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 Flat
Track: Coolbeth Earns AMA Championship
First Screamin' Eagle Championship
in Nine Years Almost exactly one year ago, Kenny Coolbeth
sat down and wrote his two biggest goals on a piece of paper.
First, he wanted to become a factory rider for the Screamin'
Eagle Harley-Davidson program.
Check. He was signed as a rider at the first of the year.
Second, he wanted to win the AMA Flat Track championship.
Check. He did it in style, no less, winning the season finale
and the title all in one night.
Throughout the AMA Flat Track season, however, he knew he had
one more goal that he wanted to see through. He wanted to be
surrounded by his Screamin' Eagle Wrecking Crew teammates on
the final podium.
Check. Check. Check. The four-rider Wrecking Crew team occupied
all three spots on the podium in the last three events of the
season and finished first through fourth in the final point standings.
"I think the season started out pretty well, but the communication
by the team just got better and that really helped us accomplish
all of our goals," Coolbeth said. "We all got along
well, worked well together and had fun racing this season."
Coolbeth has steadily worked his way up to the No. 1 position
over the past few years. He finished third in the final standings
in 2004 and second in 2005. Earning the title and the race win
on the same day is exactly what he had in mind when he signed
a deal to be a factory rider with Harley-Davidson.
"The knowledge the Screamin' Eagle team has, the equipment
we ride and knowing how badly I wanted to win all gave me confidence
this season," Coolbeth said. "They gave me the best
equipment and team and I have been getting closer and closer
to the championship over the years. It was due to happen and
I knew Harley would help that dream come true."
Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Anne Paluso said a championship
was the goal when they added Coolbeth to the team but he
still exceeded expectations when he became the first Harley-Davidson
factory rider to win a title in nine years.
"We knew Kenny would do well and we always go into a season
hoping that we are competing for a championship," Paluso
said. "We set high expectations for Kenny when he joined
the team but having him earn the championship in his first season
with us was still better than we had expected. He did a great
job."
His teammates weren't too shabby either. While Kenny earned three
victories and three other podium finishes out of the 10-race
season, his Wrecking Crew teammates took two other event wins
as well as nine other podium finishes.
Coolbeth finished the season followed by Wrecking Crew member
Jared Mees and the Texter Harley-Davidson team in second place.
Wrecking Crew member Bryan Smith and the Pat Moroney's Harley-Davidson
team finished third while veteran Screamin' Eagle factory rider
Rich King tied for fourth with Chris Carr and the Quality Pre-Owned
Ford Harley-Davidson team.
"I think the season had a storybook finish," Paluso
said. "It's an amazing thing to have one of our factory
riders earn the No. 1 plate and for him to be surrounded by Wrecking
Crew teammates."
Mees earned one victory with three second-place finishes in his
first season as a Wrecking Crew racer.
"The chemistry between my mechanic and I really made the
difference this season," Mees said. "I think it especially
paid off during the half-mile events. We won most of our heat
races on the half-mile and in general, that was due to the way
the team worked together."
Now that Mees has been so close to the championship he could
taste the first-place dirt, he has higher goals for the 2007
season.
"I'm really happy with the way the season went," Mees
said. "We came up just a little short, just 13 points out
of first place. We just need to step up our game a little more
and get those points back next season. The experience I gained
this season is going to be invaluable next year. I'm going to
spend every minute possible training and preparing for another
championship run."
Smith earned one victory and two third place finishes. He said
his victory was the season highlight, especially considering
where it happened.
"Winning the Springfield ( Ill. ) Mile was amazing,"
Smith said. "That's the biggest race of the year and the
guys gave me the best bike possible. Everything came together
that day. That was the best day of my racing career so far."
Smith said he was very impressed with the way the team fought
to earn a third place finish overall considering how they struggled
during some points of the season.
"We had a couple of bad races because of engine failures,"
Smith said. "That's just a part of racing, but we want to
do what we can to make sure we avoid that from happening next
season. Our guys did a great job of coming back from those poor
outings and taking those experiences and learning from them.
"We were right in the hunt for race wins and came close
to being in the hunt for a championship. We just want to take
everything from this year, build on it and be the team to beat
next season."
King earned four podium finishes en route to the fourth place
finish.
"As a team, we did a great job this year," King said.
"But as an individual racer, it was a disappointing season.
We had competitive bikes but we just made a couple of bad calls
and had a few misfortunes and those hurt us in the long run.
"I think not qualifying for two races really hurt. That
cost me the championship this year. Winning the title comes down
to making the least amount of mistakes. There are a lot of guys
capable of winning the championship at the beginning of the year
but the winner is the most consistent one with the least DNF's
and mistakes."
Coolbeth agreed that being consistent was one of the keys to
his success.
"We just tried to worry about ourselves and what the bike
was doing and nothing else," Coolbeth said. "We raced
the conditions and the race track and we didn't look at the point
standings or what other guys were doing. I went to every race
wanting to win and thought about nothing else but that."
All four riders gave credit to the Wrecking Crew for each of
their successes. During the 20s Harley-Davidson became known
for conquering many records on two wheels including being the
first powered vehicle to top California 's Old Baldy hill. At
10,000 feet, it was quite an accomplishment. In 1921 a Harley-Davidson
entry became the first bike to win a race at an average speed
of more than 100 mph at a Fresno , Calif. event.
The "Wrecking Crew" was the name given to the group
of men behind those and many other historical two-wheeled feats.
Whether dirt racing or board racing, the Wrecking Crew was nearly
unbeatable.
"The Wrecking Crew is based on some very talented people
who raced decades ago," Mees said. "It gave us even
more motivation because we all wanted to be competitive to keep
the tradition of the Wrecking Crew success going. Not only did
we want to beat other racers on the track, but we wanted to beat
each other too. At least one or two Wrecking Crew guys were running
up front every race and that was a great way to keep me motivated
all season to do my best."
Paluso said the Wrecking Crew teams fought all season to uphold
the name that was created so long ago.
"The success of the entire flat track program is a reflection
of the quality people we have on the teams, the riders and the
dealers who are a big part of the Wrecking Crew program,"
Paluso said. "Everyone has an incredible passion for racing
and winning and together everyone worked to reach our goal of
winning a championship."
But now the champion must start looking ahead to defending his
title. If there is one thing Coolbeth wants to work on next season,
it's the setup and performance at certain tracks.
"We struggled at the cushion tracks but I think the team
made some great strides and I know we'll get it all figured out,"
Coolbeth said. "There is always something you have to work
on in the offseason and that is going to be one thing we need
to address."
Coolbeth will also take some time to train in his hometown of
Warren , Conn. His methods, however, tend to make the neighbors
shiver.
"As soon as possible, I am going to start training and getting
ready for the 2007 season," Coolbeth said. "I'm already
focused on how to win Daytona ( Fla. , the season opener). Living
in Connecticut makes it a little difficult, but I ride as much
as I can which means I ride on the ice. My neighbors look at
me a little funny for riding in two-degree weather, but they
all know me and they know what our team accomplished this season.
They get into it and support me which is just another reason
why I live here."
Sometime between riding on ice, Coolbeth will once again get
out a pen and paper and start writing down a list of 2007 goals.
"I accomplished some big goals in one year and I'm still
pretty pumped about it," Coolbeth said. "It feels good
knowing that all of the team's hard work paid off in the end.
It's still difficult to believe that not only did I win the championship,
but I also did it as a factory rider for Harley-Davidson.
"I'm going to take the same goals into next season. I want
to be more consistent and go to every race with the goal of winning.
I want to win. That's all. That goal will never change."
AMA Top 10 Point standings: Flat Track
(Following 10 of 10 events. Number of wins in parenthesis)
1. Kenny Coolbeth, Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson (3)
158
2. Jared Mees, Texter HD/ Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson (1)
145
3. Bryan Smith, Pat Moroney's/Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson
(1) 127
4. Rich King, Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson
126
Chris Carr, Quality Pre-Owned Ford Harley-Davidson
(2)
126
6. Joe Kopp, Latus Harley-Davidson (1)
110
7. Glen Schnabel, Harley-Davidson
89
8. Jake Johnson, Suzuki
86
9. Johnny Murphree, Coziahr Harley-Davidson
76
10. Mike Hacker, Doc's Harley-Davidson (1)
68
2006 AMA Winners
Springfield : Chris Carr
Syracuse : canceled because of poor lighting
Lima , Ohio : Dominic Beaulac
Lake Odessa , Michigan : KENNY COOLBETH
Mineral Wells, West Virginia : Mike Hacker
Saluda , Va. : JARED MEES (1)
Greenville , Ohio : Joe Kopp
Hagerstown , Maryland : Chris Carr (2)
Farley , Iowa : KENNY COOLBETH
Bridgeport ,, N.J. : Canceled
Springfield , Ill. 2: BRYAN SMITH (1)
Columbus , Ohio : KENNY COOLBETH (3)
Screamin' Eagle Race Summaries
Springfield, Ill. (1) Screamin' Eagle Wrecking Crew Race Summary
Main Event Finish Heat Finish
Qualifying
Kenny Coolbeth
3rd place
1st
2nd
Rich King
6th
1st
1st
Jared Mees
8th
2nd
7th
Bryan Smith
11th
3rd
9th
Lima, Ohio Screamin' Eagle Wrecking Crew Race Summary
Main Event Finish Semi
Heat Finish Qualifying
Bryan Smith
4th
--
1st
3rd
Rich King
7th
1st
4th
14th
Jared Mees
12th
--
2nd
8th
Kenny Coolbeth
DNQ
3rd
11th
--
Lake Odessa, Michigan Screamin' Eagle Wrecking Crew Race Summary
Main Event Finish Semi
Heat Finish Qualifying
Kenny Coolbeth
1st place
1st
4th
Rich King
4th
1st
4th
15th
Bryan Smith
5th
2nd
6th
Jared Mees
17th
1st
1st
Mineral Wells, W.Va. , Screamin' Eagle Wrecking Crew Race
Summary
Main Event Finish Heat Finish
Qualifying
Rich King
2nd place
2nd
8th
Kenny Coolbeth
7th
1st
2nd
Bryan Smith
3rd
2nd
6th
Jared Mees
4th
1st
3rd
Saluda, Va. Screamin' Eagle Wrecking Crew Race Summary
Main Event Finish Heat Finish
Qualifying
Jared Mees
1st
1st
4th
Bryan Smith
3rd
2nd
8th
Kenny Coolbeth
6th
2nd
6th
Rich King
DNQ
5th
Greenville, Ohio Screamin' Eagle Wrecking Crew Race Summary
Main Event Finish Heat Finish
Semi Qualifying
Jared Mees
2nd
1st
-- 1st
Kenny Coolbeth
7th
4th
1st 14th
Bryan Smith
18th
2nd
-- 8th
Rich King
--
6th
3rd DNQ
Hagerstown, Md., Screamin' Eagle Wrecking Crew Race Summary
Main Event Finish Heat Finish
Qualifying
Kenny Coolbeth
2nd
1st
2nd
Rich King
4th
2nd
7th
Jared Mees
5th
1st
4th
Bryan Smith
7th
2nd
8th
Farley, Iowa Screamin' Eagle Wrecking Crew Race Summary
Main Event Finish Heat Finish
Qualifying
Kenny Coolbeth
1st
1st
4th
Jared Mees
2nd
1st
1st
Rich King
3rd
2nd
5th
Bryan Smith
6th
2nd
7th
Springfield, Ill., Screamin' Eagle Wrecking Crew Race Summary
Main Event Finish Heat Finish
Qualifying
Bryan Smith
1st
1st
2nd
Rich King
2nd
2nd
7th
Kenny Coolbeth
3rd
1st
3rd
Jared Mees
4th
4th
14th
Columbus, Ohio Screamin' Eagle Wrecking Crew Race Summary
Main Event Finish Heat Finish
Qualifying
Kenny Coolbeth
1st
2nd
5th
Jared Mees
2nd
1st
3rd
Rich King
3rd
14th
Bryan Smith
11th
1st
1st
Racer totals:
Wins
2nd place
3rd Other DNQ
King
0
2
2 4
2
Coolbeth
3
1
2 3
1
Mees
1
3
0 6
0
Smith
1
0
2 7
0
In addition to the direct team sponsorship, Harley-Davidson will
also provide support through professional flat track contingency
and the Rider Support Verification Program (RSVP). Under the
Screamin' Eagle banner the support will total more than $140,000
throughout the 2006 season. This includes a contingency program
for qualified Harley-Davidson XR750 riders on the AMA Flat Track
series.
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.
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