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AMA
Flat Track racer Kenny Coolbeth nominated for 2008 AMA SPEED Athlete
of the Year award
PICKERINGTON, Ohio
-- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is proud to announce
that newly crowned 2008 AMA Grand National Twins Champion Kenny
Coolbeth is one of five nominees for the 2008 AMA SPEED Athlete of
the Year award. The winner will be announced Sunday evening, Nov.
23, at the 2008 AMA Pro Racing Awards Banquet at the Barber Vintage
Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Ala.
Dating back to 1976, the AMA SPEED Athlete of the Year award is the
highest honor bestowed on a professional motorcycle racer competing
in AMA events. Past recipients of the award include such legendary
names as Bob Hannah, Scott Parker, Kenny Roberts and Ricky
Carmichael.
Coolbeth, from Morris, Conn., earned his nomination for this
prestigious award by successfully defending his No. 1 plate in the
AMA Flat Track Championship, where he claimed the GNC Twins title
for the third year in a row. Coolbeth clinched the title at the
Monticello, N.Y., half-mile with two more events remaining on the
calendar. Coolbeth won six races on the year and had four more
podium finishes.
"It's an honor to have your name put out there," Coolbeth
said. "There are a lot of great athletes who race motorcycles,
and I feel honored to stand up there with them. It would be really
cool to win the award, and, if not, it's still a big accomplishment
for me just to get nominated."
This is the second time Coolbeth has been nominated for the AMA
SPEED Athlete of the Year award. In addition to the 2006 and 2007
AMA GNC Twins titles, he also won the 2007 AMA GNC Singles title.
Coolbeth turned pro in 1993.
Although he's an established veteran and a multitime champion,
Coolbeth says that he still feels like he's learning more every
year. When asked about the poise he displayed in defending his title
in a tight points race with Bryan Smith this season, he says 2008
represented another big year in his development as a rider.
"I think it's me maturing. It's me being smarter, thinking more
before I do something on the track," Coolbeth said.
"That's what has helped me make the difference the last three
years. If you ride well and use your head, you'll still be in it.
You can't expect to be in it if you're missing one of those two
things."
To see first-hand whether Coolbeth wins the AMA SPEED Athlete of the
Year award, attend the AMA Pro Racing Awards Banquet, where AMA Pro
Racing will honor its professional champions, joined by their
families, friends, fans and industry leaders. Held at the Barber
Vintage Motorsports Museum, the banquet will take place among a
collection of more than 1,200 historic and popular motorcycles.
Tickets to the AMA Pro Racing Awards Banquet are $125. Tickets to
the AMA Sports Awards Banquet, which honors the champions of AMA
Sports events on Saturday evening, Nov. 22, are $85. Tickets can be
purchased online. A downloadable registration form (PDF) is also
available. Printed orders can be faxed to: (614) 986-1962, Attn:
Cyndi Freeze-Cain; or mailed to: AMA Racing, Attn: Cyndi
Freeze-Cain, 13515 Yarmouth Dr., Pickerington, OH 43147.
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