Indian Motorcycle Racing and reigning 2017 American Flat Track (AFT) Champion Jared Mees secured the top leaderboard position with a win at the Texas Half-Mile. Indian Motorcycle of Oklahoma City Privateer Chad Cose secured his first career AFT Twins podium with a strong third-place finish after setting the top qualifying time. Meanwhile, fellow Scout FTR750 privateers Henry Wiles and Johnny Lewis placed inside the top 10 with a fifth and eighth place finish, respectively.
Mees and Cose each won their semi-final race and earned the top-two starting positions in the Main. After trailing initially, Mees was able to pass several riders and capture the lead. Cose ran the majority of the race from the third position and was able to hold off the fourth-place finisher, who was challenging for that final podium spot for the majority of the race.
“We’re entering an important stretch of the season right now, as Texas kicks off six straight weeks of racing,” said Mees. “To start this run off with a victory is huge. I want to thank Indian Motorcycle, my team and all the fans for their continued support. With Texas in the books, we’re on to Calistoga.”
Cose’s third-place finish marked the third time a privateer has podiumed with the championship-winning Scout FTR750. In 2017, on his first race aboard the Scout FTR750, Johnny Lewis reached the podium with a third-place finish at the Texas Half-Mile.
“To see Chad reach the podium for the first time in his career was amazing,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology & Service for Indian Motorcycle. “He’s feeling comfortable and riding well on the Scout FTR750, and we couldn’t be more excited to see him compete in these upcoming races.”
In a highly competitive night, a number of riders crashed and were unable to finish. Among those were Wrecking Crew Riders Brad Baker and Bryan Smith. Baker went down in his heat and suffered a mild concussion, while Smith was involved in a multi-rider crash in Semi 1. Both have reported to be okay, though, their status for the Calistoga Half-Mile on May 5 is currently unknown.
Through three races Mees leads the pack with 50 points. Wiles, who has finished fourth and fifth the last two races on his Scout FTR750 is currently second with 46 points. Despite missing the Main in Texas, Kenny Coolbeth Jr. sits in the fourth position with 36 points.
The Indian Wrecking Crew and stable of privateers aboard the Scout FTR750 will continue its season on May 5 at the Calistoga Half-Mile. For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, backed by Allstate Insurance, the Indian Wrecking Crew and Scout FTR750, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. For information on purchasing a Scout FTR750, please contact Racing@IndianMotorcycle.com.
