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Mees 2010 Daytona Bike Week Race Report!! |
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Written by Jared Mees
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Thursday, 18 March 2010 |
Savannah GA -
The season opener for flat track racing has always been Savannah. The Hot Shoe Series is now called the All Star Series, picked up and run by Steve Nace. Steve is no newbie to promoting dirt track events so I think he will put on a great series for us this year, running in conjunction with his other races.
It was cold in Savannah. With the 450 I was struggling with my starts. I won my Heat but for the Main I continued to do poorly off the line and got shuffled back to mid-pack. It felt like it was everyone’s first race ever as riders were going all over the place. I just couldn’t trust the rider next to me and struggled to an 11th place. Not the way I was looking to start my dirt track season.
For the 750 I again won my Heat and sat on the pole, but again did not get a good start and Chris Carr was pretty much checked out from the word go. I had to pass Jake Johnson and a few others and was running 3rd. I could feel and hear someone breathing down my neck as I reeled in Hank Wiles. I got to Wiles and sort of put it in safe mode as it was JR Schnabel who was breathing down my neck. I was able to hang onto 3rd and round out the podium spot. Felt like I was ice riding for how cold it was.
Barberville, FL -
In Barberville I won both of my Heat races, sitting on the pole for both Main Events. Now, if I could just get some decent starts! I got the start in the 450 and was getting excited with the throttle. I spun it up and it allowed Sammy Halbert to get by. He built a small gap and I settled down and ran him back down, but we were going so close to the same speed I couldn’t get by him. I got 2nd behind him.
In the 750—another bad start, got stuck behind Matt Weidman whose bike was throwing him around badly. I really don’t know how he hung on to the thing, finally hitting a hole which really bucked him up the track. He probably should send that suspension out to “26 Suspension,” Steve Beattie that is. Anyway, his bobble allowed me to move into 3rd. Once again I had to play catch-up with Sammy, got by Henry and started to check out. I was able to close on Wiles but couldn’t really make a clean pass. I ended up getting another 3rd.
The next day was again in Barberville. There weren’t as many riders this day. I wanted to try a few things, and, heck, I was down there anyway, might as well race. I won both my Heat races and again sat on the pole for both. I have been doing well getting fast times but just need to start putting things together. There was a Dash for Cash for the top two in the Expert Heats and the winner of the Pro Heats. Pro riders started on the front row with the Expert riders in the back. Winner take all. I thought: “Man, they put us on the back here and $1300 winner take all. These Pro guys may see and feel a little bit of a wheel here. Ha. Ha.” I got off right behind Brad Baker and followed him up the gut. I had a little more motor than Brad’s bike so I was able to get off the corner well and went right past him. I won the Dash which was a huge help. Thank you to all the fans and spectators who generously contributed.
For the Main Event Robbie Pearson got off to the lead with me right on his tire. He was trying hard to guard the bottom of the race track as he knows all the passing is done up the inside. I had some motor on his bike as I felt his was down a little bit, which was why he was guarding that line. I ended up riding around him on the outside on turn 3 to get the lead. I pulled out to a little gap and finally won one of these things.
Now to top things off for the day is to win the 750 race as well. I got off the line nicely and Nichole Cheza actually got the hole shot. I put it around her on the outside in turn 3 and began to pull a little lead. I looked back half way and noticed some pink still right there. I thought for sure it wasn’t Kenny Coolbeth! Righ...it was still Nichole. I thought; “Man, this would be cool to be on the podium with your girl friend.” Checkered flag and I looked back and she wasn’t there. She had broken down with two laps to go. Bummer. Coolbeth was 2nd and Weidman was 3rd.
Off to the Daytona Short Track.
Daytona – Wednesday March 3 -
The new short track is nothing like the old place at Municipal Stadium, except the dirt, they say. The place was way more round with shorter straights. I seemed to struggle with getting off the corners and the middle. For the practice/qualifying I have never seen anything like it---rocks, ruts and dry dirt! It was impossible to get around this thing the same each lap. I was on the 2nd row for my Heat race. The AMA-DMG turned the track around for the Heats and Main Event by packing it down to give us a smooth surface to run on. Thank you for doing that. I ended up getting a 5th in my Heat and had to go to the Semi, which I won. I got a great start off the back 3rd row and was up to 5th but slowly dropped to 10th, where I ended up. Not what I wanted at all.
Daytona – Thursday, March 4 –
The second day, Steve Beattie came up and said “Hey, we did everything we could with this chassis. I think you have too much power. What do you think about taking out my bone stock motorcross bike and putting your suspension wheels plastic on it?” My mechanic, Brent Armbruster, thought it was worth a try so he, Steve and I were running around swapping things around. This was a brand new ’09 Honda that had one ride on it, so I knew it wasn’t whopped out. I qualified better this time, 12th. I was in the first Heat race with Sammy and Wiles. I got a decent start and was running 3rd. There was a red flag so we had a re-start. I ran 3rd the whole race, missing the Dash for Cash and the front row for the Main Event, for which I was on the 2nd row. I got a great start and bang! I was up there. I got around Wiles and then Joe Kopp and was running 2nd for a long time. Coolbeth came up and got around me when I slipped real wide off of turn 4. I ran 3rd for the rest of the race to the finish. It felt like I damn near won the race as far off as we were to get a 3rd I was pretty happy with that.
The points are close, with a three-way tie for 2nd place behind Jake Johnson. I’m only 9 points behind those running 2nd. Not too bad.
My special thanks to Brent and Steve for all their hard work the entire week. And to all my sponsors, especially Craig Rogers who never misses a race, coming all the way from California.
Next up is an indoor concrete race at the end of the month in San Jose CA. Rod Lake is putting it on. He’s one of my biggest supporters. I’ll see you all there and if not, you’ll hear about it.
Thanks all. Jammin’ Jared Mees
Singles Series Sponsors:
Rockysonline.com, Rogers / Lake Racing, Montgomeryville Cycle Center, Saddlemen, Digger 57, Rod Lake, Arai Helmets, Speed Strength Leathers, KK Motorcycle Supply,Pro Honda Oil's Chemicals, A&A Racing, Steve & Cindy Vizzo, Battley Cycles, Kelly's, Maxxis Tires, MTA, JE Pistons, Cometic Gaskets, Top 1 oils, VP Racing Fuels,Tsubaki, Motion Pro, TCX Boots, Troy Lee Designs, K&N Filters, Millennium Technologies, Vortex, Craig Pickett, E2 Voltage, Goodridge, Works Connection, RekluseClutches, Gene & Gail Cummings, Eddie Mulder, NGK, Z Gallerie, Dick Winters, Oakley, WestCoast Hot Shoes, Jupiter Wheels, EBC, Ogio, Mikuni, Web Cam, Ancra, J&M Racing Frames, Pro Plates, Kold Kutter, Turn 1 Distributing. Crank Works Crank Shafts, Ezup, Twenty Six Suspension, Flash, G2, Penske Racing, Chicken Hawk, Ferrea Valves, J2 Motorsports, Royal Publishing Co., Applied Diamond Coatings, M&Z Anodizing, Brent Armbruster, Bristol Core, Universal Coatings, Hammer Head, Hot Rods, Decal Works, Dyno Jet, DVS Shoes.
Twin Series sponsors:
Rogers / Lake Racing, Blue Springs H-D, Rockysonline.com, Saddlemen, Digger Helm 57, Rod Lake, Arai Helmets, Speed Stength Leathers, KKMotorcycle Supply, A&A Racing, Steve & Cindy Vizzo, Battley Cycles, Kelly's, Maxxis Tires, MTA, JE Pistons, Cometic Gaskets, Top 1 Oils, VP Racing Fuels, Tsubaki, Motion Pro, TCX Boots, Troy Lee Designs, K&N Filters, Millennium Technologies, Vortex, Craig Pickett, E2 Voltage, Goodridge, Works Connection, RekluseClutches, Gene & Gail Cummings, Eddie Mulder, NGK, Z Gallerie, Dick Winters, Oakley, WestCoast Hot Shoes, Jupiter Wheels, EBC, Ogio, Mikuni, Web Cam, Ancra, J&M Racing Frames, Pro Plates, Kold Kutter, Turn 1 Distributing. Crank Works Crank Shafts, EZ-up, Twenty Six Suspension, Flash, G2, Penske Racing, Chicken Hawk, Ferrea Valves, J2 Motorsports, Royal Publishing Co., Applied Diamond Coatings, M&Z Anodizing, Brent Armbruster, Bristol Core, Universal Coatings, Hammer Head, Hot Rods, Decal Works, Dyno Jet, DVS Shoes.
Submitted By:
Jay Shelton ~ J2 Motorsports ~ Racer Marketing Company
J2 Motorsports offers professional racers and teams, marketing opportunities, mass media relations, including press releases,weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly race reports, and key updates and information to selected contacts. For more information on Jared Mees Racing please contact:
Web/email: www.j2motorsports.com
Web/email: www.jaredmees.com
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 28 August 2010 )
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Newsflash
(INDIANAPOLIS) Nicky Hayden will be the Grand Marshall of the Lucas Oil Indy Mile AMA Pro K&N Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com Series event on Saturday, August 28, 2010. Hayden, in Indianapolis to ride his Ducati at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will travel across town to the legendary Indy Mile at the Indiana State Fairgrounds to meet the thousands of dirt-track fans who will gather to watch the "Crown Jewel" of flat track motorcycle racing. |
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