Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship MY OWN RACE 14 jake johnson 5th "The night didn't start out too promising; It was okay; said Johnson. "I was unlucky in the heat race. It was a stacked heat race. There were flve or six guys In It thaI are capable of making lhe main event. I knew I had my work cut out for me, but I ended up third there. I got a good start from the second row, and I came out of the firsl comer In fifth or sixth. Clark was In front of me. He pretty much stayed the same distance the whole race. I thought something was going on with his bike, and he threw his hands up, and I got by him. I peeked back, and he was still there, putting pressure on me. It was good. We were going fast, but we just weren't fast enough to hang with the top four guys. I'm happy. We struggled all day, but for the main event we made a few changes, and It came together for us. The track kind of came to us." 61 Shawn Clark 6th "I'm really excited bUl disappointed," Clark said. "I gave up fifth when Roeder went down. I backed off, and Jake got me. That's lhe way it goes. I'm really excited for this event to get done. We've got good stuff going with Jim Kelly motors and my sponsors Cayuga Tool and Ole. They gave me a good chance to get this bike Into the main event. I felt a little sketchy In my scratch heat. We went backward on our setup. We went back to what we knew would work here. This thing just came to life in the heat race. It was on rails. I had fifth wrapped up. I'm really kind of perturbed, but we'll take it. I've had my best and my worst nights here In my career. I've been to the hospital here, and also had my best National finish here. Seventh place was my best finish, and now it's sixth." 21 jared Mees 7th "I came off the third row and put it in lhe lOp seven," Mees said. "I'm pretty happy with that. I didn't gel a great start. The light was slow all day, and I wasn't ready for It. I put il down on the bonom in one. I made a big billboard going sideways and gol out in front. Once I kind of senled In, I was lrylng to run down Shawn Clark and Jake. I thought I could do It. Coming off the third row, to be inside lhe top lOon this track, it's hard to pass. I'm pretty happy with it." 19 Paul Lynch 9th "I was fast all day," Lynch said. "In lhe scratch heat, I had a good race with Rich [King). My heat race wasn't a real, real tough one; I got second, behind Carr. My speed was good all day. Then we had the luxury of sitting around all day unlil the main event. Sometimes that's good or bad. The track changed a little bit on us. The lines that I was running earlier kind of went away from us. I don'l know if the moisture started coming off. It gol a little bit slicker. I got a good start and ran off In third or fourth. Rich pushed me up a little bit in the third and fourth tum, and I just started going backward. I guess the guys running up front were running down low, and I couldn't get the bike to work down there, so we were running up top. It's a lop-IO finish, I guess we'll take it. It's definitely coming together for us. These guys are greal. James Hart works his tail off. Paul Sellskar Is so fun 10 work with and be around, and he's so professional at how he runs lhe leam. With everything he does, II makes me want to work harder. These guys work so hard, so I'm trying 10 give lhem good results." 72Tim Eades Stump extended his points lead to nine over defending series champion Chris Hart and Merle Scherb. Stump was HarleyDavidson Sportster Performance champion in 1994, while Hart won last year and Scon Scherb won in 2003. eN 38 HAGERSTOWN SPEEDWAY HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND RESULTS: JULY 30, 2005 (ROUND ''P'' 9 OF 16) HEAT I (10 12 ride.., 'OP l transf...): I. Joe Kopp (H·D); 2. &yan Smith (H·D); J. Ken Yode, (H-D); •. Kevm Varnes (Suz); S. J.R. Schnabel (H-D); 6. Raun Wood (H· D); 7. Chris H.... (H·D); 8. Hen')' Wiles (H·D); 9. Garth AUGUST 10, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS 10th "Finally a lop-I 0 this year," Eades said. "I got fifth in the scratch heal. I had 10 start my heal from the second row, and I knew I had to get something done early. I gOI a fairly good start. Then I just started picking them off. I didn't think I was that fast; I surprised my self, for sure. In the main, I was up to about eighlh. Then Roeder came by me and clipped my handlebars. Then I was back to 121h. I got back up 10 10th and caughl Lynch. I was going to try to get Lynch on lhe lasllap. Bigelow sluck It up underneath me, and I had to check up. Igot back by him. It was good. top-10. Hopefully another top-10 next week. I was so happy we came back here this week. After all those pea·gravellracks, lhat's for the horses."

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