Written by:
AMA Pro Racing
05/24/2009
Springfield, IL
Kawasaki USA / Lance & Ronnie Jones' Henry Wiles (Photo: AMA Pro Racing)
ยป More Photos
AMA Pro Racing Flat Track is back under way with Round 3 of the 2009 Grand National Singles Championship being held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Rodeo Arena. Once again the Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association built a unique TT track to test the skills of the AMA Pro stars.
Since September 2007 they have not been able to come up with a configuration to stop Henry Wiles as he powered his Kawasaki USA / Lance & Ronnie Jones-backed Kawasaki to his fourth consecutive win, two short tracks and now two TT's.
Wiles had to be the pre race favorite as he set fast time in qualifying and followed that up with a dominating heat race win posting a time over six seconds faster than the other two heats.
When the green light flashed for the start of the twenty-five lap National Wiles charged to the front. But Memphis Shades / Parts Unlimited's JR Schnabel was hot on his trail and when Wiles slipped wide in turn two Schnabel pounced on the slight miscue.
Defending Singles Champion Jake Johnson, making his first ride aboard the SuperTrapp's / Tucker Rocky Honda was in third with Pro Honda Oil / Rogers Lake Racing's Jared Mees and the Halbert brothers Jethro (Zanotti Racing / Motorex) and Sammy (Halbert Family Race Team) dueling over fourth.
At the start of lap five Jethro Halbert bit the dust in turn two, bringing out the red flag. When the race restarted Wiles grabbed the lead back and it looked like he would take full advantage of his second chance, bit Schnabel was not done and he retook the lead on lap nine.
Schnabel looked like he was ready to take control and notch his seventh win at this facility, but on lap seventeen Wiles reached into his bag of tricks and retook the lead. Sammy Halbert had made the most of the restart, settling into third a position he would hold all the way to the end. Jake Johnson did likewise in fourth.
