Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/917325
CYCLE NEWS RIDER OF THE YEAR JARED MEES P112 INTERVIEW ting and respectful thing to do. We reached out to the Hayden family and got their blessing on it to make sure that they were okay with it, and they were stoked. So we named her Hayden. She'll always be named after Nicky." There's that old saying that when a racer becomes a parent they lose some tenths on the track, but that wasn't the case for Mees. "Here I was all scared when I became a dad that my results were going to suffer," he said. "They were definitely the oppo- site. So, I don't know, maybe I'll have another baby next year or something. She's my good luck charm. Couldn't have it any other way." TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS Let's face it; it's not just all about riding the bike or putting in the training time to be a success motorcycle racer. Racers who understand the business side of things take their careers further. And that is especially true in flat track. For a long time, and pretty much Mees' entire professional career, if you wanted a decent program, you had to find the money yourself. Now, in addition to just racing, he and his wife have gotten into the race promotion business, promoting one of the sport's fan-favorite events, the Lima Half-Mile. It's a lot to juggle—rac- ing, parenthood and being a promoter. Again, Mees credits his wife Nichole for her help in making it a success. "People say, Mees promotes Lima, it's really Mees' Promo- tions, meaning plural with Nichole. I'd have to say that's I how I jockey it and juggle it—is that Nicole does such a good job with the promotional side of things with Lima, as well." THE FUTURE Not only does Mees' future look bright but so does the future of the American Flat Track Cham- pionship after seeing a boost in attendance and viewership numbers on NBCSN and online with Fanschoice. "I really think the sport is in a great place right now," he said. "We seem to be going the right direction with things. Yes, of course, being a promoter and also a racer, sometimes I'm caught in the middle, but it seems in all areas in flat track right now we are moving in the right direction. I can't really put my finger on exactly what it is, or maybe it's just a ton of little things finally coming together as one. On the American Flat Track side of things there are a lot of people in there right now with lots of passion and heart." It was a dream year for Mees, the question now is: Can 2018 get any better? "Topping 2017 isn't going to be easy," he says. "I set a benchmark that is going to be tough to beat. But it's not impos- sible. We just need to show up prepared like we did this year. I feel with the same package the results will be there." CN "I really think the sport is in a great place right now," he said. "We seem to be going the right direction with things." PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE HOENIG