Kopp Wins A Close AMA Pro K&N Filters Grand National Championship Event at Hagerstown Speedway HAGERSTOWN, Md. (August 8, 2010) – Last seen in California, seven days and 2800 miles later the AMA Pro K&N Filters Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com picked up once again at the Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown, Maryland. Series points leader Joe Kopp was determined to have a better night this week after a brutal get off on the west coast. “It’s not like I was broke in half or anything, but I’m still pretty sore,” said Kopp. “This was a great race. It was a lot of fun dueling with Kenny (Coolbeth), we went back and forth for a long time.” It was a lot more fun for the Latus Harley-Davidson / ENI USA backed Kopp as he pulled to nearly a one-second lead over the Harley-Davidson Motor Company’s Kenny Coolbeth. The two former Grand National Champions and former teammates kept the large crowd entertained after a couple of aborted starts. The first attempt to get the 25-lap National under way only lasted to the first turn, where Zanotti Racing’s Jake Johnson crashed right in front of the pack. Scott Powersports’ Johnny Lewis and Dave Burks Motorsport’s Mick Kirkness were collected in the mess. All three riders would make the restart, however Johnson was on his backup Harley-Davidson. The next try lasted two laps before last week’s winner and this week’s fast qualifier Stevie Bonsey fell in turn three. Bonsey was uninjured, but unable to make the restart. Thus far Coolbeth had gotten the hole shot every time and the third time was no different. Kopp was close behind and looking for any kind of space to make a move. Snedeker Racing’s Rob Pearson was having a great ride in third until the 10th lap, when defending Twins Champion Jared Mees pushed his Rogers Lake Racing / Blue Springs Harley-Davidson onto the podium. Coolbeth and Kopp “officially” exchanged the lead at the line three times, but there was passing going on all around the track. Kopp finally took over for good on lap 20. Pearson’s fourth place came into jeopardy late in the race as Kings Kustoms’ Sammy Halbert and the Kawasaki Monster Energy / Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki of Bryan Smith closed to within a half second, but that would be the finish order. Johnson regrouped to finish a strong seventh over KK Motorcycle Supply’s Henry Wiles, Kirkness and Lancaster Harley-Davidson’s Brandon Robinson. Earlier in the night, the all-important Dash for Cash ($1,000 and five points) had gone to Jared Mees in a wire-to-wire win. Kopp was second and Johnson third. In the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Grand National Championship, points leader Jeffery Carver solidified his lead with a come-from-behind win on his Van’s Yamaha / Woody Kyle Racing backed Yamaha. Early leader James Rispoli would have to settle for second on his Cycle Dynamics / ANT-Racing backed Honda. Defending Series Champion, Brad Baker was a distant third on his Rod Lake / Mike Velasco backed Honda, barely holding off his traveling buddy Mike Avila (Mack Daddy Racing / RHC Products). Carver now holds a 31 point lead over Baker. HAGERSTOWN SPEEDWAY HAGERSTOWN, MD RESULTS: August 7, 2010 GNT DASH FOR CASH (4 laps; 6 riders): 1. Jared Mees (H-D); 2. Joe Kopp (H-D); 3. Jake Johnson (H-D); 4. Sammy Halbert (H-D); 5. Kenny Coolbeth (H-D); 6. Henry Wiles (H-D). AMA PRO MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM PRO SINGLES MAIN (12 laps; 18 riders): 1. Jeffery Carver (Yam); 2. James Rispoli (Hon); 3. Brad Baker (Hon); 4. Mike Avila (Hon); 5. Jake Shoemaker (Suz); 6. Brian Vincent (Hon); 7. Wyatt Maguire (Yam); 8. Chaz Springsteen (Kaw); 9. Asa Irish (Hon); 10. William Cato (Hon); 11. Eric Stump (Hon); 12. Mike Martin (Hon); 13. Adam Bushman (Hon); 14. Jason Isennock (Hon); 15. Mike LaBelle (Hon); 16. Shayna Texter (Hon); 17. Austin Greenland (Hon); 18. Brian Tapp (Hon). Time: 10:27.557 (RED FLAG). AMA PRO MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM PRO SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS (After 10 0f 18 rounds): 1. Jeffery carver (195 pts / 4 wins); 2, Brad Baker (164 / 3 wins); 3. James Rispoli (134); 4. Mike Avila (119); 5. Mike Martin (91); 6. Mike LaBelle (85); 7. Chaz Springsteen (79); 8. JD Beach (72); 9. Jake Shoemaker (52); 10. (TIE) Wyatt Maguire / Gerit Callies (42); 12. Michael Toon (38 / 1 win); 13. Jeremy Hamilton (37); 14. Zakk Palmer (36); 15. Shayna Texter (35); 16. Brandon Laursen (33); 17. Stephen Vanderkuur (31); 18. John Long (30); 19. Tyler O’Hara (29); 20. Brian Vincent (28). AMA PRO K&N GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED by MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM MAIN (25 laps; 18 riders): 1. Joe Kopp (H-D); 2. Kenny Coolbeth (H-D); 3. Jared Mees (H-D); 4. Rob Pearson (H-D); 5. Sammy Halbert (H-D); 6. Bryan Smith (Kaw); 7. Jake Johnson (H-D); 8. Henry Wiles (H-D); 9. Mick Kirkness (H-D); 10. Brandon Robinson (H-D); 11. Doug Lawrence (H-D); 12. Chris Carr (H-D); 13. Adam Carpinello (H-D); 14. Matt Weidman (H-D); 15. Chad Cose (Suz); 16. Lucas Scherb (H-D); 17. Johnny Lewis (Kaw); 18. Stevie Bonsey (H-D);. Time: 19:12.704 (RED FLAG). AMA PRO K&N GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED by MOTORCYCLE-SUPERSTORE.COM POINT STANDINGS (After 10 of 18 rounds): 1. Joe Kopp (193 pts / 3 wins); 2. (TIE) Jake Johnson (2 wins) / Sammy Halbert (1 win) (175); 4. Jared Mees (164); 5. Henry Wiles (160 / 3 wins); 6. Kenny Coolbeth (152); 7. Chris Carr (102); 8. Bryan Smith (93); 9. Rob Pearson (77); 10. Johnny Lewis (67); 11. Matt Weidman (64); 12. Mick Kirkness (63); 13. Jethro Halbert (57); 14. Stevie Bonsey (45 / 1 win); 15. Brandon Robinson (35); 16. JR Schnabel (28); 17. Luke Gough (26) 18. Chad Cose (21); 19. (TIE) PJ Jacobsen / Brandan Bergen (19). More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson Screaming Eagle Racing: COOLBETH IS SECOND ON FACTORY HARLEY ATHAGERSTOWN Race-Long Battle Ends in Win for Latus Harley-Davidson rider Joe Kopp HAGERSTOWN, Md. Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory rider Kenny Coolbeth led 12 laps and finished second in a back-and-forth battle with Latus Harley-Davidson rider Joe Kopp in the Grand National Twins main at the Hagerstown Speedway half-mile, the 10th round of the AMA Pro K&N Filters Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com. Kopp rode a Harley-Davidson XR-750 to take the win. Blue Springs Harley-Davidson rider Jared Mees was third, also on a Harley-Davidson. Mees was the fastest qualifier for the event and won the four-lap Dash for Cash bonus sprint, but it was Coolbeth who got a jump on the field at the start of the 25-lap main. A crash on the first lap by Zanotti Racing rider Jake Johnson brought the race to a quick halt. Coolbeth was first again on the re-start and led Kopp, Mees and King Kustoms/KK Motorcycle Supply rider Sammy Halbert for the first two laps. The race was then stopped for another crash just as Coolbeth crossed the finish line to complete lap three. On the ensuing re-start, Coolbeth led with Kopp right on his wheel, and the pair of past champions immediately opened a gap on Robert Pearson and Halbert, as Mees slipped back to sixth place. Kopp took the lead from Coolbeth on lap nine, only to see Coolbeth get past on lap 13 as the pair maintained a lead of about 1.5 seconds on Mees, who had worked himself back to third place. Kopp passed Coolbeth again for the lead on lap 18, and began to gradually pull away as the laps wound down, and won by 0.974 seconds to take his third Grand National Twins victory of the season. “This was a great race with Kopp and I’m sure it was exciting to watch,” said Coolbeth. “I was really happy to get the hole shot with the factory Harley three times tonight. At the end, I think Kopp just found a better line and was able to carry more speed in the corners. I tried to follow his line but could not make it work, and he was able to get away. Now we’ll get ready for the mile at Indy, where we had a big win last year.” After 10 events, Kopp leads the AMA Pro K&N Filters Grand National Championship with 193 points. Halbert and Zanotti Racing rider Jake Johnson are tied for second place with 175 points. Mees is third with 164 points, followed by KK Motorcycle Supply/Mike & Eddie Adkins rider Henry Wiles with 160 points. Coolbeth is in sixth with 152 points. The AMA Grand National Twins will next race August 28 on the Indiana Mile at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. Screamin’ Eagle Performance Parts are inspired by and built in the spirit of the raw adrenaline and power of motorcycle racing. Screamin’ Eagle Pro parts are specifically designed for race-use applications, while Screamin’ Eagle parts offer street-use performance options for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle owner. Visit www.harley-davidson.com for more information. The Screamin’ Eagle Flat Track team is sponsored by Matco Tools.