The AMA GNC Singles Championship will be decided this Friday, Sept. 28, when the 2007 AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship doubleheader comes to United Sports Arizona (USA) Race Park in Tucson, Ariz. Friday night the track will host the final round of the AMA GNC Singles Championship and on Saturday, Sept. 29, the half-mile will host the penultimate round of the AMA GNC Twins Championship.
Ken Coolbeth has the inside track to win both championships this season. On Friday night the rider from Morris, Conn., needs only to finish seventh or better to clinch the AMA GNC Singles title. Coolbeth has been a model of consistency this year, scoring four podiums in the six rounds leading up to Tucson.
“I’m definitely looking forward to racing in Tucson, ” said Coolbeth, who is the defending AMA GNC Twins Champion. “I made a goal for myself coming into this season and that was to win both championships and right now it’s looking pretty good for us. ”
Coolbeth admits that competing in the final Singles round of the season adds considerably more significance to the race.
“There’s some added pressure for sure, ” he said. “I just need to go out there to win and keep doing what I’ve been doing all season. ”
This will be the first AMA Grand National event at USA Race Park. It will also mark the first time the single-cylinder machines have been raced on a Half-mile in a national. “It’s going to be new to everyone, ” said Coolbeth, who will ride a Bettencourt Honda on Friday night. “I heard it’s a 3/8ths Mile, so it’s a little short compared to most the Half-miles we go to. It should make for really good racing for both the small bikes and the large bikes. ”
In addition to Coolbeth, three other riders still have a shot at the Singles title. Jake Johnson, Jared Mees and JR Schnabel all have at least a mathematical chance at winning the crown. Johnson, the defending champ of the class, is the closest, 12 points back to Coolbeth.
The riders will park their single-cylinder bikes and move to their bigger twin-cylinder machines on Saturday night. Coolbeth will move to his factory Harley-Davidson and will be gunning for his seventh win of the season. A victory in the most recent round in Monticello, N.Y., pushed his lead to 19-points over Jared Mees. Coolbeth could clinch the Twins title Saturday. Mees is the only rider that still has a shot of catching Coolbeth for the championship.
“It’s getting to the point where I need for Kenny to make a mistake, ” said Mees, who led the series earlier this season. “It’s rare that he does make a mistake and he’s usually quick to correct them, so I’ve got my work cut out for me. ”
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