FLAT TRACK
X GAMES HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLAT TRACK
JUNE 4, 2015
CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS/AUSTIN, TEXAS
P72
wasn't the best but we did get
a race on TV for a gold medal.
I'm obviously the happiest about
that."
THE MEDALISTS
For Smith there was no better
way to represent his sponsors (his
newest sponsor included—Kid
Rock's Bad Ass Brew and Made
In Detroit clothing line) with a gold
medal at the inaugural X Games
event, but it wasn't an easy task
and involved some luck.
"I almost crashed a couple
times," Smith said. "I'm like, 'no,
you're on the podium, you're go-
ing to get a medal.'
"I just kind of tried to stay
cool, but it was so hard because
you had to be so cautious. It was
so easy to over-ride and as soon
as you got the thing sideways
you were hitting a rut and about
going over the handlebars. I was
just trying to keep my wheels in
line, really. But it was so hard be-
cause the bikes are so powerful
on this little track."
Mees had checked out and in
the challenging conditions Smith
was happy to leave with second.
"I was content with second
and I'd seen Mees kind of slow
up and he looked down. It was
like a mirage. I just grabbed
a handful of gas and luckily
just squeaked up the inside of
him and got luckily close to
him because he was right on
the groove. Very fortunate that
nothing happened there with him
breaking and I got by him clean.
I was thinking, oh man, I got the
lead, oh man, somebody's going
to stuff me going into turn three for
the gold if I don't get in there. So
I tried to get in there hot but not
blow the groove. Then it was just
like, wait a minute, I'm going to the
checkered flag. I just won the X
Games. It was just amazing."
The man that could've pipped
him in the end was second place
finisher Halbert. Halbert was nip-
ping on Smith's heels for a while,
(Above) There was no shortage of
excitement—three wide on a short
3/8 of a mile track.
