Jared Mees Sets All Time Record

After a somewhat lackluster start to one of the longest running forms of two wheel motorsport in the U.S. – the 2023 AMA Progressive American Flat Track tour – Monster Energy’s Jared Mees (Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycles) pulled it all together last weekend at Middletown, New York’s, Orange County Half-Mile.

And he did so in epic fashion.

Not only did Mees grab the main event Mission SuperTwins victory at the Orange County Half-Mile, he also grabbed the overall series points lead away from fellow Monster Energy racer, Dallas Daniels (Yamaha). And if that wasn’t enough, Mees also set the career record for the most AMA Flat Track Half-Mile victories, topping the great Scotty Parker’s seemingly untouchable 35 Half-Mile wins with his (Mees’) 36th career victory in the hotly contested class.

The defending AMA Progressive American Flat Track Mission SuperTwins champion, Mees opened his ’23 title defense with back-to-back 4th place finishes at Daytona (Fla.) back in March. “Tough start to my season,” admitted Mees, “But, that’s always been the case at Daytona for me.”

Round 3 (Daytona being two rounds during “Bike Week”) saw Mees come roaring back with a win at the Yamaha Senoia Short Track in Georgia, then was running in 3rd place at the following round (Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Arizona) when a front brake line failure led to a minor crash, which Mees casually said “I just tossed it away.”

After another win, Round 5 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Texas, and a podium short track finish when the series headed west to California (Ventura Raceway), Mees went on a tear – winning the next three consecutive Mile races (Sacramento, Calif., Lexington, Ky., and DuQuoin, Ill.).

Mees had clawed his way back into contention with series points leader Daniels (who has been on the SuperTwins podium at all 12 rounds this year), with his specialty, the Half-Mile events, making up the next four races. And within that quadrant of main events, Mees had a legitimate shot at the all-time AMA record of 35 Half-Mile wins by Parker.

“We got a 3rd at Lima (Ohio), then won the following round at Mineral Wells (W. Va.),” said Mees. “I knew the half miles were going to be big, really a strength of mine heading into Orange County.”

Middletown is a mid-size town located off I-84, northeast of New York City. The Orange County Fairgrounds Speedway Half-Mile track hadn’t been used on the AMA flat track circuit since 1988 – when Mees was a two-year-old. For Mees, though, the venue didn’t really matter much. Nor did the chance at flat track racing history. His priority, plain and simple, was putting the No. 1 Indian FTR750 on top of the box and, in the process, taking the points lead over from the consistent Daniels.

“I knew it (the record) was there, but it wasn’t putting a ton of pressure on me,” said Mees. “We ran a little slower in the heat races and Dash For Cash, but that didn’t matter. We were focused on the main event.”

Mees said that, in the main, he “Got a great start and rode my own race.” And it looked like he’d buttoned up the race win, point lead and record – only to have a red flag thrown, bringing the race to a stop and lining the bikes back up in a staggered start before letting ‘em rip again. And again, it was Mees up front – and this time for good, through the checkers and straight to the top of the podium.

As for the record, Mees says he puts a lot more weight on the championships he’s won. To date that’s seven (7) Grand National Championships (2012, ’14, ’15, ’17, ’18, ’21 & ’22), while also winning two GNC1 Twins titles (2009 & ’11) and a GNC1 Singles Championships (’12). Parker’s GNC title haul stands at nine (9), but those came prior to the AMA not combining Grand National Championships from 2006-’09. Had the AMA combined them, Mees’ ’09 GNC1 Twins title would give him eight (8) GNC titles, which would be only one away from the all-time record of nine (9) by Parker.

“Obviously, winning a championship is more monumental, so I really didn’t give much thought to the Half-Mile record,” said Mees. “The all-time record though (Mees paused)? That’s pretty cool. But for me it was a win and the points lead, and not just a record.”

Making things tough on Mees this year has been the Monster Energy-backed, Yamaha-mounted teammates of Daniels and JD Beach. Mees is out front in the premier Mission SuperTwins class with 257 points, Daniels just a couple clicks back in 2nd place at 255, and Beach certainly within striking distance of the overall podium at 192 points – with six races remaining on the season.

“Monster’s definitely got the best guys this year,” said Mees. “And he’s (Daniels) had a hell of a season so far.”

In closing, Mees was quick to note his support team, AMA Hall of Famer and chief tuner Kenny Tolbert, along with Ohlins suspension expert Jimmy Wood. Tolbert and Wood, according to Mees, have given him a distinct advantage throughout the race season. “Those guys are why we’ve won races this year,” said Mees matter-of-factly. “We’ve all made good decisions as a team. Sometimes it’s night and day differences with the changes, then BOOM – we’re the guy that night.”

The AMA Progressive American Flat Track Championship returns to action on July 22nd at a new facility – Bridgeport Speedway in Swedesboro, N.J. Mees is pumped to get back after it in an effort to keep the momentum going (6 wins in the last 8 races). And as for the Bridgeport Speedway track, if he’s scouted it out, Mees kind of chuckled and said, “Yeah, I checked it out on YouTube.”