Remember when the GNC season used to open in Daytona in March, then there wasn't another race until the end of May? Well, not any more. The season kicked off on Thursday 16 March, with a Mees win and an Indian 1-2, and there's another race today, and another next week. The Dixie Speedway, near Atlanta, Georgia, is a new venue for AFT and is an example of American Flat Track's desire to move the sport closer to large cities to attract a new fanbase. That won't happen overnight

So many people had predicted Jared Mees to win the opening round of the 2017 American Flat Track season at Daytona that the win felt almost inevitable, but it was anything but. For the Michigan rider to win the 18-rider main event, his debut championship race on the FTR750, under the Florida floodlights took an immense amount of skill, determination and a splash of luck. Three factory Indian riders started the day - Mees, Smith and Baker, all former or current champions. Mees