With just two rounds to go in the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season, the same three men are at the top of a great battle for the AMA Grand National Championship title fight, with Sammy Halbert making his bid again last weekend for the top man on the totem pole after winning his series' leading fourth win of-the-year at the Santa Rosa Mile.
Halbert held tough as the laps wore on and was able to take his #7 South East H-D/The South Ass/Mo Vaughn Transport/LZ Racing-sponsored XR750 to the win after running down early-leader Bryan Smith #42 on the Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports Kawasaki after Flyin' Bryan's race line went away at the top of the track. Halbert and Jared Mees were both able to get around Smith to round out the top-3 on the podium after a great 25-lap National main held for the first time in 42 years at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in front of a crowded house full of west coast flat track fans.
With the win, Slammin' Sammy was able to secure the 2nd-place spot in the overall championship battle behind points leader Mees (262-248) with 2-Time and defending AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson just two points behind. With the series heading into the Tucson Half-Mile later today in the first of two events left in the season, the tide could easily have swung in Sammy's favor with his skills and strong suit being on the half-mile tracks left on the schedule. But it's still too early to count out either Jammin' Jared or Jersey Jake in what is boiling down to a great tussle to the finish in The Rolling Thunder Show.
Shown above during rider intros at the Springfield Mile II on September 16, Sammy and his crew roll out the #7 South East H-D just in front of his older brother, Jethro, who was riding the #69 USC Racing Kawasaki during the rain-delayed event at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
The two men who have fought tooth and nail for the coveted AMA Grand National Championship for the last two seasons sit ready to go out for one of the qualifying rounds at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18, during round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.
Jared Mees on the #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D/Saddlemen/National Cycle-backed XR750 and Jake Johnson on the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing Suspension/Arai-sponsored XR both put on a great show at Santa Rosa with neither making the Dash event (which was won by Sammy to further gain points on the duo) and Mees was forced to win his semi in order to qualify for the main. Taking advantage of the groove setting in down low. both ran to the front and were able to finish in the 2nd and 4th-place spots to keep themselves in a title fight that is going to go down to the final round in Pomona in just eight short days.
With Johnson not having won a race yet this season, but kicking out great and solid top-5 finishes to keep the Champ in the hunt, today's event in Tucson could just be what the 2-Time defending champ needs to get that elusive first win of the year and propel him back towards the front in the chase. But Mees (along with Halbert's Lima win earlier in the season) has a half-mile win under his belt (Hagerstown) from earlier in the year and is always tough to beat.
Wherever you are or will be, you can follow all the action on AMA Pro Flat Track's Live Timing and Scoring today as first practice rolls out at 5:45 PM EDT/2:45 PM MST in what will surely be a great day of racing as the greatest racing show on wheels in the world hits the track at Tucson in the first of two final rounds in the 2012 season. You won't want to miss it as the stars of The Rolling Thunder Show battle it out on the half-mile in Arizona for all the final marbles in the great title chase happening again this year.
You can follow the action via this link to live timing and check out the press release below for round 14's action at Santa Rosa from last Sunday!
Live timing link:
http://live.amaproracing.com/ft/
AMA Pro Flat Track results link for round 15 at Tucson:
http://results.amaproracing.com/live/results/pdfresults/ft/2012/F1275/default.aspx
AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance
Grand National Championship presented by
Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil Race Recap: Santa Rosa Mile
Halbert Hangs Tough to Capture Win in
Jam Packed Santa Rosa Mile
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DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla. (October 4, 2012) - The roar of big bore motorcycle racing returned to the
Sonoma County Fairgrounds for the first time in 42 years. The Circle Bell / Bob
Bellino team hosted round 14 of the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand
National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil on
the mile oval in Santa Rosa, deep in California's wine country. A
near capacity crowd witnessed a rough and tumble cushion mile, although there
were few fall downs the track was definitely challenging with long straights and
tight turns.
When
the 25-lap National scrambled into turn one it was Bryan Smith and his Crosley
Radio / Howerton Motorsports backed Kawasaki going straight to the hay bales
leaving the other 18 riders to fight over second. Smith
had been dominant all day and it appeared he was going to easily take his third
win of the year, pulling to a five-second lead. At least one person was not
convinced, Sammy Halbert (South East Harley-Davidson). "On
the first lap or two I was trying the bottom then I was just moved to the top to
make that work. I went back to the top but there was a pretty big gap to him
(Smith)," said Halbert. "I thought it looked like it was second for me. I was
just doing my best around the top."
As
the laps wore down Smith's lead began to erode. "The top was going away as fast
as the groove was coming in. That is kind of the downfall of leading you don't
know what's going on," said Smith. "When you are in the back coming, you can
kind of gauge everybody. I looked back once and had a good lead. I looked back
again and they were right there passing me."
"I
passed him one time but he shot back by me," said Halbert. "I knew I had to find
a line significantly better to beat him. I tried the bottom early on and lost a
ton of time. I kept checking behind me and the guys eventually started catching
me. When they got close enough I could see the pack behind me were all down on
the groove on the bottom. I changed up my line and went to the bottom of the
track. It took me a few laps to get that figured out. You had to be really easy
on the throttle instead of whacking it like I was on the top."
After
taking the point on lap 20, Halbert was able to pull away from Smith, but
current points leader Jared Mees (Rogers Racing / Blue Springs Harley-Davidson)
was slicing his way to the front after starting the race from row three. "I just
never gave up. The track definitely came to me," said Mees. "I didn't even know
where I was until about five or six laps to go. I thought, 'Man I'm damn near in
the lead.' It would have been nice to see that groove come in
quicker." "I
didn't have trouble staying on the groove," added Mees. "That's my cup of tea,
the groove stuff. Anytime I see that black notch coming I get excited." Mees was
able to grab second on lap 21 and closed to finish just .874 seconds behind
Halbert. "I
still thought I had something. I thought 'Okay, I can ride the groove,'" said
Smith. "I dove down there and followed Jared into three and kind of got sucked
in there a little bit and blew the groove. He gapped me and that was it. I
couldn't make up that difference even riding the groove. They were both down low
on that little bit of rubber. It wasn't a Springfield groove."
Sammy Halbert on his #7 South East H-D XR750 was able to run down early leader Bryan Smith to win his series' leading 4th race of the season at round 14 in Santa Rosa on September 30. AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.
Also
moving his way to the front was defending Grand National Champion Jake Johnson
(Zanotti Racing / Schaeffer's Harley-Davidson). "I got a good start and went
right up to fourth or fifth right off the start. I was hanging tough. All of a
sudden I started dropping back," said Johnson. "I think (Briar) Bauman got by.
(Rob) Pearson got by and dropped me back to sixth or seventh. I had a couple
close encounters with the airfence, I couldn't see much. I ran a few laps down
around the bottom. It didn't feel like I was going very fast, but I was making
up time."
Memphis
Shades / Bumpus Harley-Davidson's Rob Pearson clawed his way up to his best ever
mile track finish, a fifth. "I knew we had a good setup," said Pearson. "I went
out for the main event and didn't get a great start. I ate dust the whole time,
but I was trying to pick away. In the cushion my bike worked really well. I was
thinking it was getting slicker and slicker and finally sure enough Jake and
Jared went by me at the same time. I moved back down and as I was going to get
by Henry I went into to three and four and blew the groove. I swear it was like
20 bikes lengths in one corner. I chased him back down and got back by him. I
was trying to set my sights on Jake, but I was wondering if I should run it in
under him or what. It was pretty much like ice skating in the
corner." Henry
Wiles (Foremost Insurance / ENI), Brad Baker (Dodge Brothers Racing), Kenny
Coolbeth (Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson motor Company), Jeffrey carver (Kiesow
Racing / Carver's BBQ) and Briar Bauman (Rod Lake Racing / Brown's Cycle)
rounded out the top ten.
Baker
earned the event's MotoBatt "Hard Charger" award by improving
his position the most throughout the main event.
The
four lap Dash for Cash was a definite preview of the Grand National as Sammy
Halbert ran down Bryan Smith and picked up the five bonus points along with the
$1000 check. Fortunately for Halbert, his points competition, Jared Mees and
Jake Johnson, both failed to qualify for the Dash. The near perfect day (Halbert
failed to get the bonus point for most laps led) allowed Halbert to move back into second place in the AMA Pro
Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship points race. Jared Mees
maintains a 14 point lead with two races remaining. Defending Grand national
champion, Jake Johnson drops to third two points behind Halbert. "We lost a few
points. I think we are down to like 16 points. We've got our work cut out," said
Johnson. "I think leaving Brainerd last year with 2 races to go, I was down 18
points. We're going to need a little bit of luck, but we're still in
it."
Santa
Rosa Mile Race Results
AMA
Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance GNC Points Standings
Sunoco
"Go the Distance" Award Update
1. Jeffrey Carver Jr. - 426.08 mi.
2. Jared Mees - 424.3 mi.
3. Jake Johnson - 408.14 mi.
4. Bryan Smith - 405.39 mi.
Saddlemen
"Rookie of the Year" Update
Briar
Bauman - 103
Mikey
Martin - 30
Mikey
Avila - 21
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Vanderkuur Dominates in AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Class at Santa Rosa Mile
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AMA Pro
Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles
AMA
Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles points leader Stephen Vanderkuur
(Parkinson Brothers Racing / Performance Cycle & Dyno) was obviously the man
to beat all day long as he set fast qualifying time, fast heat race win and
pulled to over a nine second lead in the 12-lap Pro Singles Main. "I was just riding my own
race," said Vanderkuur. "I knew I had to get ahead early and I did just
that."
Stephen Vanderkuur on the #10J Parkinson Brothers Honda CRF450R took the win at Santa Rosa by over 9.2 seconds in the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Championship round. Vanderkuur leads Jake Shoemaker by 11 points heading into the final two rounds of the season today in Tucson and next Saturday, October 13 at the season-finale at the Pomona Half-Mile. AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.
Rodney Spencer Jr. (831
Pinnit / GP Sports) worked his way into second and was able to pull a
comfortable lead over a war for third. Cole Anderson (Diesel
Minnesota / Anderson Brothers Motorsports), Jake Shoemaker (Montgomeryville
Cycle Center), Dominic Colindres (Weirbach Racing), Ryan Foster (Baywide Glass)
and Wyatt Maguire (Kirkland Racing / Pro 1) were all battling over third, but
Anderson claimed the last podium spot.
By virtue of his strong
performance Vanderkuur extended what had been a narrow points lead to 11 over
Shoemaker. Jason Isennock (Highs Dairy Stores) had mechanical problems in turn
one of the main and finished last, dropping him to 24 points back of
Vanderkuur.
Pro Singles Race Results
AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro
Singles Points Standings
Sunoco "Go the Distance" Award Update
1. Jake Shoemaker - 279.97 mi.
2. Wyatt Maguire - 271.06 mi.
3. Jason Isennock - 269.14 mi.
Next Up
The stars of AMA Pro Flat Track head to Tucson
International Raceway on October 6, 2012. For tickets and information, please
visit http://tucsoninternationalraceway.com/
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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,
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