VOL. 53 ISSUE 22 JUNE 7, 2016 P43
come here and to win it and
to also win in April, I feel like
I am definitely the dominant
guy. My initial thought as I
went through the finish line
was, 'Hallelujah' and I'm so
glad we got it in and I got
what I wanted."
When the starting gate
dropped, Michael Kirkness
bolted from the inside lane
aboard his Harley-Davidson
XR750 to take the holeshot.
The Australian led the 12-rid-
er field into the first turn
before calamity struck for
the odds-on favorite in the
race, last year's X Games
gold medal winner, Bryan Smith.
Despite having a lackluster
start, Smith dove his Crosley/
Howerton Kawasaki Ninja 650
into the first corner with con-
viction from the middle of the
pack. In a bout of bad luck, the
Michigan native snagged the toe
of his boot on the edge of the
track, sending him to the ground
and collecting the BriggsAuto.
com Harley-Davidson XR750 of
Sammy Halbert in the process.
Meanwhile up front, Jake
Johnson's Zanotti Racing
Harley-Davidson XR750 grabbed
the lead and officially led the first
four laps before Baker overtook
the former champion heading
into turn four, with Mees in tow.
Mees patiently stalked Baker
until the eventual third-place fin-
isher ran wide in the same area
of the track on lap eight, open-
ing the door for Mees to take the
point. Coolbeth then joined the
fray, challenging Mees for the
final 10 laps of the 20-lap main.
"I showed him a wheel a little
too early," Coolbeth said. "He
was struggling in laps three
and four trying to get it turned.
I showed him a wheel with five
or six laps to go and he played
defense. All-in-all he deserves it
after last year, so it's good. I'm
happy and hopefully next year
we'll be in his spot."
Factory Harley-Davidson rider
Baker made his team proud by
putting the legendary XR750 on
the box for a second year in a
row.
"It feels great any time you
get on the box but here at the
X Games it's just a little bit extra
special," Baker said. "Hats off
to Kenny and Jared; they had
something for me. I got out there
quick, I thought I had a good
line and started overriding the
motorcycle a little bit. I was hop-
ping around some and Kenny
and Jared were being a little
smoother. It was a good race to
get on the box. To get a bronze
medal for a second year in a row
is cool. Hats off to Jared for get-
ting a gold after what happened
last year. Harley-Davidson 1-2-3
it's pretty cool for the Harley-
Davidson Motor Company. I
can't give a big enough thanks to
them for everything that they do
for the sport, for my team and for
myself." CN
1. Jared Mees (H-D)
2. Kenny Coolbeth (H-D)
3. Brad Baker (H-D)
4. Jake Johnson (H-D)
5. Michael Kirkness (H-D)
6. Brandon Robinson (H-D)
7. Johnny Lewis (Duc)
8. Davis Fisher (H-D)
9. Jake Shoemaker (Tri)
10. Jeffrey Carver (Kaw)
Mees (1) leads the way during the X Games Austin 2016.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
TREVOR
BROWN
JR./ESPN
IMAGES
