Wednesday Wallpaper: Joe Kopp

This week's wallpaper features 2000 AMA Grand National Champion Joe Kopp.  In 2010 Kopp won three times, twice on the venerable Harley-Davidon XR750 and once on the Lloyd Brothers Ducati Hypermotard 1100 to open the Twins season at the Yavapai Downs Mile in Prescott, Arizona.  At the end of the season he announced he'd be retiring from full-time competition.

My photo is from the Indy Mile in 2008.  Click and make big.

"Haggerstown"

One of the "best" parts of visiting Hagerstown Speedway is watching the track prep goobers circulate in their surprisingly stable fleet of jalopies.

Fortunately the weather this year was good and we didn't see quite as much of them as last year, when a Goober-v-AMA Official vehicular manslaughter event was only narrowly avoided.

One can only enjoy broadsliding water trucks for so long however, before it's time to walk the padddock.  Refreshingly, although some have a larger footprint than others, professional flat track racing still only requires a cargo van and an E-Z UP canopy.

An XR-750 footrest helps too, naturally.

The trucks and paddock set-ups might be modest but they support some hardcore racers and eventually it's time to head out on track.  Which means it's time for one of the truly best things about flat track racing:  the golden light of dusk.  Despite the clouds and schedule delays conspiring to block the sun at the precise moments it was trying to show off the most--it really was uncanny!--I managed to get a few decent frames.

  

If dusk is for photogs, nighttime is for flat track racing.

Congrats to Joe Kopp.  Winner.

Springfield: The Mile

Practice was just underway and already Joe Kopp and Sammy Halbert were resuming their Arizona Mile tussle

Kopp's wasn't the only Lloyd Bros. Ducati in action.  Larry Pegram on the #99

Last Chance Qualifier, GNC Twins

The Pro Singles main event was fairly competitive . . .

. . . as were portions of the Twins main event (A.J. Eslick leads his group)

But Jake Johnson was in a race of his own at the front, and took his second Springfield Mile win

Springfield: The TT

Friday morning prior to Memorial Day saw Dad and I rolling toward Springfield, IL, a trip of nearly 800 miles.  The carrot was two days of AMA Pro Flat Track racing at the Illinois State Fairgrounds--Saturday on the TT course and Sunday on the legendary Mile oval.

TT festivities kicked off around 3pm and continued well into the evening.

 

Chris Carr engages in a flattracker jedi mind meld with a young 'tracker (note Tim White Original Photo on the cover of the current Sideburn issue under Master Carr)

Fresh off a win at Sears Point on his Suzuki roadracer, Danny Eslick was a last-minute entrant at the TT

Even with strong support, his evening didn't go so well.  He seemed to be having a fine time anyway.

These boots are made for racing

Red Bull MotoGP Rookie champ J.D. Beach took the Pro Singles class win

And Henry Wiles took the GNC Singles main event from Jared Mees

MotoGP @ Indy next week!

The MotoGP World Championship returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next weekend for the 2nd inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP. Last year I went as a general admission spectator; this year I'm fortunate to be working as a credentialed member of the fourth estate. Let's hope the weather is improves in kind.

Some photos from last year:

Every race is a home race for Valentino Rossi





It is a home race for Colin Edwards, and he'll be looking to improve on last year's form



Jorge Lorenzo might just be looking to finish . . .


* * *

MotoGP isn't the only happenin' on the weekend, with the Legendary Indy Mile going off Saturday evening.

Chris Carr is the defending race winner, but Smokin' Joe Kopp (pictured here at Indy last year) is coming off a dominant win on the Beulah Mile.



Stay tuned for updates, and maybe a surprise or two . . .