Jared Mees Comes Up Just Shy of Getting Around 2014 Superprestigio Dirt Track Race Champion Marc Marquez During Yesterday's Event in Barcelona, Spain

2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Champion Jared Mees ended up with the best finish of the American contingent of riders that headed across the pond to contest the 2nd annual Superprestigio Dirt Track Race held in Barcelona, Spain yesterday. Mees won all of his heats races in order to punch his ticket to the main event, but came up just shy of equaling 2013 AMA Grand National Champion Brad Baker's inaugural win in the event held in January. Double MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez was able to take the win after crashing out of last January's event while battling with Baker for the lead.

Mees, Shayna Texter and Baker were all great representatives at the event for the American-based AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship series, but Baker crashed early in the day during one of the practice sessions that saw the former champ take a nasty highside and dislocate his shoulder. Texter wasn't able to qualify through the hectic system in order to represent the Americans in the main event, but American Kenny Noyes, fresh off winning the 2014 FIM CEV International Superbike Championship, was able to bring his ride home in 3rd-place to round out the podium and show the world his title in Spain's high-ranking road racing series was not only not a fluke for the popular rider, but that he hadn't forgotten his flat track skills along the way.

In the shot above, Mees and tuner Kenny Tolbert put the finishing touches on changes to The Jammer's Honda CRF450R 'A' bike in the #1 Montgomeryville Cycle Center/National Cycle/Rogers Racing-sponsored pit area between the practice session and qualifying sessions held at the Peoria TT on August 11, 2013.

You can check out the final of the Superprestigio event here thanks to YouTube and you can also view all of the results here on the official website of the Superprestigio Dirt Track Race. AMA Pro Racing's press release can also be checked out below.

A big congrats to The Jammer, Jared Mees for a stellar 2nd-place finish, to 2013-14 MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez for taking the victory in Barcelona yesterday, and to all of the contestants and representatives of the United States for giving it their all in one of the premier 'off-season' events of the year!

Jared Mees, Marc Marquez thrill international audience in Superprestigio flat track event

BARCELONA, Spain (Dec. 13, 2014) - The world was able to witness the excitement of flat track racing on Saturday, and it was able to see reigning AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Champion  Jared Mees come up just short in a thrilling battle with Spanish road racing superstar and two-time defending MotoGP champion Marc Marquez. Barcelona, Spain played host to the Superprestigio short track exhibition race, featuring some of the best riders from nearly every form of motorcycle racing in the world, including an American contingent representing AMA Pro Flat Track, the world's preeminent flat track racing series. Marquez held off a hard charge from Mees in the showcase's main event, the Superfinal. Mees settled for second in the race, which was broadcast around the world. 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Champion Jared Mees displays his 2nd-place trophy after coming up just short of the win in yesterday's 2nd annual Superprestigio Dirt Track Race in Barcelona, Spain. Photo courtesy of AMA Pro Racing. "I had an amazing time, it was my first time in Spain," Mees said. "I can't say enough for everybody that invited me, Marc Marquez and everybody that put the event on. It was amazing, I had a lot of fun. ... I hope I can come back next year." Mees dominated both heat races and all three finals to win his Open class. But in the Superfinal, Mees got caught up behind a downed rider in the first corner and nearly stalled his bike while running wide to avoid the crash. He was in the middle of the pack for the first time all night and one spot in back of Marquez. Methodically and impressively, the two picked off riders before they found themselves in front. Mees drew even with Marquez's back tire by the final lap, but ran out of time before being able to make a move for the lead. He settled for a hard-fought and well-deserved second." Marquez is a large supporter and fan of flat track racing, and uses it, like many top road racers, to train. In January, the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Champion, Brad Baker, won the Superprestigio after a thrilling battle with Marquez. This time around, the practice Marquez put in specifically in hopes of winning the Superprestigio really showed. "He kept his wheels in line very well," Mees said. "Keeping the wheels in line is the faster way to go around the race track, so hat's off to him. He definitely had amazing style for being a road racer (primarily)." Baker suffered a shoulder injury in practice on Saturday morning and was unable to compete. Leading up to the event, he had been the fastest rider in practice. "First and foremost, I would like to say thanks to Jared. He came from America to here, and also Brad," Marquez said. "I was worried for (Brad) because the crash this morning was scary." AMA Pro Flat Track's Shayna Texter, the only female rider in the event, crashed in her first heat race and found herself in unlucky spots on the track during later heats. She eventually bounced back and finished fourth in her Last Chance Qualifier. Fellow American and 2014 FIM CEV SBK International Superbike champion Kenny Noyes was third in the Superfinal. All three riders on the podium are current champions in their respective series. Additional AMA Pro Flat Track flare was provided by flagger Kevin Clark, who was invited to return for a second time to the event. The thrilling exhibition stoked plenty of interest in the sport, and fans only have to wait until March 12-13 for the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track season to get underway with a doubleheader at DAYTONA Flat Track. Like the Superprestigio, every AMA Pro Flat Track race in 2015 can be seen live atFansChoice.tv.

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.

2013 AMA Grand National Champion Brad Baker Reports on His Win at the Superprestigio Dirt Track Race in Spain

2013 AMA Grand National Champion Brad Baker returned to the States this week after taking the big win in front of a crowded house in Barcelona, Spain last weekend in the 2014 Superprestigio Dirt Track Race.

After taking the trip across the pond after being invited to the event by 2013 MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez, the two spent part of the week in preparation for the big event by practicing at Marquez' track in the Barcelona area. And when the evening's festivities started to wind down, the two were pitted against one another in the Superfinal event along with a host of other racers which also included Americans Merle Scherb and Kenny Noyes.

Baker obviously came out on top of the battle after slight contact with Marquez during the final event sent the MotoGP Champ sprawling to the ground in turn one a few laps from the end of the main, with Baker going on to wheelie across the finish line as the checkers were displayed by AMA Pro Flat Track flagman Kevin Clark.

In the shot above, Baker on his #12 Brothers Powersports/D&D Exhaust/Schenk Racing Enterprise-sponsored Honda CRF450R leads Briar Bauman on the #10Z Rod Lake Racing/Arai/WKR-backed Honda, with Stevie Bonsey on the #80 Mack Daddy Racing/Confused Clothing/Alpinestars-sponsored Honda keeping them in close range during heat race #2 in round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the final National to be held at the Springfield Short Track on September 15, 2012.

Baker filed his Barcelona Superprestigio win race report a few days ago, and you can check it out below as we await the upcoming 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season to kick off at Daytona on March 13-14 at the Daytona International Speedway in just shy of two months time.

A big congrats to The Bullet for his win, Merle Scherb for his 6th-place finish, Kenny Noyes for his 3rd-place finish and to all of the racers for their fine performance that everyone here in the States was able to watch online thanks to a super high-quality streaming feed made possible by AMA Pro Flat Track and CycleWorld.com. And a big thanks also goes out to Marquez for reorganizing this great event and to Backmarker and Riding Man's Mark Gardiner for building the right fire under the correct hind end to make it possible for Baker to get invited to this neat event. Bravo to all!

Brad The Bullet Baker #1 Barcelona, Spain 2014 Superprestegio Dirt Track Race Report

Hey Everyone! First off I hope all of you had a great New Year's and have had a great start to the brand new 2014 season. For me 2014 has already shown to be another steady upward climb in progression and success! There have been so many great things happen to me in such a short time that it’s almost unreal. From getting my own place and living on my own, to becoming the new Factory Harley-Davidson rider, to hooking up with Fun Mart Cycle and Dyno Center riding amazing KTM 450 SX-F’s, and then just still realizing that I am the #1 Grand National Flat Track Champion that people refer to as the best flat track racer in the world! Those are just they key points! I have been blessed in so many ways and I am so thankful to be where I am! At 20 years old you can say that I feel like I am on top of the world. Even when I have accomplished all this there is no room for slowing down. I am still getting faster on the bike and I still have many goals I want to reach not only this year but for the rest of career. It has only just begun!

Brad 'The Bullet' Baker is shown on the KTM that he was equipped with while in Barcelona that he used to capture the Superprestigio Dirt Track Race Superfinal main event on January 11. Photo courtesy of Brad Baker.






2014 started out last weekend as what will probably go down as one the most memorable events of my whole career. Around early December I was honored to be invited to the Superprestegio Dirt Track Race event put on by RPM Racing with support of MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez. The race would be held in the amazing Palau Saint Jordi Stadium in the beautiful city of Barcelona, Spain.

2013 MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez and 2013 AMA Grand National Champion Brad Baker are shown during a practice session for the Superprestigio Dirt Track Race in Spain during the week of January 11, 2014. Marquez and Baker had a spirited battle during the Superfinal main event of the race before contact sent Marquez sprawling to the ground. Photo courtesy of Brad Baker.





The Superprestegio event was initially held as a road race grand prix back in the '70s-'90’s that brought out of a bunch of top named World GP riders. The race eventually lost interest in the mid '90’s and wasn’t revived again until this year when main promoter Jaime Alguersuri and Marc Marquez along with RPM Racing put their heads together and brought the great event back to life. Since a good majority of World GP riders cross train with dirt track nowadays and with the huge history of dirt track riders turned road racers that became world champions, it was a perfect time to put on such an event as a dirt track race and make the dirt track presence known again on the world stage.

The event involved riders such as the MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3 World Champions, Kenny Noyes and handful of other GP riders along with other riders from all over the world that compete in all sorts of different racing disciplines. Kenny is the son of Dennis Noyes who promoted the first ever dirt track race in Spain with Jaime Alguersuri years ago. He started off his career as a dirt tracker in the states and now lives in Barcelona as a world gp rider.

The race program was a pretty interesting format. There were three classes, the GP class, the Open class and the Junior class. The gp class involved all the Gp road race riders, the open class involved at the DT riders and other discipline riders such as myself and the junior class was for young riders that all rode Kawasaki 140’s supplied by the Noyes Dirt track Camp.

The way the program worked was you had to make it through several rounds of qualifying, heat races, and finish inside the top three in your class to earn a transfer spot to the super final race which would decide who was the fast rider of the night. Would it be a GP Rider or an Open rider?

As to be expected I pretty much laid the hammer to the competition in the Open class the whole night. I set fast time in every session, got every hole shot and won by a huge margin in both heat races and the open main event. I knew this would not be my toughest race of the night though. Marc Marquez is an amazing rider and was the only rider close to my lap times the whole night. He won every time he was on the track except once and would be the rider to line up right next to me in the super final. It had shaped up to be the perfect showdown! Who was better, the GP World Champ or the Flat Track World Champ?

It was pretty much a picture perfect race, we were side by side from the moment the gate dropped and swapping the lead several times. To tell everyone the truth, I was holding back about 90%.. My lap times were about a half a second faster during the earlier races but I wanted to make it a “Super” final, not a blow out. Marc was doing everything he could to keep me behind him, running me wide several times and pushing really hard.

Finally the laps were winding down and I had to make a move to get by him and not let him run me wide again. I squared him up coming off of turn 4 and got the drive on him going into turn 1. Unfortunately, I was charging in hard and he did not want to let me by and tried to shut the door. There was hard contact between his handle bar and my knee and it took his front end out from under him and he hit the ground hard! That was not my intention at all, it upset me a lot that our battle ended like that but like they say, when you mess with the bull you get the horns! I rode the last two laps out and did a nice American stand up wheelie past the checkered. I was really happy that no one was upset after the race and even Marc told me it was not completely all my fault, it was just a racing incident. 

 











Brad 'The Bullet' Baker displays the #1 trophy after winning the main event in the Superprestigio Dirt Track Race in Barcelona, Spain on January 11, 2014. Photo courtesy of Brad Baker.







The trip was an outright amazing experience! I can’t thank Mark Gardiner, Dennis Noyes, Jaime Alguersuri, RPM Racing, and Marc Marquez enough for getting me over there and making the event possible! Also a huge thanks to KTM of Spain and KTM Racing for supplying me with an excellent motorcycle. I am really happy with my move to KTM and I think we have just started to turn some heads.

Brad Baker hoists the #1 trophy on the podium after winning the Superprestigio Superfinal event in Barcelona last week. Baker shared the podium with 2nd-place finisher Tito Rabat (L) and 3rd-place finisher Kenny Noyes (R). Photo courtesy of Brad Baker.




I can’t wait for Daytona to showcase my FMC Dyno Center KTM 450! I never thought I would get shown so much respect from so many people in a foreign country. Motorcycles are a way of life to many in Europe, they almost treated me better over there then they do over here! In total there was about 8,000 fans in the stands, 122 journalist at the event, 3 television crews, and around 150,000 people in the United States watched the live feed on cycleworld.com! By far the most exposure I have ever got and the whole sport of dirt track has received in a long time!! I have a tremendous amount of respect for Marc and some of the other GP riders! They are great dirt trackers for the little amount of time they have done it. Flat track has been on a pretty good comeback here in the States and I believe this event will boost it's momentum big time.

Thank you to the rest of my 2014 sponsors and all of my fans.. I can’t wait to get this season into full swing!!
 

2013 AMA Grand National Champion Brad 'The Bullet' Baker Wins the 2014 Edition of the Superprestigio Dirt Track Race in Barcelona

Brad 'The Bullet' Baker, the 2013 AMA Grand National Champion, stole the show yesterday in Barcelona, Spain by defeating the best of the European racers on hand at the 2014 edition of the Superprestigio Dirt Track Race, a special invitation race held on and off since 1979 that pits established racers against their European and American counterpart world champions in a dirt track race setting set inside the confines of Barcelona's Palau Sant Jordi arena.

Baker, who was invited to this prestigious event by 2013 MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez of the Honda Repsol team, fought tooth and nail with Marquez throughout the first part of the race's grand finale, before slight contact with Baker caught Marquez out and threw him to the ground in turn one in front of the crowed house in attendance estimated to be around 8K people.

The Bullet responded by slowing dramatically in the hopes that Marquez would be able to remount and rejoin the fray, but at that point the race was over and Baker went on to claim the victory. It also appeared that Baker was concerned that he may have been the real cause of the incident, but it was obviously a pure point of contact between the two and nothing intentional on our champion's part that caused the MotoGP champ to hit the ground.

Marquez wasn't hurt and did eventually remount only to complete the final lap or two, and to come around and congratulate Baker and let him know that there were no hard feelings due to the contact, as it was obviously a racing incident. Before the contact that put the 2013 MotoGP World Champ on the ground, the two had swapped the lead and made near and slight contact over the course of several laps, and the outcome could just have easily fallen the other way for our American AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Champion.

In the shot above, Baker relaxes in his pit area while talking with some of his crew members while his Dad, Kip (right, front of shot) helps another of The Bullet's crewmen out in making final adjustments to the #12 Fun Mart Cycle Center/Specialty Fabrication/Schenk Racing Enterprises-sponsored KTM SX-F prior to the start of the National main event at the Peoria TT in round 7 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season. Baker went on to take home the Dash for Cash win, get a hard-earned 2nd-place finish in the 25-lap main, and capture the Singles Series Championship on August 11. By the end of the season he was also crowned the 2013 AMA Grand National Champion at the Pomona Half-Mile after winning his second career National main at the season-finale.

Baker earned a lot of respect from the European contingent and fans, and did a great job of not only representing himself but all of the fans and people of AMA Pro Flat Track. And to think if not for the urging of motojournalist and Backmarker Mark Gardiner, The Bullet may never have had the chance to cross the pond to win such a great event.

A big thanks also goes out to not only AMA Pro Flat Track but to Cycle World, for making it possible for the fans in the U.S. to watch the events unfold live on their home computers with what was an excellent, HD feed direct and live from the races in Barcelona yesterday. Great job all around and thanks to all for making it happen!

You can watch the shortened version of the Superprestigio Dirt Track Race and the opening ceremonies here.

And you can check out the full race and the opening ceremonies at this link.

Full results and stories from the Superprestigio Dirt Track Race can be read here.

2013 AMA Grand National Champion Brad Baker Blasts the European Racers in Early Practice Heading into Today's Live Coverage of the Superprestigio Dirt Track Race in Barcelona

AMA Pro Racing and Cycle World announced late yesterday that the Superprestigio Dirt Track Race in Barcelona, Spain will be available for live streaming in the U.S. today beginning at 12:00 PM EST/9:00 AM PST and will be available on Cycle World's website for viewing.

The event, which was originally launched in 1979 and has seen numerous European racers and American racers alike compete in Europe to throngs of fans wanting to see what America knows as real flat track races. Kenny Roberts, Randy Mamola, John Kocinski, Rich Oliver, Colin Edwards and a host of other American champions have competed in the event throughout the years.

2013 AMA Grand National Champion Brad Baker was invited to the event several weeks ago by 2013 MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez after a flurry of writings and 'suggestions' by Backmarker and Riding Man's Mark Gardiner realized the lack of U.S. representation would make the event not only look empty, but without a true world flat track champion to compete against the strong European contingent. Gardiner is on hand in Barcelona covering the events as they happen.

In the shot above, JD Beach on the #95 TJ Burnett Farms Racing/Red Bull/Bell Helmets-sponsored Honda CRF450R leads eventual '13 Grand National Champ Baker on his #12 Fun Mart Cycle Center/Specialty Fabrication/Schenk Racing Enterprises-backed KTM 450 SX-F during heat race #1 at the Peoria TT at round 7 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season on August 11.

Baker, who flew into Spain earlier this week for his first outing outside the United States, out paced all comers during early practice sessions by just over .62 seconds. Decatur, TX. resident and AMA Grand National #78 Merle Scherb, also in Spain representing the U.S., ended practice in the 4th-place slot.

Full results and info can be found here on the official website of the Superprestigio Dirt Track Race.

The complete info and link to today's race in Barcelona can be found in the press release below, thanks to Cycle World and AMA Pro Racing.

Cycle World partners with AMA Pro Racing and RPM Racing to deliver 2014 Superprestigio Race Live on CycleWorld.com

Sent on behalf of Cycle World:

 

Cycle World is pleased to announce a partnership with AMA Pro Racing and RPM Racing to deliver exclusive live streaming video coverage on www.cycleworld.com of the 2014 Superprestigio Dirt Track from the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on Saturday, January 11.

Revived by 2013 MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez, the Superprestigio brings together top roadracing and off-road stars for an exciting evening of competition using an American-style flat-track format that many riders now use as a training method. Because an international flat-track race would be incomplete without American riders, Marquez invited reigning AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Champion Brad "The Bullet" Baker to participate in this unique event. Fellow Americans Kenny Noyes and Merle Scherb will also compete, and AMA Pro Flat Track flagman Kevin Clark will be on hand to entertain the crowd.
 

The Superprestigio was created in 1979 by magazine publisher Jaime Alguersuari and has been held 15 times at pavement venues. Three future American world champions-John Kocinski, Kenny Roberts Jr., and Colin Edwards-made their European debuts at the Superprestigio. Other Americans who have competed include Randy Mamola, Rich Oliver, and Chris D'Alusio, and at RPM-organized dirt-track races, Jay Springsteen and Steve Morehead. A truly international affair, this year's event will also feature riders from England, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal.

2013 AMA Grand National Champion Brad 'The Bullet' Baker is shown during a practice session this week for the Superprestigio Dirt Track Race being held today in Barcelona, Spain. The event was organized by 2013 MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez, and Baker was invited to the event after Backmarker's Mark Gardiner strongly suggested that the field would have been incomplete without the presence of the US champion. Baker ended all early practice sessions with fast time by just over .62 seconds. Photo courtesy of Cycle World and AMA Pro Racing.



 Live coverage of the 2014 Superprestigio Dirt Track on www.cycleworld.com will only be available in North America.

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, communications@amaproracing.com