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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128232
there at the end . It was lik e I
had no speed."
Po s i t ions th ree through
seven all changed on th e las t
lap. Carr ended up fifth ov er
KK Su pp ly /Schaeffer Harley Da vid so n/La s Vegas Harley Davidson 's Roeder, Murphree
and Morone y 's Harley -D avid son /18DD fasthog's John son .
KK Supply/American Honda/
1stlega l's Bryan Smith and
Lancaster Harley -Dav idson /
Saddlemen/Dodge Broth er s'
St ev e Beatti e filled o ut th e
top 1D.
BB3 NATIONAL.
and I lost a bu nch of gro und . On the
Th e rac e for fifth was even m or e
wh it e flag I had another run on h im
hea ted as Carr , J a k e Johnson a n d
bu t was afra id to try that agai n after
Geo Roeder II ran Mu rphree down and
losing so much the t ime before . I
settled it on the last lap.
passed h im go ing into three ; I don 't
"I knew somebody had to be gain -
think he knew I was there because he
backed off , a n d I just bur ied it in
ing on m e the wa y the guys in front of
me were driv ing off, but I had no id ea
there as hard as I could. He k ind of
o f how to go an y faster ," Murphree
stood it up , and I was able to keep it
sa id . " Here c am e Roeder a nd J ak e
on th e groov e and get a podium. "
J ohnson . Th ey just swa llow ed m e up
BRIEFL Y•••
Defending Gr and National Cha mpion Chris Carr ' s n ight ended a lot better than it looked like
it would early in the main. " The first 10 laps I figur ed I wa s going to lose po ints again. and then
things turn ed aro und." Ca rr said . "We beat the guy w e needed to beat ton ight. M y lap times
we re all w ith in th e same second th e whole race : at the end th ey were almost as fast as w hen th e
track wa s fresh at the sta rt of the race. The track starte d taking rubber during the semis. but the
groove got a littl e better as the race we nt on . It seems like yo u either get a free-for-all in the co rners and no dra fting down the s traigh ts o r get a pole put t. no passing in the corners and dra fti ng
down the straig hts wit h th is place . I don' t know wh ich I like bett er . "
Memphis Shades' J.R. Schnabel saw his big-bike trou bles contin ue at Vernon Downs . For the
seco nd week in a row . Schnabel wa s for ced to a backup motorcycle. and his night ended in the
semis.
Joe Kopp app eared to be on the verge of another disa strou s night when it all turned around
Kopps year has certainly been a roller coast er rid e. MI felt great in practice and my sc ratc h heat.
but in my heat. right when we lined up. I dropped my shield . and rt wa s fogg ed . - Kopp said. - I
ripped a tearoll as the forst yel low light came o n. but it didn't help . The shield was fogged on the
inside . I got a pretty good start but cou ldn't see too good . and three guys got by me. and I pretty
much settled in there. I was riding low and riding cautio us. In the sem i I got a good start and got
away. I felt good because we had some pretty fas t lap times . I've always been a good short tra cker and TIer. but my single program has been in the d umps this year. Every one of my 750
races have been good . I'm glad we 've got so me 750 races left ."
T he Harley -Da vidson Sp ort st er Performanc e c l ass is
cu rrently being dominated by
th ree riders who have shar ed
the pod ium for th e last three
ra ces .
Li ma Ha rley -Davidson/Jeff
Ebl ing 's C o ry McDermitt
ca me off the pole position to
take a com ma nding lead in
the m a in, o n ly to have former Series Champ ion Scott
Stump run him do wn on lap 11 of the
12-lap ra c e . Smoki n Moe s/ F r ieze
Harley -Davi dson's Stump was not to
be denied, an d h e led th e la st two
lap s. Stu mp , who is second in the
points standings, gained seven points
o n leader Scott Scherb. who pushed
his Do c 's Harle y -Da vidson /Jim f,
J enny Wagner -backed Sportster into
th ird. F our poin ts now separat e
Sch erb from Stump.
Cap e Fea r Ha rley - Davidson /
Harley - Davidson of Hig h Point 's
Rob ert Lewis was a distant fourth
ove r the rest o f the D o c's H arl e y D av ids on t eam o f Merl e a nd Corb y
Sch erb . Fri e ze H arle y-D a vi d son ' s
John Faulkn er led the Zach' s Custo m
f, Pe r fo r ma nce Spo r tste r o f B en
Knig ht hom e in seve nth .
eN
Vernon Downs
Vernon, New York
Results: September &, 2003 (Round 140' 171
HEAT 1 ( 10 laps; 9 riders , t op 3 t ran sf er ) : 1.
JdY Spring steen ( H- D ); 2 . Wi llie McCoy ( H· D ); 3.
St ev e Bea ttie ( H· D ) ; 4 . D om inic Beaulac ( H·D) : 5.
Aaron Creamer (H -D ); 6 . Jared Mees (H -D) : 7. J. R.
Schnabel (H ·D ) : 8 . Paul Lynch (H ·D) ; 9 . G arth
Bastten (H ·D).
Time: 5 min .• 57 .586 sec.
(Below, le ft to rig ht) King, Coolbeth
and Kopp b low off a little s team on
t he podium.
HEA T 2 ( t o laps; 9 ride rs . t op 3 t ransfer) : 1.
Kevin A the rton ( H- D ) ; 2 . Geo Roed er ( H · D) : 3 .
Sha wn Cla rk (H -D) ; 4 . Sha un Russell ( H· D ) ; 5. J ess
Roeder ( H· D ) ; 6 . Kevin Varnes (Suz) ; 7. Gary Rogers
(H· D): B. Brya n Sm ith (H ·D ); 9. J oel Henson (Suz).
Time: 5 min .. 57.501 sec .
HEAT 3 ( 10 lap s; 10 rid ers. top 3 transfer) : I.
J ohn ny Mur phree ( H · D ): 2 . Ch ris Ca rr ( H· D ): 3.
Bry an Bigel ow ( H- D) : 4 . J ak e Johnson (H- D): 5. A .J .
Eslick (Su z); 6. La rr y Pegra m ( Ap r); 7. Ken Yod er
( H· D); 8 . Tom Mc Gran e J r. (S uz); 9 . R.J . Overho lt
{S uz) : 10. M ike Hac ker ( H· D) .
Time: 6 min .•. 709 sec.
HEAT 4 (J O laps ; JO r ider s. top 3 transfer): I.
Ric h K ing ( H · D) : 2 . Kenny Coo lb eth Jr. ( H· D) ; 3 .
Chris Hart ( H· D) ; 4 . Joe Kopp (H -D) ; 5 . Reun Woo d
(H·D); 6. Tim Eades (H-D); 7_Scott Scherb(Bue); 8.
Scott Stump (Sua): 9 . Rick y Win sett Jr . ( H· D); to.
Charlie lteha ( H· D).
Time: 6 min .• 1.672 sec .
SEMI J ( 8 laps ; 9 r ide rs . t op 2 t r ans f er) : 1.
Aa ro n Cr eam er ( H· D); 2 . Sha un Russell ( H · D); 3.
A .J . Eslick ( SUl ); 4 . Gary Roger s ( H· D) ; 5 . Mike
Hacker (H· D) ; 6 . Tim Ea des ( H ·D); 7 . Tom McGrane
Jr. (SUl); 8. Paul Lyn ch ( H ·D); 9 . Ric k y Winsett Jr.
(H·D).
Tim e: 4 min .• 5 7 .6 24 sec .
SEMI 2 ( 8 laps ; 9 rid er s . t op 2 t ra ns f er ) : I .
Domini c Beaulac ( H · D); 2 . Bryan Smi th ( H· D ); 3 .
J. R. Sc hnabel (H·D) ; 4 . Je ss Roeder ( H· D): 5 . Larr y
Pegram (A pr); 6 . Sco tt Stump (SUl): 7. Reun Wood
(H ·D) : 8 . R.J . Overholt (SUl); 9 . Char lie Ita lia (H-D) .
Time : 4 m in ., 5 7.472 sec.
SEM I 3 ( 6 lap s: 6 rider s, t op 2 tran sfer) : 1. J oe
Kopp (H- D ): 2_ Jake J ohn son ( H ·D): 3. Ja red Mees
(H -D ); 4 . Ke vin Varne s (SUl) : 5. Scott Scherb (B ue} ;
6 . Garth Bastian ( H· D) : 7. Ken Yoder ( H· D); 8 . J oel
Henson ( Suz).
T im e: 4 m in .• 5 3 .4 77 sec.
GRAND NATIO NAL (2 5 laps; 18 ri ders) : I.
Kenny Coolbeth Jr. (H-D); 2. Rich King (H-D); 3 . Joe
Kopp ( H· D); 4 . Kevin Atherton ( H· D): 5 . Chris Carr
(H-D): 6. GooRoeder (H·D); 7. Johnny Mu

