Kopp represents region
Memorial Day weekend is one of the most famous in all of motorsports with the running of the Indianapolis 500 for Indy Cars and the Coca-Cola 600 for the Sprint Cup series.
Spokane-area drivers have ties to each with Tom Sneva bringing home an Indy win while Chad Little has had multiple starts in the 600 over his long career.
Both drivers have since left the driver’s seat in favor of other roles in racing, leaving Mica native Joe Kopp as the area’s only professional motorsports athlete racing across the country.
Kopp’s biggest event in the AMA Grand National Motorcycle flat-track racing series takes place this weekend at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, the site of the 2008 season opener – an event that Kopp has never won.
“For our sport, this is the biggest race of the year. It’s the one race I’d really like to win,” he said. “You’re starting with a clean slate (for 2008) and I have never won this. We’ve had a few seconds, but I’d say we’re due this year.”
While Indy is nearing its 100th anniversary, Kopp is competing in the country’s oldest form of motorsports as a flat-track motorcycle rider. He wouldn’t trade the open air for a seat behind the wheel, Kopp said.
“It’s a rush racing with so much speed. We’re approaching 135 mph on the bike and that’s a lot (of speed) on a flat dirt track.”
Once the season begins, Kopp finds little time to practice in his hometown with the limited resources available. With such a tough road to follow for success, the 2001 AMA champion has found some local venues that can simulate conditions he’ll face each race.
“Riding the bike in any way you can is the way to stay in shape. I’ll go out and ride a motorcycle off-road and I’ll put some time in at (.200-mile) Sunset (Speedway in Airway Heights). The (Spokane Kart Racing Association) road course has a track that mixes asphalt and dirt routes that I use to keep sharp, but it has been hard to find a track locally that matches what we race to go out and practice (in between races).”
Standing atop the podium in Illinois come Sunday evening is Kopp’s goal, but he admits that the season has another prize to chase.
“My goal this year is to win that No. 1 (championship number plate) back and bring it home.”
Home is where the heart is, as the saying goes, and Kopp has found a balance between racing and spending time with his wife Dee Dee and sons Garrett, 12, and Kody, 3 1/2. With a baby due later this year, traveling to and from Spokane has meant often going to races without his family.
“We use to load up the motor home and do a lot of traveling, but last year I flew to a lot of the races so that I could be home with the family each week,” Kopp said. “Hopefully, doing that again this year will pay off in October with another championship.”
Even as the fall rolls into winter, Kopp can still be found racing indoors at a dirt track or on an ice rink facility. Staying busy beats the alternatives, he said.
“I try to race full time even in the winter, which is supposed to be my time off. Doing races in the off-season keeps me sharp and it helps pay the bills. I’m not ready to go back to a 9-5 job yet, and I figure if I can make a living and flat-out enjoy riding my motorcycle I’ll keep going.”
Once the helmet is put away, finding someone in the region to carry on where Kopp leaves off could prove to be difficult. With little flat-track racing locally and only a handful of tracks in the Northwest, Kopp sees off-track approaches as important as on-track for the next Inland Empire rider to succeed.
“The best way for someone here to do it is to start promoting yourself well and train as hard as you can as young as possible,” he said. “There are some kids out there coming up, but it’s hard to find a track to stay sharp.”