AGV Dainese Sammy Halbert 2009 Grand National Champion!

Congrats to Sammy for some gnarly racing and a lot of determination (despite a crash in the last Main event) to bring the Grand National home.

Here's a quick report from Pomona from Road Racer X dirt track insider Miriam Deitcher:

"In 1999, Carr ran away with the championship, finishing 65 points ahead of Rich King. The story was quite different this year as, heading into Pomona, six riders were in mathematical contention for the Grand National Championship: Sammy Halbert, Jared Mees (-1), Kopp (-4), JR Schnabel (-19), defending champ Kenny Coolbeth, (-24) and Jake Johnson (-24).
Although I consider Mees and others to be my good friends, I found myself secretly rooting for Halbert all season long. He’s just the kind of kid you want to see do well. His dad tunes his bikes, and he’s sponsored by his family. Off the track, he’s quiet, humble, and gracious. On the track, however, he’s ferocious and exciting as hell to watch. I often hear him described as a “racer’s racer” with a “win or die trying” attitude.

Halbert elevating his foot, moment after winning the Grand National Championship. - Miriam Deitcher photo

Halbert’s championship hopes almost came to an end during the Pomona main event, when he pummeled into Stevie Bonsey’s bike after the former MotoGP 125cc rider crashed. “His bike slid right in front of me, and I went up and over at high speed,” Halbert wrote in his post-race report. The crash, which catapulted Sammy ten or more feet into the air upon impact, was so scary it would’ve sent most riders packing. But not Sammy. “It looked like it was all over,” he said. “I felt like my leg might have been broken. After a few minutes, I stood up and luckily the bike wasn’t too damaged to continue.” Not only did Halbert join the single-file restart in dead last, he then proceeded to finish on the podium. All that, with a leg so messed up he could hardly walk the next day.
Halbert’s third-place finish at Pomona was just enough to edge out Kopp by one point and Mees by three to win the Grand National Championship, making 2009 the closest top-three Grand National Champion finish in AMA Flat Track history. You have to go all the way back to 1963 for the next closest, when Dick Mann, George Roeder, and Ralph White ended the season ten points apart.

The feat puts Sammy in the elite Grand National Champion club with legendary riders like Parker, Carr, Ricky Graham, and Bubba Shobert. Or does it? In 2006, AMA Pro Racing stopped recognizing the Grand National Champion. Instead, they honor the winners of the Twins and Singles series individually, but not the all-around champ. At the AMA Flat Track end-of-the-year banquet the night after Pomona, Sammy’s Grand National Championship went unmentioned."

Here's Sammy's Race Pomona report:

"Going into Pomona I was thinking I needed to just go in and get 28 points, by winning the Dash for Cash, and the GNC Main event. I then would have guaranteed myself at least second place in the AMA GNC Twins Championship, and a shot at winning if Jared Mees finished 10th or worse. I felt like all the training I have done all year has built up to this event, and I was ready to put it to good use.

The track turned out to be very challenging as they tried to make it hard packed, but the soil was too soft, and it was obvious right away that it was going to be a rough track all night. I qualified 9th but was confident I would be upfront when it came down to race time.

There was a few restarts in my heat race and I was getting shuffled backwards in most of them, I was worried as I fell back out of the top five before the restart. On the last re-start I didn't come off the line well, but I just charged into the lead through the first turn, but was soon passed by Henry Wiles. I tried my best to hang with him, but he was just a little faster. Then I had to give it everything I had to hold off challenges from Matt Weidman and JR Schnabel. Top two in this heat was crucial as it meant front row starts for the GNC Main event and Dash for Cash. I knew I had just barely kept my title hopes alive by finishing second.

The Dash for Cash just didn't go my way, I tried to find some good lines to pass, but found some bumps instead and dropped back to 6th place. Joe Kopp finished second which meant that we would be tied in the Overall Grand National Championship going into the Main event with Mees just one point behind.

In the main event I had kind of a rough time, and went backwards a little. I was running right behind Mees when all of a sudden Steve Bonsey crashed running the low line in turns three. His bike slid right in front of me,and I went up and over at high speed. I was layed out hard on the track, and it looked like it was all over, I felt like my leg might have been broken. After a few minutes I stood up, and luckily the bike wasn't to damaged to continue. I started in last place on the single file restart and worked my way around riders and continued to search for a fast line. Halfway through the race I had developed enough courage to try running the low line Thur the bumps in turn one, that turned out to be the key to my success as my Harley-Davidson XR750 was set up to handle the bumps well. I was then able to go just a little faster in each corner than everyone around me so I worked my way past Kopp, Johnson, and Carr. then I caught and passed Weidman and Mees for third, and it seemed I was catching the leaders, but it was too little to late. I finished in third place and was happy to limp onto the podium. I finished the season in third place for the AMA GNC Twins Championship, and won the "Overall Grand National Championship" by 1 point marking the closest ever top three riders in the Grand National Championship Series! I am also the first rider under 23 years old to win the Grand National Championship (combined points) since 1978.

I am so happy to end the season on such a high note by charging from last place to third in the Pomona GNC Main Event! They know I am coming for them! I also feel very honored to have won the www.flattrack.com overall Grand National Championship by having the most points in the singles and twins class for 2009.

I am looking forward to expanding my team for next year with the addition of my older brother, National #69 Jethro Halbert. I am really looking forward to working alongside him week in and week out, like we did as Amateurs. We will be stronger as a team together and will come to Daytona Bike Week prepared to gang up on the rest of the GNC Regulars.

Thanks to all my sponsors for helping to make the 2009 Racing Season a great success for me!"

AGV Dainese's Rispoli: A Day at the Beach; Grove City Mile

Race report by the Rocket.

"Hi everyone;

It was hot, I mean real hot. I pounded down the liquids to keep hydrated, stayed consistent throughout the day's qualifying, heats and main event and got out of there all in one piece gaining another three points toward the championship.

The place; Grove City Ohio. The venue; Beulah Park mile and what a mile it was. This is the second year that the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship raced here and this time it looked like the rain would stay away and the sun would shine, shine, shine. If you asked me I think the track took more water during the day than is found around a small Caribbean Island. I mean the water truck seemed to always be on the track. Officials and crew did their best but the sandy-beach like surface broke apart and raised the dust level to new highs. Ruts would develop in only a few laps and it was hard to see a 12 or 25 lap main run successfully on the track. But somehow they got the race off and I made it a point to be out front, out of the deep roost and away from the mayhem of the pack rats looking for glory.

My Weirbach racing Honda was my weapon of choice this weekend and Dick did a great job of getting things set up so out of the box we were almost right on. Since no 450's ever rode the track we were guessing at gearing. I made my choice during the week and told Dick what I felt we needed. I ran this track last year on a basic twin Aprilia and had an idea what we needed. We were right on from the first practice.
I went second fastest in the free practice, third fastest in the first timed practice and fastest in the second time practice. Each time out the track got a little slower. The last time out was a mess. The track was really rutted, super dry and super bumpy. The front wheel was off the ground in the turns causing you to be on the edge of washing out several times a lap. While I set fast time I came in and said I was hanging it all out just to go a second slower than my first qualifying time. And, that was a lot faster than the second place rider. It was crazy for a mile track for sure.

I won my heat by a good margin but it was the second heat and the track was already rough. A rider went down on the first lap so I knew I couldn't get fast heat so I settled for just going for the win. We watched some of the expert heats and I was glad I wasn't in those. They didn't water or treat the track between heats so the second and third heats were racing in a dust cloud. I watched bikes coming off of turn four and just fish-tail their rear wheel all the way down the straight, fronts plowing sand and bumps entering turn one. I waited around for our time to go out for the final and it was still really hot. I was a bit upset that they didn't drag the track for our class. Seems even though we put on a good show we get the short end of the stick when it comes to track prep, especially when the time is getting short.

In the final I had second pick on the line and thought I would get a good start like I was all day long. Unfortunately my rear tire hit a rut, pitched me sideways and caused me to be 4th going into turn one. When I exited turn two I put my head down, secured the third spot and was just short of making a move on the second place rider. It took me around three laps to finally break away but by that time Vanderkurr was already rocking out the place. Steven and I had the only times in the 44 second range in the final and I had to settle for second place overall. It was a good race and I kept the bike on two wheels to collect another three points on Baker. This was not where I wanted to be but I was OK with now only being three points out of the lead. I learned a long time ago from Chris Carr that winning is great, but it is consistency over a long time that wins championships. I never forgot that.

One last thing I wanted to tell everyone. On my way back from California with my west coast buddy, we had a terrible accident in his van. The good news was we walked away with almost no scratches on Friday morning two days before the race. It was clearly a miracle since the van hit a tree when we went off the road and flipped several times coming to a stop on the side of the highway in some tall bushes. The airbags went off and we had our seat belts on and both did their job. It was our own fault for not getting enough rest. This was a huge lesson that I want every racer to make sure they listen to. Please, if you are tired, pull off the highway and go to sleep. Pushing it will only lead to something you will be sorry for later. We both lived to tell the story and race two days later. Someone up above was watching over us.

I am heading to Peoria this weekend and hope to at least finish out Indy and Springfield before I end the season. It doesn't look like we can do Pomona so I will catch some last road race venues to close out racing for 2009.

Till next time...do what I like to do GO FASTER...

James "the Rocket" Rispoli"

AGV Dainese's Sammy Halbert makes Cycle News cover

Congratulations to a very deserving AGV Dainese's Sammy Halbert for making the cover of Cycle News after taking victory at the Bulls Gap Grand National. An outstanding achievement after his serious crash at the previous round.

First AMA Grand National Twins victory for Dainese's Sammy Halbert

Cyclenews.com - June 20, 2009

It’s been nearly five years in the making, but Sammy Halbert finally broke through to earn his first AMA Grand National Twins victory, his second overall Grand National victory, Saturday night at Volunteer Speedway.

 

Sammy, the younger of the two racing Halbert brothers, nearly made a clean sweep of it riding the high-banked red clay 3/8ths-miles on his Halbert Family/Kings Kustoms Harley-Davidson XR750. He was the fastest in timed qualifying, won his heat race, the Dash for Cash and the National.

Despite Halbert’s obvious speed all day the victory didn’t come easy. Halbert battled all race with Blue Springs/Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson’s Jared Mees, who won this race in 2007, and dealt with a late challenge by Kenny Coolbeth on the factory Harley-Davidson.

Halbert led early, but was passed on lap five by Mees, just before a red flag stopped the race when A.J. Eslick laid his bike down between turns one and two. On the restart Mees for another half-a-dozen laps, before Halbert took back the lead on lap 12 of 25. The leading duo battle so hard that it allowed a smooth riding Coolbeth to close the gap and join the battle foe the lead. For several laps it looked like the race would come down to a three-way, last-lap fight, but Halbert turned in a couple of picture-perfect laps to open a gap in the closing laps.

 

Halbert crossed the line .565 of a second ahead of Mees, with Coolbeth a close third.

“It’s been a long time coming, but it was worth the wait,” Halbert said of his first win on the big bikes. “Jared and I had a great race and fortunately I was able to buckle down and turn in a strong last five laps. It feels great to get my first Twins win. Everything seems to be going in a good direction for me now.”

Halbert’s victory was even more surprising since he crashed hard last weekend in Dayton, Ohio, along with his brother and Nick Cummings, injuring his shoulder in the process.

After two rounds of the GNC Twins Series, Coolbeth now leads by five points over Mees, 43-38. Chris Carr is third with 32 points; Sammy Halbert has 30 and Matt Weidman rounds out the top five in the standings with 27 points.

Brad Baker, riding a Brothers Power Sports/Mike Velasco Honda, won the rain-shortened Pro Singles final over Red Bull/Team 95 Honda’s J.D. Beach and Shayna Texter on the Lancaster Harley-Davidson/Screamin’ Eagle Suzuki. The victory, Baker’s second of the season, put him back in the Pro Singles Series lead by seven points over James Rispoli, who finished fourth.

The series moves to Lima, Ohio, next Saturday.