Organizers are expecting over six thousand people in attendance as racers compete to take home the checkered flag.
Images courtesy of Jared Mees/Lima Half-Mile
LIMA — Roughly 6,500 people from a 250-mile radius are expected to converge upon the Allen County Fairgrounds on the last Saturday in June for the Lima Half-Mile flat track motorcycle races.
“The Lima Half-Mile race has been going on for about 35 years,” said Jared Mees, who goes by the racing moniker “the Jammer.” Mees started racing at five on a PW50 and turned pro at 16. He went on to win the Lima Half-Mile five times and the AMA Grand National Championship title seven times.
The Lima Half-Mile race is now part of the Progressive American Flat Track racing circuit. Mees is currently first in the season standings, already having won three out of six races races.
To progress up the ladder in his professional racing career, Mees said he started with a lot of amateur, local races. “My dad got me involved with it and we raced every weekend during the summer and two weekends in the winter when they had races, and tried to overcome all of the challenges with sponsorship money and bikes… I won my very first Grand National event as a kid [age 19] in 2005 at the Lima Half-Mile race.” Mees also claimed two X-Games gold medals, the first in 2016 and the second in 2018.
At 30, Mees took over the promotional rights for the Lima event. He will be racing on Saturday, but said other riders to watch this year include Briar Bauman, Dallas Daniels and Kody Kopp.
“There are 18 races all over the U.S. in the American Flat Track Circuit and Lima is one of the 18 races. The race is 10 minutes plus two laps, which will probably consist of about 30 total laps,” Mees said.
There are two divisions of competition that are defined by the number of cylinders. Two-cylinder engines race in the SuperTwin Division, which offers a $10,000 prize. One-cylinder engines race in the Singles Division for $2,000. The event boasts a total purse of $50,000, shared among the top 18 competitors.
To enter, competitors must be at least 16 years old, accumulate enough points in the 18 available races across the U.S. in the American Flat Track Circuit, and hold a professional flat track license. Their motorcycles also must conform to track regulations.
Event sponsors include national brands like Indian Motorcycle, Budweiser, Howard Johnson, Hampton Inn, Wingate by Wyndham, and others.
Gates open for fans at 2:30 p.m., practice starts at 3:15 and opening ceremonies start at 6 p.m. A complete schedule of events is provided by American Flat Track.
Ticket prices range from free (children under 12) to $125 (VIP). They can be purchased online by visiting limahalfmile.com/tickets or by calling 419-991-1491. Camping at the fairgrounds is also available from Thursday through Saturday night on a first come, first served basis. Contact Nichole Cheza at 419-991-1491 for more information.
