How They liot There
Wit h cool temperatures a nd a well-groomed track that
wasn't abusive to tires, the 10-lap heats allowed the riders
to let it all hang out in their bids fo r a main event berth.
Setting the tone fo r the main event , Atherton rocketed
from the outside pole in heat one and left King, Carr and
Murphree to battle over the remaining two transfer positions.
It was anybody's guess as to who would move on as the three
sliced and diced their way around the track, but Kingand Carr
beat Murphree to the line to take the transfers.
Kopp , w ho , like Atherton, was on a twingled Harley
XR750, pulled aw ay from Springsteen to easily win the se cond heat, while C arr's Ford teammate, Willie McCoy , guaranteed his own main event start by finishing third. Cool beth
had the measure of Hacker and SJS Racing/Parker Stores'
Rob Pearson in heat three, the t rio runn ing about six le ngt hs
apart for most of the race.
There was finally a drafting battle for the lea d in the last
heat race, as fo rme r Formula USA teammates Terry Poovey
a nd Bryan Smith - the latter the beneficiary of a BillWemertu ned motor - swapped the lead . Smith came out on top,
w it h Po ove y second and Moroney's jake jo hnso n third.
Murphree and Pro Ho nda O ilsrrC R's Nic k Cummings
e m ulate d the Smith/Poovey battle in t he first semi , Murphree winning and the two moving on into the main event.
Bart els' Harley-Davidso n/Custom Ch rome's Shaun Russell
ou t ra n Lancaster Harley-D avidson/Sadd lemen's jared Mee s
in t he second semi. Lloyd Racing Aprilia rider Larry Pegram
he ld off a pack of riders to win the th ird semi. KK Motorcycle Supply/Las Vegas Harley-Davidson's Geo Roeder II held
off j .R. Schnabel, Bryan Bigelow and Chris Hart to take the
last transfer spot.
HEAT ' (10 I;lps; 12 riden, top 3 t ra nsfe r ): I. Kevin Atherton (H.D);
2 . Ric'" King (H· D); 1. Chris Carr (H-D); .. . Johmy Murphree (H-D); S. John ny
Murphree (H-D); 6. Chris Hart (H· D); 7. Jethro Halbe rt (H-D); 8. .Jes.s Roede r
(H· D); 9. Jeff lolnd""" (H-D); 10. T im Lcege (SU II. Merle Sche (Bue) ; IZ.
2);
e
