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/1437138
INTERVIEW I 2021 AFT SUPER T WINS C HAMPION JARED MEES P118 they checked him out, which is fine. But I knew he was hurting. "At that point in time, it's just like, well, you never know what's going to happen. There were only 10 guys on the racetrack or what- ever and there was definitely enough time for him to make his way to the front if he was healthy and able to. I had to keep myself together on my end and try to win the race." Once the race resumed, Mees had to refocus to complete his multi-year mission, even if that meant making way for an all-new premier- class race winner. "We took off, and basically, I had control of the race pretty much from the restart. I was looking back and trying to make sure where Briar was or wasn't. "I looked back, and he wasn't there. I had no clue he had actu- ally pulled off. So, the whole time I'm just try- ing to make sure he isn't coming up behind me and, at the same time, make sure I stay on two wheels and not do what Briar did. "I never had any clue he pulled off the whole race, so when Davis [Fisher] started putting a lot of pressure on me, in some ways, I was like, 'Have at it.' "It was awesome for Davis and great to see him get his first win. He earned it. He got it, no ifs or buts about that. It was a race, and I was protecting my asset and he was going for it. It's just how it is." Despite winning the prize he had trained and fought years for, Mees admits to having complicated feelings in the immediate aftermath of his triumph. "It kind of sucked the way it all went down, to be honest. You envision it like you're going to win the championship by passing [Bauman] on the last lap and beat- ing him. That's how you want to win a champion- ship, right? "But basically, he falls off, and at that point in time, it became mine to lose. He started far back, and he was hurt and ended up pulling off. So, it was one of those things where the ending of such a cool season— with the animosity and going back and forth— pretty much sucked." The way the championship was decided was somewhat bittersweet for Mees. Mees certainly didn't come away from the AMA AFT awards banquet empty handed.