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/128344
Ifthey thought he was too fast already, Kevin Athe rton said postrace that was actuallyriding his backup bike in the main event. "The bike that I was going to ride was a straight-up twin that was even faster, but it broke the cases right at the main bearing in practice," Atherton said. Two dirt track fans waiting in the autogra ph line to mee t Kevin Athe rton after the Du Q uoin Milewere newlyweds , as evidenced by their att ire. jeff an d Lora He ide n of BibleGrove , Illinois, came to watch the Du Q uoin Mile in their wedding clothes. Upon paying their visit to Atherto n's pit after the race, the new Mrs. Heiden had Atherton autograph her wed ding dress. Terry Poovey was looking solid in his 347th career Grand National main event when the shock broke on his Harley-Davidson XR750. said . " I know that I ca n still w in races , but w e don't have the mo ney to be spend ing to do t hat. T he last three years I have been ru nning mo to rcycle s th at have 13 race s on t he m and stuff. Now I finally go t two engines re bu ilt, and I w e nt ou t and w on. Ho pe fully people w ill see that the kid still has it. The biggest th ing we need right now is financial backing. In today 's world we're paying two bucks a ga llon for gas. It' s expensive to go racing , and I think that everyone is struggling. We just haven't had the results t his year to have that great resume, but to w in at the end of the ye ar and dom inate - that's the best I can do. " Th e battle for the remaining podium spots was one of the most furious on a mile track this season, involving seven riders, including Screamin' Eagle Ha rle yDavidson 's Rich King, Q uality Checked Ceritified Pre-owned Ford Racing's C hris Carr, Barte ls' Harley-Davidson/Corbin's Springsteen, Coziahr Harle yJay C ycle 's Johnny Davidson/Natio nal Murp hree, t he KTM/Jon es Powersports d uo of Kenny Coolbe th and Joe Kopp, and Doc's Harl ey -D avidson KK Motorcycle Supply 's Bryan Sm ith . King, Carr and Murphree did mo st of the mixing at t he front of th is group as the laps w ore o n, and it seemed pretty clear th at the second- and third -p lace honors w o uld be de cided a mo ng the three . In th e e nd, King led the trio to the line , w ith C arr co ming just short of complet ing th e slingsho t pass to ta ke the spot away fro m the factory Harle y ride r. " It was a good run," King said. "We were a litt le bit loose to start w ith, and Kevin was just on a rail. Me and C hris had a pretty good drafting st rategy going there in the last five laps and it seemed like w e were catching back up to Kevin, but then a couple more guys started playing in the mix, and that killed it for us. When you get too many guys in there like that, it slows you down. And on a day like this, when t ire wear isn't a problem , there are a lot of guys in the mix." H is sixt h career title already clinched at th e Du Quoin Short Track o ne day before, Carr admitted that his te am struggled a bit on the Mile . "We ma de a bunch of ch ange s and used the main as a test se ssio n for ne xt year," Carr said. "We le arn e d some t hings, an d I think that we were a little more co m petitive in the mai n event th an we were earlier in the day. We twi ngled my bike fo r t he main event, which was the first time that we have done that on a mile , and it wasn't bad . I th ink that it was better for th is track. " Carr also said that the group he was racing w ith didn 't work toge the r enough to catch Atherton. H aving expressed his dis taste for our comments on his retirement, Poovey set the record straight at Du Quoin. "I am going to Daytona and that's it ," he said. "I'll never ride a big motor again. I'm 46 years old now, and I want to be able to get out of this with my arms and legs intact. I've had a good ride." Poovey also said that he will be loaded for bear, on a Rocax, looking for a win in his final career start at the 2005 Daytona Short Track. After the Du Quoin Mile, johnny Murphree commented on his 2004 season and his prospects for 2OOS. "We know how to get where we need to get ," Murphree said. "Mike Wheeler said that he is going to lock me up in a steel cage all by myself for a few days before each race next year. We can mellow out some from that, but what it comes down to is that I have got to get serious about my race game and at the same time find that balance beween that and fun. Maybe I'lljust do yoga." Mike Hacker wanted to clarifythe Briefly item from our Springfield weekend coverage, regarding his deal for next season. "I want to make sure that SuperTrapp and I pretty much have our agreement for 2005," Hacker said. "This is is my third year with them , and they have stuck by me through my Injuriesand everything and have really been a big help to my program. They believe in me, and I am really excited about keeping them on. I'm excited to go home now and start gelling the rest of my program together." That program apparently will not involve longtime team owner and friend Pat Moroney . Hacker hinted that he would not be returning, but Moroney just came right out and said as much. "Mike is definitely leaving," Moroney said. "Mike and I are still best of friends, and we always will be, but thingswere getting kind of stale, and the weirdest things have been happening to us. Mike thinks it's time for a change, and sometimes change is good ." Rumors have been beginning to circulate about a possible tie between Jake johnson and Team Su zuki Flat Track for the 2005