After winning both Sacramento Mile races, Jared Mees has taken the championship lead from Briar Bauman, now sitting at 292 points to Bauman’s 288. Whoever wins the Charlotte Half-Mile on Friday, October 8 will be the 2021 Mission SuperTwins champion, simple as that! The results of the Sacramento races are in the press releases below.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (September 12, 2021) – The Jared Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) domination tour continued unabated in Sunday’s hugely consequential Law Tigers Sacramento Mile II presented by Knauf Insulation at Cal Expo in Sacramento, California.
Mees’ second consecutive double victory saw the former Grand National Champion seize control of the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle championship lead heading into next month’s Progressive American Flat Track season finale.
Mees was again in a class of his own. He blasted away from the pack almost immediately and quickly assembled a multi-second lead. And then he did it again when forced due to a red flag and restart at mid-distance.
The win alone would have guaranteed Mees a one-point title lead, but his advantage is actually four courtesy of #4, Bryan Smith (No. 4 Crosley/Howerton Motorsports Indian FTR750). Mees has himself to thank for that extra bit of padding as well, as he lent Smith a spare machine after the retiring legend struggled to get his primary machine working to his liking.
While he may have only wanted to send his old rival off in suitable fashion, Mees was more than repaid for his generosity when Smith dove up the inside of defending champion Briar Bauman (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) on the final lap to beat him to the line to claim second.
After earning his 60th career premier-class win, Mees said, “I feel amazing. Right after Peoria there was a 25-point gap and five races to go. If I won them all, I would gain 25 points exactly if Briar finished second. So, I figured I have to win all these things. I knew I had a really good shot on the Miles — our Mile program the past few years has been very, very strong. We’ll come to Charlotte and try to get it done. Briar will be very tough — he’s a really great Half-Mile guy.
“All said and done, I give a huge shout out to B. Smith — my buddy. That’s so awesome… To turn around and see the big #4 come across that line… I was more pumped to see Bryan get second on my bike than I was for winning it. That’s so cool.”
Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), Davis Fisher (No. 67 BMC Racing/Dick Wall 60 Indian FTR750) and Brandon Price (No. 92 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) finished just fractions of a second off the podium in fourth-through-sixth, respectively.
Meanwhile, Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Coolbeth-Nila Racing Indian FTR750), took a frustrating eighth behind Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750). Halbert was a race-long contender for the box before encountering a mechanical issue on the last lap, which opened the door for Smith’s strike to steal away second.
Yamaha teammates Kolby Carlile (No. 36 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) and JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) rounded out the top ten.
Now the stage is set. Mees sits at 292 points and Bauman 288. Should either rider win the Charlotte Half-Mile they will be the 2021 Mission SuperTwins champion, simple as that.
AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines
Newly recrowned AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines champion Cory Texter (No. 65 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing MT-07) didn’t ease up any despite Saturday’s title lock.
After threatening to celebrate his triumph in a extended victory lap-style runaway, Texter was tracked down and seriously challenged by Chad Cose (No. 49 Voodoo Ranger/Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) for Sunday’s win.
“California Kid” Cose wanted this one badly, and it showed on track. He reeled Texter back in, arriving on his tail with just over two minutes remaining. He then made his (initial) move with 45 seconds remaining on the clock, and the two proceeded to measure up their respective late-race strategies. The lead was traded back and forth on four occasions over the final minute and two laps. And it was very nearly five, as Cose came up 0.015 seconds short of pulling off one final slingshot before the two stormed past the checkered flag.
Even then the drama wasn’t quite over, as Texter crashed into the Turn 1 air fence moments after earning his seventh win of the season.
Fortunately, Texter immediately jumped up to his feet unscathed. He said, “I saw Chad coming. I knew I could kinda chess-match him a bit. I wanted to lead off (Turn) 4 because that Yamaha power is strong. I love racing Chad. He’s one of my buddies, and when you can trust a guy like that, it’s a lot of fun.
“After the checkers… too much send and not enough grip. I just couldn’t stop. I was like, ‘I ain’t saving this…’ so I pitched it away and gave the guys something to do in the offseason. But seriously, the G&G Racing team stay in hotels pretty much all summer away from their homes. It’s a father and a son, and they do so much for me to allow me to chase my dreams. I’m really appreciative of them.”
Jesse Janisch (No. 96 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R) had a fourth AFT Production Twins podium in five starts in his grasp before a mechanical issue removed him from contention. His friend and fellow V&H wildcard, Morgen Mischler (No. 13 Vance & Hines/Mission Foods Harley-Davidson XG750R), inherited the position and was all too happy to cash in his second podium in four ‘21 class starts.
Nick Armstrong (No. 60 Lessley Brothers Racing Yamaha MT-07) was finally rewarded for his strong weekend form with a run to fourth, while Ben Lowe (No. 25 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) completed the top five.
The Law Tigers Sacramento Mile I & II presented by Knauf Insulation will premiere back-to-back on NBCSN on Sunday, September 26, starting at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT, including exclusive features and cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage.
Next Up:
The championship contenders of Progressive American Flat Track will have a few weeks to ready themselves for what’s promising to be an epic finale: the Charlotte Half-Mile at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday, October 8. Purchase your tickets now at https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3325/#selectTickets. For those viewing from home, live coverage will be available on any device for only $1.99 a month via TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.
The legendary Sacramento Mile I went down in the Golden State, and our coverage of the events leading up to the race here now has a follow-up. Read the press release below to see the results and get the details of what went down at this year’s Law Tigers Sacramento Mile I.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (September 11, 2021) – Progressive American Flat Track legend Jared Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) continued to perform at his vintage best, notching up yet another blowout victory in Saturday evening’s Law Tigers Sacramento Mile I presented by Knauf Insulation at Cal Expo in Sacramento, California.
Mees replicated the Springfield Mile II escape plan he executed just a few days prior. He eked out some breathing space in the opening minutes of the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Main Event and then effectively rendered the race one for second place as he continually added to that advantage, lap after lap.
Never seriously challenged, Mees had more than six seconds in hand when the clock hit 0:00 and still boasted a 4.611-second margin of victory at the checkered flag despite coasting all the way down the final straight.
Mees said, “My heart rate was low around there today, and the track was so smooth it wasn’t too physical. The challenge was mental, trying to put it all together. I was a little bit frustrated after making a mistake in the Dash for Cash. I was starting to second think… ‘Am I losing the mojo? Am I losing the momentum?’
“But I got the holeshot in the Main and started picking ‘em up and putting ‘em down, honestly. The bike was phenomenal. A huge shout out to Kenny Tolbert, Bubba Bentley, and Jimmy Wood. Every session all throughout the day, we tweaked the bike to make it that much better.”
Mees’ dominant night was made that much easier when his rival, defending double Mission SuperTwins Champion Briar Bauman (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750), became embroiled in a race-long multi-rider melee for second.
While the lead-up to the Main suggested that Bauman just might have had the pace to run with Mees, he was never able to show it when it mattered. Bauman struggled both to draft past Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Coolbeth-Nila Racing Indian FTR750) and keep him behind him on the straights, while getting held up in the corners by him at the same time.
All the while, Davis Fisher (No. 67 BMC Racing/Dick Wall 60 Indian FTR750), was mixing it up with Bauman and Halbert, which further allowed Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) and, finally, Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), to join the fray and turn it into a six-rider slugfest for second.
At one point, Fisher slipped the groove following a near-miss with Bauman and fell well back. He made a determined charge back up the order and arrived just in time to get his revenge with less than two laps remaining. That dropped the champ back to fifth and put his championship lead at serious risk.
The rapidly evolving battle next saw Vanderkooi pull off a last-lap move on Fisher that again knocked him off the groove just as Bauman finally found a way past Halbert. Ultimately, Vanderkooi crossed the stripe in second with Bauman earning his 12th podium of the season in third.
Despite that consistent excellence, Mees now sits just four points behind Bauman in the title chase (271-267), which puts him within striking distance of taking the outright lead should he add to his three-race win streak tomorrow.
Halbert finished fourth, followed by Beach and Robinson. Brandon Price (No. 92 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) took full advantage of Fisher’s repeat misfortune to edge him for seventh by 0.009 seconds at the stripe.
Robert Pearson (No. 27 Rackley Racing/John Franklin Indian FTR750) and James Rispoli (No. 43 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R Rev X) rounded out the top ten.
AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines
11th-place was all he needed, but Cory Texter (No. 65 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing MT-07) instead preferred to celebrate his dominant 2021 AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines title triumph with a more representative victory.
Texter lined up on pole with three Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750Rs alongside, piloted by Chad Cose (No. 49 Voodoo Ranger/Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R), Jesse Janisch (No. 96 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R) and Morgen Mischler (No. 13 Vance & Hines/Mission Foods Harley-Davidson XG750R).
Any chance that talented trio had of teaming up on Texter evaporated after the ‘19 class champ took his customary holeshot as wild cards Mischler and Janisch limped off the line and dropped to seventh and eighth, respectively.
A motivated Cose pulled in behind Texter and sat in his draft over the race’s opening half. But Texter’s torrid pace and trademark consistency ultimately broke the challenge of the “California Kid” as well.
Texter left no doubt en route to reclaiming possession of the #1 plate, winning by 5.197 seconds. With two races still remaining, Texter is once again the AFT Production Twins king on the strength of six wins and ten podiums.
He said, “This class is super talented this year. It was hard work versus talent. I have a lot of respect for the guys I race against, and this (championship) was earned. The grind it took this season… The injuries I had to work through this summer, and the training, and the studying notes, and losing it last year and coming back this year, and working for it and winning it. It all means so much to me.
“You don’t have to be the most talented guy out there. You can work super hard and achieve your goals.”
Cose took a popular runner-up in front of the home fans, which also propelled him into second in the championship, moving him one point ahead of sixth-place finisher Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07).
Meanwhile, Janisch fought his way back up to come out on top of a last-lap drafting contest for the podium with Ben Lowe (No. 25 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) (fourth) and Mischler (fifth). The result was Janisch’s third top-three in four starts in place of the injured Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Cycles/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R).
The Law Tigers Sacramento Mile I & II presented by Knauf Insulation will premiere back-to-back on NBCSN on Sunday, September 26, starting at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT, including exclusive features and cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage.
For more information, please visit http://www.americanflattrack.com.
