DARKE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS TO HOST ITS FIRST AMA FORD QUALITY CHECKED FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP RACE
18 July 2005 - AMA Pro Racing

The Darke County Fairgrounds half-mile is set to host the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship for the first time this Saturday, July 23.

It’s round eight of the championship and the nation’s top flat track riders will converge on Greenville, Ohio, in what promises to be one of the more challenging races of the season.

Greenville is a cushion pea-gravel half-mile and AMA Grand National officials want to try to keep it a cushion track throughout the entire program. Cut tires (a method of putting additional grooves in a racing tire) will not be allowed in this race to help keep the racing surface from forming a groove. Geo Roeder, who has raced on the track for years in regional competition, thinks it will make for good racing.

“It’s hard to say for sure, but running on a cushion track without cut tires could level the playing field,” said Roeder, one of the favorite local Ohio riders. “It will bring throttle control really into play.”

In addition, it will only be the Grand National bikes on the track. No support races will run with the national, again in an effort to maintain the racing surface.

“I’ve never seen the track groove up in all the years I raced there,” Roeder continued. “The track’s never had 50 Grand National bikes on it either, so it’s going to be interesting to see how it does.

“Greenville is one of my favorite tracks. I don’t think too many of the current Grand National riders have ever raced there – at least not for a long time. I hope my experience there will give me a little home advantage. I have raced there more than any other rider in the series, but these guys are the best of the best and it won’t take long for them to get the hang of the things.”

Defending champ Chris Carr leads the series on his Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Ford machines coming into Greenville. Carr raced at Greenville once in the 1980s during a regional race and says he doesn’t remember that much about the track.

“I’d be surprised if the track has a deep cushion all night,” Carr says. “Then again, they might take the tiller out there and make sure it stays deep. You never know what you’re going to get with a track like this and that makes it all the more challenging.”

Carr leads Ken Coolbeth by 16 points as the season enters mid-season. Coolbeth, who rides for KTM/Mid-America Harley-Davidson/Jones Powersports, is coming off his first victory of the season earlier this month in Lake Odessa, Mich.

Parity has been the name of the game in 2005. There have been six winners in the seven races leading up to Greenville and at a new track like this a surprise winner could emerge.

www.amaproracing.com

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