VOL. 52 ISSUE 36 SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 P59
Briefly...
two-time Springfield Mile winner, de-
cided to hang up his leathers and re-
tire. McCoy's machine served Nich-
ole well, as she won a thrilling heat
race over Jake Johnson and Doug
Lawrence. "Willie just called us up
and said, 'Hey I'm going to make the
decision to retire and I'd love for you
to ride my stuff if you're into it,'" Nich-
ole explained. "I said, 'Sure I'll give it
a try.' Willie has a lot of experience
on the mile, so what better guy to
have in your corner coaching you?"
There were four different brands of
motorcycles in this year's Springfield
Mile II main event. Kawasaki led the
way with nine riders, followed by five
on Harley-Davidson and two each
aboard Triumph and KTM.
Attendance was strong for Spring-
field II, which must have come as
a great relief to the IMDA after a
poor showing in the May race. The
13,000-seat grandstand was close
to capacity.
A week after making his first Grand
National Twins main in Charlotte
on an Aaron Lindfors/T&R Rac-
ing Harley-Davidson, standout road
racer Danny Eslick tried out the Bill
Werner Kawasaki at Springfield. He
finished ninth in his heat race and
seventh in his semi, failing to make
the main.
Brandon Robinson injured his left
hand by contacting the guardrail on
the final lap of the national. Robinson
was in the lead pack all day and actu-
ally led midrace, but he got caught
out by the dramatic checkup by the
riders in front of him in turn three on
the last lap of the national. "Whoever
(Left) Nichole Mees rode one of Willie McCoy's former Springfield Mile
winning Harley-Davidsons. The bike was strong enough to earn her a heat
race win. Here she leads rookie Jarod Vanderkooi (17F), Doug Lawrence (73)
and Jake Johnson en route to that heat win.
(Above) Bryan Smith on the podium with Jared Mees (second) and Jake
Johnson (third). Smith won four of the five Grand National Miles in 2015 on his
factory-backed Crosley Brands/Howerton Motorsports Kawasaki.
continued on next page
