VOL. 53 ISSUE 38 SEPTEMBER 27, 2016 P81
as the track was going away
for Smith, it was coming in for
Mees. "I just kept grinding and
grinding and was just being a pit
bull," said Mees. "I dug down as
deep as I could. I feel like the fit-
ness paid completely off today."
With five laps to go and Baker
holding almost a 14-second lead,
Mees was quickly closing in on
Smith and the title. "My bike is
really fast down the straightaway,
but when the track gets like that,
where it's just dry, no moisture
and rough, it's a complete hand-
ful," said Smith. "I was just trying
to hold it in any line out of the air
fence. It wore me right out. The
last couple laps were the last bit
of energy I had."
When the white flag came
out, Mees was in position to
snatch the championship away
from Smith, as he dove under
the points leader in turn one and
took the position. Smith fought
back down the back straight, but
Mees attacked again.
"On the last lap, the last
corner, I got by him, but he had
the thing squared up early and
there is definitely no secret that
he has really incredible straight-
line speed," said Smith. "We got
lined up on the straightaway and
he had that speed.
"Coming off of four I was liter-
ally gritting my teeth and scream-
ing, trying to twist the throttle
wide open, because I wasn't
forth when the track was good.
When the track finally started
to deteriorate, then I could start
finessing it around and doing my
thing. I looked up and I went,
'wow man, he's gone and it's
over.'"
But it wasn't over. As fast
doing this.'"
Mees was quietly working his
way to the front. "I missed a shift
off the line," he said. "Everybody
was going at it and there was
dust and dirt and everything
flying. I just got caught up with
a couple riders going back and
Brad Baker saved his best for
last to win the Santa Rosa Mile,
the final round of the 2016 GNC1
Championship.
