Bryan Smith Wins First X Games Flat Track Gold Medal
Bryan Smith won the inaugural X Games gold medal for Flat Track racing while Sammy Halbert took silver and Brad Baker won the bronze medal.
“To come away with the win, the gold medal, I’m stoked,” said Smith. “It’s great for the whole sport. I’ve been watching the X Games since I was 10 years old, 12 year old, and I’m finally here.
Baker led early in the 20-lap main event but AMA Pro Flat Track No. 1 plate-holder Jared Mees soon took control. Mees developed a good lead and looked like a lock for the gold medal when his Harley-Davidson suffered a mechanical issue on Turn Two of the final lap. Smith took advantage and took the lead and the gold.
“Jared slowed, there were sparks coming off his bike, and it was like a mirage,” says Smith.
Smtih and Halbert put a pair of Kawasakis on the podium while Baker the other medal on a Harley-Davidson. The main event featured six Harleys, five Kawasakis, a Ducati and a Triumph.
“I’m really happy to bring home a bronze medal,” said Baker. “I had a good feeling before the main event that I was going to be able to run for the win. The track slowed down a lot and my motorcycle wasn’t able to pull the gear off the corner. It’s really cool and I think this (medal) will hang from the mirror of my pickup for a little while. It’s a big deal to have a medal here at the X Games and we’ll be back next year trying to go for gold, hopefully. I think the fans were impressed with what happened and I’m definitively happy with the result, even though I wish it was better.”
2015 X Games Harley-Davidson Flat Track Racing Main Event Reults | ||
Pos. | Racer | Manufacturer |
---|---|---|
1 | Bryan Smith | Kawasaki |
2 | Sammy Halbert | Kawasaki |
3 | Brad Baker | Harley-Davidson |
4 | Johnny Lewis | Ducati |
5 | Jake Johnson | Harley-Davidson |
6 | Briar Bauman | Kawasaki |
7 | Doug Lawrence | Harley-Davidson |
8 | Mikey Martin | Kawasaki |
9 | Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. | Harley-Davidson |
10 | Michael Kirkness | Harley-Davidson |
11 | Jared Mees | Harley-Davidson |
12 | Brandon Robinson | Triumph |
Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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