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/1526730
ROUND 16 / SEPTEMBER 14, 2024 LAKE OZARK SPEEDWAY / ELDON, MISSOURI FLAT TRACK I AMA PROGRESSIVE AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP P100 of retirement wouldn't come until the next day. He said, "What a day. I came in with a pretty good cushion on the lead, and I wanted to cap my career off not with just 10 championships but with a last win and walk away in style. All day long, we were just a tick off and Brandon was going really, really well all day. We were just missing that piece of the puzzle but found it for the main event. I just kept putting my laps together and tried to stay smooth. We ran into some lappers, and I knew they were holding me up bad. I didn't want to get to them too quick and jeopardize anything. I'm just glad it all worked out the way it did. I'm going to soak this one up for sure." Sunday morning, Mees made it official. "2024 is closed up," he said. "We ended it with a big win last night and a 10th Grand won it once. He's an animal. And if it was his last race or not, it was a pleasure racing with him. I learned so much from him." Vanderkooi locked up his second podium of the season in third, while Robinson completed the best all-around season of his career with a fourth-place finish that secured his first-ever championship top two four points ahead of Daniels. Bauman wound up ranked fourth with a season-ending run to fifth. Following the race, Mees spoke like a racer who was plan - ning on riding off into the sunset in some fashion or another, al- though his official announcement up in the stands—you learn who really cares about you when you go through hard times. I knew all that before, but it was good to have that reminder. "Today was a weird day. I hate to say it felt good to struggle, but it felt good to keep chipping away at it. It was fun. It was fun to be back and work together with the team and come out with a bike that was capable of winning. It was an awesome race. And what can you say about Jared Mees? That guy something else. Obviously, I can sit here and give you my sob story and say I think I could have won it or wish I would have or whatever. But at the end of the day, you've got to make it to the end, and he did—10 times. Man, you battle for that thing once or twice, and you earn some new respect for the guys who have The Mees crew celebrated his record-setting 10th AFT Championship at what was his final race in AFT.