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Official results from the 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix – Sunday, August 30, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

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Defending AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Champion Kenny Coolbeth (No. 1 Harley-Davidson Motor Co. / Screamin Eagles Harley-Davidson) came away the big winner of the Lucas Oil Indiana Mile as Round 7 of the Grand National Twins Championship came to the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Ind. The Harley-Davidson Motor Company / Screamin’ Eagle backed Coolbeth led the 25-lap National wire to wire.

This weekend’s victory was Coolbeth’s second National win of the year, and coupled with the points from his Dash win, the three-time Champion was propelled to a four point lead over Jared Mees (No. 21 Blue Springs Screamin’ Eagle / Rogers Lake’s Harley-Davidson).

“Everybody was fast today,” Coolbeth said. “The best way to handle that is to just get out front, put your head down and try to get away.  I don’t worry about the points when I’m racing.  If I can keep winning, the points will take care of themselves.”

While Coolbeth pulled to a comfortable lead, Mees was locked in a race-long battle with yet another Screamin’ Eagle rider, No. 42 Bryan Smith and his Moroney’s Harley-Davidson. Smith took second by the slimmest of margins, keeping his Championship hopes alive.

The race in the distance behind Coolbeth was divided into pairs. Besides the Mees / Smith duo, No. 14 Jake Johnson (SuperTrapp / F&S Harley-Davidson) and No. 43 Sammy Halbert (Halbert Family / Kings Kustoms) were having a great race until Halbert slid down on Lap 20.

Another three seconds back, No. 4 Chris Carr Racing’s Chris Carr and No. 33 Memphis Shades / Parts Unlimited’s JR Schnabel fought over fifth, with the edge going to Carr at the wire.  The last dueling pair was No. 3 Joe Kopp (Latus Harley-Davidson / Screamin Eagle) and No. 17 Henry Wiles (KK Motorcycle Supply / Mike Adkins).  Kopp was able to hold off a hard-charging Wiles by the end of the race.

Harley-Davidson of Wausau’s No. 59 Willie McCoy was a lonely ninth over the Nation Cycle / Reiman’s Harley-Davidson backed No. 26 Brandan Bergen.

The first attempt to start the 25-lap National was short lived, as four riders quickly tangled. No. 44 Brandon Robinson, No. 69 Jethro Halbert, No. 28 Shaun Russell and Wiles were involved in a Turn 1 incident.  Only Wiles was able to make the restart, riding his backup Harley-Davidson.

Under the new points system, the Dash has taken on great importance, as the points garnered from the 5-4-3-2-1 bonus system can add up fast. Coolbeth was able to take the five points for the win tonight, with last year’s race winner Carr finishing second. The short, four lap races are packed with action every week.

The Pro Singles Main event was another “barn burner” as Red Bull / Team 95 / American Honda’s No. 95C JD Beach backed up last week’s Peoria TT win with a solid performance tonight. Although Beach would lead all 12 laps, he was under constant attack from Vans Yamaha / Stevens Racing’s No. 24P Jeff Carver.

As Beach and Carver dueled away, current Pro Singles points leader Mike Velasco / Brothers Powersports’ No. 17M Brad Baker closed in and grabbed second on Lap 19, setting the podium. Grove City Mile winner  No. 10J Stephen Vanderkuur brought his new Dallas / Fort Worth Honda home in fourth over Weirbach Racing / Barnett’s James Rispoli, who in turn made a last lap pass on No. 80B Corey Crawford (Mom & Dad / Priestley Racing) for fifth.

RESULTS
Indiana State Fairgrounds
Indianaolis, IN
August 29

AMA Pro Racing Pro Singles Championship: (18 riders / 12 laps) 1. JD Beach (Hon); 2. Brad baker (Hon); 3. Jeff Carver (Yam); 4. Stephen Vanderkuur (Hon); 5. James Rispoli (Hon); 6. Corey Crawford (Hon); 7. Michael Toon (Hon); 8. Michael LaBelle Yam); 9. Zach Palmer (Hon); 10. Colin Heggarty (Kaw); 11. Tony Davila (Hon); 12. Kayl Kolkman (Hon); 13. Brian Tapp (Hon) 14. Jake Shoemaker (Suz); 15. Shauyna Texter (Suz); 16. Wyatt Maguire (Yam).

Time 7:58. 929.

AMA Pro Racing Grand National Twins Championship: (19 riders / 25 laps) 1. Kenny Coolbeth (H-D); 2. Bryan Smith (H-D); 3. Jared Mees (H-D); 5. Jake Johnson (H-D); 6. JR Schnabel (H-D); 7. Joe Kopp (H-D); 8. Henry Wiles (H-D); 9. Willie McCoy (H-D); 10. Brandan Bergen (H-D); 11. Don Taylor (H-D); 12. Aaron King (Apr); 13. AJ Eslick (H-D); 14. Dan Gedeon (H-D); 15. Sammy Halbert (H-D); 16. Jethro Halbert (H-D); 17. Brandon Robinson (H-D); 18. Shaun Russell (H-D).

Time: 15:48.256.

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.  From its Daytona Beach headquarters, the organization operates and manages AMA Pro Road Racing, which includes AMA Pro American Superbike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT.  AMA Pro Racing also manages and works closely with the day-to-day operational organizations of the AMA Pro Flat Track Championship and the AMA Pro Supermoto Championship Series in addition to other two-wheel and ATV series.  Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

This is a twitter-inspired blog post. The YouTube clip that started it all can be found HERE.  The link to that clip was originally tweeted by Alphonso and commented on by Bridget.  Bridget’s comment on Alphonso’s link was a simple “Just what I needed right now to get me through the rest of the day,” which was a stark contrast to one of the comments posted on YouTube: “would be boring to go like 1 mile to see 15 motorbikes for like 0.30 seconds.”  Those two philosophies pretty much sum up the difference between motorcycle racing fans and everyone else.

I’m a motorcycle racing fan.  I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t a motorcycle racing fan. Like most people reading this blog, to me there’s nothing like the smell of an engine and the heat of the asphalt.  A paddock pass, an event program and a hot dog and I’m good to go.  It doesn’t matter if the sun’s heating everything up to plus-100-degree temperatures or a monsoon is threatening to flood the entire infield, nothing beats a day at the track – except a weekend at the track.  Friends who don’t get it have asked me, “How can you spend all that money, walk around all day in the heat, finally find a place to sit and then watch the bikes go past for one second.  Those people are the unlucky ones who’ve never experienced that one second.

It’s that one second that makes racing. To you and me, sitting in the grandstands, it’s the blink of an eye.  To the racer on the track, it’s a lifetime. Races are won and careers are ended in one second of speed. Records – and bones – are broken within that one second of speed.  Some of us are lucky enough to live that one second on the track, but regardless of whether we’re watching, pressed up against the fence, or piloting a 220bhp GP machine with our knees and elbows dragging the pavement, we’re all connected by that one second of speed.

Of course, there’s so much more to a race weekend.  It’s the entire experience that draws us to it, whether it’s an amateur event or MotoGP.  It’s the atmosphere: Friends, vendors, bikes. The sights, the smells, the sounds.  It’s practice, warm-ups and qualifying. But all of that is disguised anticipation. Anticipation of that one second.  The poor guy who has already decided that walking a mile to see 15 bikes go by would be boring doesn’t understand that most of us would walk much farther to watch far fewer bikes go by.  Those guys on the Isle of Man TT course at Keppel Gate near the 34^th didn’t take the party bus up there.  The hundreds of fans at the top of the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca didn’t catch a ride. They’re there for that one second, and they do whatever it takes to get there for that one second.

There’s a lot of talk on Twitter about this weekend’s Red Bull Indianapolis GP, and the discussions are evidence of how the desire for that one second has the ability to remove any trace of rational thought from a person’s mind.  There’s talk about missing work, missing bills. Putting in 16 hours of drive time between Friday afternoon and Sunday evening.  Sleeping in cars.  Normal people don’t think like this, do they? Cycle World’s Peter Egan once wrote “Racing makes heroin addiction look like a vague desire for something salty,” and how right he is.

Whether you’re a racer or a fan – or both – common sense seems to go out the window when you’re in search of that one second of speed. In the grand scheme of the universe, one second is meaningless. It’s a microscopic moment lost somewhere in an eon. But, when you’re in search of speed, that one second is the most important moment in the world.  So, if you’re thinking about heading up to Indianapolis this weekend, ask yourself one simple question.  Are all the sacrifices necessary to get there this weekend worth one thing, that one second of speed?

AMA Pro Racing and Yamaha Motor Corporation will honor Kenny Roberts in recognition of the historic last lap win at the 1975 Indy mile on the Yamaha TZ750 that ultimately proved to be one of the most famous wins in American Dirt Track history.

Known as the King, Kenny Roberts, a two-time AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Champion and three-time World 500cc Champion, will take several hot laps on the infamous Yamaha TZ750 powered dirt tracker during the races on Saturday night, August 29th.

“That night was a memorable event for motorcycle fans the world over,” said Bob Starr, General Manager of Communications for Yamaha Motor Corporation. “Kenny’s accomplishments over the years played a major role in the basis of what Yamaha’s performance image is today. This will be a great tribute to a great man and his accomplishment 34 years ago will live on forever in the history of motorcycling.”

“I remember that night very well. You could hear that bike screaming no matter where he was on the track with Kenny hanging on for the ride of his life,” said Mike Kidd, Director of AMA Pro Flat Track. “Running about mid-pack early in the race, Kenny pulled up along side me down the front straight, then he shifted gears and I never saw him again.”

The Indy Mile is the seventh round of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship.
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.  From its Daytona Beach headquarters, the organization operates and manages AMA Pro Road Racing, which includes AMA Pro American Superbike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT.  AMA Pro Racing also manages and works closely with the day-to-day operational organizations of the AMA Pro Flat Track Championship and the AMA Pro Supermoto Championship Series in addition to other two-wheel and ATV series.  Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

In the third and final clip from the Corona Extra Honda Q&A session from the AMA Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals at VIR, Neil Hodgson finishes up his talk with some insight from Corona Extra Honda president Tim Saunders.  What have we learned from this session? Well, for one thing, not even Neil Hodgson knows how fast Neil Hodgson goes.

The racing season may be getting ready to wind down, but the action is still heating up.  The MotoGP circus lands in the US for the second and final time of the season for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.  If you’re lucky enough to be heading to Indianapolis this weekend, don’t miss the legendary Indy Mile flat track races next door at the Indianapolis Fairgrounds.  Round 9 of the British Superbike championship heads to Cadwell Park, and there are regional events to be found no matter where you live in the US.

This week’s motorcycle racing event calendar.

Aug 29-30
MotoGP Round 12
Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix
Indianapolis Speedway, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
http://www.motogp.com/en/events/Indianapolis/2009

Aug 29-30
AMA Flat Track Round 11
Indy Mile
Indianapolis State Fairgrounds, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
http://amaproracing.com/ft/events/event.cfm?eid=2009020970

Aug 29-30
British Superbike, Round9
Cadwell Park, Tathwell, Lincolnshire, UK
http://www.britishsuperbike.com/events/cadwell-park.aspx

Aug 29
AMA Hot Shoe Nationals Round 8
Gas City Short Track
Gas City I-69 Speedway, Gas City, Indiana, USA
http://amaproracing.com/ft/events/event.cfm?eid=2009030935&hs=true

Aug 28-30
CCS/ASRA Summer Cyclefest
Summit Point Motorsports Park, Summit Point, West Virginia, USA
http://www.ccsracing.us/venues/summit.html

Aug 28-30
SRA Sidecar Racing, Round 9-10
Summit Point Motorsports Park, Summit Point, West Virginia, USA
http://www.sidecarracers.com

August 29-30
WMRRA Sprint Races
Pacific Raceways, Kent, Washington, USA
http://www.pacificraceways.com

ON TV

Mon, Aug 24
Isle of Man TT, Senior TT Race – 9-10pm, SPEED

Tue, Aug 25
Isle of Man TT, Senior TT Race –
12-1am, SPEED
4-5am, SPEED
2-3pm,SPEED

MotoGP 125, Brno, Chech Republic – 12-1pm, SPEED

Sat, Aug 29
AMA Pro Motocross 450s, Southwick – 10-11pm, SPEED

Sun, Aug 30
MotoGP Indianapolis Grand Prix – 3-4pm, FOX

Today’s Motourage Video of the Day is part 1 of the Neil Hodgson Q&A session at VIR.  As part of the Motourage Celebrity Weekend at VIR, we were treated to a Q&A at the Corona Honda garage.  Neil Hodgson, current Corona Honda rider – and former British Superbike and World Superbike champion -  demonstrates why his personality and sense of humor have made him a fan favorite the world over.  Neil talks about his life as a racer and why he’ll never race the Isle of Man TT.

Round four of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Singles Championship came to the fabled Peoria Motorcycle Club’s Race Park in Peoria, Ill., for the 61st running of the Peoria TT.

AMA Pro Grand National Singles points leader Henry Wiles (No. 17 Jones Brothers / DPC Racing Kawasaki) has missed a large portion of the season because of off-track injuries, but has won the last four Grand Nationals at Peoria and was ready for a big return to action Sunday.

“I went to the doctor last week and he said my wrists were about 85 percent. I said ‘That should be enough let’s go racing,’” Wiles said.  “I looked at that jump when I first got here and I don’t remember it being that big.  My wrists really hurt, not so much on the landing, but there was just a lot of pain.”

However, most of the pain was inflicted on the other riders, as the Michigan rider once again dominated the 25-lap National. JR Schnabel (No. 33 Memphis Shades / Parts Unlimited Yamaha) grabbed the hole shot and led into Turn 1, but his lead was short lived as Wiles shot between Schnabel and fast qualifier Joe Kopp (No. 3 Lanpheres Beaverton Renton Honda) to take the lead out of Turn 2.

The first lap found Kopp in second with Mick Kirkness (No, 87 Yeager Cycles / Dave Burks Motorsports Suzuki) right on his heels. A major slip by Kopp dropped him to sixth as Schnabel, Kirkness, Shaun Russell (No. 28 Fox Valley Cycles / Rogers Lake Racing Honda) and defending GNC Singles Champion Jake Johnson (No. 1 SuperTrapp / F&S / Saddlemen Honda) were all able to get by.

As Wiles pulled away, Schnabel and Kirkness went to war. Kopp worked his way back up and challenged Russell for fourth, exchanging the position several times before Russell took over for good on Lap 15.

The Schnabel/Kirkness battle allowed Russell to close in, and as Kirkness looked for a way around Schnabel, Russell slipped by on Lap 22 and nailed down his first podium finish of the season.

Kirkness, who hails from Australia, held on for a close fourth-place finish. Kopp dropped four seconds back of that battle and three seconds ahead of Chris Carr (No. 4 Chris Carr Racing / Dallas Fort Worth Honda), the riders taking fifth and sixth, respectively.

Sammy Halbert (No. 43 Woody Kyle Racing / Fredericktown Yamaha) made a late-race pass on Johnson for seventh. Bryan Smith (No. 42 Bill Werner Racing Kawasaki) and Brandan Bergen (No. 26 National Cycle / Reiman’s H-D Honda) rounded out the top ten.

Wiles points lead stands at 14 markers with only the Springfield Short Track, scheduled for September 5, remaining on the schedule.

Round 10 of the Pro Singles Championship was also included in the day’s action and JD Beach (No. 95C Red Bull / Team 95 / America Honda) led the race wire to wire.

Beach’s win didn’t come easy as Jeff Carver (No. 24P Vans / Stevens Racing Yamaha) was all over the multi-discipline racer. Carver was able to get by Beach on several occasions throughout the race, but Beach always regained the lead by the line. The final margin of victory was just 0.181 of a second.

Pro Singles points leader Brad Baker (No. 17M Mike Velasco / Brothers Motorsports Honda) was a solid third, maintaining a five-point lead in the championship hunt over James Rispoli (No. 71B Weirbach Racing Suzuki), who finished fifth behind Kurtis Lee (No. 78J Mom & Dad / George Woods Honda).

Unfortunately, several on-track incidents occurred on the beautiful Sunday afternoon, almost happening in Turn 1. During qualifying, Levi Mayer (No. 33P Bull’s Eye Racing Honda) and Grand National Twins Championship points leader Jared Mees (No. 21 Pro Honda Oils Chemicals Honda) were pitched off in their respective sessions. Adam Bushman (No. 19L Mom & Dad / Redline Cycle / Diamond Industries Honda) also took a spill in a tangle during the start of a heat race. The day of Jesse Janisch (No. 45 Woody Kyle Racing / Mid-Cities Motorsports Honda) also ended in a Turn 1 get together that collected several riders. Mayer, Bushman and Janisch were transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.  Mees took himself to the hospital to get checked out, the slow-moving rider returning before the races were over with no injuries.

RESULTS
August 23 PMC Race Park, Peoria, Ill.

AMA Pro Flat Track Pro Singles Championship: (18 riders / 12 laps) 1. JD Beach (Hon); 2. Jeff Carver (Yam); 3. Brad baker (Hon); 4. Kurtis Lee (Hon); 5. James Rispoli (Suz); 6. Chaz Parker (Hon); 7. Nigel Heggarty (Kaw); 8. Kayl Kolkman (Hon); 9. Lucas Scherb (Hsq); 10. Andrew Smith (Hon); 11. Jacob Hollenbeck (Hon); 12. Corby Scherb (Hon); 13. Brody Miller (Suz); 14. Stephen Vanderkuur (Hon); 15. Kyle Snyder (Kaw); 16. Zach Cassidy (Hon); 17. Randy Kidd (Hon); 18. Andrew Hobson (Hon).
Time: 5:25.963

AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Singles Championship: (18 riders / 25 laps) 1. Henry Wiles (Kaw); 2. JR Schnabel (Yam); 3. Shaun Russell (Hon); 4. Mick Kirkness (Suz); 5. Joe Kopp (Hon); 6. Chris Carr (Hon); 7. Sammy Halbert (Yam); 8. Jake Johnson (Hon); 9. Bryan Smith (Kaw); 10. Brandan Bergen (Hon); 11. Luke Gough (Hon); 12. Kevin Vance (Hon); 13. Jake Mataya (Hon); 14. Kenny Coolbeth (Hon); 15. Aaron King (KTM); 16. Dan Gedeon (Hon); 17. Bryan Bigelow (Hon); 18. Josh Butler (Hon).
Time: 11:04.293

2009 AMA Pro Road Racing Awards Banquet – Ticket Order Deadline Monday!

Mladin to Compete in Final Round of AMA Pro Racing Competition as No. 1 at New Jersey
7-time Champion’s Bike to be Renumbered for AMA Pro Superbike Championship Weekend