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Contact:
Matt King (414) 343-7634
matt.king@harley-davidson.com FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEES
SCORES SECOND CONSECUTIVE VICTORY OF THE AMA FLAT TRACK SEASON; WINS AT Screamin'
Eagle Wrecking Crew Sweeps Podium "I
still can't believe it, not yet," Mees said. "It was just one
of those nights where everything was so great. It was just like Bulls
Gap (last victory) where I was waiting for the bottom to drop and the
bad luck never came. My team did a great job getting the bike ready for
the race and it was as close to perfect as I could have asked for."
Well,
perfect might not be the exact word a typical racer might have used.
Mees did have some technical difficulties during his heat race. "Kenny
(Coolbeth, teammate) missed a shift and I actually hit him," Mees
said. "I ripped off my foot peg and my brake and I had to go the
rest of the race without them. We thought we had some dirt in the motor,
but we still won. We ran the George Roeder Memorial Dash for Cash just
to make sure the bike was running OK and we won that too. It was a great
race day." The
main event just as smoothly as Mees's first win of the season (Bulls
Gap) as Mees led the race from start to finish for the second
consecutive event. Mees
was in good company on the podium as he was surrounded by his Wrecking
Crew teammates. Screamin' Eagle factory rider Kenny Coolbeth – the
defending AMA Flat Track champion – finished in second place while Pat
Moroney's/Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson rider Bryan Smith finished in
third place. It was Smith's first podium finish since his Mees
said Coolbeth's second place was one of the most impressive feats of the
weekend. "I
got a great start and it just got better from there," the Clio, "Kenny
blew up his motor in the heat race and had to use his backup bike and
start from the third row of the main event. Honestly, I didn't think I
would see him. It
was the first time this season the Wrecking Crew riders swept the
podium. "We're
thrilled to have a 1-2-3 finish of the Wrecking Crew,"
Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Anne Paluso said. "We're so happy
with the way Kenny bounced back. He started in the back and worked his
way up to a podium finish. All of the Wrecking Crew riders did a great
job this weekend." Mees
remains the Twins points leader, holding a five-point lead over Coolbeth.
Mees took over the top spot for the first time in his career following
his win in Bulls Gap, "Jared
continues to remind the Harley family why we have him on the Wrecking
Crew," Paluso said. "He's earned back-to-back wins and that
shows what a competitive team the Blue Springs Harley group has put
together. Jared is one of the young, up-and-coming guys who is going to
provide a competitive edge to every race." Smith's
third place was his first podium finish of the season – something he's
been aiming for all season. "It
was a good weekend because we had a great motorcycle," Smith said.
"We had the fast time, I won the heat and it was looking really
good. Jared got a good start and I got a bad start in the main event and
it took me a while to get back up to the front. In the end, I just ran
out of time. But it's nice being back on the podium and we have
something to improve on when Mess
knows that with the entire field, including teammates Coolbeth, Smith
and Kopp, being the point leader could be a short-lived experience. He
also knows last year's second place finish in the final championship
standings helped him prepare to battle for the championship now. "I
just want this so badly and I think it's coming out in my riding,"
Mees said. "Last year I sat down and looked at a lot of things that
made the season great, and made the season difficult. I've applied all
that experience to this season and I'm more confident because of it. "I
know the points lead is going to change a few times this season and
that's why I won't get too excited about being in the lead right now.
It's been nice being at the top of the pack, but I know it can change
with one bad lap in The
next AMA Flat Track event is the rescheduled round in Main
Event Finish Heat Finish Qualifying Jared
Mees 1 1 1 Kenny
Coolbeth 2 11 13 Bryan
Smith 3 1 4 Joe
Kopp 7 1 3 AMA
Twins Top 10 Point Standings (Following
3 of 13 events. Number of wins in parenthesis) 1.
Jared Mees, 2.
Kenny Coolbeth, Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson (1) 57 3.
Jake Johnson, Suzuki 40 4.
Bryan Smith, Pat Moroney's/Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson 39 5.
Chris Carr, Quality Pre-Owned Ford Harley-Davidson (2) 38 6.
Glen Schnabel, American Suzuki 31 7.
Shaun Russell, Bartels' Harley-Davidson 31 8.
Joe Kopp, Team Latus/Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson 31 9.
Johnny Murphree, Coziahr Harley-Davidson 29 10.
Henry Wiles, Lloyd Bros Motorsports Aprilla 18 In
addition to the direct team sponsorship, Harley-Davidson will also
provide support through professional flat track contingency and the
Rider Support Verification Program (RSVP). Under the Screamin’ Eagle
banner the support will total more than $140,000 throughout the 2007
season. This includes a contingency program for qualified
Harley-Davidson XR750 riders on the AMA Flat Track series. Screamin’
Eagle Performance Parts are inspired by and built in the spirit of the
raw adrenaline and power of motorcycle racing. Screamin’ Eagle Pro
parts are specifically designed for race-use applications, while
Screamin’ Eagle parts offer street-use performance options for the
Harley-Davidson motorcycle owner. Visit www.harley-davidson.com for more
information. The Screamin' Eagle Flat Track team is sponsored by Matco Tools
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