Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMA P rogressive Insurance Flat Track Championships HOW THEY GOT THERE HEAT I ( 10 la ps ; 10 ri ders. t op 2 transfer): I. J.R. Schnabel (Yam); 2. Kenny Coolbeth (KTM); 3. Bryan Smith (Rot ); 4. Rich King (H -D ); 5. Greg Tysor (Hon); 6. Nick Williams (Hon); 7. Willie McCoy (KTM); 8. Charl ie ltaha (Hon); 9. Mike Hacker (Hon) ; 10. Shawn Raggio(Hon) . make a mistake, and I would try to get a run on him and then hit the same hole in the track or make the same mistake," Johnson said. "I knew that it was getting late in the race, and I knew I had to make a move because I saw Kenny Coolbeth start to poke his wheel unde rneath me. I was able to get underneath J.R. in one the re, and the n I got a cou ple good laps in after that. I made sure I cut som e good laps afte r I got around him, and I got enough of a cushion to where I cou ld just relax for the last few laps." True enough. Johnso n simply sped aw ay to earn his third-caree r Grand Nat ional win by several bike lengths. Schnabel held on for second. "C learl y Jake was faste r t han me tonight," Schnabel said. "Whe n he was behind me, I was looking back. I couldn't quite hold it low. The bike could have done it, but I was just getting a little too excited , a little too throttle happy. You can't do that wh en it gets slick like that. We made some changes before the main eve nt to get the bike to spin up a little easier, and if I had it to do ove r again, I wou ld have made changes to make the bike hook up better. But tha t was a call that I made, and now I learn ed something ton ight for next time. "I am happy with the podium finish, but I really want to w in as many short trac ks as I can, and I am bummed because I had all the too ls ton ight to w in and put myself in position to win it, but right at the end there I just cou ldn't set tle down e nough," Schnabel continued . "You look at Chr is Carr and what he does, and he doesn't make mistakes like that . I know 24 OCTOBER 6 , 2004 • CYCLE NEWS Time: I m in., 55 .906 sec . HEAT 2 ( 10 lap s; 10 ri ders. t o p 2 trans fe r) : I. He nry Wiles (Hon) ; 2. Jake Joh nso n (Hen ): 3. Joe Kopp (KTM); 4. John Raun Wood (Rot) ; 5. Nick Cummings (Hon ); 6. Bryan Douglas (Rot); 7. Will Sawh ill (Hon) ; 8. Michael Varnes (Yam): 9. Brett Sowders (Rot); 10. Shawn Baer (Rot ). TIme: I rnin., 55 .789 sec . HEAT J (1 0 lap'; 10 ri ders, top 2 t ra nsfer): I. Steve Murray (KTM); 2. Jared Mees (Hon) ; 3. Rob Pearson (Hon) ; 4 . Paul Lynch (Hon) ; 5. Dan Stanley (Hon) ; 6. Ben Morton (Hon); 7. Tim Eades (Ret); 8 _Merle Scherb (Hus); 9. Ben Knight (Hon ); 10. Jeremy Deruyter (Han). Time: I m in., 56.237 sec . HEAT 4 (10 lap s: 10 riders, top 2 transfe r ): I. Donnie Mullen (Hon); 2. Shaun Russell (Rot); 3. Terry Poovey (Rot); 4. Kevin Varnes (Suz); 5. Ken 'rcoer (Rot); 6. Noot Irvin (Hon ); 7. Brian Vincent (Rot); 8. Brad Furlong (Hon ); 9. Matt Burton (Yam); 10. Josh Toungett (Han). Time : I min., 57.527 sec. HEAT 5 (10 laps; 10 riders, top 2 trans fe r ): I. Chris Carr (KTM); 2. Bryan Bigelow (Han); 3. John Hle bo III (Hon ); 4. Jason Ise nnock (Rot); 5. Kevin Athert on (Yam); 6. Tom McGra ne (Rot); 7. Eric Rickman (Rot); 8. James Faulkne r (Rot); 9. Dan Gedeon (Ho n); 10. Co ry McD e rm itt (Rot). Time : I min., 57.075 sec . HEAT 6 <10 laps; 10 rid e rs , top 2 transfe r): I. Johnny t-furp hree (Han); 2. Je th ro Halbe rt (Han ); 3. C hris Hart (Ro t); 4. Aj . Eslick (Sta ); 5. Shane Vance (Han); 6. Robert McClendon (Hon); 7. Jason Tyer (Han); 8. Eto Kinji (Han); 9. Dustin Crow (Hon); 10. Scott Scherb (W-R). T ime : I min., 56.862 sec . SEMI I (8 laps; 12 riders, wi nner tnnsfers) : I. Joe Kopp (KTM); 2. Rich King (H· D); 3. John Raun Wood (Rot); -t. Greg Tysor (Hon ); S. Dan Stanley (Hon); 6. MIke Hacke r (Han); 7. Ben Morton (Hon ); 8. Michael Varnes (Yam); 9. Jer emy Deruyter (Han) ; 10. Charlie Italia (Han); II. Ben Knight (Hon ); 12. Will Sawhill (Hon). Time : I min., 32.526 sec. SEMI 1 (8 laps; 11 rid ers, winner transfers): I. Paul Lynch (Hon) ; 2. Nick Cummings (Han); 3. Rob Pearson (Hon) ; 4. Nick Williams (Han) ; 5. Bryan Smith (Hon) ; 6. 11m Eades (Rot) ; 7. Bryan Douglas (Rot); 8. Merle Scherb (Hus); 9 . Shawn Baer (Rot) ; 10. Shawn Raggio (Hon) ; II . Willie McCoy (KTM); 12. Bre tt Sowders (Ro t) . TIme : I rnln., H .861 sec. SEMI l (8 la ps ; 12 riders, w inn e r t ra ns fe rs) : I. A J. Eslick (Suz); 2. Jason lsennock (Rot) ; 3. Ken Yoder (Ro t) ; 4. N oo t Irvin (Hen): S. Josh Toungett (Han ); 6. Chris Hart (Rot); 7. Matt Burton (Yam); 8. Jason Tyer (Hon); 9. Eta Kinji (Han); 10. Dan Gedeon (Han ); I I. Kevin Atherton (Yam); 12. James Faulkner (Rot). T ime: I min.. H .8Q.4 sec . SEMI 4 (8 la ps; 11 ri ders, w inner transfe rs): I. Shane Vance (Hon) ; 2. John Hlebo III (Hon ); 3. Kevin Varnes (Suz); -t. Eric Rickman (Rot); S. Tom McGrane (Rot); 6. Dust in Crow (Hon ); 7. Brad Furlong (Han ); 8. Robert McCle ndon (Hon ); 9. Brian Vincent (Rot); 10. Cory McDermitt (Rot ); I I. Terry Poovey (Rot); 12. Scott Scherb (W-R). Ti me: Race was red flagged. I'm not in the championship batt le, but me and Jake are battling for fifth in the po ints, and that was a big swing right th ere, and now he has the advantage . I do n't want to sound like I'm complaining, but I know that I have to go for it tomorrow. I have to make up nine points on a mile. Hell, Jake rode so good to night . I can't take anything away from him. He definitely was the man to night." Also on the move late in the race was KTM/Jones Power Spo rt 's Kenny Coolbeth, the Co nnecticut rider co ming up thro ugh the field from ninth to finish third to collect his 10th podium position of the sea son. " I definitely feel good about that fini sh," Coolbet h said. '" wish tha t I could have started do ing that a little earlier in the year on the Singles, but all in all it has been a good year. We're consiste nt , and we're definitely getti ng bette r on the TIs and short tracks. My plan is to go into next year, win races and win the championship." Coo lbeth said that his biggest pro blem was that he got caught just watching the tw o guys in fro nt of him early in the race rather than attacki ng them. "J.R. was kind of slipping up and getting Sideways coming off the corners in front o f me, and I didn't want to have him sideways and T- 40th Anniversary bone him, so I was staying back a little there," Cool beth said. "It was a good race, a safe race, not too many restarts. My line was pretty much down low the whole race , and I saw them moving up. I wanted them to get into each othe r and I kind of screw each other up, but they ran a consiste nt race , and we just ended up third. That's all I can say." There was so me great racing beh ind the lead tri o as we ll. KTM Jones Powe rspo rts' Joe Kopp too k to the high line to move past a great battle betw een Coziahr Harley-Davidso n/National Cycles' Johnny Murphree and Zano tti Racing/A&A Racing's Jeth ro Halbe rt and finish fo urt h. Murphree was fifth and Halbe rt was sixth. Kopp wasn't the only rider to put on a late -race charge. Just as he had at the Springfield Sho rt Track, Ame rican Suzuki/Parts Unlimited's AJ . Eslick to re through the pack in the closing laps. Eslick bette red his ninth-place Springfield finish with a caree r-bes t seve nth at Du Qu oin after once again coming fro m the back row. Sadd le me n Racing/Mon tgo me ryville Cycles' Jared Mees held off DA Racing/B Racing's Don nie Mullen and Gardne r Racing/Walte rs Brothe rs HarleyDavidso n's Bryan Bigelow for eighth. In doing so, the 18-year-old Mees put a lock on Ricky Graham Rookie of the Year honors. Desp ite a season-low 15th-place finish,

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