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/1513380
INTERVIEW I AFT SUPERTWINS GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPION JARED MEES P116 number that currently separates Mees from Parker. That said, consider the pace Mees has been adding to that tally in recent seasons. Ten each in 2017 and 2018. Nine this past season. Eight in 2019. Seven in 2021. Framed that way, it starts to feel like a foregone conclusion. However, the math gets more complicated when you start to factor in some key outside variables. The Jared Mees that earned a ninth Grand National Cham - pionship in 2023 is in a much different place than the one who earned that first one in 2009. He's no longer just a racer with big goals, but a husband, father, and businessman with similarly lofty aspirations across those competing pursuits. And while blistering speeds, inch-close racing, and a con - fined, fully viewable battle- ground have granted the sport its undiminished appeal, there are limits to just how much the risks associated with those fea - tures can be minimized. And in his current state, the risks Mees takes on to rewrite the record books are no longer his alone. "The championship record is the biggest goal. The number of wins would also be very cool, but man, I've got 22 to go. I think that might be a little hard to get that. That probably has me racing at this level for four more years. I don't know if I'll quite go that long, but it's hard to say. "Honestly, I don't have an ex - act time frame on when I might be done. I think the biggest thing that'll be a player for me, is where things are at with the economy and the sport and the support for my program. "I love this sport. I love racing. I love winning. But at the end of the day, where I'm at, I've got to make it financially make sense for me as well. With that said, I also have goals I want to hit on the financial level, and if it doesn't make much sense to put your neck on the line com - pared to what's coming in, then it might be time for me to say, 'That's enough.'" At any rate, he hasn't had quite enough just yet. Mees will be back in 2024 and gunning for #10 even as he expects the competition presented by the likes of Daniels and Bauman to be that much more fierce with another year of mechanical and personal development under their respective belts. "I think they'll be the toughest guys again. But I feel pretty con - fident going in. My team is going to stay basically the same, and we'll be ready." CN