Flat Track ace Terry Poovey injured

[DarthRider]

Texas pro flat track ace Terry is in critical condition following a bad crash at the Springfield Mile.
Details are still sketchy but here is what I could find:
http://http://www.amaflattrack.com/article.php?UID=bfB1nji5fd2KivMjFxeeqzK0eVs5KP&sc=1074&aid=7966
Word is there is no apparent paralysis from the broken vertebra.
Terry is one of the "Old Men" of this sport and is one of the best of all time, despite never having won a series championship...and a great guy.
Get well soon Terry...

[vintagemxr]

Bummer about Poovey (No. 18 below). Flat track is an unforgiving sport, more so than a lot of other types of bike racing. I wish him well and a speedy recovery.

For the speeds involved the tracks are something less than marginal from a safety standpoint. No vast run off area like the road racing guys usually have. Nervous types need not apply.

If you guys have never seen a mile track race then hop on your bike and make the trip to see one. They are slowly dieing out and believe me, there is nothing as spectacular as "the mile." It's one of those events everyone who loves bikes needs to see at least once.

I was able to stand just off of Turn 4 at the Del Mar Mile several years ago and watch the guys come around for several laps. What Poovey, Carr, Springer and the rest are do out there sideways at 100+ mph makes Supercross look like a wimpy pogo stick race. Even on a smooth track the bikes buck and weave and look for a way to toss the rider off and into a guard rail. Watching and hearing it is a very visceral experience, riding it must be like trying to stay calm in the midst of a war. And yet five minutes after a race riders like Poovey are sitting in the pits laughing like it's all a Sunday joy ride with buddies. Amazing talents equal to anything in MotoGP (Kenny Roberts, Sr proved that) and superior in my humble estimation to most other kinds of racers.

http://www.corgifan.com/forum/springpooveykopp.jpg

[DarthRider]

Amen Vintage...you said it right!
I love all motorsports but these guys have always been my No. 1 Heroes!
Have you met Terry? Just a hell of a nice guy.
I sure hope he makes it through this one OK and I also hope he "hangs up his steel shoe" this time. Everyone thinks he will.
Another option to learn about Mile dirt track racing is to watch "On Any Sunday". There is a lot of it in there and it hasn't changed much in all these years, except to just get faster.
Thanks for the great pic of Terry.

[DarthRider]

Here are some race highlights from the Springfiled race where Terry was hurt.
Read what Carr did after beating Springsteen by 6 inches!
These guys have class...

May 30, 2006

Team news release




Ford Quality Checked Certified Pre-owned backed Chris Carr and former AMA/Ford QC Flat Track champion Jay Springsteen put on a race for the ages at the 75th running of the Springfield Mile this past Sunday, with Carr coming away with the win – then taking the checkered flag toting Springsteen for a victory lap on the back of his XR750 that sent the sizable crowd at the Illinois State Fairgrounds into a frenzy.

“It’s been said before but it bears repeating: ‘That was the best Springfield Mile ever…until the next one,’” said Carr. “A typical Springfield Mile that kept the fans right on the edge of their seats until the checkers.”

The exciting final was actually foreshadowed a bit in Sunday’s early practice session when Carr and Springsteen went at each other like a couple prize fighters, trading leads on the mile-long course the way great punchers exchanged shots. Carr then got into it with rival Rich King in their heat race, with King catching and passing Carr on turn three of the final lap and making the pass stick through the finish.

Carr was unfazed by his runner-up finish to King. “Didn’t want to show my hand to early,” he said. “We’ll leave that for the final.”

Carr didn’t show much early in the final either. His Kenny Tolbert-tuned XR750 pulled out in 5th place, after which the race was quickly red flagged (the first of two red flags) due to a wreck and forced to restart. On the second start Carr got off the gate even worse (8th), but managed to work his way up to 4th by the third lap. Aggressive racing early by several opponents would bump Carr back to 8th again, but a strategic draft here and some excellent throttle control heading into turn one would put Carr back up near the top three front runners (King, Springsteen & Kenny Coolbeth).

The second red flag would be the result of a King flat tire and subsequent slide into the Ford Quality Checked/Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association Airfence, halting the race for nearly 20 minutes. This red flag would benefit Springsteen the most in that he’d just broke his shock on the previous lap.

So when the AMA officials lined the bikes up for the restart with five laps to go, Carr was placed in the third spot – on spot behind Springsteen and Coolbeth. The final dash sent the packed State Fairgrounds stands into a furor as Carr and Springsteen showed front tires in the corners, bluffed, drafted and changed leads numerous times before Carr took the lead on turn three and taped the throttle all the way through to the checkers.

The photo-finish was spectacular, with Carr winning by less than six inches – something that Springfield has been known for and that flat track fans appreciate and are witness to more often than not.

“Jay Springsteen’s an inspiration to all of us,” said Carr, who had “Springer” hop on the back of his bike and carry the victory lap checkered flag. “Jay’s last national win in 2000 was at Springfield and I was honored to be 2nd that day. So after I won I thought ‘What the heck, get up here and take a ride with me.’” The win broke the tie between Carr and Bubba Shobert for second place on the all-time mile win list. Carr now has 26 mile wins, second only to the great Scott Parker.

Carr and the Ford Quality Checked team take the next couple weeks off before returning to action on June 17th for the Syracuse Mile at the New York State Fairgrounds.

The current AMA/Ford Quality Checked Flat Track champion, winningest active racer in the sport with 73 wins and seven AMA/Ford QC Flat Track championship titles, the Chris Carr legend continues. For more information on Chris Carr, visit his website at www.chriscarr.com.

[vintagemxr]

Amen Vintage...you said it right!
I love all motorsports but these guys have always been my No. 1 Heroes!
Have you met Terry? Just a hell of a nice guy.
I sure hope he makes it through this one OK and I also hope he "hangs up his steel shoe" this time. Everyone thinks he will.
Another option to learn about Mile dirt track racing is to watch "On Any Sunday". There is a lot of it in there and it hasn't changed much in all these years, except to just get faster.
Thanks for the great pic of Terry.

I don't recall that I ever met Terry Poovey although I did meet, Chris Carr, Scotty Parker, Jay Springsteen and assorted others over time. Some years back my family and I raised a "guide puppy" for a local guide dog school. We took the pup everywhere with us including on vacation to the Del Mar Mile. After the race Carr, Parker, and Springsteen, all autographed her "guide dog in training" cape. Parker commented that he'd autographed a lot of stuff before but never signed a dog. The AMA flattrack guys seem the closest to "real people" of the pro racers I've met over the years. None of them have achieved the serious fame and money of the road racing or supercross guys but they are still out there doing with extraordinary dedication what they love to do and I really admire that. Terry Poovey's a tough guy like all of them are and I hope his tenacity can see him through this tough time.

Libby the guide pup in training and Chris Carr:

http://www.corgifan.com/forum/libby_carr.jpg