Current AMA Grand National champion Jared Mees was untouchable all night in the Open class at the Superprestigio event in Barcelona. Mees not only won every race in his division, he created a big gap to second place. After winning the Open class, he took on MotoGP champ Marc Márquez in the Superprestigio final. Márquez had been almost as dominant as Mees in his separate class prior to the main event. With a better start, Márquez was able to hold off Mees to take the win in the main. Here is the press release from the event.
Barcelona vibrates with Superprestigio
Marc Márquez beats American Jared Mees in a thrilling Superfinal
December, 13th – 9,000 spectators lived an incredible show in the St Jordi Arena Marc Márquez has won the second edition of Superprestigio Dirt Track in a thrilling Superfinal. AMA Grand National winner Jared Mees finished 3 tenths behind the Spaniard, with US rider Kenny Noyes completing the podium.
Márquez got to the Superfinal after having imposed in 3 of the 4 finals in Superprestigio Class, while Jared Mees left no hostages in all 3 Finales in the Open Class. Both were a class in their own in this Second edition of the Superprestigio Dirt Track, in a packed Arena with over 9,000 thousand spectators.
What they said:
Marc Márquez: “I’m happy and I’ve enjoyed all the way! I want to that all my fellow riders for putting such a show together and make it possible for the second edition. The best new today was to know that Brad (Baker) was OK at the end after his accident. This Event had a lot of media attention and the public in the grandstands were very generous. I was a little bit nervous before the Superfinal because I knew Jared Mees was really fast, but I’m happy and relieved now. I have improved my technique in this track because last year I notice that Brad was using different settings that my team and I have applied for this edition”.
Jared Mees: “I’m so grateful to everybody in the organisation and Marquez for the invitation. Thanks for making this possible and let me visit Barcelona as my first overseas flight! For sure I want to be in next year!”
Kenny Noyes: “It has been such an incredible Season. And this Event has had massive media coverage. I’m very grateful to RPM Racing. I want to return next year and achieve the victory because today these two guys were just so fast! I ‘ve had very little time to practice in my new bike, so for next year I’ll be ready!”
Home court advantage.
Familiar equipment as well. All of the US riders were on borrowed motorcycles using 17″ rain tires rather than the USA dirt track standard 19″ Dunlops.
Anaheim I is coming up pretty soon……..
Seems like now would be a great time to come out with a new Ascot.
Noyes looks like a man ape compared to the other 2 little chimps. How come we couldn’t watch it? Who said no?
The race was available via free streaming video on several websites. I watched on cycleworld.com. Video quality was good, only stopped for buffering a couple of times (even with my slow Frontier DSL). Chris Carr handled the announcing, doing a good job with the insight a 7-time GNC champion can bring. Action was non-stop with almost no wait between races (excepting a couple of intermissions).
All in all, a very good broadcast, as good or better production qualities than the motorcycle racing we see on cable here in the USA.
MM has made me a fan over the last two years but I’ll bet this is a somewhat of a hollow victory for him with Baker on the sidelines after what happened last year. Still, to beat Mees in his specialty is pretty fantastic.
Marc is a great representative for the sport, very likable polite good looking kid that the sport and Honda should be giving some major media push for the masses. Road racing (and dirt track) is such a fantastic great sport with so little exposure in the USA and a personality seems to be the ticket for reaching a wider range of people. All these criminal ball players and NASCAR clowns get all this attention and money, someone with real talent and seemingly a very easy to like persona should be out there.
Good point! course we have to get some real media coverage of the whole seasons, not just occasional events. hard to get that kind of media when you are buried in some cable or satellite package, behind the NASCAR and FANTASY coverage for crying out loud… Fanstasy sports. kinda sums it up.
Yup- just what I was sayin’
Mees got held up on the 1st lap but was still able to get on Marquez’s butt. If the race had been more laps the results may have been different.
Sometimes it is the holeshot that separates the men from THE MAN.
maybe the isle of man tt occurs during a break in the motogp schedule?
Not sure he would suceed at the TT. Its a different kind of thing, like the difference between a climbing wall race, and Everest without oxygen.
Ha! That’s funny!
Q: “Is There Anything He Can’t Do?”
A: Teach Colin Kaepernick to hit an open receiver.
Ouch. Tough crowd…
Awesome answer VLJ.
good use of the lingo that’s for sure.