AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship
id-America
HarleyDavidson/Jones Powersports' Kenny Coolbeth
made the most of the
opportunities handed to
him and roared home as the sixth different winner in the first seven rounds of
the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat
Track Championship at lona Raceway
Park in Lake Odessa, Michigan.
After a six-year absence, the AMA:s
Rolling Thunder show returned to the
high-banked half-mile formerly known as
the 1-96 Speedway and entertained a
nearly full house.
After the 18 riders rolled out for the
2S-lap National, Screamin' Eagle HarleyDavidson's Rich King led the field into the
first turn but was quickly set back by Latus
Harley-Davidson/Jones Powersports' Joe
Kopp and Ideal Environment/Marshall
Distributing's Bryan Bigelow. Coolbeth,
who sat on the pole for the main event,
got off the line in fifth, but he quickly slid
by last week's Lima winner, Saddlemen/
Lancaster Harley-Davidson's Jared Mees.
Both of them moved passed King, who
was slipping backward.
"I kind of wanted a better start than I
had; I got off like fifth or so," Coolbeth
said. "I looked ahead to see who was
ahead of me and thought I had a lot of
work ahead of me. I thought Jared was
going to be harder to get than he Was in
the main event. I got around him pretty
qUick. He was on that low line."
Cool beth then worked his way
around Bigelow and headed after Kopp.
Bigelow was a solid third and enjoying
his best run of the year, but suddenly it
M
Z4 JULY 13, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS
