Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1035029
FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 17 / SEPTEMBER 29, 2018 CANTERBURY PARK / MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA P58 seconds over Wiles and there was not a close race anywhere on the track. "Briar was just on another level. He was taking off," said Smith. "Jared was kind of inching back towards me. As soon as I thought, 'Well it's halfway, Jared's coming back to me and I think I can get second,' then he broke. Then I figured, cool I've got second. I was just cruis- ing, doing my own thing. I looked up and it was like a mirage and I thought, 'Is that the white leathers of Briar on the inside?' I feel bad for him, I know what The first surprise came when the normally bul- letproof Indian of Jared Mees coasted to a stop on lap 16, doubling Bauman's lead to over five seconds. Bauman was still "hammer down" and held over a nine-second lead at the end of 23 laps, but that is where it all came to an end as the Scout sucked the last drop of gas out of the tank. "It's bone dry and we filled it to the brim before the start," said Bauman's mechanic, Michelle Disalvo. Just that quick, Smith held the lead by over five iii My Own Race: 4 BRYAN SMITH 1ST PLACE AFT TWINS The big, sandy racetrack provided a lot of "moments" through the cold night. "It was just survival. Going in, I thought that I could ultimately win it," said Bryan Smith. "I just about did a nac-nac going over my seat in turn three on one lap. I got regrouped and figured that I could still run with Jared and Briar. Then I did it in turn one and just about ran off the track. I thought I better just chill out for a minute before I jump off this bike. I settled in. With the way the year started out with broken bones and bent screws, I'll take it." As far as fuel con- sumption: "They tell me I had plenty at the end. That's why I backed off early," joked Smith. 17 HENRY WILES 2ND PLACE AFT TWINS "My start in the main event was not that good. It wasn't bad, but I was on the outside of Jared and I didn't get the jump on him," said Wiles. "I kind of spun sideways off the line. I was on the outside and I was getting roosted bad. I decided to get underneath, but on this track as soon as you let that advantage go, it was hard to get it back. Those guys out front were running a little better pace. Briar came around the outside of me. I realized that I was probably on the wrong line. You usually don't have to twist my arm to get on the outside of the race track, but I thought maybe going that far out there would be giving up too much. I was trying to manage that and get some guys. Thankfully we got into the fourth spot." 27 ROB PEARSON 3RD PLACE AFT TWINS "I didn't know where I finished until I started to pull in and they told me to go to the winner's circle. I thought wow that was a gift. You have to take them sometimes," said Rob Pear- son. "I got the holeshot in the semi and I could just tell that it wasn't running right. I didn't think that it was going to finish. When I came in I think they found a wire coming off on us. It ran well in the main event. It would have been nice to have been on the front row, but I had a great start from the second row. A couple guys had some bad luck. I liked that it was not so hot tonight; the motorcycles ran better. Earlier in the day we could go up and ride the cushion. I decided that in the main event I was going to make the low line work for me. It did it wasn't great, but I think it was the best option for me. It was good enough for third." 49 CHAD COSE 4TH PLACE AFT TWINS "I thought I was floating around in the top five. Pearson was right ahead of me," said Chad Cose. "When the five laps to go board came out, I thought I could make a run on him. I thought that would have been for fifth and I would have been happy with that. Come to find out it would have been for third. The day was good, I'm still learning a lot. Honestly, we are still figuring things out every week. I was just happy with it. I almost won the heat race and then I got the holeshot in the main event. Those are all positive things for us. We just broke into the top five in the points. It's a good roll for us. This is a modestly funded effort. We are the most modestly funded effort of anyone in the top 10 or 15."