaulac to the semis . The second heat would prove to be the fastest of the night as Kevin Atherton easily topped Geo Roeder and Cayuga Tool /Sunoco's Shawn Clark . The third heat saw Mike Hacker break out on top over Jake Johnson, Chris Carr and Johnny Murphree. Carr took the lead, and Hacker's race ended with a breakdown on the third lap . In an early showdown of the series' points leaders, Murphree ran Carr down and took the lead just after the halfway point. Gardner Racing's Bryan Bigelow held off Johnson for third. Rich King and Kenny Coolbeth settled into the top two spots in the last heat as Chris Hart and Joe Kopp battled to the wire, with Hart sending the former series cham pion to the sem is. The first semi saw the entire field clipping the hay bales for eight laps. Motorcyclist's Post/ NF Sheldon's Harley-Davidson's Aaron Creamer led all the way. Paul Lynch held down second early , with A.J. Eslick and Shaun Russell battling over third. At the halfway point, Lyn ch dropped out, and Bartels' Harl ey -Davidson 's Shaun Russell was in the Nati onal. Semi two saw Beaulac out front on his Elka Suspension /Mike Lynch -back ed Harley. Bryan Smi th blasted through the field to take the last transfer away from J .R. Schnabel and Jess Roeder. The last semi saw Joe Kopp firm ly in control. Jake Johnson worked his way around Jared Mees for second early in the race and made it last. Rich King put in a so lid ri d e aboard the factory Harley-Davidson, fi nishi ng second. King has j ust three more AMA Grand Nationals with which to run the number 100. He w ill return to his more familiar number 80 next season. would float the valves halfway down the straigh taway . I'd roll out of the gas a nd r u n the s tra ightaway a t three -qu arters th ro ttle to ge t th e th in g On lap 10 the Kin g/C o o lb eth b attl e dropped th e suddenly st rugg ling Mu r- to n ot spi n ." When C oo lbeth dove under Atherto n in turn o ne o n lap 13 th e battl e , Atherton cou ld n 't f ight b ac k . " I d on 't kn o w w ha t t h e prob l em w a s: Ath erton sa id . " Ke n ny g ot b y on th e bottom , an d I we nt to th e bot to m . I co u ld n' t ge t it t o w ork , so I p hree to fourth . " Ea r ly in t h e Na tio n a l when w e wer e running u p hi gh, I w as th inking , - 'Kevin is goi ng to ge t t ir ed , K ev in ' s goi ng t o ge t t ir ed , th ere 's no do u b t w ent ba ck u p t op . Ric h w ent by m e, a nd I kn ew I h ad to g et th e bottom w orkin g . I s t a rte d g ett ing it figur ed o ut, bu t I w as st ill spi nni ng down th e st ra ig hts. I thin k I wo re th e ce nter o f a bo u t t ha t, a nd I'd dia le d in as soon as he drops to t he bo tto m : I'm qoodl'" Murphree said . " Pretty soon here come Rich around on the bottom, and Kenny drove b y me like I was tied to a t ree ." Another lap and Coolbeth was in t he tire more than th e side ." As th e race wore on, the hi nt of a groove continued to grow , leaving most unsure of where they wa nted to way h ard er th an those g uys an d was ab le to g et it turn ed be tter on th e bottom . It just worked bett er fo r me ." (Above) Joe Kopp also came from behind and worked his way to th ird. (Bel owl Kevin Atherton won Vernon la st year and le d it for a wh ile th is year before slipping to a respectable fourth. be. second with Atherton clearly in the "The groove was spotty - there was some fuzz, but it was pretty much a groove at the end: Cool beth cross hairs . "I didn't have a plan , " Cool beth said . " I just wanted to get a good start and stay out of the roo st. I thought I said. "At the start it was a high rac e track, but I adapted to the groove when it came in and moved to the bottom . I guess I 'm used to these was kind of falling back, but I just put my head down and kept putting them grooves. " King dropped Atherton to third on lap 16 , and the top pos itions away ." Just five laps into the race Ather - stalked him . "Early in the rac e I could j ust run w ide open and neve r shu t it off, " appeared to be set. "I had a pretty good line , sl iding up, just bumping th e cushion and squaring it off ," K ing said . " I was go ing t o the front , and as fast as I caught Kev in , I thought I was goi ng to win the thi ng. I looked b a ck a nd saw Ken ny was catch ing m e, and he Atherton said . "It was a bout la p six o r eig ht. I co u ld get th rou gh th e corner co u ld ge t on the g roove so m uc h q uic ker and so m uch b e t t er th an , great, but I'd ge t o n th e st ra ightaway , and it would just l ight the t ir e up. It cou ld . He j ust rode the w h eels o ff tha t thing , He was d efin itely d i a le d i n . ton 's lead looked insurmountabl e, but Coolbeth '5 blisteri ng pace quickl y ate in to th e l e a d . Atherton's ra ce wa s starting to go sour as Coo l beth cu e I e n e _ S • SEPTEMB ER 17 , 2 003 41