Late charge takes Mees to victory

ELMA, Wash. – Sunday’s AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship main event at Grays Harbor Raceway featured an adrenaline-charged showdown between several of the world’s most prominent riders, and in the end it was Jared Mees who took home the coveted checkered flag, making it his second victory of the 2014 season, and his 15th career GNC win.

Mees started all the way back in seventh on the grid and proved yet again why patience is vital to his success. It wasn’t until lap 20 when the Clio, Mich. product, aboard his Rogers Racing Harley-Davidson, passed Bryan Smith on the front stretch and eventually went onto earn the victory.

The battle between Mees and Smith has been one of epic proportions so far this season, as the two have been virtually neck and neck in four of the last five main events. Though Smith took a back seat to Mees this go-around, fans shouldn’t be surprised if the Flint, Mich., product, aboard his Villa-Esparza/Crosley Radio Kawasaki, gets back in the winner’s circle next weekend when the series heads to Sacramento.

Closing out the podium with a third place finish was ‘Mr. Consistent’ himself – Jake Johnson, aboard his Ramspur Winery Ducati. The Coatesville, Pa., native earned his fifth top five finish of the year and now sits third in the points. After a couple of years without the strongest results, the two-time Grand National Champion has proved time and time again this season that he is for real in 2014, and his performance Sunday didn’t do anything to indicate otherwise.

Fourth place finishes are never anything to lose sleep over, but it certainly couldn’t have been the kind of homecoming performance that Sammy Halbert was hoping for. The Graham, Wash., native seemed to have all of his ducks in a row throughout the course of the day. He won his heat race and the Dash for Cash. He then got out to a monstrous lead for the first half of Sunday’s main event before giving it all away on lap nine. Halbert, aboard his South East Harley-Davidson, slipped all the way back to fourth following his forfeiture of the lead, and the 2009 Grand National Champion never could find his rhythm again, as that’s exactly where he would finish.

Kenny Coolbeth started from fifth on the grid and that’s eventually where he ended up by the race’s conclusion. The Morris, Conn., product, mounted on his Zanotti Racing Harley-Davidson, sits fourth in the points standings and is poised for a championship run in the coming weeks.

Back in May, Jarod Vanderkooi ousted AMA Pro Twins competition for his first professional win. On Sunday, the Mt. Gilead, Ohio, product proved he could also achieve victory aboard a 450cc machine when he rode his Johnny’s Vintage Motorcycle Honda to his first AMA Pro Flat Track Pro Singles checkered flag.

Vanderkooi started from fourth on the grid to seal the victory by just under one full second, and with the win, now sits eighth in points.

Coming in second place was Davis Fisher. Fisher, aboard his T.J. Burnett Farms Honda, started from fifth to earn his fifth consecutive podium and is now tied with Kyle Johnson for first in the point standings.

Ryan Wells, aboard his KTM, closed out the podium with a third place finish and now sits just one point behind Johnson and Fisher in the standings.

The stars of AMA Pro Flat Track will head to Sacramento, Calif., for the Sacramento Mile at the Cal Expo on July 26.

Footage of the Grays Harbor Half-Mile will be available to view on AMA Pro Racing’s YouTube portal at www.youtube.com/amaprovids in the coming days.

GNC Race Results

Race Time: 7:29.356
Margin of Victory: 0.369
Best Race Lap: Jared Mees (0:18.320)

GNC Point Standings (Top 25)

–From AMA Pro Racing

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