Cycle News

Cycle News 2019 Issue 10 March 12

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/1091680

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FLAT TRACK RACERS JARED MEES & BRYAN SMITH P96 Interview J ared Mees and Bryan Smith have become one of the best rivalries in the 65-year history of American Flat Track racing. In the past couple of seasons, Mees has gotten the best of the battle, but that could change in 2019. Smith is going back to Kawasaki, the brand he won the title on in 2016. Ricky Howerton, the man who owns the team Smith rides for, has also gained a reputation as one of the all-time elite build- ers. According to Smith, the 2019 Howerton Kawasaki version is even better than the previous ver- sions, which were all considered state of the art. Yet for all the speed Smith has shown on the Kawasaki, he'll face the two-time defending champ Jar- ed Mees, who has his own majorly talented team behind him, spear- headed by tuner-extraordinaire Kenny Tolbert. And, of course, Smith is riding the Indian FTR750—a motorcycle so good that AFT had to even up the playing field by giving other motors in the field the advan- tage of bigger intakes. There is that, and the fact that Mees is one of Champ AND THE CHALLENGER Archrivals Jared Mees upcoming 2019 The (Above) Rivals Bryan Smith (left) and Jared Mees will again battle it out on the track for the championship in 2019 but on different teams. (Below) Mees says he's going about business as usual for 2019 but knows the competition is going to be tough.

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