Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Johnny Murphree (20) rode hard to finish second, the Californian getting around Chris Carr (1) to finish second in the IT. out as Schnabel, Carr, Ideal Environmental Engineering/Marshall Distributing's Bryan Bigelow, Murphree and jake johnson followed in hot pursuit. Schnabel and Carr were able to keep pace with Wiles the first four laps, while Murphree and Bigelow engaged in a tussle for the fourth spot. It wouldn't last long. Murphree managed to get a run on the outside of Bigelow off turn four, and the two raced side by side up the front straightaway into tum one at the start of lap fIVe. Contact was made, and Bigelow hit the deck, causing the first red flag. Bigelow was clearly upset as Murphree rolled past him in tum one. Murphree returned the gesture with a shrug. "I know that Bryan [Bigelow] was upset with me after that," Murphree said. "That was the same line that everybody was using to miss those holes. He was coming up, and I was coming down. I feel bad about that. I saw the red lights come on, and I knew right away it was him. I felt that I had bumped him, and I knew that he was going to be mad. It was just a racing deal. I wouldn't do anything to crash anybody intentionally, and sure as heck not here." Wiles once again held the lead off the restart, with the running order basically unchanged. johnson managed to pull a litde closer to Murphree, running a high/low line in turn one in an effort to set up a pass while Murphree ran on he bottom through the same tum. The field would stretch out over the next several laps before Cory McDermitt crashed off turn four on lap 17, causing the second red flag. "The restarts kind of bummed me out," Wiles said. '" was getting a lead on these guys, and everybody was going real good, and it's nice to give yourself a bit of a cushion in case you do make a bit of a mistake. But I got the job done off every start, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I was pretty sure I was the fastest guy here today, and I was just going to get held up if anybody got in front of me. I just had to get out there and keep going." While Wiles had no trouble pulling clear for a third time, the second restart doomed Schnabel's chances, his motorcycle coming up lame almost immediately after the race got under way for the final time. "I'm going to have to start drinkin'," said Schnabel, who ended up 14th. "It's just a tough string we're going through right now. I was running good, but we broke our primary bike in practice. Three laps was all I made on it. We were trying some stuff, and it was running fast, but we had problems. Then we got on the backup bike, and it was strong. I felt good, was able to win my heat race and make it straight into the main event. Then, in the race, I was catching Henry [Wiles], and I was happy. I was getting in the groove and hitting my marks. Everything was working for me. Then we got another red flag, and I wasn't worried. Then right as we got off the line, it stumbled as , hit third gear and Carr went right by me. It picked back up after the jump, and I thought we were going to be okay, but then it died. I was hoping that nobody was going to plow into me because I was right in the racing line. I was just trying to get out of everybody's way, and then it was like, 'Well, now I'm last.' Then I hit the gas, and it ran fine. We don't know what it is. , know my speed is where it needs to be. I feel like I'm capable of winning at any time. We have our bikes where we need them performancewise, but we need them to last. That's the fourth race in a row where I've had something go bad like that." Carr faltered as well after struggling to maintain his earlier pace. '" got going, and then I could not get through three and four after the last red flag:' Carr said. "I went through there about the second lap on the final restart, and I got all out of shape. I just got gun-shy from that point on, and those guys [Murphree and johnson] reeled me in and put it to me. I can't blame the motorcycle. These motocross bikes are just different for me to ride. Had we all been on flat track bikes today, it might have been a different story, but times have changed, and we're changing with it, and I got fourth. I'll take it and move on." Carr's fourth-place finish marked the second year in a row that he was kept off the Peoria podium, but in the bigger picture that is the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship chase, it was hardly a heartbreaker, as the 37-year-old veteran opened up his series points lead to double digits. Carr now leads Mid-America HarleyKenny DaVidson/Jones Powersports' Coolbeth, who finished II th, 186-174. Latus Motors Harley-Davidson's joe Kopp, Br;efly.~. Henry Wiles dedicated his Peoria TT victory to his younger brother, Darren, who is battling leukemia. "He actually took the victory lap with me here last year, but now he's in the hospital," Wiles said. "It's a big bummer because he's not just my brother, he's my best friend, traveling buddy and mechanic. He keeps me going. I wake up every morning knowing I have some moti- vation there. If he was able to, he'd probably work twice as hard as I would. Knowing that makes it easy to keep going. He was on my mind during that whole race. He's got leukemia, and he keeps beating it, but then it keeps flaring up. He keeps getting red flags. But that kid is way tougher than I am. He's got it beat. It's going to take a little time. He's just got to put in his 25 laps." Wiles also mentioned his grandmother's role in his success, namely with regard to his diet. "My grandma was here at this race last year, but she was in the hospital and wasn't able to make it here," Wiles said. "Her salsa is actually what I use to prepare for this race. Everything that's in it she grows in her own garden. It's amazing stuff. I eat chips and salsa all week before this race. Iguess it helps." Wiles warned that anyone who tried to emulate his pre-race diet won't have the same luck, however. "It's her salsa that makes it work:' he said. "I'm sure she'd sell it to these other guys, but it's going to come at a price." Prior to the start of practice for the Peoria TT, Kevin Atherton was escorted out of the PMC Race Park pits by a group of Peoria County Sheriff Department deputies. Unconfirmed reports are that the incident was the result of Atherton being wanted in the state of Florida. After a couple white-hot performances, including his Uma Half Mile victory, Jared Mees admitted that his season has cooled off a bit, but the young Pennsylvanian remains unfazed. "We had a couple brake troubles at Farley, and we struggled at Hagerstown, but that's just how it is:' Mees said. "You're hot, you're cold, and hopefully we can get hot again and get on the podium before the end of the year." Mees didn't want to make a prediction on his performance at the Peoria TT, "We're just going to go out there with an open mind," Mees said. "You never know what this place can bring. I've always had really good luck here, and I do like this place, but it's a place that a lot of people go fast at." Mees finished ninth. Rookie sensation Nick Cummings had a rather painful debut at the Peoria TT. After never haVing turned a tire on the track before the race, Cummings was instantly fast on the track, and he qualified well, running third in his scratch heat race, only to crash after the finish, suffering a possible broken arm. Cummings withdrew from the race, and his status is questionable. Even so, he should still be a virtual shoo-in for the Ricky Graham Rookie of the Year Award. Continued on page 38 CYCLE NEWS • AUGUST 31,2005 37

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