In what proved to be a memorable return for Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) at the West Virginia Half-Mile, Indian Motorcycle Racing and reigning SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees secured their sixth win of the 2023 American Flat Track (AFT) season.
In the night’s Main event, it was Mees who took the whole shot and battled with Briar Bauman for the first half of the race before extending his lead to over half a second. The battle for third was bar-to-bar and tire touching throughout the race. Mees relied on his racing prowess leading from start to finish, crossing the finish line.609 seconds ahead of Bauman.
“It feels really good – this is like my favorite one so far this year. I didn’t feel like we were the fastest guy lining up for that Main Event, said Mees. “We made some game-changing decisions after the dash with the Öhlins rear shock. With not trying something like that all day, you don’t know exactly what to expect, but I have a lot of faith in my team. It was a super finesse-y track – it was really easy to make a mistake and lose your momentum. I thought Briar and Davis were the guys to beat. But I hit my marks every lap, moved around to figure out where Briar was catching me, got my spot and felt the motorcycle hook up and move forward.”
The win marked a record-tying 35-career half-mile victories, and just five points behind the season’s point leader. With seven races remaining, Mees is poised to make a strong push to reach Scott Parker’s record-holding nine career Grand National Championships.
The 2023 American Flat Track season continues July 8 for the Orange County Half-Mile at the Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, NY.
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