FLAT TRACK
AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 3/MAY 25, 2014
INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS/SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS
P60
Jake Johnson was also in the lead
pack on a Ducati. The margin of
victory on the timing screens was
.041 of a second, which equates
to about a half-a-wheel length.
The top four were separated by
just .709 of a second.
"I couldn't ask for a better day,"
said Smith following his victory.
"It's been one heck of an effort
by my team getting this motorcy-
cle ready for this race and I can't
thank them enough. There are a
lot of the same features on my
bike this year, but it's also very
different than last year's at the
same time. I'm very excited about
this win and I'm excited for what
the future holds for the rest of the
season."
Coolbeth's runner-up finish
was good enough to move him
into the points lead (53-51) over
Johnson. Sammy Halbert had a
clutch problem early in the main
event and he's now tied with
Brandon Robinson, last year's
Springfield winner who finished
seventh, in third place with 43
points each.
VANDERKOOI WINS
IN PRO DEBUT
Professional racing debuts really don't
come any better than what 16-year-old Jarod
Vanderkooi pulled off in the Pro Twins (formerly
known as Basic Twins) final. Vanderkooi, riding
a Johnny Vintage Motorcycle Kawasaki EX650,
simply walked away from the rest of the 18-rider
field. Starting from pole, Vanderkooi led all 20
laps of the main and won by 6.656 seconds.
Oregon's Davis Fisher edged New Hampshire
rider Jamison Minor for second and all three of
the podium finishers were Kawasaki mounted. Like Vanderkooi, it was Fisher's
first career AMA Pro Twins race.
"We had a really good start," said Vanderkooi, who hails from Mt. Gilead,
Ohio. "I got the holeshot and never looked back. I rode a smooth race and I'm
glad I put it on top. This weekend was my first Pro event and the first time I ever
rode the bike. We just built it three nights ago. It was three-o-clock in the morn-
ing when we got it done."
Jarod Vanderkooi made
a successful Pro debut at
Springfield, the 16 year old from
Mt. Gilead, Ohio, winning the Pro
Twins final. Vanderkooi ran away
to a six-second victory in his
professional debut.
Smith (42) leads Jake Johnson (5), Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. (hidden behind Smith), last year's winner
Brandon Robinson (44), Henry Wiles (17) and Jared Mees (9) early in the National.
