Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship Briefly••• Continued from poge 32 improve on that, but I believe I can win this championship. If 1didn't, I wouldn't be here. I come to win." Ex-Team Suzuki Flat Track rider A.J. Eslick also has a new deal for 2005. "I'm with F&S Harley-Davidson, with help from Lombardi's Harley-Davidson and KK Motorcycle Supply," Eslick said. "I've got a great Harley XR7s0 to ride, and I am still getting help from Suzuki on the short track program. It's going to be a fun year." Prior to the race, Jake Johnson said that he was.aware of the buzz surrounding his move to Team Suzuki Flat Track, though he wasn't fazed by it. ""m just going to go out there and ride," Johnson said. "I know I've got the best equipment I"ve ever had. Ronnie [Brown] has been working really hard. We have tested and dialed everything in. I feel really comfortable. Alii have to do is go out there and ride, and hopefully we can make this deal work." Jake Johnson said that he was optimistic about his Suzuki DL I000 twin program as well. "We rode it earlier in the week, and I felt pretty good on it," Johnson said. "It just needs a little bit of fine-tuning, and hopefully we can run right up front with them." The Daytona racing surface was bumpy, but it provided racers with a few line choices, as Bryan Smith (42), Greg Tysor (47), Murphree (20) and J.R. Schnabel (partially hidden behind Smith) demonstrated. Schnabel came from the penalty line to ninth, Smith was 10th, and Tysor was 13th. SEMI 2 (8 laps; 12 riders, winner transfers): 1. Dan Gedeon (Hon); 2. Jeremy DeRuyter (Rot); 3. AJ. Eslick (5uz): 4. Jared Mees (Hon); 5. Rich King (H·O); 6. Michael Varnes (Rot); 7. Jethro Halbert (Hon); 8. Sam Halbert (Hon); 9. Tom McGrane (Rot); 10. Charlie Italia (Rot); II. Shane Vance (Hon); 12. Shawn Baer (Hon). TIME: 2 min., 43.057 sec. SEMI 3 (8 laps; 12 riders, winner transfers): I. Bryan Bigelow (Hon): 2. Sam lowe (Hon); 3. Willie McCoy (Rot): 4. Terry Poovey (Hon); 5. Gee Roeder II (Hon); 6. Donnie Mullen (Rot): 7. Robert McClendon (Rot): 8. Chris Klinefelter (Rot); 9. Steve Beanie (ATK); 10. Dean Standish (Yam): II. Butch Brandon (Rot); 12. Andrew Royce (Hon). TIME: 2 min., 43.636 sec. SEMI 4 (8 laps; 12 riders, winner transfers): t. Johnny Murphree (Hon); 2. Kevin Atherton (Yam); 3. Paul Lynch (Rot); 4. Jay Springsteen (Rot); S. Steve Murray (Rot); 6. Chris Hart (Rot); 7. Jason lsenn<><:k (Rot); B. Gary Rogers (Hon); 9. Will Sawhill (Hon); 10. Jason Tyer (Hon); II. Brian Vincent (Rot); f 2. Marc Williams (Rot). My 88 OWN RACE John Raun Wood 6th The 25-year-old Wood, former Rookie of the Year, had an excellent debut ride with the White's HarleyDavidson/Scott Powersports racing team. "We got up into third there, and I was trying to run the line that I had been running earlier," Wood said. "I was trying to chase the cushion, but it wasn't working too good. Once Igot passed by a few guys, I settled down and dropped to the bottom and just tried to pick off as many guys as I could. Kenny (Coolbeth] and Joe [Kopp] were battling hard. I got Kopp coming out of four, and I tried to work on Kenny, but it seemed like we stayed the same for the rest of the race. I feel good. This team works really hard and really well together, and that's what you need to have on a race team." 20 Johnny Murphree 8th "I'm stiff as a board, man," the Coziahr Harley-Davidsonsponsored Murphree said after crashing and then threading his way through the field to finish eighth in the main event. "I landed on my head, and I think that my torso just disappeared into my neck. I felt really good, and I was passing guys from the second row. I knew I had to get up there quick. I guess Bryan Smith hit a false neutral, and I stood it up to go around him. I couldn't see much because of the spray, but I saw an opening, so I just aimed for that and gassed it. Well, that opening was the off [pit] gate. The hay bales came up super quick. Eighth is not great, but Scott Parker never used to make this main event, and he won championships all the time. We just have to put our big bike together, and I just have to get my ducks in a row. It's far from over." 34 MARCH 23, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS TIME: 2 min., 44.483 sec. GRAND NATIONAL (25 laps; 25 riders): I. Jake Johnson (Suz); 2. Chris Carr (KTM); 3. Henry Wiles (Hon); 4. Kevin Varnes (Suz); S. Kenny Cool beth (KTM); 6. John Raun Wood (Rot); 7. Joe Kopp (KTM); B. Johnny Murphree (Hon); 9. JR Schnabel (Yam); to. Sh,wn Russell (Hon): I I. Bryan Smith (Hon); 12. Bryan Bigelow (Hon); 13. Greg Tysor (Rot); 14. Mike Hacker (Hon); 15. Dan Gedeon (Hon); 16. Nicky Cummings (Hon). Time: B min.. 25.659 sec. Margin of victory: 1.094 sec. AMA FORD QUALITY CHECKED FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After I of 21 rounds): I. Jake Johnson (23/1 win); 2. Chris Carr (19): 3. Henry Wiles (16); 4. Kevin Varnes (15); 5. Kenny Coolbeth (14); 6. John Raun Wood (13): 7. Joe Kopp (12); B. Johnny Murphree (II); 9. JR Schnabel (10); 10. Shaun Russell (9); II. Bryan Smith (B); 12. Bryan Bigelow (7); 13. Greg Tysor (6): 14. Mike Hacker (5); 15. Dan Gedeon (4); 16. Nicky Cummings (3). 67 Mike Hacker 14th The SuperTrapp-backed Hacker was looking forward to a great start to his 2005 campaign, but Daytona brought more heartache as a crash in the opening heat race forced him to run a semi. Hacker made the main but had to start on the back row. "In the main, it was so tough starting from back there," Hacker said. "I was getting hit in the face [with roost], and everyone was going everywhere. I tried this and that, and then I ended up burning up the clutch in the bike about halfway. I just struggled for the whole race, which is normal procedure for me here. I wish that we could have gotten out of that heat race like we were planning to. We were going fast ail day, but you know how this place is: One minute you're going fast, and the next minute you're on your head." 12F Dan Gedeon 15th Daytona was special for the 23-year-old KK Supplybacked Gedeon, who earned his first career Grand National main-event start after winning his semi. "This is something that I have wanted for a long time," Gedeon said. "I haven't been doing it for that long. The first couple holeshots before the red flag, I was doing fairly well. I seen Varnes and Schnabel get down on the ground, and then I looked across [the track] because I saw Johnny Murphree tumbling, and I hoped he was all right." Gedeon struggled after the second restart and finished 15th - the last running machine in the field. "I got off the line all right, but that place gets so rough and dry. It was a bullfight, basically. But chicks, money, fame? You can't get enough of that, so I'm going to keep doing it." Johnny Murphree told Cyde News that he has gone from ''Astar to Oxtar" for 2005, signing an associate sponsorship with Oxtar Boots. "It's really cool," Murphree said. "Chad Romeni and Paul Golde at Oxtar wanted to get more involved in flat track, and we put something together. Hopefully, I can get their name out there a little more and get them some more press. They were really willing to jump on board, and 1think they made a good choice." "I'm not ready for it to be over, but it is," Terry Poovey said of his career just before the start of the Daytona Short Track. The 46-year-old Texan qualified sixth for the regular program, but poor starts hampered him in both his heat race and his semi, and though he tried to battle into a transfer position in both, his night ended early. "It didn't go my way, but I'm okay with it," Poovey said. f~The starts got me, but I think I went out competitive, and now I'm walking away with both arms and both legs working." After missing out on ianding his second AMA Flat Track Championship title, Joe Kopp had little time to reflect on it. A new addition to his family kept him too busy. "Our new little guy, Cody, came in November, and I didn't really get my race face on until late December," Kopp said. Despite what he considers to be a late start, Kopp was able to put together a new sponsorship program for 2005. "My new deal is with Latus Motors Harley-Davidson of Portland, Oregon," Kopp said. "With them, Jones Powersports and KTM, I think "II have what it takes to bring home that number one in 2005." After winning everything there was to win during the Florida Flat Track Series that runs concurrent with Bike Week, Jared Mees saw his week go south in a hurry when he blew an engine while running second in his heat race at the Daytona Short Track, possibly after the machine dropped a valve. Mees did not make the main event out of his semi, which made him six for seven during the week. J.R. Schnabel said that he felt slighted by the AMA's interpretation of the rules after the restart. Schnabel worked his way up to ninth place after being sent to the penalty line for a red flag that he didn't cause. "Somehow, Kevin Varnes got to start back in his original starting spot, but I had to go to the penalty line," Schnabel said. "I picked my bike up and finished the lap. The red flag wasn't for me. I got up and continued racing. If that race would have stayed green, I'm in last place but still racing. I restarted my own bike and crossed the finish line. Varnes' mechanic pushed him. I went up to [AMA dirt track manager] Bruce Bober, and he had no answer for it. That's how shitty it is." When questioned about the Schnabel call, AMA dirt track manager Bruce Bober attempted to explain it in these words: "J.R. did fail, the bike was clearly on the ground, and in Kevin Varnes' case, the bike was not on the ground." Bober had no explanation as to why Schnabel was penalized when he did not cause the red flag, and when questioned as to whether or not he felt an incorrect call was made, he responded: ""m not going to comment to that."

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