Suzuki owns Thursday night Flat Track

Halfway through the main event at the second night of Daytona’s AMA GNC Singles double-header, it was looking pretty good for the factory Suzuki team. Kevin Varnes tucked under early leader Joe Kopp and started to run away.

By the last lap, though, it got absolutely stellar.

The other factory Suzuki rider Jake Johnson worked his way under third-place finisher J.R. Schnabel and put two RMZ450-powered flat-trackers on the top of the box.

“I needed some redemption after last night. That lit a fire under me,” said Varnes, who was slowed by a mechanical in the first night of Daytona’s double-header. “Kopp kept taking a bad line, and I was pretty sure I could get around. I was patient. I didn’t want to show it to him early, and then when I got around I didn’t look back.”

While the Suzuki riders were strong at the end, the main event didn’t start that way. The early leader was Kopp, with reigning AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr passing into second by turn two. In tow were Honda riders Bryan Bigelow and Henry Wiles, with Varnes in fifth.

Unfortunately for Carr, he didn’t use up all his bad luck when he failed to make the main event on Wednesday night. Engine trouble cut short the seven-time champion’s drive and he would fade to last by the end of the race.

That helped clear the field for Bigelow and Wiles to close the gap on Kopp. But while the two Hondas pulled toward the front, so did Varnes and Schnabel. It didn’t take long for the Suzuki to move into second and start stalking Kopp.

As Varnes moved around and built his lead, Johnson caught the lead pack of Kopp, Bigelow, Schnabel and Wiles.

Schnabel and Johnson, working the inside line on the other riders, would eventually get into the second and third position and pull away. Johnson would get underneath Schnabel on the last lap.

“ I saw J.R. go high with about five laps to go, and I thought about following him up there, but I had that inside line working for me, and I stuck with it,” Johnson said.

Another interesting note is AMA Flat Track veteran Terry Poovey, who won his first GNC main event in 1972, came out of retirement to race again at Daytona. The Honda rider, who has won more Daytona nationals than anyone else, got second in the first heat race to make the main, where he finished 14th.

Unofficial finishing order of Thursday’s AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship GNC Singles Main Event:

1. Kevin Varnes, Suzuki
2. Jake Johnson, Suzuki
3. J.R. Schnabel, Yamaha
4. Henry Wiles, Honda
5. Sam Halbert, Rotax
6. Joe Kopp, Honda
7. Shaun Russell, Honda
8. Bryan Smith, Honda
9. Bryan Bigelow, Honda
10. Robert Pearson, Yamaha
11. Jethro Halbert, Honda
12. Mike Rush, Honda
13. Terry Poovey, Honda
14. Dominic Beaulac, Rotax
15. Chris Carr, KTM
    

© 2006, American Motorcyclist Association