Defending AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines Champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) made it four for four in AFT Mile competition in 2019 when he scooped fiercely contested wins in both the season's Springfield Mile Labor Day weekend races at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on August 31st and September 2nd.
His last-corner 0.239 second victory in the Springfield Mile I saw him see off the 2018 Springfield Mile I winner Jeffrey Carver Jr. (No. 23 Roof Systems of Dallas/Indian of Metro Milwaukee FTR750), following a two-rider duel for the win from the start. The pair immediately broke free from the pack at the start and subsequently waged a 25-mile test of skill and tactics.
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| Mees Overcomes Carver in Springfield Mile I shootout |
Championship leader Briar Bauman (No. 14 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) finished in third 0.122 seconds ahead of brother/teammate Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) in fourth, and Bryan Smith (No. 4 Crosley Brands/Howerton Motorsports Kawasaki Ninja 650) finished fifth.
In the AFT Production Twins, fresh off his clutch victory in the previous night's Springfield Short Track Singles, Dalton Gauthier (No. 122 Black Hills Harley-Davidson XG750R Rev X) steamrolled the competition for a second successive class win, with Kolby Carlile (No. 136 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) second and Lima Half-Mile winner Chad Cose (No. 49 Parkinson Bros Racing/Ritchie Reynolds Kawasaki Ninja 650) third.
Second ranked Ryan Varnes (No. 68 Varnes Racing/RoyBuilt Kawasaki Ninja 650) took fourth by 0.002 seconds from fifth placed Kevin Stollings (No. 999 Roof Systems/Motion Pro/Hinson Clutches Kawasaki Ninja 650).
Two nights later (after a 24-hour weather delay) Mees won a final lap dash for the checkered flag in a Springfield Mile II thriller that saw ten riders in contention for victory at the final corner. The multi-time defending AFT Twins Champion had started in last position from Row 4 following bike issues in his Semi and in the end outlasted title rival Briar Bauman (No. 14 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) by just 0.083 seconds for the 14th Mile win of Mees, tying him with Jay Springsteen for sixth all-time on the big tracks. It also brought him within a single race of Bauman in the evolving 2019 AFT Twins championship race, as he's now just 25 points back (280-255) heading into the season's final three races.
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| Mees stuns in Springfield Mile II thriller |
Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) came through in third to lock out the podium for the Indian Wrecking Crew for the first time in 2019. In a race that saw the entire top ten finishing within 0.653 seconds of the win, Rookie Brandon Price (No. 192 Roof Systems of Dallas TX/DPC Racing Indian FTR750) took fourth, with Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Kennedy Racing/Armbruster Racing Indian FTR750) fifth.
Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Harley-Davidson Factory Flat Track Team XG750R Rev X) was sixth, with factory Harley-Davidson teammate Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Harley-Davidson Factory Flat Track Team XG750R Rev X) eight, with Henry Wiles seventh (No. 17 Bandit Industries/DPC Racing/Wilco Racing Indian FTR750). Davis Fisher (No. 67 Bob Lanphere Beaverton Motorcycles/Dick Wall 60 Indian FTR750) and Jeffrey Carver Jr. (No. 23 Roof Systems of Dallas/Indian of Metro Milwaukee FTR750) rounded out the top ten.
With three rounds to go, Briar Bauman (4 wins) heads Jared Mees (6 wins) by 25 points, with Bronson Bauman (1 win) 40 points behind Mees, but 31 points ahead of fourth placed Jeffrey Carver Jr., with Brandon Robinson currently 5th in the championship standings to give the FTR750 a top five lock-out at this stage, with the Indian Wrecking Crew teammates populating a potential top three sweep for Indian Motorcycle Racing.
Having already wrapped up a third consecutive Manufacturer's Championship this year, team operations for the Bauman brothers have been masterminded by S&S Cycle President Paul Langley, with Dave Zanotti as their crew chief, Kenny Tolbert as Mees' crew chief and Dean Young as Wrecking Crew team manager.
In the second 15-lap AFT Production Twins class race of the weekend, Kolby Carlile (No. 136 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) materialized from the pack late to claim his first-career AFT Production Twins Main Event victory in dramatic fashion.
In a race that saw a restart for Dalton Gauthier (No. 122 Black Hills Harley-Davidson XG750R Rev X), who had to start on the back row when his bike expired in his Semi having mechanical problems again with three laps to go, teammate James Rispoli (No. 71 Black Hills Harley-Davidson XG750R Rev X) took second just 0.111 seconds behind Carlile.
Cody Johncox (No. 196 Sunnyside Cycle/Luczak Racin' Yamaha MT-07) was next in line in a pack of riders that saw five men take the checkered flag within 0.554 seconds of the win. He finished 0.082 seconds behind Rispoli to complete the podium, with Cory Texter (No. 65 G&G Racing/Holeshot Powersports Yamaha MT-07) fourth and Morgen Mischler (DPC Racing, Racing Unlimited Kawasaki Ninja 650) fifth. Texter's advantage has now been reduced to 23 points (148-125) over Carlile with three races remaining.
The quest for all three American Flat Track championships resumes in less than a week's time with the Williams Grove Half-Mile presented by Appalachian Harley-Davidson in Mechanicsburg, Pa., on Saturday, September 7.
The series then heads for the Minnesota Half-Mile at Minneapolis on September 21st before the season's finale a week later at East Rutherford, NJ., with the Meadowlands Mile on September 28.
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Photos: Scott Hunter/American Flat Track