the front. Roeder was almost within striking distance of Carr but spun down in turn
one on the last lap. Roeder was able to
keep the bike running and crossed the finish line in 14th, just in front of the ailing
Schnabel.
"I did know that Roeder was coming,
and I expected it," Carr said. "I just talked
to him, and he said he was so tired that he
could hardly pick the bike up. I imagine
that coming from the third row and having to ride the cushion the way he was
doing and riding the style of riding he
does, it would wear some of the
strongest men out."
Roeder said it was one of the toughest
rides of his career.
"I caught Chris and thought, 'Man I'm
going to get him,' then I got on the gas too
hard," he said. "I would have been better
off if I didn't catch him. I wanted third bad.
I thought, with the kind of day we were
haVing, if I could have got on the box, it
would have made our day. I just went for
broke and went broke."
Wiies regained fourth with Roeder's
Heartbreak, Take Two: Geo Roeder II charged hard late in the race and was
demise. Wiles had been under attack for a
a threat for the podium until he crashed. Roeder managed to get going
again and to finish 14th.
long time by Mees, but he never wavered.
"I wasn't really looking back," Wiles
Kopp (H-D); 2. Willie McCoy (H-D); 3. Shaun Russell (Hsaid. "I didn't look back until the secondVarnes rounded out the main-event
0): 4. Kevin Varnes (Suz); 5. Gary Rogers (H-D); 6. Jim
to-last lap. I didn't even know that Jared
finishers.
Bartels'
Harley-Davidson/
Wood (Suz): 7. Ricky Marshall (H-D): 8. Ron Hall (Tn): 9.
Lee Johnson (Suz): 10. Shawn Clark (H-D); II. Raun Wood
[Mees] was behind me. All of a sudden
TNT Harley.com's Shaun Russell and
(H-D).
jared was coming around me on the outTime: 4 min., 39.816 sec.
Gerencer's Harley-Davidson/Kerstings
HEAT 4 (10 laps; II rid....., top J tr.>nsfer). I. N;ck
side. I had run a particularly high line that
Cycle's Kevin Atherton failed to
Cumm;ngs (H-D); 2. Kenny Coolbeth (H-D); 3. Dom";c
Beaulac (H-D); 4. K..,;" Amenon (H-D); 5. Bryan B (H-D).
'Oh my gosh, what
Time: <4 min., 37.679 sec.
is he doing?' I kind of
SEMI I (8 laps; II riders, top 2
transfer): I. Rich King (H-D); 2. Bryan
got sqUirreled around
Bigelow (H·D); 3. Charlie lulia (H-D); 4.
in those ruts up high,
Chris Evans (H-O); 5. Jim Wood (Suz); 6.
A.J. Eslick (H-D); 7. Jeremy Deruyter (Hbut I tried to give him
0); 8. Chris Boone (Suz); 9. Chris Hart (HD); 10. Lee Johnson (Suz); II. Joe Hartrich
as much room as I
(H-D).
could. I think I came
Time: 3 min., 43.555 sec.
SEMI 2 (8 laps; II riders, top 2
over on him pretty
transfer): I. Geo Roeder (H-D); 2. Johnny
hard. He was running a
Murphree (H-D); 3. Paul Lynch (H-D); 4.
Gary Rogers (H-D); 5. Jake Johnson (Suz);
pretty sketchy line. I
6. Tim Eades (H-D); 7. Shawn Baer (H-D);
don't know what he
8. Jerry Vanderkooi (Suz): 9. Steve Murray
(H-D); 10. Ron Hall (Tri); II. Raun Wood
was doing."
(H-D).
Time: 3 min., 41.215 sec.
Mees continued his
SEMI 3 (8 laps; 10 riders, top 2
run of top-five finishes,
transfer): 1. Kevin Atherton (H-D); 2.
Kevin Varnes (Suz); 3. Cory McDermitt (Hfinishing fifth. The
0): -4. Jess Roeder (H·D); 5. Doug Lawrence
(H-D); 6. Shawn Clark (H-D); 7. Ricky
battered Beaulac also
Marshall (H-D); 8. Ken Yoder (H-D); 9. Josh
moved from way back
Toungen (H-D): 10. Tom McGrane Jr. (Suz).
Time: 3 min., 43.189 sec.
to garner a sixthGRAND NATIONAL (2S I"P" 18
place finish, just in
riders): I. Joe Kopp (H-D); 2. Kenny
Since this was the Annie Oakley Shootout, the podium finishers
Coolbeth (H-D); 3. Chris Carr (H-D); 4.
front of Rookie of the were awarded plaques with firearms grafted to them. As tight as
Henry Wiles (H-D); S. Jared Mees (H-D); 6.
Dominic Beaulac (H-D); 7. Nick Cummings
Year hopeful, Pro the points race between (left to right) Coolbeth, Kopp and Carr is
(H-D); 8. Bryan Smith (H-D); 9. Rich King
becoming, it's a good thing the trophies didn't come with bullets, too.
Honda Oils/Sunoco/
(H-D); 10. Bryan Bigelow (H-D); I I.
Johnny Murphree (H-D); 12. Dan Gedeon
Arai-backed
Nick
(H-D); 13. Willie McCoy (H-D); 14. Geo
Cummings. Moroney's
Roeder (H-D); IS. J.R. Schnabel (H-D); 16. Kevin Varnes
(5uz); 17. Shaun Russell (H·D): 18. Kevin Atherton (H-D).
DARKE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
Harley-Davidson/Content
Control's
Time: II min., 33.166 sec.
GREENVILLE, OHIO
AMA FORD QUALITY CHECKED FLAT TRACK
Bryan Smith had a solid eighth-place finRESULTS: JULY 23, 2005 (ROUND 8 OF 16)
CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS (Alter 8 of 16
ish,
and
Harley-Davidson
Motor
rounds): I. Chris Carr (137/2 wins); 2. Kenny Coolbeth
HEAT I (10 laps; II riders, top 3 transfer): I. J.R.
(124/1 win); 3. Joe Kopp (106/1 win); 4. Jared Mees (104/1
Schnabel (H-D); 2. Henry Wiles (H-D); 3. Bryan Smith (HCompany's Rich King quietly came home
win); S. Jake Johnson (85/1 win); 6. Bryan Smith (76); 7.
0); 4. Johnny Murphree (H-D); 5. Chris Evans (H-D); 6.
Rich King (nil win); 8. Shaun Russell (72); 9. J.R. Schnabel
ninth. After the disappointment of Lake
Doug Lawrence (H-D): 7. Tim Eades (H-D); 8. AJ. Eslick
(7111 win); 10. (TIE) Nick Cummings (68)/Johnny
(H-D); 9. Ken Yod., (H-D); 10. Geo Roed., (H-D); II.
Odessa, Ideal Environment/Marshall
Murphree (68); 12. Henry Wiles (60); 13. (TIE) Kevin
Chris Hart (H-D).
Vames(53)IWillie McCoy (53); 15. Bryan Bigelow (47); 16.
Time: 4 min., 34 .850 sec.
Distributing's Bryan Bigelow completed
Raun Wood (29); 17. (TIE) Jay Springsteen (28)/Geo Roeder
HEAT 2 (10 laps; II riders. top 3 transfer): I. Chris
the top 10. Coziahr Harley-Davidson/
(28): 19. Dominic Beaulac (27); 20. (TIE) Chris Hart
C.n (H-D); 2. Jaced Moes (H-D); 3. Dan Gedeon (H-D); 4.
(12)/O.n Gedeon (12).
Rich King (H-D); 5. Jake Johnson (5uz); 6. Cory McDermitt
National Cycle's johnny Murphree,
(H-D); 7. Charlie ltalia (H-D); 8. Shawn Baer (H-D); 9. Josh
Gedeon, Quality Checked Certified PreToungett (H-D); 10. Chris Boone (5uz): II. Jerry
UPCOMING ROUNDS
Vanderkooi (5uz).
Owned Ford's Willie McCoy, Roeder,
ROUND 9: Hagerslown, Morylond, July 30
Time: -4 min., 34.721 sec.
HEAT 3 (10 laps; II riders. top 3 transfer): I. Joe
ROUND 10: Farley, Iowa, August 6
Schnabel and American Suzuki's Kevin
Briefly•••
Continued from page 45
the carbs off it and thought maybe Igot dirt in
the carbo We pulled the fuel lines off and
thought maybe there was some kind of vapor
lock or a fuel filter was plugged up. We couldn't find anything. We decided to get on the
spare bike and started on the back row. We'll
hopefully figure out what the problem was
there. Skip kept asking if it was dropping on
one cylinder, and Isaid, 'No Idon't think so.' It
just felt like a brake was on or something. It
was twingled, so if it was dropping on one
cylinder, I wouldn't have known it because
those things feel like they are running on one
cylinder anyway. Igot to thinking about it, and
told Skip maybe it was running on one cylinder. I thought maybe Icouldn't differentiate
because I'm used to riding these straight-up
jobs. Anyway, it was a tough day at the race."
Since joining up with Eddie Adkins, Henry
Wiles has picked up the pace considerably
on the twins. "Eddie Adkins is the reason
I'm getting these good finishes," Wiles said.
"He really knows what he is doing with
these bikes. I've just got to get on it and
pretty much turn the throttle. The things
go good. I think at Uma my results would
have been better, but Igot into the first
corner and fell. But this time, I got a start
and ended up in fourth."
Jared Mees appears to be taking the next
big step up from his Rookie of the Year performance of last year. "The last four or fIVe
races we've been in the top fIVe," Mees
noted. "I'm on a roll with a first and second
and now a fifth. We've been there and
knocking on the door. I think we have a
pretty comfortable lead in between first and
fourth. We're only two points behind joe
[Kopp). I think it's going to be a good race
for us four for the rest of the year. That's
what we're after. A bad night has to be fifth,
a good night has to be third, second or first."
After the main event, Kenny Coolbeth
had a message for some of his detractors.
"Everybody says I'm not that good of a
cushion rider, but I've been training hard,
Coolbeth said. "I'm just staying focused, I'm
this close, and I'm not quitting now. We just
have to keep picking away."
The Darke County Fairgrounds had been
the site of many motorcycle races over the
years, but this was the first time that a Grand
National was held on the pea-gravel cushion
half-mile, and the riders' views varied a lot,
mostly based on where they started and or
finished. "The track was all right," Kenny
Coolbeth said. "It was pretty narrow for 18
guys in the main event. I wouldn't have wanted to be in the back going into that first corner. All in all, they did what they had to do to
the track to keep it running. All in all, it was a
good race." Chris Carr had no complaints
with the track. "I think this was a great inaugural National," Carr said. "I have no complaints with the racetrack. I was a little skeptical coming here. I thought all in all, it wasn't
bad." Not surprisingly, the best review came
from joe Kopp. "It was a great track," he
said. "I think this track held together a little
bit better than Uma [Ohio] as far as being
racy. At Uma, the main event gets kind of
brushed off, and you are either bumping the
cushion or going real slow skidding [around
the bottom). I think this had more lines,
where you could make more passes.
Between the two tracks, I'd prefer this one."
CYCLE NEWS • AUGUST 3,2005
47
