Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128395
AMA Ford Quality Checked Certified Flat Track Championship and make the restart. Bigelow did as well, but Varnes was done for the night. "Bigelow got in next to Wiles and ended up going down," Carr said. "I was on the high line, but he just kind of slid up into me and took my wheels out from underneath me. It was just a racing thing. It rung my bell a little bit. I was a little dizzy, but as I walked back to the pits, I was fine." and make a couple of serious pass attempts by running underneath him. The pair dueled side by side in turns one and two on the last lap, but Schnabel managed to escape and keep the lead on the high line, earning his eighth career AMA Grand National victory. "This was the toughest one," Schnabel said. "The track did brush off more than in the past, and that was kind of their [the IMDl\s] plan - to not let it get quite so deep. With the moisture coming up, as cool as it got, Icouldn't get into the corners like I like to, and if I don't get in like that, I can't get set up to come off the corner." The Latus Motors HarleyDavidson/KTM-backed Kopp finished second by little more than a wheel's length, but he just as easily could have won it by that amount. Starting from the outside of row one, Kopp actually grabbed the $SOO holeshot bonus when the 18-rider field swarmed into turn one on a beautifully manicured, banked racetrack that didn't appear to be quite as deep as previous editions. Kopp ran the outside for the first two laps, behind Schnabel and Moroney's Harley-Davidson and Honda/Content Control Systems' Bryan Smith before getting past Smith on the outside of turn four to take over second on lap three. Schnabel pushed hard early, leaving Kopp a few lengths in his wake, while behind them Smith did battle with Memphis Shades/Parts Unlimited Yamaha's Rob Pearson, first-time GNC starter Bartels' Harley-Davidson/TNT Harley.com's josh Toungett, and Mack Daddy Racing/jC Racing Honda's Henry Wiles. Meanwhile, the battle for AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship was equally intense, as Ford Quality Checked Certified Preowned Racing's Chris Carr had failed to transfer out of his heat race and was forced to start from the back row. The KTM-mounted Carr was furiously racing through the pack in an attempt to run down series points rival Kenny Coolbeth who was running sixth - when he was collected by a falling Bryan Bigelow in turn one on lap eight. Team Suzuki/Parts Unlimited's Kevin Varnes also got collected, all three riders tumbling hard and bringing out a red flag. Carr was dazed in the crash, but he managed to remount Up front, it appeared as though that red flag would be the break that Kopp needed, as it put him back on Schnabel's rear tire. On the restart, Schnabel once again took the lead, but he bobbled in turn one, and the field bunched up like an accordion. Kopp immediately slipped to fourth, behind Pearson and Smith. "I felt like I could run with j.R.," Kopp said. "I just never gave up, and then when the red flag came out, I had a good shot at him. Then, on that first restart, he checked up off turn two, and I almost hit him, and two guys got by me." The restart wouldn't stand, as Russell crashed, bringing out another red flag. Afterward, Schnabel admitted to being more than a little concerned. "I hate restarts anytime, but especially when I'm out front," Schnabel said. "Somebody always seems to get screwed on the restarts, and that somebody is always number 33. It worked out okay, but the thing I didn't like is that I knew my bike was going to work better the first 10 laps, and then after that I was just going to have to maintain. Then we got nine laps in and had that restart, and then the track was brushed off. Everything moved to joe's advantage, with him riding that framer bike." Once again Schnabel set sail, but this time Kopp abandoned the dirt line to run a lower line, and he soon found himself catching up to Schnabel. Kopp was clearly better in one and two, while Schnabel would stretch his lead back out in three and four. Schnabel couldn't make the low line work, but Kopp could, and it made for a tense finish when Kopp rolled up