After 16 rounds and 15 races were completed, the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season came to an exciting end last weekend with the season finale at the LA Fairplex-hosted Pomona Half-Mile Flat Track Finals, where Jared Mees and his #9 Rogers Racing team fought hard to come home in the 4th-place spot to clinch the 2014 AMA Grand National Championship.
Mees, who had a career year in winning two races, capturing nine top-3s and 14 top-5s in route to winning his second overall Grand National Championship to go along with his 2009 AMA Grand National Twins Series Championship and the 2012 AMA Grand National Singles Championship.
Along with star rider and Michigan resident Mees, second year tuner for the team, Kenny Tolbert, won his eighth AMA Grand National Championship, second only to legendary tuner Bill Werner (13 championships with Gary Scott, Jay Springsteen and Scott Parker) and was awarded the Mechanic of the Year award along with fellow team member Sammy Sweet.
In the shot above, Mees and the #9 Rogers Racing/Las Vegas H-D/Blue Springs H-D-sponsored Harley-Davidson XR750 team of Kenny Tolbert and Sammy Sweet (partially hidden) are shown being introduced to the crowd by AMA Pro Flat Track official announcer Barry Boone at the Springfield Mile I during rider intros at round 3 of the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on May 25.
Read on to see who else copped the share of monies and awards for what was another great season of racing in The Rolling Thunder Show during the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season.
2014 AMA Pro Flat Track champions honored
POMONA, Calif. (Oct. 13, 2014) - The 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track season came to a thrilling end, with both the Grand National Championship Expert and Pro Singles titles being claimed by the tightest of margins at the Flat Track Finals at the LA County Fairplex on Saturday.
Sunday, following the exciting night of races, the champions and other riders of note were lauded at the yearend awards ceremony held at Pomona Valley Mining Company.
Jared Mees poses with his Rogers Racing Harley-Davidson XR750 during the AMA Pro Flat Track banquet where he was officially crowned the 2014 AMA Grand National Champion. AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.
The voices of AMA Pro Flat Track Barry Boone and Scottie Deubler hosted a fun afternoon that included multiple looks back at the 2014 season in addition to the distribution of awards and checks.
GNC champion Jared Mees was awarded the No. 1 plate by the American Motorcyclist Association's Joe Bromley, and he was joined on stage by the Rogers Racing Harley-Davidson he rode to fourth place in the season finale to clinch the title by three points over Bryan Smith.
Pro Singles champion Kyle Johnson also received his No. 1 plate from Bromley after finishing second in Pomona and taking the championship by a single point over Davis Fisher.
Jarod Vanderkooi was awarded the No. 1 plate for winning both Pro Twins races this season, as well.
Johnson is awarded a national number for being the Pro Singles champion, but other riders who earned their national numbers were recognized, including; Jay Maloney, Danny Koelsch, Shayna Texter, Cody Johncox, Chaz Landers, Ronnie Jones and Colt Chebultz.
After 16 rounds, the winners of the Sunoco "Go The Distance Award" were honored and presented with checks for being the riders who completed the furthest distance over the course of the 2014 season. In Pro Singles, the $2,000 winner's check went to Bronson Bauman. Mees received a check for $3,000 for being the top Expert rider in terms of distance traveled. Mees also received $1,000 from Cortech for winning the "Performance Edge Award" as the rider who recorded the most fastest laps in main events in 2014.
Bryan Smith's Villa-Esparza/Crosley Radio team was recognized with the "Team Excellence Award' for their professionalism throughout the year, and Jeffery Carver Jr. was awarded the "Outstanding Performance" award, mainly for riding so many different bikes and remaining competitive over the course of the season.
Saddlemen's Tom Seymour was on hand to congratulate the Saddlemen GNC Rookie of the Year, Wyatt Maguire, who made seven main event appearances in this first season in premier class.
Pro Singles runner-up Fisher was the recipient of a special award, the Brintlinger Award for Excellence in Sportsmanship, which was voted on by members of the AMA Pro Flat Track paddock. Craig Parkinson of Parkinson Brothers Racing, accepted his award for Pro Singles Mechanic of the Year, and Honda was named the Manufacturer of the Year in the class. In addition to Johnson and Fisher being honored, Pro Singles third place finisher Ryan Wells was given a check for $2,000 along with a trophy.
GNC Mechanic of the Year honors went to Kenny Tolbert and Sammy Sweet of Rogers Racing and Kawasaki was named the Manufacturer of the Year in GNC competition.
The largest checks were saved for last as the top three finishers in the GNC standings were honored. Jake Johnson was third and received $4,000 and a trophy. Smith took home a check for $6,000 with his trophy. Mees was awarded $10,000 in addition to the coveted No. 1 plate, and was also recognized with a stunning Rolex watch presented by Thom Duma of Thom Duma Fine Jewelers.
Thunder MultiMedia provided three excellent videos, including a fun look back at the personalities in the paddock and recaps of both the Pro Singles and GNC seasons.
A special No. 1 plate was presented to Dave and Kathy Hoenig for their many years of dedication to the sport of flat track. The couple has attended 444 Grand Nationals, including 369 consecutive.
The event served as a fitting end to an entertaining 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Season with excitement already beginning to build for 2015.
About AMA Pro Flat Track:
AMA Pro Flat Track is a national motorcycle racing series in North America and is considered one of the oldest forms of motorcycle racing. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, the Series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track racing in the world. For more information on AMA Pro Flat Track, please visit www.amaproracing.com/ft.
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AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.
For additional information contact:
AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014,
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