Mees Wins Brainerd Half Mile
Cycle News Staff | September 25, 2011
Jared Mees won last night’s inaugural Brainerd Half Mile in Minnesota, the Michigander taking a big step toward the AMA Grand National Championship as he now leads the title chase by 18 points with two races remaining.
Rogers Lake/Blue Springs Harley-Davidson/Screamin’ Eagle-backed Mees beat Harley factory rider Kenny Coolbeth Jr. by .468 of a second with Zanotti Racing’s Jake Johnson finishing third and taking over second in the points chase as near season-long points leader Sammy Halbert slipped to third with an eighth-place finish in Minnesota.
The win was Mees’ fifth of the season and it moved him out of a tie with Halbert for the most wins on the year.
Earlier in the night, Coolbeth won the Dash For Cash over Matt Weidman with Mees finishing third.
Legend Chris Carr ended up fourth in the National with Bryan Smith, who won the night’s fastest heat race, finishing fifth.
Weidman, Jimmy Wood, Halbert, Robert Pearson and Johnny Lewis rounded out the top 10.
National
1. Jared Mees (H-D)
2. Kenny Coolbeth Jr. (H-D)
3. Jake Johnson (H-D)
4. Chris Carr (H-D)
5. Bryan Smith (H-D)
6. Matt Weidman (H-D)
7. Jimmy Wood (Kawasaki)
8. Sammy Halbert (H-D)
9. Robert Pearson (H-D)
10. Johnny Lewis (Kawasaki)
