Showing posts with label Gas City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gas City. Show all posts

Monday, July 29, 2013

Mid-America Speedway Indy Announces 2013 'Night Before the Indy Mile' Short Track, to Include Bultaco Astro Cup & Open Pro Class











Mid-America Speedway on Indianapolis' southeast side has finalized all the details for this year's 'Night Before the Indy Mile' short track event, to be held on Friday, August 17, 2013.

A yearly extravaganza of short track racing held at the Marion County Fairgrounds, the short track event has become a must-see event for fans and a must-attend event for the racers in town for the night that precedes the Indy Mile at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Last year's event featured the Indian Arrow Challenge which saw AMA Pro Flat Track and Steve Nace Racing official Kevin Snyder take to the track and hold off some other veteran racers on the identically-prepared 250cc Indian Arrow machines.

And in the Open Pro Class, Jared Mees again took it to the competition and kept his perfect record intact at Mid-America by holding off the likes of other AMA Pro Flat Track regulars JD Beach, Henry Wiles, Sammy Halbert and Rob Pearson, just to name a few.

This year's event will feature not only the Open Class event--DTX-prepped machines against open class framers for a winner's share of $1500 of the purse, but will also see the return to the track of past AMA Pro Flat Track heroes and legends such as 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen, David 'Bones' Aldana, Steve Morehead and 2000 AMA Grand National Champion Joe Kopp, among others, competing in the Bultaco Astro Cup on machines made famous in the heyday of flat track in the '60s and '70s.

In the shot above, Mees runs away with the Open Class event at last year's Night Before the Indy Mile at Mid-America on his #9 Montgomeryville Cycle Center Honda 450 framer, followed by  Henry Wiles on his #17 Don's Kawasaki KX450F, JD Beach on the #95 USC Racing Kawasaki, and Slammin' Sammy Halbert on his #7 Fredericktown Yamaha YZ450F.

Check out the full press release following to see when you need to be there, as for $10/ticket you can't go wrong for the action that will be hot and heavy all night long at Mid-America Speedway, the place in Indy that knows how to put the racing on the track for your enjoyment and excitement!








Mid-America Speedway/Indy's 2013 'Night Before the Indy Mile' Event to Feature Round 10 of AMA Vintage Dirt Track National Championship Along with Open Class Short Track Featuring the Stars of AMA Pro Flat Track

Mid-America Speedway – Indianapolis, IN. – July 29, 2013 – In what has become a big weekend of stellar racing, Mid-America Speedway on Indianapolis' southeast side will again be featuring our 'Night Before the Indy Mile' short track event that this year will feature the stars of AMA Pro Flat Track, but will also be hosting round 10 of the 2013 AMA Vintage Dirt Track National Championship Series on Friday, August 16 during the Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP Weekend.

This year's event, sponsored by Harley-Davidson of Bloomington, IN. will feature the Bultaco Astro Cup, an event that will see the past stars of AMA Pro Flat Track competing on like-assembled Bultaco Astro 2-stroke racing machines made famous in the heyday of racing of the '60s and '70s of AMA Pro Flat Track.





Jeff Stevens and Harley-Davidson of Bloomington, IN. are the presenting sponsors for Mid-America Speedway's 'Night Before the Indy Mile' event for 2013.




Over 30 riders are expected to return to the track for round 10 of the 2013 AMA Vintage Dirt Track National Championship Series season in the Bultaco Astro Cup, including 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen, Garth Brow, David 'Bones' Aldana, Steve Morehead, '00 AMA Grand National Champion Joe Kopp as well as many others who made their name in AMA Pro Flat Track and VDTRA racing throughout the years. The class will feature a 100% payback to the riders who make the 10-12 rider main event.




 
 
 
 
 
'Wild Will' Kelley is shown on one of St. Louis resident Art 'The Dart' Randall's Bultaco Astro mounts at Gas City Speedway in June 2010. Kelley, a 6-Time VDTRA #1 plate holder, will be making the trip from his Texas home to contest the Bultaco Astro Cup at Mid-America Speedway, as will be Randall and his fleet of pristine vintage Bultacos. Photo by Mike 'Stu' Stuhler/Stu's Shots.






Other riders that are currently making a name for themselves in AMA Pro Flat Track's Grand National Championship Series will be on-hand to test the wide-open circuit at the Marion County Fairgrounds facility for the Open Class event.
 
Current overall point standings leader Brad 'The Bullet' Baker, Slammin' Sammy Halbert, 2012 AMA Grand National Champion Jared Mees (who has never lost a race at Mid-America in several years of competing at the track), Rob 'Bugs' Pearson and a host of others are expected to race in this event on the evening preceding round 8 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.






2012 AMA Grand National Champion Jared Mees will return to Mid-America Speedway on Friday, August 16 to defend his flawless record of competing at the track. Mees won last year's event (shown) on his Montgomeryville Cycle Center Honda 450cc framer, leading Henry Wiles and JD Beach to the top-3. Photo by Mike 'Stu' Stuhler/Stu's Shots.






These riders will not only be competing on 450cc-class DTX-spec machinery, but alongside with some who will be rolling out their framer mounts, just like Mees did to win the 2012 Open Class event. The winner of the Open Class event will take home $1500 of the share of the purse.

The evening's racing will also see a special auction to benefit the Aid to Injured Riders Foundation (AIR), that will see autographed pro number plates available for bidding from each of the riders entered in the Bultaco Astro Cup. All proceeds from this auction will go to the AIR Fund to help offset injury costs incurred during professional competition and the number plates will be provided by Mr. Sign out of Yonkers, NY.








Mr. Sign of Yonkers, NY., will be supplying the riders in the Bultaco Astro Cup event with pro number plates, one of each which will be auctioned off during the evening to benefit the Aid to Injured Riders (AIR) Fund.







Tickets are only $10/each for adults, with children aged 5-9 only $5/each, and children 4 and under admitted free with a paying adult. Pit passes will be available for $10/each up until 4:00 PM EDT on the day of the show, and $25/each after that time. 

The other classes being contested during the evening of 'The Night Before the Indy Mile' event will be a 500cc Speedway class, an 80-200cc youth 2-or 4-stroke class, a 250cc Money class, and an Open Quad class which is already filled with six riders. Mid-America normally offers a bevy of classes throughout it's normal season schedule but is cutting back at this event to make the racing flow better and more fluidly throughout the evening for the racers and the fans alike.

Practice starts at 4:30 PM EDT and the first heat race will roll off the line at 7:00 PM EDT, and we hope to see you there for what will surely be another great evening of racing at Mid-America Speedway at the Marion County Fairgrounds on Indy's southeast side!


Track info and contact:
 
Mid-America Speedway at the Marion County Fairgrounds
7300 East Troy Ave.
Indianapolis, IN. 46239
Jim Terchila/President of Mid-America Speedway
317-871-4392 or info@midamspeedway.com

2013 AMA Vintage Dirt Track National Championship Series schedule:


Mid-America Speedway at Indianapolis' Marion County Fairgrounds schedule and info:


Press release prepared by:
Mike 'Stu' Stuhler
Stu's Shots
10826 Riverwood Blvd.
Indianapolis, IN. 46234-7686
317-299-2072 H
317-373-0522 C
 

Thursday, April 7, 2011

AMA Pro Flat Track Previews DuQuoin Short Track At The Southern Illinois Center



2010 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Champion Jake Johnson can be seen sitting in his pit discussing race strategy with Zanotti Racing team member (and former AMA GN competitor #67) Mike Hacker in between practice and qualifying for the Gas City/I-69 Speedway round of the AMA Pro Flat Track K&N Filters presented by Motorcycle Superstore.com Grand National Championship Series in June of 2010.  In what would be his worst finish on the season, Jersey Jake went on to run fourth in his heat and finish 13th in the main event on the night. 
But the season was young, and just shy of four months later Johnson and the Zanotti Racing team were celebrating a championship in Arizona after winning the season-ending Yavapai Downs Mile.  Not to forget, Johnson won round two at the season opener in Daytona in March of 2010 (after finishing 3rd in round one to winner Slammin' Sammy Halbert) and also garnered a 6th place at the Springfield TT, a 4th place finish at the Peoria TT, and a 2nd place finish at the Springfield Short Track in the remaining Singles Series events of the year. 
His Zanotti Racing/Leo Vince/Tucker Rocky/S Designs-sponsored Honda CRF450 is maintained by team owner Dave Zanotti and crew, and is again his weapon of choice for the 2011 season.  With the new #1 affixed to his machine at Daytona last month, Jake had a solid start to the season with 3rd/4th place finishes and sits fourth in the 2011 standings with two rounds down of the 21 scheduled for the season.
Do NOT overlook this man for the 2011 season, whether it be in the Singles Series or the Twins Series (where he also carded two wins in 2010 at the Memorial Day Springfield Mile and the season-ending Arizona Mile.)  Johnson now has the overall Grand Naitonal Championship to add to his two Singles Series Championships that he won with the former Suzuki flat track team in '06 and '08.  Johnson was also the winner in two previous indoor events, DuQuoin in September of '04 and Tunica, MS. in '02, and no matter what the track layout or surface, the '02 AMA Flat Track Rookie of the Year cannot be overlooked.  And with that big #1 on his back now (and on his number plates!) people will be gunning for The Champ. 
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AMA Pro Racing News Release
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DuQuoin Preview: Round 3 of the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track Championship

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (April 7, 2011) - After a short break to recover from the "Daytona Double" at Daytona International Speedway, the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track Championship will be back in action Saturday, April 16, at the Southern Illinois Center in DuQuoin, Illinois. The AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles class, packed with the rising stars of AMA Pro Flat Track racing, will join the Expert Singles at the third round of the 21-race series. This highly anticipated race will mark the first time the series' Grand National heroes have raced indoors at the Southern Illinois Center since 2004, which itself was the only non-mile exception in the series' twenty-five DuQuoin Grand Nationals history.

Current defending Grand National Champion Jake Johnson came away with the win that night on a Honda, while JR Schnabel (then Yamaha-mounted) and Kenny Coolbeth (aboard a KTM at the time) filled out the podium. In 2011, Johnson will be returning on his Zanotti Racing Honda with the big #1 on his back, while both Schnabel (Monster Energy Kawasaki Werner Springsteen Racing) and Coolbeth (Chaplin Kawasaki) will be Kawasaki-mounted.

Current points leader Sammy Halbert (Woody Kyle Racing/Fredericktown Yamaha) will be trying to make it three in a row after sweeping the Daytona opening rounds. Nicknamed "Slammin' Sammy" for his aggressive riding style, Halbert's technique is a perfect fit for the tight confines of indoor motorcycle racing.

There's a good chance one or more of the young lions emerging in the series will make their mark at DuQuoin: both JD Beach (USC Motorsports) and Jeffery Carver (Woody Kyle Racing) have likely turned more laps on the small track than anyone else, as they've ridden almost all the Pro-Am races that have been held there during the last few winters. Fellow Rookie Brad Baker (ENI USA) has similarly honed his talent at indoor races in his home state of Washington, and he came out swinging in Daytona with a very respectable third and fourth. Baker is leading the Saddlemen Rookie of the Year chase while sitting third in the Grand National Points standings.

Johnny Lewis (Scott Powersports), meanwhile, is a veteran of East Coast indoor races, but his pair of second-place Daytona finishes have left him hungrier than ever for his first GNC victory. He'll have plenty of competition, though; the biggest news of the "Spring Break" has been Bryan Smith's departure from the potent Monster Energy Werner Springsteen Team. Smith will campaign his own equipment for the rest of 2011, riding a Kawasaki with help from Moroney's Harley-Davidson and RHC.

As the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track Championship looks ahead to Round 3 at the Southern Illinois Center, the only certainty is tight, bar-banging action that's sure to produce surprises, and perhaps some hard feelings, as indoor racing is guaranteed to deliver an intensity like no other in the series. The ultra-fast dirt oval could produce single-second lap times, and the 30-lap National will no doubt become the roller derby of motorcycle racing.

For tickets and event info, click here. For more information about Harley-Davidson insurance, visit www.h-dinsurance.com. For more information about the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track Championship, visit www.amaproracing.com/ft/.

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. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

For additional information contact:

AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com
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Thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track for this link to the event information for the DuQuoin Short Track on April 16:

http://amaproracing.com/ft/events/event.cfm?year=2011&eid=2011021110

Here's where you can find info on the beautiful Southern Illinois Center located on the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in (of course!) Southern Illinois:

http://www.agr.state.il.us/dq/index.php?pg=140
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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

AMA Flat Track: Jammin Jared Mees Continues On Winning Path Into 2011 Season






















Jared Mees cools off during a break in the on-track action at the Gas City/I-69 Speedway Short Track round of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Series in June of 2010, while his #21 Rockysonline.com Honda CRF450 is attended to by his crew.  After several rain-outs over the previous few years and just weeks before the event actually did run, the event finally took place on June 16.  However, for what was a very nice little facility, the crowds didn't return and the event wasn't included on the 2011 schedule. 
Mees had a great event and put on a great show for those that did turn out to watch, and came home second to event winner Henry Wiles, finishing just .624 seconds behind the Singles Series Champ.  Gas City was just one of eight podium finishes in the '10 season (out of 16 events) for Mees and his versatility in both the Twins and Singles Series events, along with his Blue Springs H-D/Rogers Lake Racing team's knack for setting up great equipment, propelled him to 3rd in the year-end overall point standings. 
The AMA Horizon Award winner and former Rookie of the Year has switched National numbers for the 2011 season, and will be carrying the #9 in both the Singles and Twins Series (where he won the '09 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Twins Championship) for the upcoming season.  He debuted his new National # at the season opening rounds at Daytona last month, where he tallied 9th/7th-place finishes to start off the year 7th in the overall championship for the 2011 season.  Some may see that as a slow start for this young charger, I see that as reason for the rest of the field to be even more worried.
The Jammer was one of many racers competing in the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Series that didn't have much time off during the normal off-season, as he competed in (and won, again) the ICE Speedway Championship Series and in several other events, including the Digger Helm National in Bakersfield, CA. (part of the Eddie Mulder Series) and the San Jose Indoor several weeks ago.  He won both of those events competing against National-level talent.  With DuQuoin just 10 days away, it may be time for the competition to start worrying, as this man's indoor racing pedigree is pretty strong and he should be considered a major threat at the Southern Illinois Center and throughout the 2011 season.
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'09 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Twins Champion Jared Mees has been staying busy on the track since the last AMA Flat Track event in Arizona back in October.  Competing in and winning the championship (again) in the ICE Speedway Championship Series, The Jammer has also gotten in some short track racing indoors and out.  Two weekends ago, he competed in the San Jose Indoor put on by one of his sponsors, Rod Lake, and again pulled off the win on the concrete short track.  Along the way he made various stops (and several more wins) at some Eddie Mulder events, the Stockton Mile, and several of the Steve Nace Racing events in Southeast Georgia and in Florida on the way to the '11 AMA Flat Track season openers in Daytona in March.

Although going winless in the '10 AMA Pro Flat Track K&N Filters presented by Motorcycle Superstore.com Grand National Championship Series, Mees still ended up ranked the third rider in the nation in the year-end standings.  Garnering eight podiums on the year in both the Twins and Singles Series events, the Rogers Lake/Blue Springs H-D/Rockysonline.com-sponsored rider was in the fight in for the top spot in most of those races only to come up just short of the win at the checkers.  And it wasn't for lack of trying!

With the 2011 GNC season underway, and round three at the Southern Illinois Center in DuQuoin just shy of 10 days off on April 16, Jared Mees is one of the riders to watch out for during the upcoming year.  Off to a slow start at Daytona, look for Jared to make a big move in the next several events on the schedule before the series hits it's stride at Springfield over Memorial Day Weekend.  Carrying his new National #9 now, look for The Jammer to put the hammer down and add to the winning ways of it's former wearers, Gary Nixon and Jay Springsteen.  And I can guarantee it will be fun to watch, if you can keep the #9 in your line of sight!
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Jared released this press release at the end of March where he talks about running the San Jose indoor event.  Thanks to the great folks at FlatTrack.com for carrying on Wayne Hosaka's legacy and posting this release from this great rider:

http://www.flattrack.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1054&Itemid=1

Larry Lawrence's The Rider Files.com has this update from early March on The Jammer's online updates that are now available:

http://www.theriderfiles.com/?p=9763

Digger Helm is a former National-ranked rider (he wore #57 back in the day) who is now one of Jared's personal sponsors.  He puts on the Digger Helm National in Bakersfield, CA. of which Mees is a former winner.  This great vido is a nice look at this great National-caliber event:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNBHO2pdaBs&feature=feedrec_grec_index

Thanks to FlatTrackToday.com for this link to keep up with Jared's racing endeavors.  Most recently posted as of this writing is Jared's review of the Daytona action and has some great shots of both his Twins and Singles Series bikes with his new National #9 on them:

http://flattracktoday.com/jaredmees.html

Jared reviews the 2010 AMA Pro Flat Track K&N Filters presented by Motorcycle Superstore.com Grand National Championship Series season in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o6dAB831xk

And a BIG thanks goes out to Miriam Deitcher, who along with her Flat Track Live Facebook page got this great little video on the San Jose event over the last weekend in March.  This is another great site to bookmark for 'Live' coverage this year of the AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship Series, and Mir has you covered if you can't make the races:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150164180445498
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Saturday, March 12, 2011

AMA Flat Track: Sammy Halbert Completes the Sweep at Daytona Short Track


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Willy Halbert puts the finishing touches on his son Sammy Halbert's #7 Fredericktown Yamaha/Woody Kyle Racing/Kings Kustoms/Nelson Racing-sponsored YZF450 at the Gas City Short Track round of the AMA Pro Flat Track K&N Filters presented by Motorcycle Superstore.com Grand National Championship Series in June 2010. Jethro Halbert's like-sponsored #69 sits between Slammin' Sammy's mounts in the pit area. Jethro would go on to finish 5th on the evening, while Sammy would follow him home in 6th at the bullring short track in North Central Indiana.

Sammy stole the show again last evening at round two of the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davison Insurance Grand National Championship Series at the Daytona Short Track, passing the early leaders on lap four, and sailing to an over 5 second win on second place man Johnny Lewis on the #10 Scott Powersports Honda after 25 grueling laps on the limestone track. Third place on the evening went to first full-year Expert Brad Baker on the #12 Honda. Rounding out the top five were #1 Jake Johnson on the Zanotti Racing Honda and #2 Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. on the Chaplin Kawasaki.
Racing luck was a hard pill to swallow at the second Daytona round, as #3 Joe Kopp (after a brilliant ride to third earlier in the day on the DIS road course in the XR1200 Series), #42 Bryan Smith, last year's Calistoga winner #80 Steve Bonsey, and #15 Nicole Cheza failed to make the 48 rider cut-off for the evening's event. Slammin' Sammy stole the whole pie last night in setting fast time, winning the fastest heat of the evening, winning the Dash for Cash and romping to the main event win over an 18 rider main event field filled with some of the best The Rolling Thunder Show has to offer.

The series takes a short break and resumes action in DuQuoin, IL. on April 16 at the Southern Illinois Center on the grounds of the DuQuoin State Fair.
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In what will undoubtedly go down as one of the all-time great race season opening triumphs in the history of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Series, Sammy Halbert on the #7 Fredericktown Yamaha/Woody Kyle Racing YZF450 took the sweep at the Daytona Short Track for his second race win in two nights just outside the infamous Daytona International Speedway oval and road course. Making quick dispatch of the leaders, Slammin' Sammy set sail on lap four and went on to win the main event over a stacked field by over five seconds. Johnny Lewis made it two-for-two in the season opener on his #10 Scott Powersports Honda, with first full-year Expert Brad Baker (the '09 AMA Pro Singles Flat Track Champion) coming home third on his #12 Honda.

Top ten from last night at Daytona:

1. Sammy Halbert #7
2. Johnny Lewis #10
3. Brad Baker #12
4. Jake Johnson #1
5. Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. #2
6. Matt Weidman #20
7. Jared Mees #9
8. Chad Cose #49
9. Henry Wiles #17
10. Jeffrey Carver, Jr. #23

With a short five week break before the series resumes at the Southern Illinois Center in DuQuoin, IL. on April 16, teams will have a chance to regroup for the 2011 season in the AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship Series.

Congrats go out to Slammin' Sammy and his Fredericktown Yamaha/Woody Kyle Racing team in kicking off the 2011 season on such a high note. #7 leaves Daytona with a 16 point lead in the championship standings, and there's no reason to believe that this hard charging young man won't be ready for more once the series hits Southern Illinois.
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AMA Pro Flat Track posted this report on Sammy's win at the Daytona Short Track from last night:

http://amaproracing.com/ft/news/index.cfm?cid=41703

Paul Carruthers was on hand again at DIS to file this report on the race for Cycle News.com:

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/flat-track/2011/03/11/halbert-does-it-again

Larry Lawrence filed this race press report on last night's action at Daytona on his The Rider Files.com site:

http://www.theriderfiles.com/?p=9436

Bryan Harley was on hand for Motorcycle-USA.com to file this report on the race last night in Daytona:

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/504/9459/Motorcycle-Article/2011-Daytona-Flat-Track-II-Results.aspx

The Daytona News-Journal had a reporter on site for this story of the evening's events at the Daytona Short Track:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/racing/motorcycle/2011/03/12/halbert-wins-sweeps-nationals.html
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From AMA Pro Flat Track, here are the full results from last night's great event:

http://amaproracing.com/ft/events/results.cfm?year=2011&eid=2011021106
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Dave Hoenig's Flat Trak Fotos.com will have the full results as well as photos from the race posted soon here:

http://www.flattrakfotos.com/2011%20Results/RESULTS%2003-11-11.html

Here's a sampling of Dave's photos from the AMA Pro Flat Track gallery from last night:

http://amaproracing.com/ft/multimedia/gallery.cfm?gid=6112

And the boys across the pond from the GREAT Sideburn Magazine filed this report on the race as well:

http://sideburnmag.blogspot.com/2011/03/daytona-sammys-on-fire.html
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You can follow Sammy and Halbert Brothers Racing via Facebook, as well as catch up on videos and interviews and stories from the last couple of days here:

http://www.facebook.com/HalbertBrosRacing

And big thanks go out again to the great Miriam Deitcher for her on-the-spot coverage of the action the last couple of days from the World Center of Speed in Daytona. Miriam used to cover all of the AMA Flat Track races for the AMA several years ago, and started up her own page here on Facebook to keep the fans at home up to date on the on and off track action:

http://www.facebook.com/FlatTrackLive
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Motorcycle-Superstore.com Sponsorship Returns in 2011 to AMA Flat Track Pro Singles & Grand National Championship


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In what was the first event held under the new title sponsor banner for AMA Pro Flat Track in June of 2010, the top three at the Gas City Short Track round of the AMA Pro Flat Track K&N Filters presented by Motorcycle Superstore.com Grand National Championship Series are interviewed at the end of the main event. (L-R) Joe Kopp hoists his trophy for the cameras after bringing his #3 Latus HD/Moto Concepts/Jones Powersports Honda home in the third spot behind event winner Henry Wiles and runner-up Jared Mees. Winner Hammerin Hank talks with AMA Flat Track announcer Scottie Duebler while standing behind his #1 Monster Energy/Don's Kawasaki/Jones Bros.-sponsored KX450, while Jared Mees looks on after coming home second on the evening on his #21 Rockysonline.com/Lucas Oil/Rogers Lake Racing-backed Honda CRF450.
With Mike Kidd at the helm, K&N Filters and Motorcycle Superstore.com signed on as title and 'associate' sponsors with AMA Flat Track for the 2010 season. K&N had the lead title due to their sponsorship of the Grand National Series, and Motorcycle Superstore.com became a 'presenting' sponsor of the GN Series and title sponsor for the Pro Series class. 2011 will be a great year as well with Motorcycle Superstore.com re-signing as the title sponsor for AMA Pro Series Flat Track and upping the ante for the year-end points fund payout (from $15K to $25K in '11) and also adding sponsorship for AMA Pro Road Racing as well.
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AMA Pro Racing Announces Expanded Sponsorship

with Motorcycle-Superstore.com

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 2, 2011) - AMA Pro Racing is pleased to announce Motorcycle-Superstore.com's sponsorship of both the AMA Pro Road Racing and AMA Pro Flat Track series. Motorcycle-Superstore.com will be the title sponsor of the AMA Pro Road Racing SuperSport class, the presenting sponsor of the AMA Pro Flat Track series, and the title sponsor of the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles flat track class.

"This is another great opportunity to work with AMA Pro Racing," explained Don Becklin, President of Motorcycle-Superstore.com. "Our participation in last year's Flat Track series proved to be a rewarding experience, providing an opportunity to learn the ropes by sponsoring a premier race series. Our expanded involvement in AMA Pro Racing in 2011 allows us to continue supporting the riders and connecting with fans. We are all looking forward to an exciting season in both Flat Track and Road Racing."

As in any motorsports discipline, the riders are key to the success of the series. For 2011, Motorycle-Superstore.com, in conjunction with AMA Pro Racing, has created a "Year-End Points Fund" that will place more than $50,000 directly into riders' pockets.

"AMA Pro Racing is extremely pleased to continue and expand our valuable association with Motorcycle-Superstore.com," said David Atlas, COO and Managing Member of AMA Pro Racing. "We have had a successful relationship with them in AMA Pro Flat Track, and we feel the expansion of their marketing activities to our road racing SuperSport class is a positive sign for our company and the sport overall. The Motorcycle-Superstore.com Year-End Points Fund in both Flat Track and Road Racing will be warmly received by all of our competitors, and we look forward to helping Motorcycle-Superstore.com expand their presence among our very dedicated and loyal fan base."

In AMA Pro Road Racing, the Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport class will split the Year-End Points Fund of $25,000 as follows:

East Coast: 1st place, $5,000; 2nd place, $3,000; 3rd place, $2,000

West Coast: 1st place, $5,000; 2nd place, $3,000; 3rd place, $2,000

Young Gun: $2,500

Overall Champion: $2,500

After a successful year of sponsoring the 2010 AMA Pro Flat Track series, the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Year-End Points Fund will increase from $15,000 to $25,000 and will pay out as follows:

1st place, $10,000; 2nd place, $5,000; 3rd place, $4,000; 4th place, $3,000; 5th place, $2,000; 6th place, $1,000

About Motorcycle-Superstore.com
Motorcycle Superstore is the leading online retailer in the motorcycle and powersports industry. Serving motorcycle riders for over 12 years, Motorcycle Superstore specializes in selling motorcycle helmets, riding apparel, accessories, and parts. Internet Retailer Magazine has ranked Motorcycle Superstore in the top-10 of all sporting goods sites and in the top-200 of all e-commerce sites. Powered by a dedicated staff of motorcycle enthusiasts, Motorcycle Superstore continues to impress customers by constantly raising their online shopping standards. Visit http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/.

For additional information contact:
AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com
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Sunday, February 27, 2011

AMA Flat Track Releases Approved Exhausts List for 450 Singles Series Racers


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Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. can be seen working on changing a tire for one of his #2 Honda CRF450s in his pit area at the Gas City Short Track round of the AMA Pro Flat Track K&N Filters presented by Motorcycle Superstore.com Grand National Championship Series in June of 2010. The Bettencourts Honda/Jason Perry/
Arai/Fox-sponsored rider won the '07 AMA Flat Track Singles Series, and his prowess on the Singles is just as good as it is on the Twins Series bikes. He will be rolling out a new machine at Daytona in just over ten days, and will be astride a Chaplin Kawasaki-sponsored KX450 at the '11 Singles Series events, after having been associated with the Bettencourt's Honda for several years. The King of Cool is one of several riders switching from the Honda 450s to the Kawasaki 450 for the upcoming season, along with Joe Kopp and JR Schnabel, among others. They will be joining 2-Time Singles Series Champ Henry Wiles on his Jones Bros. Kawasaki and Werner Springsteen Kawasaki's Bryan Smith, who both campaigned the KXs during the 2010 season.
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AMA Pro Flat Track Competitor Bulletin #2011-04

All AMA Pro Flat Track Competitors

Subject:

Approved Exhaust Systems for 450

The ruling for sound levels for 450 singles in AMA Pro Flat Track has been, and will continue to be, 105dB. This is measured on the "A" scale at a distance of 20 inches at a 45 degree angle to the exhaust tip. All sound testing is done in accordance with SAE J1287. Bikes are tested at ½ the rated maximum rpm. This is typically 4500 to 5500 rpm depending on the model.

Several fairground type venues have expressed concerns over the excessively loud sound levels in the singles class and have received complaints from nearby residents. AMA Pro cannot be put in a position of losing desirable venues due to competitors’ non-compliance with the rule book.

Over the past two years the technical staff at AMA Pro Flat Track has done random sound testing and has suggested and advised non compliant riders to make suitable changes to overly loud exhaust systems. Starting with the AMA Pro Flat Track Series opening round in Daytona, any riders that violate the sound limits in the rule book will be disqualified from competition.

Per the general equipment standards in the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Rule Book: Exhaust pipes and

mufflers must be used and be securely attached together and bolted to the frame.

Mufflers must have sound absorption mechanisms or packed baffling.

Exhaust system with no mufflers and open ends (no end cap) will be refused in tech and not allowed on the race track. Do not attempt to go through tech with an unmuffled motorcycle. It will not pass tech. Do not attempt to go onto the race track with an unmuffled motorcycle; you will be disqualified from the event.

AMA Pro will make sound testing available as time and personnel allow previous to the event, but is under no obligation to pre test motorcycles. It is the responsibility of the competitor to arrive at the event with a motorcycle that is in compliance with the rule book.

Below is a preliminary list of approved exhausts. More will be added as time and research allow. Contact AMA Pro Racing for suggestions on additions to the list. All pipes used in AMA Pro Motocross and AMA Supercross must meet a 96dB rule and as such are eligible for AMA Pro Flat Track.

FMF Pro Circuit Yoshimura Akrapovic Jardine

Leo Vince Two Brothers Vance and Hines D&D Low

Jemco w/ SuperTrapp adapter SuperTrapp

Be advised; just because a pipe is on this list does not mean it will pass sound tech with YOUR particular engine configuration. Once again, it is the responsibility of the competitor to arrive at the event with a class legal motorcycle.

Thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track for this updated technical bulletin!

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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

AMA Flat Track: Monster Energy Werner Springsteen's Bryan Smith Talks Racing


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Bryan Smith, Barry Smith (Bryan's father) and Bill Werner discuss set ups on the #42 Werner Springsteen Monster Energy Kawasaki DTX450s in their pit area during a break in the on-track action at the Gas City Short Track round of the the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Series in June of 2010. AMA Pro Singles rider and WSMEK team mate Chaz Springsteen can be seen on the far right side of the shot looking over his #29J machine in his pit area. Smith would miss the main event of the Expert Singles Series and Springsteen ended up finishing 13th in the Pro Singles final.
Flyin Bryan will have a new team mate on board for the 2011 season with JR Schnabel/National #33 joining the Bill Werner/Jay Springteen mantled team. This should be a big help in terms of development of the EX650R-based twin, which still won two races with Smith at the controls at Indy and the September running of the Springfield Mile. Having another rider on hand to share the set-up and testing for the team should prove to narrow that curve, and if so, the rest of the competition had better be looking over their shoulders once the season picks up full swing in Arizona come May.
But probably the area that the team most needs to concentrate now on would be the Singles program, and Smith has been doing some serious ice racing in Michigan during the off-season to help keep him in shape, as well as getting a leg up on the competition before the first green flag of the season flies at Daytona on March 10. In 2010 he struggled on the Singles bikes, with best finishes in the six round series of 6th at Daytona round two and 5th at the Springfield TT in May. Not qualifying for the main at Gas City was definitely the low point of the season on the 450, and shoring up this part of the program will put Smith and the #42 team right up at the head of the pack for contention for the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship and that coveted #1 plate.
Look for this to improve drastically for Bryan in 2011. You don't keep a member of the Michigan Mafia down for long, and if off-season training can and will make a difference, he's already a step ahead of just about everyone already!
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Kawasaki Racing and Monster Energy have been doing a great job of rolling out news and videos to highlight the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Series and the #42 Werner Springsteen Monster Energy Kawasaki team. After a great year in 2010, Bryan Smith is getting ready for the new season that kicks off at Daytona on March 10. During the off-season he has been teaming up with other Michigan Mafia members to do some ice racing on his KX450-based flat track machine on the frozen lakes in and around the Flint, MI. area, his home stomping ground.

With new team mate JR Schnabel coming on board the Werner Springsteen team for the 2011 season, this could prove to be the extra kick the team needs to step up in contention for the #1 plate in AMA Grand National Championship Racing. Development on the EX650R-based twin will now be shared between the #42 of Smith and the #33 of Schnabel, and everyone knows that JR has always had a great Singles Series program throughout the years, so that should prove to be an extra burst to Flyin Bryan as well. With his off-season training shown in the video below from Kawasaki Racing, this should prove to help him improve on his 2010 Singles Series finishes.

Thanks to Kawasaki Racing and Monster Energy for doing such a super job of highlighting The Rolling Thunder Show and the Werner Springsteen Monster Energy Kawasaki Flat Track Team!

Check it out:

http://www.kawasaki.com/Racing_news/Article.aspx?id=1513
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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Brad Baker & Sammy Halbert Take Opening Round Wins at Gene Romero's WCFTS Vegas Event


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Brad Baker looks over his bikes in the #1 pits at the Springfield Mile round of the AMA Flat Track Pro Singles Series in September of 2010. The '09 AMA Flat Track Pro Singles Champion garnered four wins in the 2010 series to just come up short of the championship to rival Jeffrey Carver on the Van's Yamaha. Sponsored by Rod Lake/Mike Velasco and Brothers Powersports on his Honda 450, Baker also pulled off another seven podiums in his run to retain the #1 plate.
Baker will be moving up to the Expert Class for the 2011 season to campaign the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Series and will be wearing the #12 number plate in the upcoming season. He got his racing year off to a great start in Vegas by winning the Open Class A-Main Event as part of the Gene Romero West Coast Flat Track Series opener at South Point Casino in Las Vegas over the weekend, with fellow AMA GNC competitors Sammy Halbert and Rob Pearson filling out the opening night's podium.
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The Halbert Brothers Racing Team can be seen talking in the background right at the Gas City Short Track round of the AMA Pro Flat Track K&N Filters presented by Motorcycle Superstore.com Grand National Championship Series in June of 2010. Brothers Jethro #69 and Sammy #7 converse with a team member of the #30F Coy Matthews Pro Singles team, while Dad Willy Halbert tends to the team's bikes under the awning. Sponsored by Woody Kyle Racing and Fredericktown Yamaha, the Brothers H finished 5th and 6th, respectively, on the evening at the Gas City round.
Sammy took the time to fly into Vegas over the weekend for the WCFTS round at the South Point Casino, and after finishing second on Friday night, pulled off the win in Saturday evening's Open Class A-Main event. It was good to hear about him getting back at it after he reportedly took a big fall during action at the Southern Illinois Center in DuQuoin the previous weekend during the Steve Nace Racing Ethan Gillim Memorial races.

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Brad Baker and Sammy Halbert both took wins over the weekend in the opening round of Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas. Gearing up for the upcoming AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Series season, Baker pulled off the win over Halbert on Friday night on the last lap after Slammin' Sammy lost air in his rear tire. Halbert did manage to best the field of pro riders the next night, leading Jake Mataya and AMA Flat Track Pro Singles rider Mikey Martin home on the evening. A National-class field of riders was on hand for the Las Vegas event, with riders Rob Pearson, Chad Cose and 2010 AMA Flat Track Pro Singles Champion Jeffrey Carver also on hand for the weekend's event.

With less then two months before the opening rounds at Daytona, the 2011 season is starting off super for these two fine young men, and with Baker moving up to the Grand National Expert Series this year, the competition just got a little tougher for all of the series' combatants. With Slammin' Sammy being forced to sit out the Minnesota Mile round towards the end of the 2010 season for what was deemed 'rough riding' at the Springfield Short Track round, his late season charge was stopped short with an eventual fourth place finish in the final overall standings. Look for him to hit Daytona in March with a big advantage in running these events to try to get a leg up on the competition in 2011.
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Todays Cycle Coverage.com filed this report on the opening evening's events at South Point in Vegas, which includes some super pics and overall results:

http://www.todayscyclecoverage.com/wordpress/2011/01/09/baker-heats-up-west-coast-flat-track-opener/

And the folks at VFT.org filed this report on Saturday's events in Vegas as part of Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series, and this also has overall results with some great pics thrown in as well:

http://www.vft.org/2011/WCFTS/11-01-07-SatVegas/SaturdaySouthpoint.html
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Monday, January 3, 2011

Chris Carr Kicks Off Farewell to Flat Track Tour in Winning Style, While J.D. Beach Romps in DuQuoin


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Kenny Tolbert resets the stop watches while Chris Carr readies himself for the re-start in the red flag interrupted Gas City Short Track main event at round six of the AMA Pro Flat Track K&N Filters presented by Motorcycle Superstore.com Grand National Championship Series in June of 2010. The 7-Time AMA Flat Track Grand National Champion and former AMA Superbike Championship Rookie of the Year finished the evening in the 10th spot aboard the KT-prepped #4 Chris Carr Racing/DFW Honda/Lancaster H-D-backed Honda CRF450F.
The pair kicked off their recently announced 'Chris Carr Racing Farewell to Flat Track Tour' in winning style this past weekend at the Southern Illinois Center in DuQuoin, with The Prince of Peoria winning the Open Pro/Am short track final in the Steve Nace Racing event held on Saturday and Sunday. Carr bested a field of riders including J.D. Beach and Illinois rider Rob Pearson in this race, and also brought home a couple of seconds and thirds on the weekend in some of the other race finals.
Round three of the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Series will be held at the beautiful little indoor arena on April 9 when the big boys come into the small community of DuQuoin for their first venture on the short track at this venue. Other riders contesting the weekend's events included 2010 AMA Pro Flat Track Pro Singles Champion Jeffrey Carver, Sammy Halbert, James Rispoli and Brock Schwarzenbacher.
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J.D. Beach talks with some of the fans during a break in the on-track action at the Springfield Short Track round of the AMA Pro Flat Track Series in September 2010. This event was the first for the youngster as an Expert Rookie in the Expert Class after competing in the AMA Pro Flat Track Pro Singles Series, and winning his final events in Peoria and Indy the two previous weekends. Beach had a great start in the Expert Class in bringing the #95C Red Bull/Top 1 Oil/Craig Rogers-sponsored Honda CRF450F home in the third spot in his maiden outing with the big boys, finishing behind event winner and 2-Time AMA Flat Track Singles Champ Henry Wiles and runner-up and eventual '10 AMA Flat Track Grand National Champion Jake Johnson. He also ran the mile event the next day on a Craig Rogers XR, qualifying 14th, finishing fourth in his heat race and bringing it home in 12th on his first outing on the big V-Twin XR750.
J.D. has been racing and winning some of the indoor events during the off-season at the Southern Illinois Center in DuQuoin, which are being hosted by Steve Nace Racing. His mastery of the track showed over this past weekend in his winning five of six races on Saturday and again on Sunday in the Ethan Gillim Memorial event. Other then the previously mentioned Chris Carr's win, Pro Singles competitor James Rispoli was the only other rider to pull off a win at the indoor arena on the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, with Beach taking home the lion's share of the hardware for his work.
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Flat Track racing got off to a great 2011 season as a National field of riders headed to the Southern Illinois Center at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds to contest the Steve Nace Racing-hosted Ethan Gillim Memoral event over the weekend. Riders including 7-Time AMA Flat Track Grand National Champion Chris Carr, '09 'mythical' AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Twins Champion Sammy Halbert and 2010 AMA Pro Flat Track Pro Singles Champion Jeffrey Carver contested the event at the beautiful indoor arena in preparation for the April 9 round three event as part of the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Series schedule.

Rookie Expert J.D. Beach had a career weekend in winning 10 of the 12 events, with Carr and AMA Pro Flat Track Pro Singles competitor James Rispoli taking home the other wins on Saturday and Sunday. With Beach's first foray into 'The Bigs' riding in the Expert Class some five months ago at the Springfield rounds, and his off-season training including contesting some of the other Steve Nace rounds at DuQuoin, the youngster who now calls Kentucky home is more then proving he deserved to step into the Expert Class. And with Daytona just over two months away and round three in DuQuoin just over three months away, look for J.D. to have a great set-up and be ready for the upcoming season of racing in the AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship Series. And look for him to come out strong and smokin'!

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Larry Lawrence was on hand all weekend for the Ethan Gillim Memorial events held at DuQuoin and as always he has some great stuff to show us from the weekend's festivities.

Here's the link to LL's pics from day one on his great site The Rider Files.com:

http://www.theriderfiles.com/?p=8545

Larry also filed this report with Cycle News.com for day one at DuQuoin:

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/flat-track/2011/01/01/beach-wins-gillim-memorial

Dave Hoenig was on hand over the weekend as well and filed these results for day one over on his Flat Trak Fotos.com site (and within a few days should have more pics, too!):

Pt 1/ST-

http://www.flattrakfotos.com/2011%20Results/RESULTS%2001-01-11st.html

Pt 2/TT-

http://www.flattrakfotos.com/2011%20Results/RESULTS%2001-01-11tt.html
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Here's LL's report on day two at the Southern Illinois Center over on Cycle News.com:

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/flat-track/2011/01/02/beach-again-in-day-two-at-duquoin

And Larry has some more great pics from day two on Sunday at DuQuoin here at his The Rider Files.com site:

http://www.theriderfiles.com/?p=8553

Dave Hoenig posted these overall results for day two on his Flat Trak Fotos.com site:

Pt 1/ST-

http://www.flattrakfotos.com/2011%20Results/RESULTS%2001-02-11st.html

Pt 2/TT-

http://www.flattrakfotos.com/2011%20Results/RESULTS%2001-02-11tt.html
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Steve Nace Racing has been taking care of the AMA series that used to go by the Hotshoe Series or the 600 Series for several years now. Here's the link to his site where you can also get other event results as they are posted. They run several events throughout the off-season in DuQuoin and then they will run what used to be called the 'regional' races throughout the course of the 'normal' racing season:

http://www.stevenaceracing.com/mcatv.html
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Saturday, December 11, 2010

AMA Flat Track: Kenny Coolbeth Moves to Mean Green for 2011 AMA Flat Track Singles Series


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The #2 Bettencourt's Honda/Jason Perry/Arai/fox-sponsored Honda CRF450Fs of Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. sit in his pit while being attended to by K.C., Sr. as the former 3-Time AMA Flat Track Grand National Twins Champion and '07 AMA Flat Track Singles Champion looks over his Dad's shoulder. The 25-time AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship event winner has long been sponsored by the East Coast's Bettencourt's Honda, but announced yesterday that he would be moving his AMA Flat Track Grand National Singles Class program over to Chaplin's Kawasaki-backed sponsorship, and running one of the 'hot as coals' KX450's that have all but dominated the Singles Series as of late (see Henry Wiles for how well the Kaws are working today in the series.)
Coolbeth is expected to remain with the Screamin Eagle Harley-Davidson Factory team for his Twins Series program of which he has been a member of now for several years. The move to Mean Green in the Singles Series should help to amp up what is already an extremely competitive series, and the aforementioned Henry Wiles won four of the six Singles Series events in 2010 on one of them. Although Honda seems to have had the overall advantage in terms of number of machines entered in the Singles events in the last two years overall, this move by The King of Cool to the ranks will make three, good current riders who are currently ranked in the top ten in the overall points representing the KHI brand (Bryan Smith being the third.)
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3-Time AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Twins Champion Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. announced yesterday he would be dropping his long-time Bettencourt's Honda sponsorship in the AMA Flat Track Singles Series to the Chaplin Kawasaki team out of his home state of Connecticut. Chaplin Kawasaki is a New England-based Kawasaki dealership that has been in business for over 60 years, and will be supplying the '07 AMA Flat Track Singles Champion with KHI's superb KX450s for his assault on the Singles events in the upcoming 2011 season.

With Kawasaki Heavy Industries now making one of the more dominant 450s on the market today, this should prove to be an interesting move in putting The King of Cool on equal equipment to that of 2-Time AMA Flat Track Singles Champion Henry Wiles, who won four of the six Singles Series events during the 2010 season. Coolbeth has reportedly been practicing
on the Green Machines for the last couple of months and is expected to make his opening assault on the AMA Flat Track Grand National Singles Series in March at the opening rounds in Daytona.

Stu's Shots is looking forward to the change-up for Kenny for the 2011 season and wishes him the very best of luck in the upcoming year. The new season is four months off and it is already looking super!
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Jennifer Sierzega from She Loves Racing and Flat Track Today.com has this version of the official press release, which has a nice shot of The King of Cool practicing on one of the new #2 Green Machines:

http://flattracktoday.com/coolbeth.html

The always on the scene Larry Lawrence of The Rider Files.com has also gotten back together with Cycle News.com's rise from the molten fall-out late this summer, and he posted this great interview with Kenny Coolbeth late yesterday afternoon:

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/flat-track/2010/12/10/kenny-coolbeth-goes-green

AMA Pro Flat Track posted this official press release of Coolbeth's signing with Chaplin Kawasaki as well, and it has another shot of K.C., Jr. practicing on one of his new KX450s:

http://amaproracing.com/ft/news/index.cfm?cid=40703

Here is the link to Kenny's new sponsor, Chaplin Kawasaki. Check them out:

http://www.chaplinkawasaki.com/default.asp

And here is Kenny's official website:

http://www.kennycoolbeth.com/home.html
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Monday, August 23, 2010

Henry Wiles Spanks Em Again at AMA Flat Track Peoria TT


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Henry 'Hammerin' Hank' Wiles watches the competition in heat two during short track action at Gas City in June of 2010 after having won heat one, and eventually going on to the final win at the Gas City/I-69 Speedway.
Wiles rode his Monster Energy/Don's Kawasaki/Shift Racing/Jones Bros. #1 machine to a very convincing sixth-straight victory at Peoria Raceway Park in round 11 of the AMA Pro K&N Filters presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com Grand National Championship yesterday afternoon. Henry had a perfect day in setting fast time (in both qualifying sessions to time in at .361 faster then second fastest man Bryan Smith), winning his heat (the fastest of the day good for pole position), the dash for cash (winning by close to 1.5 seconds) and the GNC Singles final event. The only lap he didn't lead was the first lap of the dash, and he won the main by over 11 seconds on second-place man Jared Mees and takes a very strong 113-92 point lead in the Singles Championship over Joe Kopp to the now-final Singles event at Springfield on September 4th.
Kopp still holds the overall GNC points lead over new second place man Sammy Halbert by 17 points, 208-191. Jake Johnson rounds out the top three with 190 points by virtue of his fourth place finish yesterday. Wiles sits in the fourth spot overall with 188 points after his fourth win of the season, his third singles win on the year.
If anyone can stop Hammerin' Hank, they weren't in the ballpark yesterday at Peoria. Barring any major problems he should walk away with another Singles Championship again in 12 days time. Look for Henry to win again at Springfield in grand style as it sure doesn't look like anyone has anything for him in the Singles Championship this year. Not that they aren't trying! The man has it dialed on the little bikes, and if his program on the twins ever gets to the point as what his singles program is, look out.
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Peoria TT second place man Jared Mees takes a swig of water while overlooking prep on his bikes in the pits at Gas City back in June. Riding the #21 Rockysonline.com/Lucas Oil/Rogers Lake/Montgomeryville Cycle Center-backed Honda, Jammin' Jared timed in for the day in 9th spot, won the third heat race and also took second in the dash to go along with his runner-up spot in the AMA Flat Track Peoria TT Singles main event.
The defending Twins Champion now sits in the fifth spot in the overall standings with 187 points, and also holds down third in the Singles Championship with 90 points. Look for Jared to put a strong run in at the Springfield rounds over Labor Day weekend in both the short track and the mile events with the season starting to wind down. He has had some good results from both Springfield events in the past, and there is no reason to believe it won't happen again this year. But first up is the Indy Mile this Saturday.
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AMA Flat Track racing brothers Jethro Halbert/#69 and Sammy Halbert/#7 sit and wait out the red flag break in the running of the Gas City/I-69 short track event earlier this summer.
Jethro made the cut at Peoria yesterday according to qualifying, but didn't actually race the main and as of this writing I haven't heard anything official on that.
Brother Slammin' Sammy, however, rode his Woody Kyle Racing/Fredericktown Yamaha/Kings Kustoms/Fluid Suspension-backed Yamaha to a fine and hard-earned third place finish at the Peoria arena. The '09 'mythical' overall GN Champion qualified in 12th overall for the day and took third in the first heat behind Henry and Jake Johnson to round out the podium. The 'little man' with the iron will and iron throttle hand is making a great show of trying to run down Joe Kopp in overall GNC points standings. After yesterday's event he sits in second place only 17 points down on leader Smokin' Joe. Sammy also sits in the fifth spot in the Singles Championship with 73 points.
With his solid finishes this year, to go along with his season-opening short track win at Daytona, Sammy has been right there in all of the events this season. With four miles, one half mile and one short track left in the series run to the championship, if anyone tips the apple cart it's most likely to be this man. Look for this youngster to just keep on getting better and better, and if something, or someone, goes amiss during the rest of this season, he will be right there to get the better of them should it happen. Indy this Saturday could be where those apples get jostled around. Stay tuned!
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Henry 'Hammerin' Hank' Wiles simply outclassed the field yesterday in the annual running of the AMA Flat Track Peoria TT, winning his sixth straight event at the famous outdoor arena, and leading just about every lap of the day in the process. Henry won the final by 11+ seconds over second place man Jared Mees, and Sammy Halbert rounded out the podium in round eleven of the AMA Pro K&N Filters presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com Grand National Championship. Wiles is in position now to go after Chris 'The Price of Peoria' Carr's eight straight wins at Peoria Race Park, let alone looking at the overall 13 wins the former 7-Time Champ has there. But that's for another time.

Hammerin Hank couldn't put a wheel wrong yesterday, and in the process of winning it all and leading just ABOUT all of the laps he ran at Peoria, took a commanding lead in the AMA Flat Track Singles Championship over second place man Joe Kopp 113-92. Look for Hank to wrap it up at Springfield in twelve days with not only a win, but another Singles Championship to boot. With the now-canceled/postponed Arizona short track out of the season's equation, Henry could cruise to the Singles title. But don't look for that to happen as he keeps his string intact in winning at Illinois (and Indiana after his June Gas City win) singles events. Four miles, one half mile and one short track are all that is left in the season now, and the title for the singles will come down September 4th in the Capital of the Land of Lincoln. Let alone the Capital of AMA Flat Track racing!

But first up is The Indy Mile this Saturday, August 28th. There should be a big time huge crowd there again in the third running of the legendary pairing of the Red Bull MotoGP Indy round along with the best show on two wheels, the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship.

Stu's Shots will be there to highlight all the action and to take it all in. This is getting better all the time!

You can read and look at the various race reports below on the action at Peoria from yesterday, and marvel in the mastery that is Henry Wiles!
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Here is Matt Davidson's take from Motorcycle-USA.com on the Peoria event yesterday, with a few pics from the event as well:

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/504/7784/Motorcycle-Article/2010-AMA-Flat-Track-Peoria-Results.aspx


AMA Pro Flat Track has this report on the Peoria event as well as the overall and singles points round-up with eleven overall events run, and one singles event remaining in Springfield (with the cancelation/postponement of the Arizona season-ending ST) on Saturday, Sept. 4th:

http://amaproracing.com/ft/news/index.cfm?cid=39290

And here's a nice little gallery of shots from Dave Hoenig over at the AMA Pro Flat Track site:

http://amaproracing.com/ft/multimedia/gallery.cfm?gid=3977

Here is the link to the Peoria event from AMA Pro Flat Track. Some of the results (main/combined points standings) haven't been updated on here as of this post:

http://results.amaproracing.com/pdfresults/ft/2010/12-peoria/

Dave Hoenig at FlatTrakFotos.com has his results up (and will soon have photos from Peoria up as of this writing) right here:

http://www.flattrakfotos.com/2010%20Results/RESULTS%208-22-10.html

Dave also filed this report for the bible of motorcycle racing news, CycleNews.com that includes full results from all the races on Sunday at Peoria:

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/flat-track/2010/08/23/sixth-straight-for-wiles-in-peoria-tt


And the great Chew and Mia from over at FlatTrack.com have this great gallery of shots that they put together from Peoria. Great job as always guys and thanks again!

http://picasaweb.google.com/101900423602085486119/Peoria10#
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