Following his disqualification after the second round at Atlanta*, “normal service” was resumed in Round 3 at Fort Worth, Texas, on April 28 when Indian Motorcycle ‘Wrecking Crew’ rider and 2017 defending Champion and National Cycle sponsored Jared Mees took the win at the Texas Half Mile.
Indian Motorcycle of Oklahoma City privateer Chad Cose secured his first career AFT Twins podium with a strong third-place finish after setting the top qualifying time; meanwhile, fellow Scout FTR750 privateers Henry Wiles and Johnny Lewis placed inside the Top 10 with a fifth and eighth place finish, respectively. Mees and Cose each won their semi-final race and earned the top two starting positions in the Main.
“We’re entering an important stretch of the season right now, as Texas kicks off six straight weeks of racing,” said Mees. “To start this run off with a victory is huge. I want to thank Indian Motorcycle, my team and all the fans for their continued support.”
Cose’s third-place finish marked the third time a privateer has podiumed with the championship-winning Scout FTR750. In 2017, on his first race aboard the Scout FTR750, Johnny Lewis reached the podium with a third-place finish at the Texas Half Mile.
“To see Chad reach the podium for the first time in his career was amazing,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Technology & Service for Indian Motorcycle. “He’s feeling comfortable and riding well on the Scout FTR750, and we couldn’t be more excited to see him compete in these upcoming races.”
In a highly competitive night, a number of riders crashed and were unable to finish. Among those were Wrecking Crew riders Brad Baker and Bryan Smith. Baker went down in his heat and suffered a mild concussion, while Smith was involved in a multi-rider crash in his Semi.
Through three races Mees leads the pack with 50 points. Wiles, who finished fourth and fifth the last two races on his Scout FTR750, is currently second with 46 points. Despite missing the Main in Texas, Kenny Coolbeth Jr. sits in the fourth position with 36 points.
The Indian Wrecking Crew and stable of privateers aboard the Scout FTR750 will continue its season on May 5 at the Calistoga, California Half Mile on May 5.
*Mees’ disqualification at Atlanta (Round 2) came as a result of an American Flat Track post-event tire sampling showing he was racing on “a chemically altered tire.”
Four tire samples from four different machines were taken after the main event in Atlanta, and all were submitted to an independent lab for chemical analysis. Three of the samples were deemed to be in compliance with the benchmark sample provided by Dunlop. The sample from the #1 machine ridden by Jared Mees was not in compliance, however, and indicated the presence of several chemicals known to be used in motorsports to alter tire compounds.
Effective immediately Mees was served with disqualification from the Atlanta Short Track with his points and prize money voided and a 12-month probation imposed.