VOL. 51 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 16, 2014 P157
I
f Jared Mees was a tennis player he'd be classified as a
grinder. The kind of player, who sits back on the baseline,
chases down every ball and gets everything back. He may
not have the strongest serve or the most explosive strokes, but
he grinds his opponents into the dirt by sheer will power and
tenacity. It's an apt description of Mees' racing characteristics.
"The Jammer," as he's nicknamed, may not blow his competi-
tors away or go on long winning streaks, but when the final
checkered flag is waved, the 28-year-old is often the guy get-
ting the biggest awards.
What the workmanlike Mees will do is show up with his hard-
hat for every race and go out and be a contender. It doesn't
matter if it's a cushion Half-Mile, a blue-groove Mile or a techni-
cal TT or Short Track, Mees is guaranteed to be in the game.
In the AMA Pro Grand Nationals he's strong from start to finish
and it's rare to find him finishing off the podium.
That kind of doggedness pays dividends in racing and Jared
Mees has a lot of hardware in the form of trophies to show for
his efforts, and he's also earned back the coveted AMA Grand
National number-one plate, now for the third time.
Jared Mees is proof that if you try hard,
and then try a little harder, good things
will come your way
BY LARRY LAWRENCE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LARRY LAWRENCE AND ANDREA WILSON
THE
GRINDER
Jared Mees captured his third AMA Grand National number-one plate.
