The Big Bikes Back on the Magic Mile
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ Stephen Vanerkuur of <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1219585209_1">Davison, Mi</span>. walked away with the biggest prize from the inaugural <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1219585209_2">American Motorcyclist Association</span> (AMA) Motorsports "<span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1219585209_3">Magic Mile</span> Shootout" Saturday night at the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1219585209_4">Du Quoin State Fairgrounds</span>.
Vanderkuur edged Cortland, Oh. rider Robert Descenna on the final circuit of the 15-lap main event, taking home an $11,000 first place purse.
Descenna challenged Vanderkuur several times in an exciting final lap, but Vanderkurr held his line on the lightning-fast Magic Mile and streaked home firs"I just ran my own race and didn't change my line at all," Vanderkuur admitted afterwards. "That final lap was pretty well neck-and-neck."
Descenna, J.D. Beach (Sultan, Wa.) and Vanderkuur won the three 450cc heat races with Beach edging Shanna Texter (Willow Street, Va.)in a photo-finish to take heat #2.
Texter has been one of the top riders in each of the first three AMA Black Cat Gold Dirt Track Championships. That mid-summer event is also held in Du Quoin.
Steven Tapp (Visalia, Ca.) and Kevin Snyder of Taylorville were Vintage pre-1982 winners with Dave Atherton (White Pigeon, Mi.) taking the 450cc feature.
Vanderkuur added another $500 to his purse money, finishing first in the 450cc "<span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1219585209_5">Last Man Out</span>" race.
The five-lap event featured five riders selected from among the 450cc class heat winners. In a last-man-out race, the last rider on each lap pulls off and the remaining riders line up for a subsequent lap.
The process continues until there's one rider remaining.
Saturday's race marked the return of AMA bikes exclusively on the Magic Mile. The last event had been held in October of 2003.
Rain showers-heavy at times-pelted Du Quoin throughout Friday and threatened the AMA program. Dry weather Saturday- along with day long work by the fairgrounds track crew-left the Magic Mile in near-perfect condition when racing began.