Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

X_'t ! I -'s-. t I ) L;lL Qtr t-- l-r* L =--. ,a \Fi f_--- I I f i. a #",w p -(A .1 -.4 lt ,@ ,,, a d s -Jl y' ti JF I a ? I a (} O / ) li# ,q u I i. t /. v -*4 dr tSk Briefly... there'. lt was 8reat." The restaft saw Coolbeth, Carr, Springsteen and Kopp break from the field, with Carr leading his first lap on lap 15, "The red flag kind of afforded me the opportunity to test it upfront,'' Ca.r said. "Up until that point lhad been kind of cruisinS in flfth and iust staying there. l'4y bike wasn't working all that well. When we restarted I got toward the front. I was able to press the pace and ride the cor- ners the way I wanted to ride instead of having to wait going in there. We were getting sucked into there really bad - especially going into three - there was a tail wind. lt was really blowing us in there. Once I got going after the last red flag, I was able to ride the track the way I want- ed to ride it and I never went back funher than third at the point. Once lgot up there with Coolbeth. I went to the front and pressed the pace so that I could deflne who I had to beat and that worked out good for us,'' Just off the lead pack Shaun Russell, Doc's Harley-Davidson/USC RacinS's Terry Poovey, McCoy, Eades and lohnson were locked in a tight baftle for fifth. The white flag saw Carr, Kopp, SprinSsteen and Coolbeth running nose to tail with Russell just two bikelenSths back. As the leaders hit turn three, Joe Kopp got squeezed to the inside, hit the guardrail and crashed hard. ''l had third going into turn three,'' said Kopp. "l had to check up on Carr, and I was on the inside on the rail and here comes Kenny lCoolbeth] on the inside of me. There was about half a bike between Chris and I, and Kenny stuck his wheel in there and straightened it up. lt got my front wheel and I went into the guardrail and down I went. lt was racing pretty much, but it was kind of an a8sressive last-corner deal. We were trying to all fit and I was in the wrong spot on that one." "We did everything we could except on the last lap I wanted to be second coming off the corner,'' said Coolbeth. "Everybody drafted us Eoing down the back straightaway. lt kind ofcaught me off guard. I went around the outside ofJoe and I was in front of him and I felt a bump. I heard he blew a shock or something maybe. Hopefully. he's not bummed out about it." Kopp's misad- venture also affect- ed Russell, ''On the last lap when loe [Kopp] crashed, it messed Shaun [Russell] up," said lvlccoy. "Shaun went to the locks and slowed way down. That's when I passed Shaun com- ing off of turn four. I saw Joe go down then Shaun almost went down. I got by Shaun then I came around and people were laid out everywhere," ln a completely unrelated event,.lake Johnson's Suzuki's radiator sprung a leak, Ieaving a trail of coolant that collected LBRTiTed Davidson's Jason Ty.r, Moroney's Harley-Davidson/Screamin' Eagles Bryan Smrth. Poovey and Reggie Amos Custom Homes' Tim Eades. "l don't know if the coolant line came off the radiator ofJake's bike or if it over- heated or what," said Smith. 'All of a sud- den it dumped a bunch of antifreeze. As soon as I saw the smoke I was looking at the sky. lt's just one of those things." "l saw some smoke or water or some- thing out of .lake's bike," said Eades. ''The next thing I know, I felt the front end tuck and I saw the sky. That was about it. Something must have leaked out of it. lt was at a weird point on the track. Everything was good until the last quarter mile. \ y'e were in the top 10, which is really good. Acrually I made the decision not to draft Jake [Johnson] the lap before- His bike was kind of towing us all along. By me not drafting him there. caused me to crash behind him over in turn three-" AII the action left Springsteen and Carr in a drag race to the checkered flag, with the current AMA Grand National Champion edging the ever-popular leg- end Springsteen at the line, "lt was good for us," Carr said. "lt's unfortunate that those guys went down at the end, I hope they are all okay. lt was a good race, I had a pretty good measure for the next three or four laps of what I need to do. lt's always helpful when you can judge yourself aSainst most of the guys, and you weed a few of them out. lt makes it easier to make decisions. On the last lap I didn't fty to lead the whole last lap. lt just happened. I led to the stripe at the white flag and nobody went by me, so I burned it through there. I got a good run and figured they are either following me or I got away. At that point when nobody goes by you going into three, you only have one option - you've got to go. I went and it worked out. I expected Jay [Springsteen] to run well. He was going good all day long. I rode with him in prac- tice. He qualified well and he ran upfront in his heat race. You know he had a bike capable of winning - he lust didn't." "l thought I had Chris on the last lap," said Springsteen. "ln the heat race I pulled out too soon and he lcoolbeth] got me by half a bike. This time I kind of let him go a little bit going around three and four. I 8ot a good drive on him and I got the draft and I was,ust a slingshot, but the line was three inches too far down the track. But it's cool to race with him. He says the same thing. You know what the rider is going to do. You don't have to be on edSe Not long ago a 100-mph lap was consid- ered a major accomplishment at Springlield. Of the 50 riders who attempted to qualit, 39 had 100-mph laps. Willie Mccoy posted the fastest lap ofthe day at 34.655 seconds and 103.881 mph. The good news was rempered when Mccoy collected the tuardrail ih turn one at the end of the last qLralirying round, "lwas in $e last qualifier with a bi8 Sroup of8uys," said Mccoy- "l was in the draft and I was going, and after the checkered llag one of the Suys checked up and slowed down and started to move over and I was coming. lnstead of takinS him a.ross the parking lot, I tried to miss him. I hit the E,rardrail and hit him too, and mashed my hand up a little bit, lt got it pretty 8ood. lt's probably toing to take i 5 or 20 stitches." Four dif{erent riders led laps with Chrii Carr and Kenny Coolbeth leadint the bulk at nine laps each. Shaun Russell trabbed four with Willie Mccoy collectin8 three. Shaun Russell's Bartels' Harley- Davidson/TNTHarley.com team is getting some new help. "fught now I have a four- rece dealwith lack Danlcls," Russell said. '1lt includes both races here at Springfield and both of lhe P€oria races. We're trying to tet them interested in it and see what happens in the fLrture. There were a few Suys from Jack Daniels here and they were excited. They were pretty interested. They're wanting to know how to be more involved already. so that's a Eood sign. I like this track and I think we have a good pro- gram. I think I ll be a good contender. I iLrst look forward to the fall." There are a lot of walking wounded roaming the pits, for so early in the year, most of it aftributed to motocross cross- trainihg. Mike Ha.ker,.lohnny Murphree and Bryan Smith a.e amory thern and they didn't help themselver any this weekend, "l re-iniured my ribs that I had broke a week ato and I couldn't breathe," said Hacker. "The thing on my hand was hurtint so bad [a huge blister on the palm of his hand, from his lap-one fall]. When lwas slidinS on the ground I bumt my glove olf and bumt rny hand. lthink it hurB wo6e than rny ribs. lt's been so long rince I've rode. lt felt good and I felt like I got ritht back into the swing of things, We stru8gled with our 8e6rin8 all day. We got it back right in the semi, I had a really good stan. I was really impressed with that. lt was so tiSht and so fast. The lirst {ew laps we are all right there and when someone checks up you just run out oI room.'' "1"1y hand is pretty swollen up," said Bryan smith. "Last week motocrossing, I fell off and cracked a bone in there. lt was all right. Now I must have cracked something in my wrist. My shoulde. is all tom up from last night. I feel like I've been playing football or something. Halfway through the race I was con,inued on page 29 (Lefi) h come down to Corr (I ), Joe Kopp (3), Coolberh (3I ) ond Springsteen (9). (Eelow) Two legendsl Corr tokes Springslcen on o victory lop ofter their one-two finish. CYCLE NEWS . JUNE 7, 2006 27 , . ,$." /), r( 7i IIIII ) {!u!!r ll li

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