Jared Mees has his #9 Lucas Oil/National Cycle/Rogers Lake/Montgomeryville Cycle Center-sponsored Honda CRF450R all but ready to pop the rear tire off the rim as he exits turn 5 for the run to the stripe during qualifying for the Peoria TT on August 21. The runner-up at the time in the overall point standings in the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship Series had a great outing at the amphitheater setting in the lower Peoria valley as he won the Dash for Cash event over eventual main event winner Henry Wiles and defending AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson. With then-point leader Sammy Halbert finishing 5th in the Dash, coupled with his 3rd in the National main, Mees was able to close the point gap from a 10 point deficit to a 3 point deficit after his runner-up finish in the main.
Mees has made a statement the last few years in the AMA Grand National Championship Series in terms of strong, consistent finishes in all of the events on the series' calendar. After having won the '09 AMA Grand National Twins Series Championship based on consistent, but no-win finishes, Mees added to his great track consistency in the 2010 season by scoring another season's boatload of podiums, but again no wins, to finish 3rd in the overall championship behind Johnson and runner-up and retiring 2000 AMA Grand National Champion Joe Kopp.
But 2011 has brought an even more focused, winning attitude to the Michigan veteran and former AMA Horizon Award winner. Taking his first win in almost four years at the Springfield Mile I event in late May, The Jammer has since been on a streak that has included three more wins and two-handfuls of 2nd and 3rd place finishes. And with his win two weeks ago at Knoxville in the main and in the Dash event, Mees took the overall points lead in the series over season-long leader Sammy Halbert.
As this story is being written, Mees and the rest of the AMA Grand National regulars are rolling onto the track at the 18th round of the season in Brainerd, MN. With two west coast rounds remaining after that romp in Minnesota, the fight for the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship is heating up into a big barn burner. And Jared Mees has the fuel to light them all up!
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As 2nd-place finisher Jared Mees talks with the Peoria Motorcycle Club track announcer about his great run during the Peoria TT, 7-Time winner of the event Henry Wiles reflects on the top step after doing the near-impossible in his run for the win at the legendary facility on August 21. 3rd place finisher Sammy Halbert waits to talk about his great run on the day.
Round 14 of the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship Series saw Wiles take home the lion's share of the goods on the day riding his #17 Monster Energy Kawasaki/Jones Bros/Don's Kawasaki/Arai-sponsored KX450F, and Mees closing the gap towards the end to finish in the runner-up spot on his #9 Lucas Oil/National Cycle/Rogers Lake/Montgomeryville Cycle Center-backed Honda CRF450R just 1.560 seconds behind Hammerin' Hank. Slammin' Sammy took his #7 Woody Kyle Racing/Fredericktown Yamaha/AGV/Kings Kustoms-sponsored YZ450F to the last step on the podium just 4.206 seconds behind The Jammer.
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A big thanks again go out to Will and Yve from The Fast and Dirty.com for bringing us this great video of highlights from Jared Mees' 2nd place run at the Peoria TT from August 21, round 14 of the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship Series. Thanks guys for all you do for AMA Pro Flat Track!
http://vimeo.com/28547957
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