Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMA Progressive Insura nce Flat Track Cha mpionship HDW They GDt: There esp ecially crucial as he carne fro m the secfor Carr, and his seventh in Grand Nat ional sho rt t rack racing. It was also the first AMA ond spot from the pole on ro w one and Grand N ationa l w in for the KTM bra nd. out-jumped pole sitte r Shaun Russell into '~d it was also my first win o n con the first tum . cre te," Carr said. "To win a race like th is, "I just concentrated on the lights," Carr you've got to be on your game. You've got said. "I got a good initial jump , and I knew to be prepared right out of the tru ck, get a that I was ahead of him, so I d ropped do wn good qu alifying time, get a decent starting to the bottom and beat him to the comer. spot, get good starts and ride a line that That was t he first start, but I guess he w e nt no body can go by yo u on . We were predown later on . Hole shots are very, very pared to do t hat to night, and that's what impo rtant in th is type of racing, but Landes we did." proved that you can come fro m beh ind Carr certainly had his starts wi red , as he ove r a period of laps. It was nice that w e bagged th ree holeshots in the oft-restarted went 28 laps without a red flag, but I t hink 30-lap main eve nt to lead the race from that a couple of the incide nts co uld have gon e without th e red flag, too." start to finish. Before th e blur of a race was Part-t imer Brett Landes finished second ove r - lap t imes ran in the low eight-second range fo r t he en tire night of racing - Carr aboard his Aud iovo x/Qua ker Stat elZ would lap up through sixth place . Gallery Honda. The former Daytona Short "Th e bike wo rked good," Carr said. " It Track winner carne from down in fourth was an overall package. Th is wasn't a place to pass Supe rTrap pl Moroney's ride r Mike Hacke r and Sadd lemen Racing horsepower race. You heard them guys on the Hondas - some of them had 'em bou ncIMontgomeryvilie Cycles' Jared Mees for the secing off the rev-limite r by start/finish line . We ond spot. Landes just worked really hard last week when we tested to get the bike to tum and A.IIlJL..... re e led in Carr get it to go down the straights as and was knocklevel as possible. And it doesn't hurt ing on the door to get good starts." for the lead when Carr's starting technique t he wh ite flag With mid-eight-second lap times the order of the day, the IO-Iap heat races were intense affairs for the competitors. A front-row start was practically mandatory, although the inside of the front row was not . Rightaway, Shaun Russell proved that passing was possible, as he botched the start in the first heat race and then dogged John Raun Wood for five laps before divingunder him on the brake in tum three to take the lead. Russell and Wood finishedfirst and second for the only two transfer spots out of the race. Brett Landes and White's H-D/Schaeffer's H-D's MikeVarnes were the next two to gain entry into the main, the two running nose to tail for eight clean laps in heat two. The race had to be halted when Eric Rickmanand Fred Faltersack tangled in tum one . With more than half the laps in the books, Landes was declared the winner and Varnes second. Jared Mees got the holeshot in the third heat and led it the whole way, although Rod Spencer had to work his Rod Lake Racing/Shift-backed Honda past A.J. Herrera for the second spot . Spencer made his move on the back straight on lap two and held second all the way to finish. Donnie Mullen was looking good in the lead aboard his Hump Racing/T Plates uff machine in heat four, but Mike Hacker took the long way aro und Mullen in tu rns three and four to steal the point with just two laps to go. Hacker secured the win, with Joe Kopp pulling off an incredible blitz of Beau Brown and Mullenon the last lap to take second place and a direct transfer out of the heat . Carr got the holeshot in heat five, but then the race had to be restarted afte r J.R. Schnabel fell in turn one . Carr repeated his effo rt on the restart and ran comfortably ahead of Jethro Halbert for the rest of the race, the two moving on to the main. Heat six had to be restarted three times befor e it could be completed. Once under way,Jake Johnson shot into the lead, towing Mike Vail Enterprises/Red Hot Racing Framesbacked Chris Hart along with him. The two finished 1-2 to take the last two quick tickets into th e main. Willie McCoy, Patriot Harley-Davidson/Arai Helmets ' Rick Winsett , Doc's H-D/KK Motorcycle Supply's Bryan Smith and Mullen all wo n semis to land on the last row of the 16-rider grid. HEAT I (10 lap s; 9 ride n. top 2 t ransfer) : I. Shaun Russell (Rot); 2. Joh n Raun Wood (Han); 3. Willie McCoy (KTM); 4. Greg Tysor (Hon); 5. Shane Vance (Hon) ; 6. B'Od Spencer (Hon) ; 7. Robert Pearson (Han); B. jesse Sanchez (Rot); 9. john Hlebo (Hon) . Time : I mln., 26.264 sec . HEAT 2 (10 laps; 9 rid ers, top 1 transfer): I. Brett Landes (Han) ; 2. Mk hael Varnes (Yam); J . TO'ry P""""l' (Hon ); 4. Paul Lynch (Hon ); 5. jeff,.y Hiatt (Han) ; 6. Joh n Gcant (Hon) ; 7. Rich King (H·D ); B. Eric Rickman (Han); 9. Fred Pa ltersack (Ha n). Time: No time. due to red flag. HEAT J (10 laps; 9 riders. top 1 transfer): I. Jared Mees (Han); 2. RodSpencer (Han) ; 3. RickWinsett (Hon); 4. AJ . Herrera (Han ); 5. Jason Tyer (Hon) ; 6. Rebert McC lend on (Ha n); 7. Danny Casey (Han) ; 8. Henry Wiles (Hon); 9. R.J. CNerholt (Yam). Time: I min., 27.299 sec . HEAT 4 (10 laps: 9 rid e rs, top 1 transfer): I. Mike Hacker (Hon ); 2. Joe Kopp (KTM); 3. Donnie Mullen (Han) ; 4. Beau Brown (Rot); 5. Ganh Bastian (Rot); 6 . Kenny CooIbeth (KTM); 7. Rick Hocking (Han ); 8. Tany Souza (C CM); 9. jaime Aguil... (Yam). Time: I min., 29.592 sec . HEAT 5 (10 laps; 9 riders. top 2 transfer): I. Chris Carr (KTM); 2. Jethro Halbert (Han); 3. To m McGrane (Han) ; 4. Kevin Varnes {Suz]: 5. J.R Schnabel (Yam); 6. Ken Yoder (Yam); 7, Gary Rogers (Han ); 8. Jeremy Chisum (Han) ; 9. Thomas Carriger (Han ). Time: I min., 26.786 sec . HEAT 6 (10 laps; 10 riders. top 2 transfer): I. Jake Johnson (Han) : 2. Chris Hart (Hon ); 3. Johnny carne out. He would trail Carr across the line with less than a wheel le ngth separating them. " I caught Carr faster than I thought I would," Landes said. "I mean , I'm happy, but you don 't get too many opportunities to win a National , and when they're right there, you gotta take 'em. I gave it everyth ing I had . Chris did a great job:' Landes very nearly cost himse lf a shot at a finish, let alone a podium , when he endoed over one of the promotional signs on the infield off tum two on lap 24. "Th at was exciting," Landes said. "I 50 MAY 12, 2004 • CYCL E N EWS 40th Anniver sary Murph ree (Hon) ; 4. Shawn Raggio (Ha n); 5. Bryan Smith (Ho n); 6. Morl< Corsetti (Han) ; 7. A J. Eslk k (Suz) ; 8 . Dana Porn (Han); 9. Ted Taylo<(Yam); 10. Paul Warne (KTM). lime: I min., 28.875 sec. SEM I I (8 laps : II riders, winner transfers): I. Willie McCoy (KTM); 2. Rob Pearson (Han ); 3. Greg Tyso r (Hon) ; 4. Jason TyO' (Hon); 5. Henry Wiles (Hon) ; 6. R J. Overholt (Yam); 7. Fred Pa herseck (Han) ; 8. Jeffrey Hiatt (Hon); 9. John Gran t (Han); 10. A J. Hem ,ra (Hon ); II. Jesse Sanchez (Rot). lime: No time . due to red flag. SEMI 2 (8 laps; 10 riders, winner transfers): I. Rick Winsett (Hon) ; 2. Terry Poovey (Han); 3. Shane Vance (Hon) ; 4. Danny Casey (Ho n); 5. R ich King (H-D); 6. Eric Rickman (Ha n); 7. Brad Spencer (Ha n); 8. John Hlebo (Han) ; 9. Paul Lynch (Ho n); 10 . Roben McOendon (Hon ). lime: I mln., 9.80 2 sec . SEMI J (8 laps; II riden, winner transfers): I. Bryan Sm ith (Han); 2. Gart h Bast ian (Rot); 3. Tom McGrane (Han) ; -4 . Kenny Coolbeth (KTM); 5. Gary io Rogers (Hon); 6. Shawn Ragg (Ha n); 7. Jere my Chisum (Han) ; 8. jaime Aguilar (Yam); 9. Ted Taylo< (Yam); 10. Dana Perri (Han ); I I. Kevin Varnes (Suz). lime: I min., 11.065 sec. SEMI 4 (8 laps : II riders, winner transfers): IDonn ie Mullen (Han) ; 2. Beau Brown (Rot); 3. Joh nny Murp hree (Hon) ; -4 . Mark Corsetti (Han) ; 5. Rick Hock ing (Hon ); 6. Thomas CamgO' (Hon); 7. T any Souza (CC M); 8. Ken YodO'(Y am); 9. J.R Schnabel (Yam); 10. Paul Wame (KTM); J I. A J. Eslick (Suz). lime: I min., 13.1 &4sec . thought that was going to throw me down. I just needed another lap probably. I'm rea lly stoked. When you come to these places, you just want to make the main event and then go from there. I just had a little bad luck in that heat race when it got redflagged. About halfway through the race I just had things working really good, and once I got by Mees, I caught Hacker really quickly. It seemed like every time I got by somebody, I could yard 'em. A rejuvenated Hacker finished a strong third, not bad cons idering that he was worried about even making the main event.

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