AMA Flat Track Minnesota Mile Review; The Tide Has Turned in the AMA Grand National Championship Point Standings

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jake Johnson sits in the pits at the Springfield Mile on Sunday, September 5th overlooking his #5 Zanotti Racing/Leo Vince/Arai/Tucker Rocky-backed XR. Jersey Jake finished 3.374 seconds back of winner Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. at the Minnesota Mile on Saturday night, and due to Joe Kopp's misfortune (more later) took the lead in the overall standings in the 2010 AMA Pro Flat Track K&N Filters presented by Motorcycle Superstore.com Grand National Championship hunt. He also won his heat and got second in the Dash to Chris Carr on the night, adding four more valuable points to his overall tally.
After being in the 2nd or 3rd spot in the overall championship hunt since early in the summer, Johnson has taken what at one time was an 18 point deficit and turned it into a 10 point advantage, and lead over Joe Kopp, 265-255. With the half mile in Knoxville, IA. this coming Saturday, and the mile event in Arizona in October the only events left on the 2010 calendar, the tide has turned in the championship hunt and now JJ is the hunted.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Rogers Lake/Blue Springs H-D/Rockysonline.com/Lucas Oil Team of #1 defending Twins Champ Jared Mees gets his XR ready for final qualifying at Springfield while Jammin Jared (center of shot) overlooks the changes. Mees has been as consistent as can be this year, and carded another fine podium finish at Canterbury Park on Saturday night with another great run to 3rd place, second in his heat to winner Johnson, and 4th in the Dash for the evening. He now lies 3rd in the overall championship standings with 246, 19 points back of new leader Jake Johnson.
Of the six men in the top 6 of the overall championship hunt, Jared is the only rider to not have won a race yet in 2010. He's done it on ability, good solid runs, well-prepared machinery and consistency, proving that it doesn't matter where we race, The Jammer will be there. And the season isn't over yet, although he won the '09 Twins Championship without a series win. Can he do it in the overall this year? Time will tell. And he's sitting pretty in the standings to be there in case someone else makes a mistake.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Carr gets ready to hop on his #4 Lancaster H-D/DFW Honda/Wiseco Pistons/Arai-backed XR at Springfield on Sunday, September 5th for final qualifying. His Kenny Tolbert-tuned (handing off his primary machine to The Prince of Peoria) bikes have helped the former 7-Time Grand National Champion surge to the front as of late helping him to win three Dash for Cash events in a row in the Twins Series, including his win on the Minnesota Mile in
Shakopee the other night. Add to it his strong run home in the main in 7th place, and Carr is adding to his strong year-end run in the series, where he now sits in the 7th overall spot with 190 points.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shawn Baer put the #32 Bonneville Performance/Marines/Wiseco Pistons/Motion Pro-sponsored Triumph in the main for the fourth time this year in the Twins class, and for the first time in the top 10 with a fine run into 9th place, his and the team's best-ever finish in the AMA Pro Flat Track Series Twins Series. The lone Triumph campaigning the 2010 season, Shawn has done an admirable job of learning the bike and the tracks on his Bonneville SE 865-based mount. He now sits in the 28th spot in the overall championship with 28 points, all earned in his four twins appearances this year. Bravo to Shawn and the Bonneville Performance Triumph team!
With Saturday night's 18 rider field being filled with six different manufacturers, the diversity level in AMA Pro Flat Track is at an all-time high. H-D, Triumph, KTM, Kawasaki, Ducati and Suzuki were all represented in the main event in what has been a very exciting year in terms of the makes that can and have contested the series this year.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three riders who all had pivotal turns in their quest for the 2010 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship this weekend in Minnesota get ready to roll out for final qualifying at the Springfield Mile over Labor Day Weekend.
Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. took the #2 H-D Motor Co/Screamin Eagle/Arai/Fox-backed factory XR750 to the win at Canterbury Park over runner-up Jake Johnson by 3.374 seconds after taking the lead half way into the race over a battling Johnson and earlier-battling Matt Weidman. It was The King of Cool's first win this season, his first since the Lucas Oil Indy Mile in August of 2009, and it helped to move him up to 5th in the overall championship standings with 231 points, just 34 points back of new-series leader Jake Johnson. He also won his heat and came home 5th in the Dash for Cash behind winner Chris Carr. Kenny was quoted as saying that the track finally came to him and his bike and he was able to get around early-leaders Johnson and Weidman into the lead and take it home on top of the box for the night.
Joe Kopp on the #3 Latus H-D/Lloyd Bros/American Agip/MotoConcepts-sponsored Ducati went the other way, unfortunately. Finishing 3rd in his heat behind winner Johnson and second-place Mees, Kopp was running in the top eight when he reportedly lost a chain, dropping him to 16th on the night with only 3 points scored for this event. He now trails Johnson by 10 points, 265-255 in the overall standings with only two events left, after having as much as an 18 point lead just a few events ago.
As of this writing, Smokin Joe isn't pre-entered for the Knoxville Half Mile this coming Saturday, but it will be interesting to see if he jumps back on his Latus XR for this event, just like he did in winning the Hagerstown and Lake Odessa Half Miles earlier in the season. He ran the Ducati at Lima earlier this season for a 9th place finish, and at Calistoga brought the XR home in 7th in the main after his crash in the heat when the swingarm pivot broke.
Sammy Halbert had the worst weekend of anyone, as he was forced to sit out this round due to what was considered rough riding in a semi race at the Springfield Short Track round over Labor Day weekend. AMA Pro Flat Track Manager Mike Kidd exercised the suspension on Slammin Sammy earlier in the week, stating that he had not only been warned about his rough riding, but that he had also been on probation since the Springfield round in late May. As a result, the defending overall champ was forced to park his #7 Kings Kustoms/Nelson Racing/KK Motorcycle Supply/AGV-sponsored XR for the weekend, leaving him with the 228 points he had amassed through the Springfield rounds, and dropping him to 6th in the overall standings.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryan Smith's #42 Werner Springsteen/Monster Energy/Wossner Pistons/SuperTrapp-backed Kawasakis sit in the pits before final qualifying at the Springfield Mile over Labor Day weekend. Flyin Bryan was shut out in his bid to win three Twins events in a row after his fine performances the prior two weekends in Springfield and Indy. However he did finish 3rd in his heat at Canterbury Park behind winner Matt Weidman and runner-up Rob Pearson, to earn a direct transfer to the main, and a fine finish of 6th place. He now sits 8th in the overall championship hunt with 177 points. The Bill Werner-tuned machine was one of two Kawasakis that made the field in Minnesota, the other ridden by Scott Powersports rider #10 Johnny Lewis, who also finished inside the top 10 with an 8th place finish (see more on this rider below).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mick Kirkness' #87 Dave Burks Motorsports/Yeager Cycles/F&S H-D/Memphis Shades-sponsored Suzuki sits in the pit area next to his XR at Springfield. The Man From Down Under put the Suzuki in the field in Shakopee via his 3rd place in the semi, and brought it home in the 14th spot in the main. He now sits 12th in the overall championship hunt with 79 points.
Waters Autobody Racing/Arlen Ness/Digger Helm/5-Star Fab & Steel-sponsored #49 Chad Cose also put a Suzuki in the main, but only was credited with one lap and a finish of 18th in the main.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two men getting ready to roll out for practice at Springfield who both had good results in Minnesota, just not the results they could have had or would have wanted.
Henry Wiles on the #17 KK Motorcycle Supply/Mike & Eddie Adkins/Don Kissinger Racing/Saddlemen-backed XR was running away with heat 2 at Canterbury Park when he suffered an unknown mechanical and was relegated to 7th and a spot in the semi, where he promptly took the lead and the win to put it in the main, but having to start on the back row. Hammerin Hank, who just the weekend before had sowed up his second Singles Championship before winning the short track main in Springfield, got a monster start and worked his way through the pack to finish 4th in the main and move up to 4th in the overall championship standings with 239 points, 26 behind leader Johnson. And to think he didn't make the main at Indy where he might be if he had!?
Fast-all-night-long man Matt Weidman on his #20 GCR/White's H-D/SNIP/Silkolene/Shoe-backed XR set fast time, won the fastest heat and got 3rd in the Dash on his way to the main on the Minnesota Mile cushion. In what was looking like a superb finish by the New Yorker, his run at the front while battling with early leader Jake Johnson was derailed by the dirty track and a faulty tear off on his helmet, limiting his visibility in the main to a 5th place finish. Smart riding by this youngster with the million dollar smile as a result of his tear-off malady also helped him to move up a notch in the overall standings to 9th place with 108 points. And we know he's knocking at the door of that first Grand National win.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The #82B KTM machine of Jeremy Higgins sits in the pits at Springfield over Labor Day weekend. Jeremy put the Waters Auto Body Racing/Power Sports Institute/Arlen Ness Leathers/Bell Helmets-sponsored KTM into the main event on the Canterbury Park Mile last Saturday via a direct transfer to the main with a 3rd place in the second heat behind winner Coolbeth and runner-up Carr. He then made AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National history by not only putting the first KTM into a Twins event, but by bringing it home in the 12th spot in the process. He also qualified for his first Grand National race of the year (and his career!) and will get a 'solid' number for next year. Bravo to Jeremy and the Waters Auto Body Team for a fine night and a great run in helping to diversify AMA Pro Flat Track Racing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Scott Powersports/Cycle Dynamics/K&N Filters/Pit Posse-sponsored Kawasaki of #10 Johnny Lewis gets some attention by one of the team's techs in the pits at Springfield last weekend. Lewis was the second of two Kawasakis in the field at Canterbury Park on Saturday (Bryan Smith #42 being the other) and got fourth in his heat behind Johnson, Mees and Kopp to earn his direct transfer to the main, where he brought it home in the 8th spot on the evening. He now lies 10th in the 2010 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National overall point standings with 103 points.
With the six makes (H-D, Ducati, Suzuki, KTM, Triumph and Kawasaki) that made up the main event at the Minnesota Mile, the series is looking more and more varied as the season goes on with the rules that have been established to allow the varied makes to compete on the GN Championship trail. Not since the early-mid '70s have we seen this many makes/models competing in AMA Flat Track, and it further proves that the series is on a major upswing with good close racing. And with three brands claiming wins in the Twins events this year shows just how tough it is and how far the series has come in just a few short years, if not months! Hats off to Mike Kidd and Company, the AMA, the promoters and fans, and the racers and sponsors for helping to turn the ship in the U.S. series and putting it back at the top of the must-see racing list where it should be. Bravo!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With the AMA Pro Flat Track K&N Filters presented by Motorcycle Superstore.com Grand National Championship Series round 15 in Minnesota in the bag, the series turns to the ultra-fast half mile in Knoxville, Iowa this coming Saturday night. With a new overall point leader in former 2-Time Singles Champion Jake Johnson, Joe Kopp dropping to 2nd in the hunt due to a mechanical, and defending overall champion Sammy Halbert having served his suspension and being relegated to the 6th spot in the championship hunt, the 2010 version of the best racing show on two wheels hits the Sprint Car Capital of the World for the first of two remaining events on the 2010 calendar. And as fast as this series moves, you better be there to keep up with it or it will leave you sitting in your seat long after the checkered flag flies for the season finale at the
Arizona Mile in October.

All of the highlights, on-the-scene shots and race results from the AMA's return to the Canterbury Park Mile can be read below. And check out the coverage from all of the different sources this week. The news is getting around about how good this stuff really is! Right on!

But don't go away, cuz Saturday will be here before you know it and the racing will be faster and more furious again as the racers go for it until the end in what has to be the best year of racing and competition that AMA Flat Track has seen in some time. Stay tuned for more fun! Stu's Shots will bring you all the updates from AMA Flat Track's return to Knoxville Raceway this weekend so don't stray to far away!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Motorcycle-USA.com filed this report (with a few pics!) on round 15 of the AMA Pro Flat Track stop at the Minnesota Mile in Shakopee, MN.:

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/504/7921/Motorcycle-Article/2010-Flat-Track-Minneapolis-Mile-Results.aspx
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cycle News Online is still happening, and the put up this report on the Minnesota Mile round of the AMA Flat Track Series:
http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/flat-track/2010/09/11/coolbeth-gets-his-first-of-the-year
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Kalal runs a motorcycle trip review website and also put in this post with some pics from the stands over at the FlatTrack.com forum. Looks like a good crowd and a great facility:

http://www.flattrack.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=46&func=view&id=114040&catid=3


Here's Dan's site--and thanks for the great report as well, Dan. Hats off!

http://www.dankalal.net/index.htm
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flat Track Today.com put up Kenny Coolbeth, Jr.'s report on his win at Canterbury Park from Saturday night. They may add more reports on the race as the week goes on:

http://flattracktoday.com/mn.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ultimate Motorcycling.com has this report from the AMA with results and a few pics as well:

http://www.ultimatemotorcycling.com/2010/minnesota-mile-ama-flat-track-results
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most of the time 2WF.com sticks pretty much with the road racing coverage, but they have the story as released by the AMA up on their site:

http://www2.2wf.com/index.php/topnews/642-coolbeth-returns-to-winning-ways
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Hoenig has a super place to go for great flat track coverage and photos. He also serves as the official photog for AMA Pro Flat Track and has been writing their race reports lately as well. Here's his official site on the web, Flat Trak Fotos.com that has all of the results (and within a few days after the event some fine pictures, as well) from the Minnesota Mile at Canterbury Park:

http://www.flattrakfotos.com/2010%20Results/RESULTS%209-11-10.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are Dave's photos from Canterbury Park over at AMA Pro Flat Track's site:

http://amaproracing.com/ft/multimedia/gallery.cfm?gid=4052
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Road Racer X.com has also been putting up some race reports for AMA Flat Track as well, and they had this up earlier today:

http://www.roadracerx.com/breaking-news/coolbeth-tops-canterbury-mile-pic/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of Dean Adams' crew over at SuperBikePlanet.com made it to the race. Since Dean is located in Red Wing, and no major road racing was going on in North America, I have a feeling that he just used one of his aliases in posting these shots from the horse track in Shakopee:

http://superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/minnmile2010/1/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AMA Pro Flat Track Canterbury Mile main results:

http://www.amaproracing.com/ft/events/results.cfm?eid=2010021075


AMA Pro Flat Track K&N Filters presented by Motorcycle Superstore.com Grand National Championship overall point standings:

http://www.amaproracing.com/ft/events/standings.cfm?class=gn&c=gc


AMA Pro Flat Track event PDF results--great resource for all events on the day!

http://results.amaproracing.com/pdfresults/ft/2010/16-canterbury/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------