Cycle News

VOL. 52 ISSUE 11 MARCH 17, 2015 P49 because I knew he was going to make it up. I tried to keep a gap through one and two and led every [one of the] 25 laps." Bonsey had just .123 seconds over Mees when he took the checkered flag. The win was the former 125 GP road racer's first at the Daytona Short Track and the third of his career. Mees, on the other hand, had a couple of places he might have tried a pass if he really wanted to get aggressive. "It wasn't really much of a battle really," said Mees. "I was trying to put some pressure on him to where maybe he would make a mistake, but everywhere he struggled, I struggled. It was just a mentally tough race. It was a very tough track to pass on, very, very one-lined and I played it conservative." Experience has taught the reigning champ that sometimes playing it safe at Daytona was the better option. "I've been in the situation where I dove it in there on the last lap and pushed a guy out of the way and it didn't pan out well for me," added Mees. "Rather than make that mistake twice, I like to learn from my mistakes. We played it safe and brought it home. Hats off to Stevie [Bon- sey] and Kenny [Coolbeth Jr.], these guys deserve what they got today for sure. They rode hard. Stevie got the holeshot and did what he had to do. It's a great way for me to start my season." Coolbeth was the fastest qualifier and started the final from the pole position, but he was fifth at the end of lap one. "I had a terrible start," said Coolbeth. "Not terrible, mid- pack probably sixth or seventh. I kind of picked away all the way up through. By the time I got to third these guys had almost a straightaway lead. I was thinking I didn't know if I was going to catch them, but I put my head down and Stevie was playing Briefly... Few of the riders liked Thursday's track, except, of course the ones who won, and after the race Kenny Coolbeth Jr. talked about the con- ditions. "It was more of a one-lined track," said Coolbeth. "It was all about a start. They did a good job just staying on the bottom and not making any mistakes. Hopefully to- morrow it's a little reversed and I'm standing right there. We got good bikes and a good team so it's going to be a good year." For Friday night, Ronnie Jones, the Senior Director of AMA Pro Flat Track, made a few changes for the better, including ex- tending the apex between turns one and two and between turns three and four about 10 feet, hoping to make for more passing. The move worked and Henry Wiles was one of many who liked the decision. "Tonight was 100% better than last night just be- cause there was a lot of passing," said Wiles. "This was a show; last night, I don't know what you call that. I guess I've watched those shows where they walk their dogs around TV, that could be a little bit more boring, but other than that… I don't know. I love this stuff. I'm a true en- thusiast of [Dirt Track racing]. Unfor- tunately I got to watch the main event last night and I wouldn't pay $150 to bring my family to come watch something like that. So with that be- ing said, the AMA did a phenomenal job and turned it around for tonight. They stayed on the track, which they typically don't like to do. They like to just let the show run through, to have a smooth-running show. But it made the racing much better and I think that makes not only the fans but also the riders happy." Shayna Texter was making her first continued on next page

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