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
Blasts Du Quoin Five years after nearly losing his life there, KEVIN ATHERTON WIn s th e Du Q uoin Mile By SCOTT R O USSEAU PH OTOS BY DAVE H O ENIG/ FLA TTRAKFOTO S. COM fter the trag ic events of the 1999 Du Quoin Mile, Kevin ".IIlIII~ Atherton faced a very bleak, .. very uncertain future . In the ftennath of the horrific accident that claimed the lifeof his friend and competitor, Davey Camlin, Atherton battled back to save his own leg from amputation . He then mounted a comeback attempt with little or no budget, and since that time he has shown only brief glimpses of the flamboyant, larger-than-life former Harley factory rider and pr ivateer who challenged Scott Parker for the J 996 AMA Grand National title. But the magic returned for the Gerencer 's Harley-Davidson/Kerstings Cycie/Saddlemen-backed Atherton under the lights at the Du Quoin Magic Mile on the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in Illinois. There, with spotlights on him, the 33-yearold veteran looked more likea 23-year-old version of himselfall night long, posting the fastest scratch qualifying heat and the fastest regular heat times as he won both , then breaking away from a talent-laden field of milers in the 25·lap main event to win the final main event of the 2004 AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship series by 1.267 seconds . Atherton led every lap but the first one, and he was well clear of second place just six laps into the race. No quest ion about it: Atherton flat owned 'em. "You know, I was on that same motorcycle when I thought I had it won here in '02," Atherton said after the race. "We set the same kind of pace all day long like that , where we were a lot faster than everyone, but that time we blistered the tire." A lot of onlookers expected Atherton to blister his tire again as he kept the throttle pegged and buzzed around the highlinelike he was riding a cushion. At one point, he had nearlyhalfa straightaway lead over second place. The tire eventually did start to go away late in the race, and he began to yield ground to the second -place draft, but he still had an honest 35 lengths on them when he crossed under AMA starter Poochie Cox's checkered flag. "Iwasn't worried about my tire because there was a lot of moisture in the racetrack," Atherton said. "I was just trying to stay off the rubber, and about lap IS, I just started conserving the tire . I had such good corner speed all day, no matter which motorcycle I rode . This place really suits my riding style. I'm old school. Springer, Parker, we 're old-school guys. We're sliders." Atherton said he was hopeful that the win would help him to land the desperately needed support that he needs to compete with the top-10 teams on a weekly basis. "Hopefully this will get some people enthused about our program ," Atherton