Motourage

The AMA Pro Flat Track K&N Filters Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com switched from a Singles Short Track to a Twins Half Mile this past weekend, but Henry Wiles never missed a beat. Wiles just devastated the Allen County Fairgrounds Half Mile in Lima, OH, leading the 25-lap National from start to finish. The dominating performance gave Wiles 50 consecutive laps led as he pushed his # 17 KK Motorcycle Supply/Mike & Eddie Adkins backed Harley-Davidson XR750 to a six-and-a-half second win over Sammy Halbert and his # 7 Kings Kustoms/KK Motorcycle Supply backed Harley-Davidson.

“I love this place. This is my kind of track, and the fans really get into it. I can see them hanging on the fence all the way around,” said Wiles. “I just tried to get away in the National. It seemed like I was in lapped traffic real soon. It was like, this isn’t the heat race, these are the best of the best. This is really just great, now we’ve got to get it together for the groove tracks coming up.”

Wiles couldn’t have been better as he set the fast qualifying time, won the fastest heat, captures the five points and $2,000 in the dash and then dominated the National. The George Roeder Memorial Dash featured double the normal purse for the four-lap race. Wiles led the group into turn one when the green light flashed on the eighteen-rider grid. Joe Kopp, Sammy Halbert, Jake Johnson and Defending Twins Series Champion Jared Mees were bunched right behind.

Wiles quickly pulled away as Halbert also separated himself from the pack. Wiles’ and Halbert’s race looked to be settled and both were into serious lapped traffic by lap 15. Two years ago Wiles lost this race when a lapped rider opened the door for Joe Kopp to nip him at the line. No chance of that this year as Wiles sliced and diced his way through the field, lapping all the way up to eighth place. Ironically Kopp was the last rider he lapped right at the finish line.  The race was now for third as Johnson, Bryan Smith, Mees and Matt Weidman battled away.

Smith was looking to put his Kawasaki on the podium for the second straight time as he and Johnson exchanged the position all around the track, but it was the youngster from New York, Weidman, who prevailed earning his first ever Grand National podium finish. Smith finished a couple of seconds back in fourth, followed by Johnson and Mees. Dustin Crow was a solid seventh with Chris Carr, Kopp and Steve Bonsey filling out the top ten.

After winning three of the last four races Henry Wiles has moved into a points tie for the Grand National Championship with Joe Kopp at 129 points.  Jake Johnson is just eight points back with Sammy Halbert and Jared Mees another five and six points back. Three-time Grand National Champion Kenny Coolbeth is lurking 31 points off the pace, but with some strong races for him coming up.

Defending Pro Singles Champion Brad Baker was just about as dominant as Wiles in the 12-lap Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Grand National Championship Main. Baker had his #1 Honda well in front of a great race for second. James Rispoli looked to have second nailed down, but Chaz Springsteen pushed his Kawasaki into second on lap eleven with Mike LaBelle also getting by on his Honda.

Series points leader Jeffery Carver had an off night finishing seventh. Carver still holds 24 point lead over Baker with Rispoli seven points back in third.

After taking the Fourth of July weekend off, the AMA Pro K&N Filters Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com Championship moves to the I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, MI.

This Saturday night the AMA Pro Flat Track K&N Filters Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com heads to the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio for the 2010 edition of the Ohio National Championship.

Last year’s Lima winner Bryan Smith, who rode a Harley-Davidson to his victory at the Fairgrounds, will be switching to the Monster Energy/Werner-Springsteen Racing Kawasaki.  Smith came in second at this year’s Springfield Mile on May 30th, and is still seeking his first win of the 2010 season, currently seventh in the Expert rider point standings.

Can Joe Kopp and his Latus Motors Ducati break Harley's 15-year hold on Lima, Ohio?

2008 Ohio National Championship winner Joe Kopp, who also won aboard a Harley-Davidson last year, will be switching to the Latus Motors/ENI USA R&M/Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Team Ducati.  Kopp won the Arizona Mile at Yavapai Downs earlier this year aboard the team’s Ducati and comes into Lima with 118 points, leading the Expert riders in the Grand National Championship points chase.  Jeff Carver has 118 points in Pro Singles Grand National Championship standings and leads that division.

Top riders from across the country call this race one of the most demanding, fun and exciting races on the series.  The Harley-Davidson XR750 has won 23 of 25 Nationals on the limestone half-mile dirt track, winning 15 consecutive races since 1994.

The Ohio National Championship will mark the seventh event on the 19-race 2010 calendar. Smith will headline a field of former Lima winners including Kopp (’03, ’04), Jared Mees (’05, ’07) and AMA Pro legend Chris Carr (’91, ’99, ’00, ’01). Although Kopp is the current points leader, he is being chased by winners of the last two GNC nationals, Jake Johnson and Henry Wiles, who each have two wins of their own this season.  All of these leading competitors, in addition to three-time Grand National Champion Kenny Coolbeth and Nichole Cheza, are among the top riders coming to Lima.

The series competed most recently at Gas City I-69 Speedway in Gas City, IN on June 19.  “Hammerin” Hank Wiles nipped Mees by .624 seconds at the line, with Kopp finishing third.

Fairground gates open at 3 p.m. local time on June 26. There will be a number of vendor displays on the grounds including Budweiser, Lima Ford, Lima Harley-Davidson, K&N Filters and Memphis Shades.

Timed practice is slated for 3 p.m. with a rider autograph session and open paddock area set for 5:30 p.m. Opening ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. with the official racing program kicking off at 7:30 p.m. local time.  Pro Singles and Expert Singles will battle through nine qualifying races, culminating with the Pro Singles Main, a 12-lap feature, and the Expert Singles Main, a 25-lap showdown, wrapping up the evening of racing.