QUICK LINKS 2018 250F MOTOCROSS SHOOTOUT 72 JARED MEES 2017 Cycle News RIDER OF THE YEAR
VOL. 54 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 19, 2017 INTERVIEWS Chatting With Champs JARED MEES ZACH OSBORNE TONI ELIAS GARY SUTHERLIN GARRETT GERLOFF JONATHAN REA ELI TOMAC Thinking Back Ryan Dungey ALSO 2017 SUPERPRESTIGIO NOBBY CLARKE, RIP POURCEL CALLS IT A CAREER KEN ROCZEN I CAN RIDE JUST LIKE I RODE BEFORE
CONTENTS P4 Briar Bauman (pictured) and JD Beach put their AFT skills to good use in the Superprestigio Superfinal in Barcelona. The American duo went 1-2 in their Superprestigio debut.
VOL. 54 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 19, 2017 VOL. 54 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 19, 2017 P5 56 PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE ENGLISH TESTED 72 2018 250F MX SHOOTOUT Quarter-liter showdown INTERVIEWED 102 CN RIDER OF THE YEAR: JARED MEES King of American Flat Track 114 ZACH OSBORNE Two times a champion 126 TONI ELIAS MotoAmerica Champion 134 GARY SUTHERLIN Rising star in the desert 144 ELI TOMAC Iron man of motocross 154 JONATHAN REA Superhero status in WorldSBK 164 RYAN DUNGEY Farewell to a champion 174 GARRETT GERLOFF Supersport state of mind DEPARTMENTALIZED 6 VOICES 8 CAPTURED 56 IN THE WIND 186 STUFF 194 CALENDAR 196 LEADERBOARD 198 RACING ON THE TUBE 200 ARCHIVES 203 LOOKING BACK 204 BIKES OF THE STARS 206 OBSERVATION CHECK QUICK LINKS 2018 250F MOTOCROSS SHOOTOUT 72 On The Cover: It was a banner year for American Flat Track and for 2017 Champion Jared Mees, making the factory Indian rider our number-one pick for this year s Cycle News Rider Of The Year! PHOTOGRAPHY BY JON MONTGOMERY JARED MEES 2017 Cycle News RIDER OF THE YEAR INTERVIEWS Chatting With Champs JARED MEES ZACH OSBORNE TONI ELIAS GARY SUTHERLIN GARRETT GERLOFF JONATHAN REA ELI TOMAC Thinking Back Ryan Dungey ALSO 2017 SUPERPRESTIGIO NOBBY CLARKE, RIP POURCEL CALLS IT A CAREER KEN ROCZEN I CAN RIDE JUST LIKE I RODE BEFORE
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P36 CAPTURED Mighty Mees On The Mile AFT Twins Champion Jared Mees puts the power to the ground during the Arizona Mile in Phoenix. Mees followed teammates Bryan Smith and Brad Baker home that day, but he got his fair share of mile wins later in the championship. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MITCH FRIEDMAN
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P40 CAPTURED Really Hard Enduro Competitors tackle one of the many difficult, and creative, sections during the Red Bull Sea To Sky Hard Enduro in Kemer, Turkey. PHOTOGRAPHY BY NURI YILMAZER/ RED BULL CONTENT POOL
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IN THE WIND BEACH, BAUMAN 1-2 AT SUPERPRESTIGIO When MotoGP star Marc Marquez beat American flat track star Brad Baker at last year s Superprestigio, the score was tied: a pair of wins each. Anticipation was high for the rematch between the two titans on the Palau Sant Jordi short track in Barcelona, Spain, December 16. But it didn t happen. After grueling seasons in American Flat Track and MotoGP, both Baker and Marquez opted out of the fifth edition of Superprestigio. Baker asked Beach to fill in for him. Once Brad called, Beach said, I was full on. That was all I was thinking about and training for. Usually in the off-season I take a little break from riding and training, but it was straight to riding dirt track. I changed my training methods a little bit for the quick races. I think it paid off. Like Beach, Briar Bauman got the call to fill in for another Superprestigio go-to Jared Mees who also chose to stay home to be with his family and young daughter. In the end, the Superprestigio rookies dominated the evening s racing. Beach won convincingly, nearly wire to wire, with Bauman methodically working his way through the pack from a bad start to make it a dramatic 1-2 finish. Beach s day, however, started with major problems with the hub PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE ENGLISH JD Beach leads Briar Bauman during the Superprestigio Superfinal in Spain. of his 16-inch wheel in practice. We found a 17-incher to use, he said, but later on found another 16, so I was able to use the same setup as before. Beach s shock gave him troubles, too, but the replacement his team found ended up being better. I m a racer, he said. Once the gate drops, it really didn t matter. I was just there to race and push. Although he didn t set the world on fire early on in the heat races, he dominated his Openclass finals, going three for three. And when it came to the all-important Superfinal, Beach continued his dominance, getting past Tony Elias in a classic short track move and continuing on for the win he not only wanted to bring home for the U.S., but to P56 honor those who are no longer here, such as Ethan Gillam and Nicky Hayden. To come to Spain with the goal to win this Superprestigio and actually do it was amazing, Beach said. I definitely didn t think it was going to happen, because the night started out really rough. I was having a lot of issues, but luckily Briar and his crew and my Spanish friends all helped out. It was amazing. I just can t really put it into words. I just feel so lucky to get the win; I m at a loss for words. I have to thank Brad Baker, too. I feel honored to take his spot. I m pumped that me and Briar went 1-2. I know [Briar] probably wanted it to be the different order. Indeed Bauman was hoping
VOL. 54 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 19, 2017 P57 Toni Elias got a little roughed up by the Americans en route to a fourth-place finish. Beach and Bauman celebrate their 1-2 finish. for the number-one spot, but he enjoyed his Superprestigio debut and his first time overseas. We really put everything, all of our passion and soul, into this. I had so much fun riding all week with everyone. I met so many new people. Never in a million years would I have thought that [Johann] Zarco would come up and maybe ask me for a tip on how to ride. I couldn t believe it. Like I said yesterday, I get a little star struck sometimes. Altogether just a great experience. It was also an eye-opener to see the level of the competition overseas. The level of competitiveness over here is far higher than I expected, Bauman added. I d come in from qualifying and be like, that felt really good, and I d look at the times and I d be sixth! I was like, Wow. I don t know what to do. Bauman had the support of his team behind him, team owner/ tuner Dave Zanotti and mechanic Michelle DiSalvo. They also helped Beach, but for them it was really a complete team effort. It was a wild main event, Bauman said. At the beginning of the race Ferran and I got together and I kind of shuffled back to fifth or sixth. Unfortunately with how tight the track was, I had to make a lot of aggressive moves. I got into pretty much everyone on the racetrack, I think. But unfortunately, [with this] kind of smaller racetrack, and how we have grown up in America, you kind of muscle around a little bit if you can. There were two Spanish challengers Ferran Cardus, back-toback Spanish National Flat Track Champion, and MotoAmerica Superbike champ Toni Elias, runner up in last year s Superprestigio. Straight out of the gate, Cardus was fastest. He had the combination of local knowledge and spending some quality time with mentor Baker and the first three rounds of American Flat Track. He looked to be the man to beat. He ended the day a solid third place in the final (his first Superprestigio final podium) giving dirt trackers the sweep of the podium. Although Cardus was hoping for better at home, he was happy to continue his flat track education and hopes to return to the U.S. for a full season of American Flat Track in 2018. And then there was Elias who got knocked around en route to a fourth-place finish. At the end, American style is American style, Elias said. JD passed me. Also, Briar. Both came and said, Sorry for the overtake, but I was not angry, because they showed me a new way to pass. When you don t have space, they have the experience to find this space. They passed me where there was no space. It was incredible. I just want to congratulate JD, also Briar, to overtake me in that way. That was a big-balls overtake for both. I m just very happy to race against them. Andrea Wilson SUPERFINAL 1. JD Beach 2. Briar Bauman 3. Cardus Ferran 4. Toni Elias 5. Fabio Di Giannantonio 6. Albert Arenas 7. Guillermo Cano 8. Remy Gardner
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREA WILSON Q INTERVIEW P102 CYCLE NEWS RIDER OF THE YEAR AND AMERICAN FLAT TRACK TWINS CHAMPION
VOL. 54 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 19, 2017 P103 JARED MEES NO UARTER GIVEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREA WILSON BY ANDREA WILSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREA WILSON, DAVE HOENIG AND FLAT TRAK FOTOS (Above) It wasn t all perfection for Mees. His only black mark the whole season came at the Lima Half-Mile, a race he and his wife, Nichole, promote. (Left) Like a lot of champions, Jared Mees has that fighting spirit, not having quit in his vocabulary has scored him five Grand National Championship titles. I t was an amazing and historymaking year for 31-year-old Jared Mees. From winning the 2017 AFT Twins title to giving Indian its first win in over 60 years, and everything in between like earning the prestigious dirt track grand slam, winning 10 races, visiting the podium more times than any other rider in a single season and giving Indian its first championship, to name a few the Pennsylvanian is our undisputed choice for this year s the 25 th Cycle News Rider of the Year
INTERVIEW P104 CYCLE NEWS RIDER OF THE YEAR AND AMERICAN FLAT TRACK TWINS CHAMPION Anyone who knows Jared Mees will tell you that he s a fierce competitor. But you don t have to know him to know that he s at the top of his game in American Flat Track, just look at his stats five premier class titles, and four Grand National Championships. It s quite the accomplishment. Especially considering that the premier class of American Flat Track has been consistently one of the most hotly contested championships in motorcycle racing, with the title fights going down to the final race of the year; sometimes the final lap. But not this year. Mees showed up in 2017 and raised the bar. He stepped into a new era of the sport new rules, new tracks, and new, or shall we say, returning player with Indian Motorcycle and made his mark. He clinched the title two rounds early at his home race in Williams Grove, Pennsylvania, and added a host of records to his name and Indian s as well. It was a standout year for Mees, during a standout season for the sport itself. And it landed him another accolade in 2017 Cycle News Rider of the Year. Since Cycle News first started annually handing out the rider of the Close combat is not out of the ordinary in American Flat Track, and Mees doesn t mind a scrap.
VOL. 54 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 19, 2017 P105 JARED MEES year award in 1992, Mees is just the third flat-track racer ever to receive it; he joins dirt track legends Ricky Graham (1993) and Scott Parker (1996). Welcome to the club, Jared. RAISING THE BAR You can t really talk about 2017 season without beginning with last year s season finale at the Santa Rosa Mile. Mees came from behind, hunting down championship rival Bryan Smith for the biggest prize the Grand National Championship but fell just short in the final corner. To say that stung a bit is an understatement. I hate to lose, Mees said. I m not a sore loser, I just hate to lose. I was just bitter that I lost it. He had 167 days to think about that loss, 167 days until Daytona to wait for a chance to redeem himself. I ran Bryan down from a straightaway and passed him on the very, very last lap, he said recounting the 2016 season finale. That ran through my mind every day until we got to Daytona, every day. I can look back on it right now like it just happened. Me going into that last corner and passing Bryan and then coming off the corner and see that thing coming screaming by me and him beating me. No disrespect by any means to the other team. They won it. They Yeah, I think I raised my game, but I just don t know where I raised it at. PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE HOENIG Mees (left) and Kenny Tolbert (right) go well together. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREA WILSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREA WILSON
INTERVIEW CYCLE NEWS RIDER OF THE YEAR JARED MEES P106 PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREA WILSON J You M got it done. I just was bitter. Adding fuel to the fire was the opportunity to be the guy to bring Indian Motorcycle its first win on the Scout FTR750 with the iconic American brand s big return to American Flat Track after a 64-year absence. I wanted to go out and be the first guy to win the Daytona TT, Mees said. I wanted to be the first guy to win the first race on an Indian, to win the first Indian championship. Be the first guy to win the all-twins Grand National Championship, like it once was back in the day. A lot of first things happened this year, and I wanted to accomplish as much as I could. Safe to say mission accomplished for Mees. As the firsttime stats with Indian Motorcycle kept racking up, so did the personal stats. In 18 races, Mees won 10 of them, scored six second-place finishes and one third. He only finished off the podium once when he jumped the start twice in the semi and missed the main at the Lima Half-Mile, a race that he and his wife promote. So, what was the secret to his success? What separated him from the rest, including his rival Smith? Yeah, I think I raised my game, but I just don t know where I raised it at, he says. But I can tell you this. I got off the [Harley- Davidson] XR750 and got on a better bike [the all-new Indian Scout FTR750]. I was always missing over the years that little extra edge in the miles. I was looking for that little bit. I always got beat by that little bit. The miles were always Mees and the XR750 s Achilles heel, but then Mees will readily admit that while Smith, being a mile guy on a good platform with the Ricky can t have quit in your vocabulary to be a champion, in my opinion. Howerton-prepped Kawasaki, he was the half-mile guy on a good platform with the Kenny Tolbertprepped XR750. Bryan s a great mile rider, and miles are his forte no matter what he s on, but I don t think it s wrong to say that he had a really good motorcycle compared to what I had, Mees says. He had an advantage on the mile with his ability, and he had an advantage on the mile with his platform he was riding. He would probably say the opposite for the halfmiles that the XR sometimes was better. I m going to agree
INTERVIEW CYCLE NEWS RIDER OF THE YEAR JARED MEES The cool thing about our team is I really, really look forward to seeing them every weekend, every one of them. P108 PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE HOENIG with him, that the XR was better at some half-miles that we went to; there s no doubt. Being on the same machinery this year, however, evened the playing field for Mees, and that was perhaps the X-factor. I feel like I got off of the XR and got on a better bike and we were on equal stuff. Instead of losing those races by inches we were beating him now. I think that was a big part of it. And we were able to still keep the success on the half-miles, if not have more of the success on the half-miles. PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE HOENIG THE FIGHTING MENTALITY At the end of the day, it still boils down to this for any champion in any sport never give up. And Mees has shown that tenacity time and time again. You can t have quit in your vocabulary to be a champion, in my opinion, Mees says. Honestly, that mentality comes back to when I was in high school on the wrestling mat. I think if I had to dedicate success to anything that I ve done, I d have to say that a lot of it has come from me being a wrestler in high school. When you get out there on that mat, you don t have any excuses. You can t blame it on the team. You can t blame it on anything. It s you and the other guy and that s all you got. Aside from racing, wrestling is prob-
INTERVIEW P110 CYCLE NEWS RIDER OF THE YEAR AND AMERICAN FLAT TRACK TWINS CHAMPION ably the greatest sport out there because there s no excuse. If his nickname The Jammer didn t already give it away, Mees is a fierce competitor on the racetrack. Mees puts everything out there between the green and checkered flags, whether it s bar-to-bar racing like the Atlanta Short Track or a thrilling come-from-behind victory on a big track, like at the OKC Mile. But it s not just on track. That competitive drive is a part of Mees ethos off the track too, whether it s training or the business side of things, Mees puts in 100% effort to be the best there is. I think you can probably reach out to all my competitor buddies, even Bryan Smith, and ask, is Jared Mees a competitive person outside of racing? I think they would all say, dude, he s so competitive that it s annoying. I don t do Strava, to tell you the truth, but I look to kind of see where I stack up against other athletes. I ll see stuff that Chad Reed posts with skiing or a row machine or something like that and I m like, man, I m not that far off. I m going to try to go beat that. Some of the Olympic rowers, I see they post some stuff on that, so I try to go beat the 5000-meter row. And when we go bicycling. I try to hammer hard with my big group. Although the competition is extra motivation, he also enjoys the training side of the job. We had our very first child and we named her Hayden after Nicky Hayden. That s what kind of keeps me motivated to train is trying to hit numbers and do the best I can in that respect. But I do enjoy it. It s part of my life. I ve trained so much over the years that it s kind of just a way of living right now. I enjoy being healthy and enjoy being fit and enjoy pushing that extra level. TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK At the end of the day, racing is still a team sport and your relationship with your crew chief or in the case of flat track, your tuner is key to winning championships. For the past five PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE HOENIG seasons, Mees and tuner Kenny Tolbert have had their fair share of them a total of four Grand National Championships. We re all competitive [Mees team], and that s why we get along so well. I think that he [Tolbert] knows that I m putting in 110%, and I know he s putting in 110%. It s not a 40-hour workweek for any of us. It s how many hours do we have between this time and that time, and that s what we re going to use. That s what so awesome about Kenny he never stops. Mees also points out that in spite of 11 Grand Nationals Championships to Tolbert s resume, his world-famous tuner doesn t have a big ego. If the Texan needs help, Tolbert s not afraid to ask for it. With all of its dominance, it s also easy to forget that the Indian Scout FTR750 was in its debut season. The reality is, there s always a learning curve with a new machine, and for Tolbert going from years of experience with the XR to the modern liquid-cooled FTR, he could rest. I didn t expect him to get this FTR Indian Scout and just magically know everything about it from the front to the back of it, Mees says. Yeah, it s an engine. Yeah, it s a motorcycle. But still to this day, you have questions on things when something s dealt to you that s so new. He adapted to it very, very well, but we had some people that helped us the guys at S&S and they deserve a big thank you, as well.
INTERVIEW CYCLE NEWS RIDER OF THE YEAR JARED MEES P112 I really think the sport is in a great place right now, he said. We seem to be going the right direction with things. 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 opposite. 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 racing, 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 Promotions, 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 Championship 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 impossible. We just need to show up prepared like we did this year. I feel with the same package the results will be there. CN PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE HOENIG