Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Briefly... J.R. Schnabel may have been lucky that the race wasn't 26 or 27 laps, as his motorcycle was trailing smoke with just a few laps to go. It turned out to be oil. "The oil plug came out and oiled down my boot, but the bike wasn't slowing down any," Schnabel said. "The rider was slOWing down, because I wanted to make perfect laps." Upon hearing of Schnabel's near-misfortune, joe Kopp replied: "I seen it puffing, and I thought he was just overheating or something. With my luck lately, if I would have had an oil plug fallout, it probably would have happened on the third lap." Jake Johnson was in attendance at the Springfield Short Track, his left ann in a sling as a result of a horrific crash at the Sedalia Half Mile. johnson confirmed that he is through for the year. "The doctor said six weeks, and I'm not going to rush anything," johnson said. "I would like to come back for Du Quoin, but I'm going to let it heal up good and come back strong for next year. I was really looking forward to racing the short track. I had a string of podium finishes at all the little bike races this year, and I was hoping to keep that up, but hopefully we can get Jimmy [Wood, johnson's fill-in rider] in the main event tonight." alongside Schnabel with two laps to go. "Joe put the pressure on me," Schnabel said. "He was definitely getting around on the low line better, and I had to just keep bumping that cushion. I knew if I just made perfect laps, he wouldn't get by. The scary thing is that I left the bottom wide open, but we were able to go fast up top. I was thinking that Joe was going to stuff it in there, and I heard him come up the inside going into one and two, but luckily I got on the gas and had one of my better corners right there. From then, I just knew. We rolled through three and four and just took it home from there." Schnabel beat Kopp to the line by half a bikelength. "I'm happy with second," Kopp said. "J.R. isn't somebody that I'm battling with in the points. I gained a little bit on Chris [Carr) and Kenny [Coolbeth), and that helps out. I could get him in one and two just by rolling through the middle. I could have bumped him, but I ain't gonna do that. I wanted to make a clean pass. The podium is good. If we can get on the podium again tomorrow, I'll meet my goal for the weekend." Finishing third, for his second podium finish in as many rounds, was Smith, who battled back past Pearson after the two diced for the entire main event. Smith has been coming on strong late in the season. "I've got to, man - it's contract time," Smith said. "Oh, wait, this is dirt track. There are no contracts. Nah, I've just been getting my shit together and getting off the line. That first start, I almost got the holeshot. That last one, I got a little tensed up, and Pearson got around me," Smith repassed Pearson with two laps to go. "There were some ruts about three feet from the bottom of the corners, and I was trying to ride just above them," Smith said. "With how high J.R. was running, he was missing all of them. I saw what he was doing, and I just moved up. As soon as I moved up, I got off the brakes and caught Pearson. I got him coming off turn four, but then he passed me back, and then I got him for good in one and two. I'm happy. I've made the main here three or four times, but I've never done for shit. This helped me get a good gap on [Rich) King in the Bill Werner kept himself busy at the Springfield Short Track. Werner signed on to assist former Tunica Short Track winner Garth Bastian in the pits. Bastian called it a great opportunity. "It's a pretty big honor," Bastian said. "I hope I don't disappoint him. I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself, but we're going to have fun." Werner said that having fun was the main deal. "Garth's a great kid, and we are having fun," Werner said. "We're just trying some different exhaust products for SuperTrapp here. Garth has been a friend for a long time, so I thought, 'Let's just go have some fun,''' Bastian failed to make the 60-rider cut. Before the start of the races, Kenny Coolbeth commented on dodging a major bullet at Sedalia, when Carr crashed out after Coolbeth dropped out. "It kind of played into our ballpark, but that's racing. The title is a concern, and I'm not giving up. I want to win races, and I want to win this championship. If you can win races, you will win the championship." Although Coolbeth handicapped himself a little by failing to directly qualify into the 60-rider field through his scratch heat, he managed to work his way back and make the main to keep his title hopes alive. Henry Wiles said that he was excited to see himself on the cover of Cycle News for winning the Peoria TT. "How do you guys decide that?" Wiles asked. "Because I told people that I was going to be on there after I won it, but then I stopped telling them about two weeks before. I have to try and stay a little humble," he added with a laugh. After barely beating Kevin Varnes in his scratch heat, J.R. Schnabel commented that he would have to add Varnes to the list of guys to worry about if he made it into the main event. The two put on perhaps the best race of the day, practically holding it wide open for four laps on the fresh Springfield cushion. "Kevin was flying," Schnabel said afterward. "He was getting through the middle better than I was, but that track was a little drier dUring the day than it will be tonight. Plus, those four-Iappers kill me. It seems like it takes me a couple laps to get going. For I0 laps or 2S laps, we're on the right bike tonight." AHA number 81 K, Jeremy DeRuyter, raised more than a few eyebrows when he not only won his scratch heat but posted the second-fastest time to pal j.R. Schnabel, placing Wisconsin riders in the top two qualifying spots. "It's about time," DeRuyter said. "Hopefully we can do that in the heat race - put in 10 good laps and get in this thing." DeRuyter is somewhat notorious for being a solid talent who somehow manages to turn into a mental case just when it appears he has everything going his way. '" feel good tonight, though," he countered. '" just have to tell myself to go for it and not back off," DeRuyter was battling Henry Wiles and Bryan Bigelow for a transfer spot early in heat two when his Honda broke a rod, ending his night. CYCLE NEWS • SEPTEMBER 14,2005 45

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