Ene AMA Naronar rior Snoe
I s"ri". made i$ annual stoo ar
I
rn" fabled Peorra Motorcycle
I
Ctr-ru's Peoria Race Park. Most
I of the rop Experts use this
race as a tune-up for the August Grand
Narional, as many of the ever-growing
field of Pro-Sport
riders
were seeing
"Thunder
Valley" for the lirst time.
Many ofthe riders had
spent
the
week-
end crisscrossing the
flidwest, from
Wisconsin to Ohio and on to lllinois to
challenge the notoriously touSh
TT
Coziahr Harley-Davidson/National
Cycle's
lohnny
Murphree has won this
event
the last two
years
running, but Mack
Daddy Racing/Pro Honda Oils' Henry
Wiles
has dominated
the last two
Grand
Nationals.
Thirty-six
other
ExperB also
signed in, includinS former GNC winners
Chris Carr,
Joe
Kopp
and
J.R.
Schnabel.
Carr has won the Peoria Grand
National
l3 times, but he's struggled recently on his
Quality
Checked
Certified Pre-Owned
Ford-backed KTf1. The
"Prince
of Peoria"
showed there was still life
in
the master. as
he
posted
the
fastest
qualiring
time.
Thrngs
drdn t
go nearly as well lor
Carr
in the first heat, as two
younS
lions
-
IYoroney's Honda
rider
Jared
Mees
and
l'lemphis Shades[Yamaha's
Rob Pearson
-
dropped Carr to a third-place finish.
Jake
Johnson
put
his American Suzuki into the
last transfer spot.
Heat two saw Henry Wiles runnin8 off
and hiding from the lield on his way to the
fastest heat of the day, almost fve seconds
faster than Mees' second-fastest heat.
Bartels' Hadey-Davidson/ TNTHarley.cony'
Jack
Daniels-backed Shaun Russell w-as a solid
second, with
Bettencourt's Honda-backed
Kenny
Coolbeth leading
R&D l'4achin{SJS
Racing's AJ. Eslick for third. Zanofti Racin8's
Jethro
Halbe.t was
the beneficiary of
Wile's
hstest heat, a5
fif$
place
from
fte
fast€st
heat also adrranced to the l7-rider main.
Renton Honda,/Beaverton Honda's
Joe
Kopp took heat three. with RJ
Perfor'
mance/Maxxis' Maff Burton takinS a con-
vincing second. Bob Weirbach Racing/
Zumbrun Racing's Donnie Steward held
an easy third, over Reiman's Harley-
Davidson/Gutterridge
Harley-Davidson's
Josh
Toungett.
Johnny
Murphree was able to hold off
the Parts Unlimited
Yamaha
of
.1.R.
Schnabel. King RacingiJim
Florey
s Rich
King held on to third, over Scott
Powersports' Raun Wood.
When
the Expen main rolled to the line,
Carr
pushed
his KTI*4 to the
penalq/
line, as
he had switched from his heat-race bike.
The light flashed
green.
and
Wiles
led Mees. Kopp, Russell, Bunon and
Murphree into the first
turn.
The race was
shortlived, however, as a couple of riders
locked handlebars at the
face
of the
,ump.
Mon Burlon
(39)
lcqdi Rob
Peorson
(27)
ond J.R. S
