Indian Motorcycle ‘Wrecking Crew’ riders took all three top spots at last weekend’s Arizona Mile Flat Track race as the fourth round of the 18-race series saw rivalry with Harley-Davidson’s team renewed.
 |
| “After
the long break following the Charlotte Half Mile, we were all excited
to see how the guys would perform on the season’s first Mile,” said Gary
Gray, Vice President Product Development for Indian Motorcycle. “Their
dominant success at each race is a tribute to how hard each rider and
his team are preparing.” |
This is the second time that the Indian Motorcycle riders have taken the first three places this season and the fourth consecutive race win for Indians in the AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines.
Reigning Grand National Champion Bryan Smith took his second consecutive win of the season, with Brad Baker second and Jared Mees, who took the first two wins of the year, third.
After two red flags, and with the sun going down, the main event (The Law Tigers Arizona Mile, presented by Indian Motorcycle at ‘Turf Paradise’, Phoenix, Arizona, Saturday May 13) was forced to reconfigure to a five-lap shootout. Smith earned his second consecutive victory by ducking inside Baker with two laps remaining – edging him out by .057 seconds.
“My team has done an incredible job, and the Scout FTR750 is performing like nothing else I’ve ever been on,” said Smith. “The mile races are my favorite, and with four of the next five races being miles, we’re excited to keep it rolling.”
“After the long break following the Charlotte Half Mile, we were all excited to see how the guys would perform on the season’s first Mile,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Product Development for Indian Motorcycle. “Their dominant success at each race is a tribute to how hard each rider and his team are preparing.”
The Indian Motorcycle Racing and Jared Mees pit crews are assisted in preparation of the bikes by exhaust provider S&S Cycle, and the “paddock chat” coming into the first Mile race of the series was that following TT, Short Track and Half Mile wins, if anything, the peak power being developed by the FTR750Rs would be best suited to the longer races.
With 10 out of 12 podium spots under their belt already, the ‘Wrecking Crew’ left Arizona heading for this coming weekend’s Harley-Davidson Sacramento Mile (May 20) confrontation in northern California optimistic that the run could be kept going.
Smith and Mees are neck-on-neck at the top of the AFT presented by Vance & Hines leader board, having reached the podium in every race with two first place finishes each. Indian Motorcycle Racing is backed by Allstate Insurance.