Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMA Progressive Insur ance Flat Track Champion ships he 's running t he bo tto m , and C o o lbe t h was jus t r unning t he corners wide open ." Afte r Murphree had led his lap, he faded deep into the pack, only to rebound and come up third at the finish. " I was just riding my butt off," Murphree sa id. ''As good as the bike was, I really felt we had chance to win th is, but I just wasn't where I needed to be. I just fell in behind Springer and started using his high line . He b rough t me right back to the front. That last lap I tried to have a braking contest w ith him going into turn one. He won . I got in there as far as I wanted to go , a nd he must have carried it o n in another twenty feet at My OWN RACE 31 Kenny Coolbeth 7th Kenny Coo lbeth' s charge to the front was short-cir cuited at the midpoint of the race. "The primary cover's starter seal came off and was blow ing oil allover everything," Coo lbeth said. "From about halfway on I was just trying to keep my feet on the pegs and keep my wheels under me. Up 'til halfway I could do anyth ing I wanted; we were running top three. It's a bum deal, but it'll be all right; we got points. I was too worri ed about oil on my tires and everything like that to try and make a run at the top. It was pretty scary." 42 Bryan Smith 8th Doc 's Harley-Davidson/KK Motorcycle Supply's Bryan Smith pretty much maintained his position in the lead draft. "I just cou ldn't pass. I rea lly haven't been in the lead draft that many times," Smith said. "Springer and Carr, they could pass, but I couldn't find a way to pass. I think I've been able to learn a lot, and hopefully it's going to help down the road. " 28 Shaun Russell 9th Bart els' Harley-DavidsonfTNT Act ion Sports' Shaun Russe ll had similar problems. "I pretty much stayed the same most of the race," Russell said. "I couldn't find room to make anything happe n. Igot by a few guys here and ther e, but it was just when they made a mistake or something. I just had a hard time passing. The wind bothered me some, and there were just so many people I was n't able to get up to the fro nt . It was such a tight pack with peo ple going in all direct ions. I could get up alongside peop le, but I just couldn't finish the pass." 23 Kevin Atherton 10th KevinAtherton's strong showing came apart at the end of the race. "I pretty much set the pace . It seemed like I could go back to third, fourth or fifth and stillgo back to the front whenever I wanted," Atherton said. "The n with five laps to go, my bike just started skating arou nd. The tires aren't bad, but I couldn't get my tires back in line at the apex of the corner where I wanted to. I don't know. I had just as much tire left as everyone else. Maybe it sealed over. Early in the race I wanted to see what I could do and tried to get away. but that didn't work. Maybe it was the rider." 67 Mike Hacker I I th Mike Hacker looked to be in position to win his third mile National, but things went awry with just two laps left. "That was a pretty wild race ," Hacker said. "It was crazy, one of the wickedest races I've ever been in. It was like rush hour traffic at 140 mph . We struggled a little bit early, but it came together for the main. I was in fourt h place by the second lap, from the third row. Leading the thing late in the race like that, I thought I had a good chance . I got together with some guys with two laps to go, got pushed off the groove and shuffled back pretty quick. Everybody was on pins and needles. We're all good friends and all, but when it's time to get it on, it's time to get it on . It was a good race, though. I hope it was as good for the spectators as it was for us. The wind didn't really bother me - I was so focused a tornado wouldn't have bothered me. I wanted to get to the front as fast as I could, and Igot there way faster than I hoped. I was worried about getting there from the third row, but it couldn't have worked better. I really felt like we had a chance to win it afte r leading a few laps. I had a really good game plan for the last few laps. I'm not going to let it out, but I cou ld ride anywhere I wanted. The track was real frie ndly. If someone got on your line, you could just move to another one . When I went off the groove, they just swar med me like a bunch of dogs going after a steak. Igot shuffled back pretty quick." 11 Bryan Bigelow 12th "Same old thing, it was a real traffic jam out there," said the Gardner Racing! Walters Brothers Harley-Davidson·backed Bigelow. "I didn't want to go high, and I think there were II other guys that had the same idea. I think everybody in the lead draft had a bike capable of winning the race. I didn't get off the line with the lead pack, and when Idid catch them , there was just no place to go. It's frustrating , but it's no one's fault but my own . You had to be really careful. You didn't want to get sucked into the corners, by the draft , and run into a bunch of people. I wasn't real comfortable in that wind; I wasn't riding 'loose' at all. I don't think that affected the way I finished; that was the bad start. There was nowhere to go - it was like rush hour out there. We're learning a lot. I keep saying I'm young and we 're learning, but it's time for me to go . It kind of sucks when you realize I was only about seven bikelengths from the win, but I finished 12th. The last few weeks things have turned around, and I th ink we 're back on track . Last year I struggled all year and kind of got kicked down , but I think we 're back now." 40th Anniversary

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