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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/365773
VOL. 51 ISSUE 33 AUGUST 19, 2014 P113 suggest that the field was con- ceding victory to Wiles ahead of the 25-lap main event, his fellow heat race winners, Montgom- eryville Cycle's Jared Mees and Zanotti Racing's Steve Bonsey, did give him a clear view of first from the inside spot on the grid, electing to start from slots two and three, respectively. The strategy backfired as the main kicked off, with Wiles pre- dictably railing into the lead as the pack rushed out of turn two and raced the back straight to- ward the jump. However, the day's final red flag flew while the contest was still on its opening circulation, giving the potential spoilers an- other shot at the heavy favorite. This time title leader Mees looked as if he might actually corral Wiles behind him. How- ever, a slight bobble negotiating turns one and two off the restart provided the Kawasaki-mounted Peoria master with exactly the small window he needed to slice through and secure the lead in the run to the jump. While he missed his best chance to execute a strategy that might have allowed him to beat the unbeatable with that small mistake, Mees wouldn't go away quietly. He pushed his rival hard from second, pressuring him re- peatedly as the two ripped free from the remainder pack. While Mees gave it everything he had, Wiles consistently nailed his landing on the jump, provid- ing him with a fraction of an edge each time around. Mees tried multiple lines through the sec- tion, each one leaving his Honda CRF450R just a bit out of shape. Eventually, that little difference was assembled into a larger one and the leader built up an advan- Briefly... Somewhat astonishingly, Sunday runner-up Jared Mees is still seek- ing his first-career TT win. While some otherwise leading flat track stars simply struggle when jumps, right-hand kinks, and front brakes are factored into the equation, Mees is not one of them. In fact, he has now logged eight runner-up results at TTs with three additional podiums (Castle Rock TT 2006 - 3 rd , Spring- field TT 2010 - 3 rd , Peoria TT 2010 - 2 nd , Springfield TT 2011 - 2 nd , Castle Rock TT 2011 -2 nd , Peoria TT 2011 - 2 nd , Springfield TT 2012 - 3 rd , Castle Rock TT 2012 - 2 nd , Peoria TT 2012 - 2 nd , Castle Rock TT 2013 - 2 nd , Peo- ria TT 2014 - 2 nd ). Mees has also taken three short track second places without having garnered a win. While Thunder Valley boasted an impressive number of fans, atten- dance was actually down this year. That can almost certainly be attrib- uted to a rainy forecast. While the skies never truly opened up, the day was muggy to the point of a standing mist throughout the afternoon. The red flags flew early and often at the exacting track. Perhaps the scari- est of them all was the final one of the day, as Fredericktown/Vans' Sammy Halbert came into contact with the rear wheel of Cascio Rush Racing's Mike Rush on the opening lap of the GNC main event after Rush suffered an early bobble coming out of turn two. Halbert was stood up and sent up the grass hill, impacting the fence in an area lined with spectators. Am- bulances were deployed to both sides of the fence, although early in- dications are that neither rider nor fan was seriously injured in the incident. Pretty much the view for everyone else in the Grand National Championship at Peoria – the back of Wiles. continued on next page