Jared Meeds Of Indian Motorcycle Racing Wins 2018 American Flat Track Season Opener in Daytona

Indian Motorcycle Racing and reigning 2017 American Flat Track Champion Jared Mees, aboard his Scout FTR750, repeat with another win at the Daytona TT. Along with Mees, a total of five Indian Scout FTR750 riders finished inside the top 10, including Brad Baker, Kenny Coolbeth Jr., Bryan Smith and Rob Pearson.

Winning both his heat race and semi-final event, Mees began the main event from the second starting position. He was one of several riders pushing at the front of the pack in the first few laps and made passes to get into second. In a move that reminded race fans of why he’s earned the nickname “Jammer,” Mees made a bold move at the jump, taking an aggressive inside line with his Scout FTR750, actually making contact with Baker to literally wrestle away the lead – a lead he would never relinquish.

Including Mees, five of the six Indian Scout FTR750 riders competing in the main placed within the top 10. Fellow Wrecking Crew riders Brad Baker and Bryan Smith placed fifth and ninth, respectively. In their first season on the Scout FTR750, privateers Kenny Coolbeth Jr. and Rob Pearson finished eighth and 10th, respectively.

The Indian Wrecking Crew and stable of privateers aboard the championship-winning Scout FTR750 will continue its season on April 7 at the Atlanta Short Track. In 2017, the Wrecking Crew swept the podium in Atlanta, as Mees, Baker and Smith finished 1-2-3, respectively.

For the 2018 season, Indian Motorcycle Racing has committed more than $350,000 in contingency incentives, including $25,000 for a Championship, $5,000 for first-place wins, $4,000 for second-place, $3,000 for third-place finishes, and payouts for up to 10th-place finishers.

29 Responses to “Jared Meeds Of Indian Motorcycle Racing Wins 2018 American Flat Track Season Opener in Daytona”


  1. 1 BOSS HAWG Mar 17th, 2018 at 8:38 am

    Saw the Daytona TT, great racing!

    Headed to the racetrack in a few to watch the 77th Annual DAYTONA 200 at 1-pm. Afterward Main Street and Iron Horse to enjoy the festivities.

    Vroom vroom.
    Boss Hawg

  2. 2 Shanedrive Mar 17th, 2018 at 8:41 am

    Thumbs up Hawg! Wish I was there

  3. 3 Number6 Mar 17th, 2018 at 8:51 am

    Vroom vroom yerself BH . Funny thing is neither I , the full bird colonel ( retired ) I’m with that led my SDS group nor my SoS ‘ friends seem to be able to track you down anywhere . Hmmm ….

  4. 4 golfish Mar 17th, 2018 at 10:17 pm

    HD, needs to step, these races aren’t even close.

  5. 5 big doug Mar 18th, 2018 at 2:27 am

    golfish,indian built a purpose built race engine for there bike, hd just modded a street mtr hd are going to get spanked everytime until they do the same.

  6. 6 Hillbilly Jim Mar 18th, 2018 at 7:31 am

    The MoCo is waiting to see how the 2018 rules will effect the livewire powered flattrack race bike.

  7. 7 Woody's Mar 18th, 2018 at 8:28 am

    Like Big Doug sad, Indian put a lot more effort into it and collected a lot of the best Riders and they are winning. If This Was Nascar or Formula 1 they’d be strapping weights on the bikes or some other crippling thing. Whatever they do is fine with me because people know why what is happening is happening. Let them make it an all Indian series if they want, the important thing is to watch some good racing. Not like anyone can run out and buy the bikes that are winning, so it really doesn’t make much difference.

  8. 8 Jerrman Mar 18th, 2018 at 11:16 am

    Rumor has it that a street version of the FTR750 is just around the corner. If that’s true, HD will have another big obstacle to deal with. First, it was on the track, then it will be on the street.

  9. 9 Biggles Mar 18th, 2018 at 8:50 pm

    Big Doug isn’t that what HD did with the XR?

  10. 10 Biggles Mar 18th, 2018 at 8:54 pm

    Bit like HD with the XR’s Woody’s. They’ve now got Sammy Halbert, he was mixing it with the Indians.

  11. 11 fuji Mar 18th, 2018 at 8:57 pm

    Jerrman . IN the near future it will be mandatory for all American Flat Track engines to be a production based as used in a street bike.

    Harley XR 750 and Indian FTR 750 were designed for racing only. missing vital parts to make them street compatible.

    If not mandatory by 2019 you will see the new rule by 2020

  12. 12 big doug Mar 19th, 2018 at 1:41 am

    biggles that is true,I just want to see a level playing field where different manufacturers all have a chance

  13. 13 Aeromach Mar 19th, 2018 at 3:48 am

    Woody’s, Indian does sell the FTR750 at retail so anyone can pony up $50k and race
    http://cyrilhuzeblog.com/2017/03/03/indian-scout-ftr750-flat-track-race-bike-now-available-for-purchase-msrp-50000/

  14. 14 Black Shadow Mar 19th, 2018 at 7:35 am

    I would say this race proves other manufactures have a chance. Second place Yamaha, third place Kawasaki, forth place Kawasaki. There were 2 Yamahas and 3 Kawi’s in the top 10. HD is getting beat by more than just Indian.

  15. 15 joe Mar 19th, 2018 at 10:57 am

    I watched all the Indian videos and this would be much more impressive if they had actually designed and built the FTR in the US, but all they did was farm it out to some Polaris off-shoot in Switzerland. Might as well put a Swiss flag on those bikes.

    H-D has some work to do but at least they are doing it all here, rather than farming out a race only engine and bike to people in Europe and then pretending its an American bike.

  16. 16 BOSS HAWG Mar 19th, 2018 at 11:43 am

    Number 6…

    Stupid says stupid does! I must have been at the Kuryaken display.

    Welcome to the jungle!

    Boss Hawg

  17. 17 NoH2oH Mar 19th, 2018 at 1:30 pm

    Joe…..are you serious? The XG is more Indian than Indian.

  18. 18 2Wheels Mar 19th, 2018 at 1:37 pm

    @Joe the H-D Street models were designed in India, just an FYI…

    The FTR750 engine was designed by Polaris Swissauto (who are racing specialists…), but the chassis was designed and manufactured in the USA.

    The more you know…

  19. 19 Bill Hilly Mar 19th, 2018 at 2:23 pm

    FFS, the H-D team can’t even beat a bunch of privateer Kawasaki’s, let alone the Indians. If you ask me the playing field is pretty level, it’s just that Harley are relying on a team that is famous for Drag Racing, it’s no wonder they can’t get the bikes working properly.

  20. 20 Kevin Mar 19th, 2018 at 3:06 pm

    Guys, get your facts straight. The US and Canadian Street models are built in the US. First at Kansas City and now at York.

    https://www.cycleworld.com/2013/11/12/where-is-it-made-2014-harley-davidson-street-750-and-street-500

  21. 21 Woody's Mar 19th, 2018 at 3:22 pm

    I may have worded it badly, but selling a racing bike isn’t the same as selling a production bike on the showroom floor. Personally I don’t really care about a Level Playing Field, as far as I know Harley could spend as much money as they want and develop on much more competitive bike also. They chose not to and they are losing, I’m okay with that.

  22. 22 Woody's Mar 19th, 2018 at 3:23 pm

    I may have worded it badly, but selling a racing bike isn’t the same as selling a production bike on the showroom floor. Personally I don’t really care about a Level Playing Field, as far as I know Harley could spend as much money as they want and develop on much more competitive bike also. They chose not to and they are losing, I’m okay with that.

  23. 23 fuji Mar 19th, 2018 at 3:24 pm

    Just so a lot of you don’t get lost in the Harley, Indian debate.

    Kawasaki with Bryan Smith on a Rick Howerton designed and built { probably the best engineered bike in a couple decades} won the Twins! title four years in a row and the national championship in 2016 back when they raced 450 cc and 750 twins. Look up who Rick Howerton is you will be impressed. Smart Man.

    The Yamaha and Kawasaki bikes are derived from production commuter bike engines and makeup the back bone of flat track racing for the self funded teams of which is 50% of the racing field is made of.

    If the AMA were operating flat track we would go back to Harley’s only. The reason the sport died.

  24. 24 oldskool Mar 19th, 2018 at 3:49 pm

    remember the v-rod designed in germany. cant buy a harley streetrod pro stock dragbike. remember choice is a good thing.

  25. 25 Excite bike Mar 19th, 2018 at 4:38 pm

    Who is Jared Meeds?

  26. 26 Carl Sanford Mar 20th, 2018 at 1:41 am

    Yes really, that is a really cool race

  27. 27 kent Mar 20th, 2018 at 12:37 pm

    I was at the race and it was “deja vu all over again” ! Last year Harley’s couldn’t keep the chain on, this year they couldn’t keep up. If these races were won by Harley’s Indian fans wouldn’t make excuses, Stop Whining!

  28. 28 Woody's Mar 21st, 2018 at 10:09 am

    Is anyone here whining?

  29. 29 Herb Mar 26th, 2018 at 4:08 pm

    You have to give more credit to the riders and focus less on the machines.

    Jared Mees is simply a flat track superman — and he won the number 1 plate three times (2012,2014,2015) on the venerable old XR750 before moving to the Indian team and claiming a fourth championship.

    And then you have Bryan Smith, Brad Baker, Kenny Coolbeth, Henry Wiles, Sammy Halbert, etc. We’ve had great champions in the past, but I don’t remember having so much talent AT ONE TIME as we’ve had the past 3-4 years.

    That’s what makes it fun to watch.

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Cyril Huze