COOLBETH wins second consecutive AMA FLAT TRACK event by earning win in GREENVILLE

GREENVILLE, Ohio - Kenny Coolbeth has officially started a winning streak of his own.

The rider of the factory-sponsored Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson won the sixth round of the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track series, taking the top spot on the podium at Darke County Fairgrounds in Greenville.

That makes three wins for Coolbeth this season, but his second on consecutive weekends. Coolbeth won the season opener at Springfield, Ill., along with the event in Saluda, Va., last weekend.

One of Coolbeth’s Screamin’ Eagle Wrecking Crew teammate, Jared Mees and the Blue Springs Harley-Davidson team, has won the other three AMA Flat Track races.

Coolbeth said he never thought he would be able to win three races – especially so early in the season.

“I go to every race wanting to win and doing whatever I can to win,” the 2006 AMA Flat Track champion said. "But the competing riders have the same goal so it’s usually a tough battle just getting on the podium. There are a handful of racers that are capable of winning any event and I would have never thought just two riders would have earned the first six trophies this season.

“My team has done such a great job preparing the bike this season and that has given me even more confidence going into each race.”

Mees finished second and still has the overall points lead. He has 123 points following three wins in six events while Coolbeth is second in points with 118.

“Six different riders had earned the wins at the first six races of last season,” Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Anne Paluso said. “So it’s amazing to see Kenny and Jared earning the trophies so far because there are so many great riders out here. They are certainly making it fun to watch and it’s going to be a race to the finish this season.”

Wrecking Crew rider Joe Kopp finished in fourth place, coming up short of successfully defending his victories at Darke County Fairgrounds in the previous two seasons.

“I just love this cushion half-mile track and it was great winning here two years in a row and it would have been great to make it three,” Kopp said. "I just love the facility. It’s run by a local motorcycle club – the Treaty Motorcycle club – and they are all very nice people and they are great to work with. You can tell they put a lot of pride into putting on a good show.

“I would have much rather been able to win the race and take home another Annie Oakley Shootout trophy, but on this rough and tough cushion track, I still feel pretty good with the fourth place. It’s getting harder and harder to compete with all these young guys on the cushion tracks.”

Wrecking Crew rider Bryan Smith and the Pat Moroney’s Harley-Davidson team finished in seventh place.

The next AMA Flat Track event will be held Saturday at Hagerstown (MD) Speedway.

Greenville, OH Screamin’ Eagle Wrecking Crew Race Summary
Main Event Finish Heat Finish Combined best time
Kenny Coolbeth 1st 2nd 6th (0:26.235)
Jared Mees 2nd 1st 2nd (0:25.639)
Joe Kopp 4th 2nd 8th (0:26.344)
Bryan Smith 7th 10th (1st in semi) 4th (0:25.856)

AMA Twins Top 10 Point Standings
(Following 6 of 13 events. Number of wins in parenthesis)
1. Jared Mees, Blue Springs H-D/ Screamin’ Eagle H-D (3) 123
2. Kenny Coolbeth, Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson (3) 118
3. Jake Johnson, Suzuki 87
4. Bryan Smith, Pat Moroney’s/Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson 82
5. Shaun Russell, Bartels’ Harley-Davidson 64
6. Glen Schnabel, American Suzuki 63
7. Chris Carr, Quality Pre-Owned Ford Harley-Davidson 62
8. Joe Kopp, Team Latus/Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson 62
9. Johnny Murphree, Coziahr Harley-Davidson 50
10. Jethro Halbert, Harley-Davidson of Fresno 32

All the action of this weekend’s race and all AMA GNC Twins events can be seen via web cast provided by Live I Sports (www.liveisports.com).

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 2007 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.