Flat Track Results
Round Five of the AMA Pro K&N Grand National Motorcycle Flat Track Racing Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com came to the Springfield Mile as the Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association wrapped up their Memorial Day Weekend doubleheader.
Clear skies and summer-like temperatures greeted the near capacity crowd and a large turn out of racers.
The obvious king of the hill was Zanotti Racing’s # 5 Jake Johnson as he dominated all day long. Johnson was the Fast Qualifier, Heat winner, Dash for Cash winner and led every lap of the 25 lap Grand National Main.
Jake Johnson says: "It’s scary when things go that well," said Johnson. "You keep waiting for something to go wrong."
Five races into the 2010 season, Johnson becomes the first two-time winner. Had it not been for Johnson’s perfection, the much talked about Werner Springsteen Racing / Kawasaki / Monster Energy Drink backed Kawasaki of # 42 Bryan Smith would have been the big story.
On the heels of Joe Kopp giving Ducati their first Grand National win, Smith desperately wanted to do the same for Kawasaki, he had to "settle" for a well earned second, which is Kawasaki’s best finish ever in a GNC Twins race.
In a very non-typical Springfield Mile, Johnson kept a steady two-second lead all the way. Smith, who was riding a higher line than most, got close once, but that was short lived.
"My line went away. I was chasing the moisture," said Smith. "After that went away I was just trying to hang on."
Smith fell back into a great battle over third as there were seven or eight riders keeping the Springfield tradition alive. Defending GNC Twins Champion # 1 Jared Mees had his Rogers Lake Racing / Blue Springs Harley-Davidson-backed Harley in the mix along with Moroney’s Harley-Davidson / 1800 Fasthog’s # 99B PJ Jacobsen, Harley-Davidson Motor Company / Screamin’ Eagle’s # 2 Kenny Coolbeth and ENI / Latus Harley-Davidson / Lloyd Brothers Motorsports’ # 3 Joe Kopp kept the large crowd entertained while Johnson cruised.
Jacobsen, who was making his first start in a K&N Grand National Twins race looked like a polished veteran all day until the last lap of the race.
Jacobsen took the white flag in second place, but was then a sitting duck for the horde that was on his heels.
Smith regained his second place, that he held most of the race, with Coolbeth, Mees and Kopp all charging through, dropping Jacobsen all the way back to a sixth place finish 2.450 seconds behind Johnson, but less than half of a second behind Smith for second.
The Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles race was amazing. Eighteen 450cc single-cylinder rockets took off an a 12 lap adventure and when the checkered flag fell, no less than eleven riders were separated by less than one second.
Just as he had done last year, Price Truck Line / Kennedy Tires / Woody Kyle Racing’s # 22L Michael Toon came out of the pack on the last lap and drafted to the win. Toon had been in sixth position on lap eleven, but worked his way through the cluster to the front.
Cycle Dynamics / NPS Racing Engines’ # 71B James Rispoli was only six hundredths of a second behind. Weirbach Racing / General Engineering’s # 20T Mike LaBelle filled out the podium. Despite being the fast heat winner and leading the most laps in the main, Vans Yamaha / GYTR / Carver’s BBQ’s # 24P Jeffery Carver finished up fourth.
Red Bull / Top 1 Oil’s # 95C JD Beach and defending class Champion # 1 Brad Baker (Rod Lake / Mike Velasco / Brothers Powersports), Monster Energy Drink / Kawasaki / Werner Springsteen Racing’s # 29J Chaz Springsteen, Sunnyside Cycle Sales’ # 96B Cody Johncox, Lancaster Harley-Davidson’s # 25A Shayna Texter, Browns Cycle / Arlen Ness’s # 33E Mike Avila and TLC Racing’s # 81C Zakk Palmer were all under the proverbial blanket across the finish line.
The K&N Grand National Championship points race is really taking shape as Jake Johnson and Joe Kopp sit atop the leader board tied with 98 points. Kenny Coolbeth is sixteen back with Sammy Halbert and Jared Mees tied with 79 points.
Jeffery Carver’s fourth place finish was enough to keep him atop the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles points race. Carver has a 14 point lead over defending series champion Brad Baker with JD Beach 23 points down to the leader.
The AMA Pro K&N Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com Series moves to Gas City, IN next week June 5 for a short track.
ILLINOIS STATE FAIRFROUNDS
SPRINGFIELD, IL
RESULTS: May 30, 2010
GNC DASH FOR CASH (4 laps; 6 riders): 1. Jake Johnson (H-D); 2. Joe Kopp (Duc); 3. Bryan Smith (Kaw); 4. Kenny Coolbeth (H-D); 5. Stevie Bonsey (H-D); 6. PJ Jacobsen (H-D).
AMA PRO MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM PRO SINGLES MAIN (12 laps; 18 riders): 1. Michael Toon (Hon); 2. James Rispoli (Hon); 3. Mike LaBelle (Hon); 4. Jeffery Carver (Yam); 5. JD Beach (Hon); 6. Brad Baker (Hon); 7. Chaz Springsteen (Kaw); 8. Cody Johncox (Yam); 9. Shayna Texter (Hon); 10. Mike Avila (Hon); 11. Zakk Palmer (Hon); 12. Kurtis Lee (Hon); 13. Michael Bickerton (Hon); 14. Jake Shoemaker (Suz); 15. Brandon Laursen (Hon); 16. Jeremy Hamilton (Hon); 17. Tyler O’Hara (Hon); 18. Mike Martin (Hon).
AMA PRO MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM PRO SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS (After 3 0f 19 rounds): 1. Jeffery Carver (95 pts / 1 win); 2. Brad Baker (81 / 1 win); 3. JD Beach (72 / 2 wins); 4. James Rispoli (65); 5. Mike Avila (52); 6. (TIE) Mike LaBelle / Mike Martin (40); 8. Stephen Vanderburgh (31); 9. Michael Toon (28 / 1 win); 10. Chaz Springsteen (27).
AMA PRO K&N GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED by MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM MAIN (25 laps; 19 riders): 1. Jake Johnson (H-D); 2. Bryan Smith (Kaw); 3. Kenny Coolbeth (H-D); 4. Jared Mees (H-D); 5. Joe Kopp (Duc); 6. PJ Jacobsen (H-D); 7. Sammy Halbert (H-D); 8. Chris Carr (H-D); 9. Larry Pegram (Duc); 10. Stevie Bonsey (H-D); 11. Willie McCoy (H-D); 12. Henry Wiles (H-D); 13. AJ Eslick (H-D); 14. Matt Weidman (H-D); 15. Rob Pearson (H-D); 16. Logan Myers (H-D); 17. Mick Kirkness (Suz); 18. Steve Murray (H-D); 19. Shawn Baer (Tri).
AMA PRO K&N GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED by MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM POINT STANDINGS (After 5 of 19 rounds): 1. (TIE) Jake Johnson (2 wins) / Joe Kopp (1 win) (98 pts); 3. Kenny Coolbeth (82); 4. (TIE) Sammy Halbert (1 win) / Jared Mees (79); 6. Henry Wiles (73 / 1 win); 7. Bryan Smith (57); 8. Johnny Lewis (45); 9. Chris Carr (43); 10. Jethro Halbert (29).
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines
