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/128341
Briefly...
How They Got There
Kevin Varnes gave the factory Suzuki
its best run yet, finishing eighth.
Varnes tawed Jay Springsteen into the
lead draft, and Springer taak it from
there, finishing sixth.
After running near the front for th e
w ho le ra ce, Atherton finishe d fift h , just
a head o f Ba rt e ls'Ha rle y-D avid so n/Co rbin's
Springsteen
a nd
KTM/Jo nes
Ja y
Powers po rts-bac ked Kopp .
"W it h five to go, I tried to check out on
them, b ut it start ed spin ning a little bit
comi ng o ff, and t he y ca ug ht back up with
me," At herto n sa id. " Eve n on t he white flag lap, I still thought I was in control, and
the n going into t urn t h re e , I just got
pu shed wide, an d a couple guys got und e rneath me. That's a li i can sa y. But fifth is not
too bad, and I hope this gives us a little
momentum, "
Also noteworthy was the im p re ssive
performance of American Suzu ki/Parts
U nlim ited/Yoshimu ra 's Kevin Varn es, the
34 -year-old Pennsylvanian's Travis Sm ithtuned Suzuki DLI 000 loo king stronger
than e ver as he came off the th ird row and
practically towed Springsteen into the lead
draft, t he two coming from a considerable
way behind the front seven rid e rs du ring
the middle stages of the race. Varnes then
battled to the finish with Moroney 's
Harley-Davidson/American Honda's Jake
Johnson, who had also caught up to the
pack. Varnes drafted pas t the tough New
Jersey youngster on t he run to the line to
finish eig ht h , th e best finish yet by the factory-backed Suzuki te am . Joh nso n was
ni nth, foll o w e d by his team mate,
SuperTrap p/ Moroney 's Harley-David so n's
Mike Hac ke r, who had a to ugh day o n t he
m ile, finish ing 10th after be ing forced to
switch to his backup bike and start from
the penalty line .
Carr's Spri ngfie ld win , cou ple d with h is
seco nd -p lace finish at the Springfi eld Short
Track, m ay just prove to be the fina l two
knockout blows to 2000 series champ
Kopp's hope of earning a second AMA
Progressive Insurance Flat Track title in
2004. Car r now has a commanding lead
over Kopp, 255-215, w ith just three races
remaining. Coolbeth 's season-long th irdplace standing is also uncertain, as t he rejuvenated Murphree has worked his w ay
back to within six points o f third , trailing
Cool beth, 189 - 18 3.
Johnson was also able to just slip past
Springfield Short Tra c k w inner J.R .
Schnabel, who failed to make the main a t
The big tale of heat one involved 2004 Peoria TT winner He nry Wiles . After mixing it
up in the lead dra ft with Jay Springsteen. Mike Hacker, SJSRacing/Parker Stores' Rob
Pearson and Lombardi Harley-Davidson/Schott Harley -Dav idson's Ch ris Hart, Wiles '
m ile inexp erience caught up to him, and he began to fall back. Already famous fo r try ing
to mak e th ings happen in a big way, the 20 -year-old Michigander overcooked it go ing
into tur n three and lows ided, slamming directly into the air fence at high velocity. The air
fence d id its jo b, and all W iles had to show for the crash was a slightly tweaked knee.
W hen the race resumed, Hac ker and Springst een pulled away from t he rest of the field.
Spr ingsteen follow ed Hacker for the entire last la p, hoping to set up the draft at the finish line, but Hacker held him off for the heat win . KK Motorcycle Supp ly/Las Vegas
Harl ey-D avidson's Geo Roed er II finished th ird to tran sfe r to the main.
He at two featured an o ld, young and new mix of both ta le nt and technology, as veteran Terry Poovey had his Doc 's Harley-Davidson/USC Racing XR750 tuned to perfection,
runn ing with joe Kopp. Kevin Atherton and the su rpris ingly fast Kevin Varnes on the factory-backed , fue l-injected Suzuki DL. Varnes stayed with the lead d raft, but the real battle was ahea d of him, Atherton leading most of the laps before Poovey picked up the
pace so me mo re and led at the line during th e final two laps to take the win . Atherton
and Ko pp finished second and third to also advance .
Two Fords and a mustang dominated heat three, the Quality Ch ecked duo of Chris
Carr and Willie McCoy battling with Murphree as the three ditched the rest of the field.
Carr appeared to go into checkout mode after lap six. Murphree reeled him in by lap
nine , though, but not before Doc 's Harley-Davidson/KK Motorcycle Supp ly's Bryan
Smith came up to make it a four -rider draft. Carr led off four, with Murphree making the
draft pass on the front straightaway in a photo finish. It was too close to call, and there
was booing when Carr was announced as the winner whi le AMA officials consulted the
finish-line ca me ra. The boos turned to applause after Carr told trackside announcer J.B.
Norris that he thought Murphree won the race, and then to cheers when AMA officials
confi rmed the results that way. Carr was second, followed by McCoy.
Kenny Coolbeth and defending event champion Rich King went at it in the last heat,
with Coolbeth leading most of the t ime at the stripe , the two putting an easy 20 lengths
o n the battl e for third , between Bartels' H-D/Custom Chrome 's Shaun Russell and Gardne r Racing/Walters Brothers H-D 's Bryan Bigelow. Cool beth bested King at the finish,
wit h Russell finishing third and making the main.
johnson and Lancaste r Harle y-Davidso n/Saddleme n's Jared Mees slugged it o ut for the
w in in the first se mi. Johns o n won t he race , wi th Mees also adva ncing for his first Springfield Mile main-eve nt start. Varnes ran away and hid for t he w in in the second semi, finishing half a straightaway ahead of runne r-u p Bige low.
Smith and Pearson, and then Smith and Alle n Racing/Da vidson Racing's Jason Tyer,
were the fro nt- run ne rs in the final semi. Smith and Tyer went on e -two to become the
final ma in-eve nt e ntran ts .
HEAT I (10 laps; II riders, top 1 transfer): I . MIke Hacker (H-D); 2. Jay Springsteen (H-D ): 3. Geo Roeder
II (H· D); 4. Rob Peanon (H- D); S. John Rooun Wood (H· D); 6 . Chris Evans (H-D) ; 7. Rebert Lewis (H-D); 8. Roben
Buff>ngton (5< 9. Lee johmon (Suz); 10 Chris Han (H-D) ; II. Hem1'
,,);
(H-D ).
Time: Race was red -flagged
.
HEAT 1 (10 laps: II riden. top 1 transfer): I. Terry Poovey (H-D) : 2. KevinAthenon (H- D); 3. joe Kopp tH D):". Kevm Varnes (Suz): S. Jared Mees (H-D); 6. Charlie ltalia (H-D): 1. Domini< Beaulac(H-D) : 8. Devon Pritchard
(H· D) ; 9 . Ken 1'OOe, (Suz) ; TIm Lo.ge (So2) .
Time: 5 min., 48 .988 sec .
HEAT 1 ( 10 la ps ; II riders top ] transfer): I. John ny Murph ree (H ·D); 2, Chris Carr (H-D); 1. WiIlK! McCoy
(H-D); 4. Bryan Srmth (H- D); S. Dan Stanley (H-D); 6. J.R. Schna.~ (H -D) ; 7. Thomas McGrane (Suz) ; 8. Tlm Ead es
(H. D); 9 . G.-eg TY'Dr (Ape); 10. [csh Toungett (H-D); II. Bret Sowden (H-D) .
Time: S m in.• 49 .660 sec.
HEAT 4 (1 0 laps; 12 riders, top 1 transfer): I. Kenny Coolbeth (H- D): 2. Rich King (H-D); 1. Shaun Russell
(H-D);