Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championships ..- . ., ' - .. (Left to rig ht) Poovey, Co o lbeth a nd KOpr. will go dow n in history as the firs t AMA GNC podium at the Missi ssippi Val ey Fair g rou nd s. 30 JULY 28, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS "I'm pretty stoke d," Coolbeth said. "That was awesome. The bike worked great. I fe lt like I could just put it anywhere I needed." While Coolbeth had been fast all night and ha d the po le po sition for the National, it wa s his KTM/Jones Powe rsport s/ Mid America HarleyDavidson teammate Joe Kopp who got the holeshot in the 2S-lap Nationa l. USC Racing/First Legal's Te rry Poovey slipped into second as Coo lbeth searched for a way to the fro nt. "I wanted to get by Terry as fast as I cou ld, because I thought Joe would check out when I got stuck be hind Te rry," said Coolbe th. "But Terry did a good job of staying up with him." As the race reached its midpoint, Coolbe th made his move. "I finally got around him (Poovey) on the outside going, into tum one , and I did the same on Joe a lap later," Cool beth said of his lap 13 charge. Kopp had appeared to be on his way to his second win of the year when Poovey and Cool beth closed the gap. Kopp knew that this was Cool beth's type of track, and he was hoping someone might hold Cool beth up. "My deal was to just get the start and hopefully be able to hold him off," Kopp 40th Anniversary said. "I knew so me body was coming, and I got a little cautious going into three, next thing I know, here comes an orange helmet . I started to get more and more pro tective of my line. Kennygot by me fair and square on the outside going into tum one ." The running order settled in with Cool beth holding Kopp and Poovey at bay. KK Supply/Las Vegas HarleyDavidso n/Schae ffe r's Harley-Davidson's Geo Roeder and Supe rTrapp/Moroney's Mike Hacke r disputed fourth . After ano t her small gap Q uality Checked Ce rtified Pre O wned Fo rd's Chris Carr led a large pack of riders made up of SJS Racing/Parker Stores' Rob Pearso n, Coziahr/National Cycle 's Johnny Murp hree, Mo roney's Cycles' Jake Johnson, Lanc aster Harl ey-Davidson / Saddlemen's Jared Mees and Winchester Harley-Davidson's Paul Lynch. On lap I7 th e co mple xion of the race a lmost change d complete ly. Bartels' Harley-Davidso n's Shaun Russell lost the fro nt end in tu rn tw o and spun down. Russellstum bled off the tra ck, but his bike lay across the gro ove . Coolbeth was first on the sce ne and went high arou nd the fallen Harley. Undaunted , Kopp seized the opportunity and slipped low and back into the lead. "Some body crashed in tum two, and Kenny checked up and went way wide ," Kopp said. "I saw him sit up, expecting a red nag. He was pulling off the track, and I thought, 'I don't see any red lights yet! I'm going for it.' I hated to pass that way, but they're going to pass me if I don 't." Coolbeth was peeved tha t AMA officials didn't stop the race . "Shaun fell in tum tw o, and his bike was right in the midd le of the track," Co olbet h said. "I don't see why they didn't re d-nag it; the bike was ther e for two laps. I kind of pulled up because I thought there was going to be a red nag, and Joe gassed it by me. It was like 'Huh, I guess I'd better get on the gas.' Then the re was no re d nag." Not to be denied afte r a red flag never appeared, Coo lbe th put his head down and three laps later re pea ted his turn-one pass for the lead. "I ended up getting him again, the same way," said Coolbet h. "It was kind of slick on the outside, but all day I was able to run it in there so much harder than everybody else . If I wasn't by myself, I had a harder time getting through the middle of the corners, becau se I was carrying so much corner speed." Kopp said he was glad that it was his teammate and not somebody else. "I saw five laps to go, and I thought, 'I want to win this thing, but I don't want to bea t Kenny this way,''' Kopp said. "Now, if it had been Chris Carr or somebody, I would have looked at it a little different. I

• Cover