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/1172754
FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FL AT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 19/SEPTEMBER 28, 2019 MEADOWL ANDS/EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY P78 quickly proved that to be no fluke as he got the holeshot and led every lap. Just as he had done last year, Smith was glued to Mees' rear tire, but this year there just wasn't enough time. "I think I could have caught him if I had a couple more laps. I would have been better when it got rougher," said Smith. "It was getting pretty rough in one and two, and I was already starting to make up some time. I understand why they shortened it and did what they did. It sucks for me and the fans and some of the racers. You never know what's going to happen, so it was probably the smart thing for them to do." Newly crowned AFT Twins Champion Briar Bauman (Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insur- ance, Indian FTR750) jumped the start and was forced to vacate his front-row start; his race was as IIIMY OWN RACE: 1 JARED MEES 1ST AFT TWINS "The year-end is bi ersweet. I need some me off," said Mees. "The last couple of weeks, I got fired up, like a second wind. If Daytona was next week, I'd be ready. This track was chal- lenging. Thankfully nobody got hurt in our final, and everybody stuck to- gether. It just was what it was. I agree that eight laps was the way to go." 4 BRYAN SMITH 2ND AFT TWINS "Today should have been done a li le different. I think I would have had something for Jared if it had been a full main event," said Bryan Smith. "There was just too much of that black dirt on it to start with. When we got here at eight this morning, I was wondering where that came from. I don't know why some of that wasn't removed. Three and four ended up being okay. They did that in about an hour. It wouldn't have taken a lot of me even during the day to make one and two be er. There was just too much dirt on it. We are at these thoroughbred tracks, and the facility is great, but when you put on a circus out there, it's not good. It sucks. We have to come to places like this. Look at all the people here. I don't know what the right thing six points in the Singles class. Texter maintained the points lead all year in the Production Twins class and held off Ryan Varnes (Varnes Racing/Roy Built/Don's Kawasaki, Kawasaki Ninja 650) by eight points. After struggling with track conditions all day, American Flat Track and the riders had a long discussion over track conditions. The result was to cut some quali- fying races and main event laps to complete the program. The AFT Twins race was shortened to an eight-lap shootout with all 19 of the entries that were still running in the race. There were no heats, just semis and a 12-lap main in the AFT Singles while the Pro- duction Twins (which only had 12 riders entered) would only have a 12-lap main. Mees had been fast qualifier in the single round of qualifying and Bronson Bauman (37) outdueled Brandon Robinson (44) for the last spot on the podium.