Don’t look now, but Chris Carr is on a roll.
After rain forced a dealy at round nine of the AMA/Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championships, the Harley-Davidson of Sacramento/Phoenix Racing-backed Carr climbed aboard his Kenny Tolbert-tuned XR750 and flat dominated the 25-lap main event at the Allen County Fairgrounds on June 30. Carr led every lap of the race, and by the time it was over, his advantage had grown to a full straightaway over the second-placed man.
And who was that man? None other than defending AMA/Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Champion Joe Kopp, and the Corbin Racing/H-D of Missouri rider had to fight his way past Ohio pea gravel specialist Geo Roeder II in order to claim the runner-up the spot. By the time Kopp could get down to the business of racing for the lead, Carr was long gone. Roeder held on for third aboard his KK Motorcycle Supply/Las Vegas Harley-Davidson XR, which is owned and tuned by championship-winning mechanic Skip Eaken.
Carr’s win, his fourth of the season, also moved him into the series points lead. Carr now leads Kopp, 151-148.
Team Harley-Davidson’s Rich King improved this week, coming through the pack to finish fourth. Last year’s runner-up at Lima, Canada’s Chris Evans, was fifth. Will Davis once again struggled, finishing fifth after winning the fastest heat race to sit on the pole for the main event.
The SuperTrapp SuperTracker series hit the track after the Grand National main event, as the program had to be inverted due to the rain. In the 12-lapper Lancaster Harley-Davidson stablemates Bryan Bigelow and Mike Hacker ran away from the rest of the pack to settle the win between them. Bigelow would take it after drag racing Hacker to the line. The win marks Bigelow’s second in three attempts aboard a SuperTracker, and it has moved him into the lead in the series points race. Tim Goeken Racing’s Sam Lowe put in another great ride in his Suzuki across, finishing third.
Here are the main event results from Lima:
Allen County Fairgrounds
Lima, Ohio
Results: June 30, 2001 (Round 9 of 20):
GRAND NATIONAL (25 laps, 18 riders): 1. Chris Carr (H-D); 2. Joe Kopp (H-D); 3. Geo Roeder II (H-D); 4. Rich King (H-D); 5. Chris Evans (H-D); 6. Will Davis (H-D); 7. Shawn Clark (H-D); 8. Jay Springsteen (H-D); 9. Mike Hacker (H-D); 10. Steve Beattie (H-D); 11. Willie McCoy (H-D); 12. Jess Roeder (H-D); 13. Bryan Bigelow (H-D); 14. Ken Coolbeth Jr. (H-D); 15. Johnny Murphree (H-D); 16. Sam Lowe (H-D); 17. Chris Hart (H-D); 18. Bryan Smith (H-D).
ime: 10 min., 57.951 sec.
SUPERTRAPP SUPERTRACKER NATIONAL (12 laps; 17 riders): 1. Bryan Bigelow (Bue); 2. Mike Hacker (Bue); 3. Sam Lowe (Suz); 4. Willie McCoy (Suz); 5. Bryan Smith (Suz); 6. George Richtmeyer (Suz); 7. Scott Scherb (H-D); 8. Greg Teague (Bue); 9. J.R. Schnabel (Suz); 10. Brian Thomas (Bue); 11. Gary Rogers (Suz); 12. Joe Duvall (Suz); 13. Jason Tyer (Suz); 14. Robert Knapp (H-D); 15. Georgie Price IV (Apr); 16. Joe Kopp (Suz); 17. Dan Kaufman (Yam).
Time: 5 min., 20.475 sec.
