Mees Edges Bauman in Spectacular Inaugural I-70 Half-Mile
Round 3, April 23
Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) added at long last to AFT race successes by taking the win at the inaugural I-70 Half-Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle of Kansas City at Odessa, Missouri.
Kansas City-area fans had waited 17 years to see the world’s greatest motorcycle dirt track racers do battle and were rewarded with an instant classic.
Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle
Briar Bauman (No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) powered into the lead at the start, followed closely by JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT). Mees didn’t waste any time dispatching Beach to prevent Bauman from getting away out front, and then used that momentum to rail his way into the lead and ultimately to a win that ties him with Chris Carr for most career premier-class victories.
Behind Bauman (second), Beach, who eventually finished fifth, was overhauled by Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) and Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), who finished third and fourth respectively.
Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) finished sixth, followed by Mission Production Twins Challenge entry Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R). Together the two ensured that a pair of Harley-Davidson XG750Rs would finish inside the top seven alongside the three Indians and two Yamahas ahead of them.
Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines
Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R) took his Texas frustrations out on the field in the form of outright dominance of the evening’s Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines. The Vance & Hines pilot stormed to the front off the line and effectively removed all doubt within a matter of laps.
Billy Ross (No. 109 Mission Foods/Roof Systems Kawasaki Ninja 650), Kolby Carlile (No. 36 KC36 Las Vegas Harley-Davidson XG750R) and Cole Zabala (No. 51 Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Yamaha MT-07) traded punches in a scrap for second that ultimately did them no good at all with mechanical issues and crashes forcing Zabala into an eighth place finish, Carlile ninth and Ross 14th.
Title leaders Nick Armstrong (No. 60 Competitive Racing Frames/Lessley Brothers Yamaha MT-07) and Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) completed the podium in second and third, ahead of Jeremiah Duffy (No. 42 Sammy O Racing/Arai Helmets Kawasaki Ninja 650) fourth (0.087 seconds behind Texter) and Jordan Harris fifth (No. 77 Roy Built/S&J Coal Mine Kawasaki Ninja 650) another 0.319 seconds back.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Minutes before Mees won the SuperTwins class, Kody Kopp (No. 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) became the first repeat winner of the season when he took the checkered flag in the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Main Event.
Australian Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) took second from Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) in third, with Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) in fourth ahead and James Ott (No. 19 MediaHT/G&G Racing KTM 450 SX-F) completing the top five.
Next up is the first Mile of the season with the Mission Red Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle of Lexington doubleheader on Memorial Day weekend at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky, on May 28-29.
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