Indian Sweeps Arizona Mile
After two red flags, and as the sun began to set, the AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines Main Event was reconfigured into a dramatic five-lap shootout. At the second and final restart, Baker again resumed his place at the front of the field and appeared well on his way to grabbing his first victory of 2017. Smith earned his second consecutive victory by ducking inside Baker with two laps remaining – edging him out by .057 seconds.
Runner-up Baker said, “I wanted that win so dang bad. I don’t think I’ve wanted a win more in my life. This type of track is one I typically struggle at – one that’s dry, slick, one-lined – where you kind of have to go slow to go fast and ride with a lot of discipline.”
Indian 1 -2 – 3 at Arizona Mile
Smith now sits perfectly even on top of the AFT Twins title fight with Jared Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle Rogers Racing Scout FTR750) at 87 apiece. Mees retained a share of the points lead by furthering his season-long string of podium results with a close third.
Despite struggling with shifter issues, Mees managed to keep Smith and Baker honest throughout and finished just over a half-second back of the win.
Sammy Halbert continued to make his mark as the top privateer with a solid fourth-place run aboard the No. 69 Estenson Logistics Yamaha FZ-07. Halbert actually had to put in a charge just to snare the final qualifying position in the LCQ in order to advance into the Semis. But following that early scare, Halbert proved himself to be the only rider capable of reliably keeping the Indian Wrecking Crew in sight in Phoenix, even if only for a handful of laps at a time.
After four races this season, the Indian Scout FTR750 has secured 10 of 12 podiums. Smith and Mees are neck-in-neck at the top the American Flat Track leaderboard – having reached the podium in every race with two first place finishes, a second and a third. Baker has earned two second place finishes.
“After the long break following the Charlotte Half Mile, we were all excited to see how the guys would perform on the season’s first mile,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Product Development for Indian Motorcycle. “Their dominant success at each race is a tribute to how hard each rider and his team are preparing.”
Flat track racing was born in America and has deep roots on dirt tracks where riders race handlebar to handlebar at triple digit speeds and draft each other on the front and back stretches NASCAR-style, which can produce several lead changes during the same lap.
Harley-Davidson’s early-season woes continued at Turf Paradise. Jake Johnson (No. 5 Harley-Davidson Factory Flat Track Team XG750R) was the only rider among the firm’s trio of factory-backed talents to make the Main Event. To make matters worse, Johnson’s day then ended in a crash which brought out one of the red flags.
ABOUT BRAD “THE BULLET” BAKER
23-year-old Brad “The Bullet” Baker, originally from Dryad, Washington, won the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Expert Grand National Championship to become the 3rd youngest winner in the history of the sport. Baker has been competing in the Championship since 2009 and won the Grand National Singles Championship in his first full year of racing. He was also named the 2011 GNC Expert Rookie of the Year.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII), is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
ABOUT Harley-Davidson Motor Company®
Since 1903, Harley-Davidson Motor Company has fulfilled dreams of personal freedom with cruiser, touring and custom motorcycles, riding experiences and events, and a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, general merchandise, riding gear and apparel. For more information, visit www.harley-davidson.com.
