WRECKING CREW CARRIES
ON TRADITION OF WINNING
Kopp, Smith and Mees Race with Screamin'
Eagle® Support in 2009
MILWAUKEE (May 20, 2009) - The Screamin' Eagle® Harley-Davidson® Wrecking Crew riders compete for independent, dealer-owned flat track racing teams that receive support from Harley-Davidson. The original Wrecking Crew was the official Harley-Davidson factory team that dominated motorcycle racing in the early 1920s. Reborn in 2006, the modern Wrecking Crew riders compete with the same spirit and intensity as those original legends of the track.
In 2009, Harley-Davidson will support three Screamin' Eagle Wrecking Crew riders:
Joe Kopp - Latus Harley-Davidson/Screamin' Eagle
The 2000 AMA Pro Grand National Champion won six races in 2008 and finished fourth in the final points standings. Kopp entered his first AMA Pro Grand National event in 1991. He started racing snowmobiles when he was only four years old, but did not begin racing flat track motorcycles until he was 19. Kopp has 18 Grand National career victories.
- Birthdate: May 11, 1969
- Birthplace: Spokane, Wash.
- Residence: Mica, Wash.
- Marital Status: married (DeeDee)
Bryan Smith - Moroney's Harley-Davidson/Screamin' Eagle
Smith had the best season of his career in 2008, with a win at Beulah Park and second place in the final points standings. He was third in points in 2007 and 2006. Smith started racing BMX bikes at age five, and a boyhood encounter with legendary flat track champion and fellow Michigan native Scott Parker inspired his motorcycle racing career. Smith started racing professionally in 2001. A 2006 win at the Springfield Mile was his first Grand National Twins victory.
- Birthdate: June 24, 1983
- Birthplace: Flint, Mich.
- Residence: Flint, Mich.
- Marital status: Single
Jared Mees - Blue Springs Harley-Davidson/Screamin' Eagle
A two-time runner-up to Coolbeth for the AMA Pro Grand National Twins championship (2006-07), Mees was just 20 years old in 2006 when he scored his first Grand National victory. He won three races that season and three more in 2007, all on half-mile tracks. Mees placed ninth in the Grand National Twin standings in 2008. Another in the long line of Michigan flat-trackers, Mees is hungry to win a championship.
- Birthdate: April 16, 1986
- Birthplace: Honeybrook, Penn.
- Residence: Clio, Michigan
- Marital status: Single
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.