TOP-FIVE FINISH FOR RED BULL KTM’S DAN BROMLEY AT LACONIA SHORT TRACK
Round 8 – American Flat Track Championship
LOUDON, N.H. – Round 8 of the 2019 American Flat Track Championship made its way to Loudon, New Hampshire over the weekend for the Laconia Short Track, where Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Dan Bromley scored a top-five finish in the AFT Singles Main Event.
Bromley, the defending AFT Singles Champion, put himself into a front row start position in Heat #2, where he put his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into a top-four position off the start. He battled for a top-three spot throughout the five-lap heat race, where he ultimately finished third. In the Semi, Bromley grabbed a top-10 start and climbed his way up to third by the fourth lap. From there, he maintained a solid pace to secure a third-place transfer into the Main Event. Bromley took advantage of a front row start position in the Main Event as he powered his way to a fourth-place start. He once again inserted himself into the lead battles early on, dicing for the second-place position before the first red flag came out. He held onto second after the restart but a small mistake allowed two riders to catch up and he continued the three-way battle into the second restart, eventually moving into fifth late in the race.
Dan Bromley: “Laconia was an eventful weekend! Overall, I felt that as a team we did great. Everything was super smooth in the pits and the day went by great. I had a few small mistakes that cost me in the Main Event, but I learned from it and I’m going to use those mistakes to my advantage in the remaining races.”
Shayna Texter got off to a great start, qualifying fourth overall to claim a front-row start position in AFT Singles Heat #1. She powered her KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into third off the start, where she maintained a solid position throughout the heat race. With a third-place finish, Texter sustained her front-row grid position in the Semi. She got off to a fourth-place start in the Semi, quickly working her way into third by lap two. From there, she continued to dice it up inside the top-five, where she ultimately claimed a fifth-place transfer into the Main Event. Beginning from row two, Texter didn’t get off to the best start as she rounded the opening lap in the 16th position. Racing through a clutch issue for the duration of the Main Event, Texter did her best to push through the adversity and ultimately salvaged 16th place for the night.
Shayna Texter: “This was one of the gnarliest and roughest tracks around. I qualified fourth overall, so I was really excited for that given the conditions and how physical the race track was. I was feeling good and competitive heading into the Main Event but unfortunately, we had a little bit of a clutch issue going on. I was able to ride through the issue but it definitely was noticeable and a factor in our result. Overall, I’m happy with how I rode and with how the bike was working through all the rough stuff. It makes me super excited heading into Lima, a race that I won last year.”
Next Race: June 29, 2019 – Lima Half-Mile – Lima, Ohio
AFT Singles Main Event
1. Mikey Rush, Honda
2. Dalton Gauthier, Husqvarna
3. Max Whale, Kawasaki
OTHER KTM
5. Dan Bromley, KTM
11. Tristan Avery, KTM
15. Morgen Mischler, KTM
16. Shayna Texter, KTM
17. Jeremy Orr, KTM
AFT Singles Point Standings
1. Mikey Rush, 141 points
2. Dalton Gauthier, 131
3. Jesse Janisch, 129
4. Dan Bromley, 114
OTHER KTM
6. Shayna Texter, 66
9. Morgen Mischler, 61
12. Tristan Avery, 44
More, from a press release issued by Estenson Racing:
Jake Johnson Returns to the Podium, Roger Hayden Earns National Number at Laconia Short Track
Jake Johnson scored his second American Flat Track podium this season aboard the Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT, crossing the line third at the inaugural Laconia Short Track in Loudon, New Hampshire, on Saturday, June 15. Fill-in rider Roger Hayden also had a good result on the day with a top-10 finish as well as earning his National Number by making the Main Event.
The all-new venue at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was packed with fans to watch the sport’s best flat track racers tackle challenging conditions on the quarter-mile track. For the Estenson Racing AFT Twins team, the tough track made for a difficult start to the day for both Johnson and Hayden.
When it came down to racing, though, the hard work paid off in the Semis with Johnson and Hayden finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Hayden’s fifth-place finish not only earned him a transfer spot, but dirt track’s traditional honor of a National Number.
The 25-lap Main Event was a battle not only for top honors, but to keep it on two wheels. Although challenging, Johnson actually prefers the rougher tracks. Once again the two-time Grand National Champion’s starts helped him in a big way and with multiple restarts, he kept making progress forward. A rider error further helped that and moved him into third before the third red flag. On that restart, Johnson decided to tuck in behind the leaders rather than take a risky outside line that would either put him in the lead or back in the pack. He waited patiently for the leaders to make a mistake as well as held off a challenger to take his second podium this season, and his fourth with the team.
At the start of the Main, Hayden got off to a good start, as well. With many riders in the mix – sometimes three- or four-wide on the small track – there were multiple position changes throughout the race. The road racer with dirt track roots kept fighting, ultimately crossing the line eighth in just his second AFT Twins race.
The Estenson Racing squad gets a weekend off before heading to Lima, Ohio, for the Lima Half-Mile on Saturday, June 29.
Jake Johnson — AFT Twins #5:
“From where we started the day and where we’ve been most of the season, it feels good to get on the podium. We’ve still got some work to do, obviously, on the bigger tracks, but it’s definitely a big confidence booster. The track was gnarly. As far as my riding ability and fitness and all that stuff, I think I’m doing all right. Lima is next, so it’s going to be just as gnarly as this, but three times as big. That’s encouraging. I think we learned some things today that can help us for those kinds of tracks. We changed the setup a lot. It made a difference, but I think today a lot of it just came down to squeezing the tank and just hanging on and going for it. I had to do that a couple times today. Being that close to where you can smell a win… It kind of stinks, but definitely needed that good finish. We’ve had some rough rounds lately, so to get back on the box is definitely good.”
Roger Hayden — AFT Twins #195:
“I’m really happy with the day, to make the Main and get a top ten. That was my goal – to make the Main, but the day started out a little rough. I was 21st in the first practice, but was just gradually getting better and better. The crew did a great job making the bike better as the day went on. I learned a lot in the Main. It makes me want to do a lot more races now. I’m just thankful to Tim and the team for this opportunity. The track was brutal. I’ve never ridden something like that before, so I needed all 25 laps for the practice. But we did good, so we’re happy.”
Catch the race on NBCSN, June 23 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Stay up to date with Estenson Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
More, from another press release issued by Estenson Racing:
Ryan Wells Salvages Points at the Laconia Short Track with Sixth-Place Finish
Estenson Racing’s Ryan Wells took home a sixth-place finish in challenging conditions at the inaugural Laconia Short Track, June 2, in Loudon, New Hampshire. Although not the result he was hoping for, it was a valuable points-haul to sit fifth in American Flat Track’s AFT Singles Championship.
It was perfect weather for racing in front of a packed house at New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s all-new quarter-mile flat track. Short tracks are inherently “bull rings,” and the fans were treated to some fever-pitched battles. Those battles were not easily fought, as the tricky track surface presented a challenge to the riders throughout the day.
Wells started the day out well with a solid, third-place finish in his Heat. In the Semi, the 2016 AFT Singles Champion won an epic battle to take victory aboard his Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F. He went on to get a good start in the Main Event, but unfortunately, on the restart taking the outside line shuffled him back in the pack. Wells fought on and was able to work his way back to up sixth.
The Estenson Racing squad gets a weekend off before heading to Lima, Ohio, for the Lima Half-Mile on Saturday, June 29.
Ryan Wells — AFT Singles #94:
“I started off fairly decent, just a little bit off the pace and third in the heat. I made some good passes in the Semi, got to the lead and won the race. The Main Event started out well. I was running third and then the red flag came out. I got a really good start on the restart, was side-by-side with second, but I tried to go around the outside and got hung way out in the loose stuff and kind of faded. It dropped me back to eighth in one straightaway. Luckily, we had another restart, so I got to pick a few more off. It was just a rough short track. It was tough to make passes, tough to stay consistent, which I knew I needed to do. At the end of the day, I stayed upright and got some points.”
Catch the race on NBCSN, June 23 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Stay up to date with Estenson Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING’S BRONSON BAUMAN EARNS FIRST CAREER AFT TWINS WIN AT INAUGURAL LACONIA SHORT TRACK
Bauman Brothers go 1-2, as Briar Bauman Maintains Perfect Podium Streak for 2019 Season
LOUDON, N.H. – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, continued its dominance on Saturday night at the inaugural Laconia Short Track. Wrecking Crew Rider Bronson Bauman earned his first-career Twins win, holding off points leader and big brother Briar Bauman in thrilling fashion. The result also marked Briar’s fifth consecutive runner-up finish, as he continued his perfect podium streak for the 2019 season.
Laconia’s maiden race was met with several red flags, as the all-new track developed several bumps and berms that caused lines to change. After three restarts, Bauman and his #37 FTR750 were able to get a clean getaway, thwarting off the competition for the final five laps to finally secure his long-awaited Twins victory.
“We know how hard Bronson works every single day and how much racing means to him,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology & Service for Indian Motorcycle. “It’s great to see him have success, and we know he is going to take this momentum and build on it for the remainder of the season to finish strong.
After seven races, Briar Bauman has continued to further separate himself in the point standings with 142 points, a staggering 34 points ahead of Indian Motorcycle Privateer Brandon Robinson. Reigning Champion Jared Mees is third with 107 total points, while Bronson’s win ranks him fourth with 87 points.
The season continues on Saturday, June 29, with the Indian Motorcycle Lima Half-Mile Presented By Johnny K’s Indian at the Allen County Fairgrounds. For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For more information Indian Motorcycle Racing’s sponsors, visit their websites: Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, S&S Cycle, Indian Motorcycle Oil, Parts Unlimited, Drag Specialties, Alpinestars, Bell Helmets and J&P Cycles.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.