Kenny Coolbeth Jr. wins wild GNC1 main at the Roar on the Shore

[totalmotorcycle]

Kenny @Coolbeth Jr. wins wild @GNC1 main at the Roar on the Shore
Davis Fisher clinches @GNC2 championship with fourth victory of 2015



DELMAR, Del. (Sept. 19, 2015) - Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. started fast and finished faster on Saturday night at the Roar on the Shore in Delmar, Del. The No. 2 Zanotti Racing Harley-Davidson rider led all 25 laps of the Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines main event at Delaware International Speedway to earn his second win of the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track season.

Coolbeth's victory brought the packed house to their feet when he crossed the finish line 1.661 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Jeffrey Carver, Jr. With the win, Coolbeth now sits third in the Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines point standings and the victory marked his 35th in a long and successful career at the top level of the sport.

"This win feels really good," said Coolbeth, Jr. "And it's all due to great people. If it wasn't for the Atherton family and Dave Zanotti, I wouldn't be doing this. It's a dream come true for me to be racing motorcycles and it always has been. I have accomplished a lot in my career and I'm thankful for it. We just need to keep winning races."

Aside from riding a brilliant race in Delaware, Coolbeth, Jr. benefited from two pre-race issues faced by heavy hitters Jared Mees and Bryan Smith.

During his sighting lap, Smith suffered a bike malfunction to his No. 42 Crosley Radio Kawasaki and was forced to switch to his backup bike, which resulted in the "Mile Specialist" having to start from the penalty row. Mees, the defending GNC1 champion and current series points leader, found himself starting next to Smith after jumping the start and being sent back to the penalty row as well.

This was now Sammy Halbert's race to lose. The Briggs Auto pilot, who came into the weekend third in the points, started from the front row and battled hard with the lead pack aboard his No. 69 Harley-Davidson in the early laps of the race. By Lap 13, Halbert had climbed from seventh to fourth and was poised to take over a podium spot from the No. 5 Factory Harley-Davidson of Jake Johnson. In a rare miscue, Halbert went down in between Turns 3 and 4, bringing out a red flag and breaking a handlebar that ended his night.

On the restart, Coolbeth, Jr. resumed his dominant march by continually building his lead from 0.378 of a second on Lap 13 to 1.661 seconds at the end of the race. Mees maintained a respectable eighth-place finish, while Smith was never able to find his groove, finishing an eventual 14th.

Mees now sits seven points ahead of Smith in the standings, 188-181, while Coolbeth, Jr. finds himself in third place just 20 points off the lead.

Carver's impressive runner-up finish aboard the No. 23 Don's Kawasaki machine was his career-best finish aboard a twin-cylinder machine in AMA Pro Flat Track competition. The Alton, Ill., rider now sits 10th in the Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines point standings. Jake Johnson was able to maintain his third-place position throughout the main event aboard the No. 5 Factory Harley-Davidson.

Young guns Dominic Colindres, riding the No. 66Y Babe Demay Yamaha, and Jarod Vanderkooi, teammate to Carver, Jr. and pilot of the No. 17F Don's Kawasaki machine, rounded out the top five, respectively.

GNC2
Davis Fisher earned the Roar on the Shore GNC2 main event victory on Saturday night and clinched the GNC2 championship with the win. Fisher's dominance in 2015 has been a record-setting year and the entire flat track world is eager to see what he can do when he graduates to the premier Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines class, which many expect will happen next season.

"I don't know what to think right now, I am just so excited," said Fisher. "This was a great rebound season after losing out to Kyle Johnson by one point in the GNC2 championship chase last season. To be on top with two rounds to go still feels quite amazing. I have to thank all of my sponsors for giving me this opportunity and also all of the fans for coming out."

Although two rounds remain in 2015, Fisher sits a whopping 60 points ahead of second-place rider Bronson Bauman and his nine podium appearances and four victories are the reasons why.

Bauman, riding the No. 30Z Lombardi's Harley-Davidson machine, finished second on Saturday night and he has now recorded four podium appearances in the last six rounds. Closing out the podium in Delaware was No. 54A Bill Werner Racing Kawasaki pilot Dan Bromley.

Ryan Wells, riding the M&J Racing Kawasaki and Tristan Avery, pilot of the Rod Ayers Motorsports Kawasaki, rounded out the top five, respectively, on Saturday night.

Next Up
The Ramspur Winery Calistoga Half-Mile presented by Triumph, previously scheduled on Sept. 26 as Round 13 of the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track schedule, has been postponed due to the California wildfires. Calistoga Speedway is located at the Napa County Fairgrounds, which are being used as an evacuation center for those displaced by the fires. Additional information on the rescheduling of the event will be released as soon as it is available.