Defending Champ Mees Storms Daytona TT Photo Credit : Brian J . Nelson / American Flat Track
Grand National Champion Jared Mees took a convincing win at the American Flat Track Twins presented by Vance & Hines season opener , the Daytona TT , demonstrating that he has no intention of relinquishing his No . 1 plate without a battle . The Indian Wrecking Crew rider took the “ bigger , better and faster DAYTONA TT layout ” win on his Indian Motorcycle Rogers Racing Sidi Scout FTR750 in front of G & G Racing / Rickdiculous Racing / Team95 Yamaha FZ-07JD MotoAmerica superstar JD Beach second , with TT master Henry Wiles ( No . 17 Willy Built / Bandit Industries Kawasaki Ninja 650 ) in third spot . Mees came into contact with fellow Indian Wrecking Crewman Brad Baker ( No . 6 Indian Motorcycle Racing backed by Allstate Scout FTR750 ) multiple times over the race ’ s opening laps as he looked for a way into the lead , eventually making the decisive
Indian sponsors four AFT by Vance & Hines races
Indian has announced that it is again to sponsor some of the 18 rounds of the 2018 American Flat Track presented by Vance & Hines series . Indian Motorcycle will serve as the event entitlement sponsor for four AFT events on the 2018 slate . - the Indian Motorcycle Red Mile in Lexington , Ky ., on June 2 ; the Indian Motorcycle Lima Half-Mile in Lima , Ohio , on June 30 ; the Buffalo Chip TT presented by Indian Motorcycle in Sturgis , S . D ., on August 5 ; and the inaugural Indian Motorcycle Minnesota Mile , which will take place right in the manufacturer ’ s backyard in Minneapolis , Minn ., on September 29 . As the presenting sponsor of several races last year , Indian Motorcycle hosted dedicated fan areas for bike owners and enthusiasts , offered dealer rides , and gave fans a chance to win a brand-new Indian Scout . This season ’ s involvement will be further enhanced as Indian Motorcycle steps up to full event title sponsorship of multiple races . Additionally , Indian will again be an
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manoeuvre coming off the jump , jamming through as the two entered the following switchback . “ In the very beginning I had to get physical with Brad a couple times - I had to get by ,” said Mees . “ Over the jump I had a real good line , which allowed me to get aggressive . To come out and win the DAYTONA TT two years in a row is just huge .” Briar Bauman ( No . 14 Zanotti Racing Kawasaki Ninja 650 ) was fourth , with Bryan Smith ( No . 4 Indian Motorcycle Racing backed by Allstate Scout FTR750 ) fifth . Other Indian Scout FTR750 finishers included
integral partner of the NBCSN television and FansChoice . tv broadcasts for the entirety of the season . In addition to the “ Wrecking Crew ” factory outfit , several leading privateers will be campaigning FTR750s this season , including the likes of former Grand National Champion Kenny Coolbeth and the fifth-ranked rider of 2017 , Jeffrey
Kenny Coolbeth Jr . in 8th ; Brian Smith , 9th ; Robert Pearson , 10th ; Jeffrey Carver Jr ., 15th . The best placed Harley- Davidson XG750Rs were factory riders Sammy Halbert , 11th , and Brandon Robinson , 12th , with Jarod Vanderkooi 16th . Next up is the Harley-Davidson Atlanta Short Track presented by Hellbender Harley-Davidson on Saturday , April 7 in Woodstock , Ga ., followed by Fort Worth , Texas , April 28 ; the Calistoga , California Half Mile , May 5 , and the first of the season ’ s Mile races , the Arizona Mile , Phoenix , May 12 . www . americanflattrack . com
Carver , Jr . Others winning Indian ’ s FTR750 include Chad Cose , Jay Maloney , Robby Pearson , Johnny Lewis , Henry Wiles and Jake Johnson . A generous $ 350,000 contingency plan by Indian Motorcycle includes a $ 25,000 bounty for the title , plus $ 5,000 for each race win , $ 4,000 for runner-ups , $ 3,000 for third-place finishes , and additional pay-outs to the remainder of the top ten .
RACE NEWS
Robbie “ Bugs ” Pearson joined forces with former GNC Crew Chief and tuner Rick Canode of RJ Performance in Iowa and became one of the many privateer racers to turn to Indian ’ s Championship-winning Scout FTR750 . Pearson will pilot the RJ Performance Indian Scout FTR750 at most rounds this season , having started at the March 15 Daytona TT season opener . Pearson has been a professional flat track racer for more than 10 years . A powersports dealership in Ottumwa , IA , RJ Performance was established in 1982 by Canode , who has tuned for a number of professional racers , including his son , former National # 39 Matt Burton .
Indian Motorcycle Racing has committed more than $ 350,000 in contingency incentives this year , including $ 25,000 for a Championship , $ 5,000 for first-place wins , $ 4,000 for second-place , $ 3,000 for third-place finishes , and pay-outs for up to 10th-place finishers .
Cycle Gear has renewed its commitment to serve as a sponsor of the American Flat Track dirt track championship in 2018 . Cycle Gear has over 130 stores in 35 states , and is a sister company to mail order giant Revzilla .
American Flat Track ( AFT ) has announced a multi-year agreement with E3 Spark Plug that will see the brand continue as the series ’ Official Spark Plug for the 2018 and 2019 racing seasons . The new agreement comes on the heels of a successful inaugural season of support in 2017 . “ E3 has developed a race-proven product courtesy of its patented DiamondFIRE Technology , which focuses on improving the ignition cycles of the air-fuel mixture inside the engine ’ s combustion chamber . This approach results in a more complete , cleaner burn , reducing engine emissions while enhancing performance .”
At the beginning of March , Ducati ’ s announcement of over $ 180,000 of AFT contingency took the total offered for the 2018 season to over $ 2 million . Contingent on using the 821cc twin-cylinder engine that served as the powerplant for Ducati ’ s 2015-2018 Monster and 2013-2015 Hypermotard models , their commit includes $ 10,000 for a championship win and $ 5,000 for an event win .
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