ROUND 5/JULY 27, 2013
CAL-EXPO FAIRGROUNDS/SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
FLAT TRACK
P62
AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
SMITH. AGAIN.
Bryan Smith wins
the Sacramento Mile
for a third time
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE
HOENIG/FLAT TRAK FOTOS
T
he flat track fraternity
moved west for round five
of the AMA Pro Flat Track
presented by J&P Cycles Grand
National Championship at the
California State Fair in Sacramento. It's abnormal for the big
Cal-Expo oval to be the first mile
race of the season, but that's the
way this year has gone.
What's not abnormal is Bryan
Smith winning here.
Coming into the night, Smith
was the odds-on favorite to win
his third consecutive Sacramento
Mile on his potent Crosley Radio/
Howerton Motorsports' Kawasaki. Early on, Smith looked to be
on pace to dominate the night,
qualifying third and then backing
that up with his heat-race win that
was nearly five seconds faster
than the other two heats.
Smith then led the four-lap
Dash For Cash wire to wire and
it appeared everyone was racing
for second on the night.
But the 25-lap Grand National
turned into a different story –
even though Smith jumped to
an early lead and immediately
gapped the other 17 riders.
"It was all good at the beginning and I got away," said Smith.
"I was hoping that I could just get
Bryan Smith
(42) looked to
be headed to an
easy win in the
Sacramento Mile,
but a four-rider
pack was able
to catch him.
away and win this thing by a long
way. I started hearing something
and thought, 'That sounds like a
tractor,' and I was right – it was
a Harley."
Early in the race, it was TJ Burnett/USC Kawasaki's Brandon
Robinson trying run Smith down
on his Kawasaki.
"I got a pretty good start," said
Robinson. "I tried to stay with him
[Smith] for the first few laps, but I
was spinning the tire pretty good.
The next thing you know, Jared
[Mees], Brad [Baker] and Sammy [Halbert] just kind of freighttrained me and got by."
Defending AMA Grand National Champion Jared Mees and
