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Jared Mees has a long history with the AMA Dirt Track Grand Championship, the annual national championship event for amateur dirt-track racers.

In 2001, Mees won the AMA Dirt Track Horizon Award, presented to the top amateur dirt-track racer each year. But Mees, who started racing at age 6, quickly admits the event helped introduce him to something way cooler: his wife.

The 29-year-old Mees is married to fellow pro dirt-track racer Nichole Mees. They met at the AMA Dirt Track Grand Championship.

For 2015, Mees is returning to the event, not to race but as the event’s honoree. He’ll meet with fans, give advice to young racers and promote dirt-track racing in general. He already has the perfect line for his new role in public relations: “If you go to the AMA Dirt Track Grand Championship, you might just meet your wife.”

We caught up with the three-time AMA Grand National Champion to talk about his professional career.

AM: Did winning the AMA Dirt Track Horizon Award when you were 15 years old help pave the way for your professional racing career? JM: No doubt. When you go racing as an amateur, you look up to the pros. In order to get there, and get there successfully, you need to go through the process of the AMA Dirt Track Grand Championship. That’s how I worked my way up.

AM: You turned pro in 2002, and you ended up winning the Sportster Performance Championship and were also named Rookie of the Year for the GNC Expert class in 2004. What was that experience like for you? JM: When you are coming up through the ranks, you set your sights on the next thing after you successfully get to where your goal was. After the AMA Horizon Award, I went for the Sportster Performance Championship. Then I went after the ProAm championship, then it was the Grand National Championship.

AM: You’re going to be this year’s honoree for the AMA National Dirt Track Grand Championship. What does that mean to you? JM: I haven’t been back to the amateur nationals but one or two times since I turned pro. I’m looking forward to going back and seeing how it is now. Classes are a

little different today. I’m looking forward to seeing who the next up and comers are. It should be a good time.

AM: What would you tell amateurs who currently race other disciplines, such as motocross, to encourage them to try dirt track? JM: Back in the day, when we started with a motocross bike, we would buy the bike for the chassis and put in a new engine. Today, people are just lowering down motocross bikes, and then they go racing.

It’s easy to get into dirt track. You can take your 250, put a 19-inch front wheel on it, and have a few suspension modifications done, and go dirt tracking. Most serious motocross or off-road racers have their suspension reworked anyhow, so there isn’t much more bike prep involved.

AM: What is your all-time favorite track to race at? JM: The Peoria TT. It’s a track that I haven’t won at, and I want to win there really badly. I also enjoy the Hagerstown Half-Mile and the Springfield Mile.

AM: What are your goals going forward? JM: The goal is pretty easy: win. As a pro rider, I work really hard at this—physically and mentally. I work on my bikes. I train hard to win. People say, “winning isn’t everything” but for me, it is. It’s a lot of work to be involved in the sport. And I definitely put in the time. Fortunately, I get to do what I love.

The 2015 AMA Dirt Track Grand Championship is July 6-10 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in Du Quoin, Ill. More information and registration is available at www.americanmotorcyclist.com.

JARED MEES: SUPPORTING HIS ROOTSAMA Grand National Champion To Be Honoree At AMA Dirt Track Grand Championship By Heather Wilson

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