DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 13, 2015) - Kenny Coolbeth Jr. took home his first AMA Pro Flat Track victory in 2015 to close out Friday night's Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines main event, which was sponsored by Bruce Rossmeyer's Daytona Harley-Davidson, at DAYTONA Flat Track.
Coolbeth flat out dominated the competition on Friday night, which was Round 2 of the AMA Pro Flat Track schedule, as he lapped several riders on his way to a 6.474-second victory aboard his No. 2 Zanotti Racing Honda. The 38-year-old has won in Daytona the last two seasons, and his four-second rout of the field in 2014 was nearly identical to his convincing victory Friday night.
"Oh man, these guys... all these guys in red and black shirts are simply amazing," said Coolbeth describing his Zanotti Racing team members. "This is truly an amazing feeling that I have right now and I can't thank my team enough for helping me get to where I am today."
Starting from second on the grid, Coolbeth fought hard during the race's first lap to get himself into position to make a move on the leader, Brandon Robinson. Then it happened, on turn four of the second lap, Coolbeth got inside of Robinson and passed him. From that point on, the race was a clinic by the Connecticut native. Coolbeth extended his lead to a full two seconds within the race's next five laps, and eventually opened up more than a six-second lead by lap 25.
Despite forfeiting the lead to Coolbeth early on, Robinson, mounted on his No. 44 T.J. Burnett Farms Honda, was able to secure a second-place finish after fending off a charging Sammy Halbert in the race's final laps. Robinson rode to impressive fourth and second place finishes to start the season and 2015 could very well be his breakout year.
Halbert found himself in the thick of things when it mattered most, and the bulldog of a rider closed out the podium with a third place finish aboard his No. 7 Fredericktown Yamaha.
The battle for fourth and fifth place was a tight one, as less than a half-second separated Henry Wiles, riding the No. 17 Zanotti Racing Honda, Briar Bauman on his No. 14 Hart Racing Honda and Jeffrey Carver Jr., mounted on his No. 23 Don's Kawasaki. In the end, it was Wiles and Bauman who came through to earn fourth and fifth place, respectively. Carver settled for sixth.
Defending Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines champion and Thursday night's runner-up, Jared Mees, finished 11th on Friday night aboard his No. 1 Montgomeryville Cycle Center Honda.
Coolbeth leaves Daytona with a six-point lead over Robinson in points.
GNC2
Justin Jones took home the first AMA Pro Flat Track GNC2 victory of and his career on Friday night, and he did so in dominating fashion. The RLJ Racing/Honda mounted Jones got the holeshot on the first lap of the main event and he never looked back from there, earning the win by a whopping 2.695 seconds on his No. 19B.
"I just focused on getting a good start and thankfully I was able to get a really good one," said Jones. "I got the holeshot and I just tried to pick up smooth, consistent laps and that's what I did. I'm speechless right now and I can't thank everyone behind me enough."
Davis Fisher, aboard his No. 67M Parkinson Brothers Racing Honda, seemed just as comfortable in second place for the majority of the GNC2 main event as Jones did in first. Though Fisher was never a threat to Jones for the lead, he crossed the finish line over three seconds faster than third place finisher and class rookie Dalton Gauthier. Gauthier competed aboard his No. 14A Scott Powersports Yamaha.
Last night's GNC2 main event winner, Andrew Luker, followed up his Round 1 win with a fourth place Round 2 finish on Friday night aboard his No. 11Z Clayton Williams Racing Honda. Luker leads in points after two rounds by one over Jones.
After winning at Daytona a year ago, Brandon Wilhelm finished fifth to round out the top five while riding his No. 24J Wilhelm Racing Honda.
Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines Top 5
1. Kenny Coolbeth Jr. (Honda)
2. Brandon Robinson (Honda)
3. Sammy Halbert (Yamaha)
4. Henry Wiles (Honda)
5. Briar Bauman (Honda)
Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines Top 5 in points
1. Kenny Coolbeth Jr. 41
2. Brandon Robinson 35
3. Sammy Halbert 29
4. Jared Mees 27
5. Robert Pearson 26
GNC2 Top 5
1. Justin Jones (Honda)
2. Davis Fisher (Honda)
3. Dalton Gauthier (Yamaha)
4. Andrew Luker (Honda)
5. Brandon Wilhelm (Honda)
GNC2 Top 5 in points
1. Andrew Luker 39
2. Justin Jones 38
3. Dalton Gauthier 28
4. Davis Fisher 25
5. Brandon Wilhelm 24
