Bauman, Janisch Dominate DAYTONA TT

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 14, 2019) – Briar Bauman (No. 14 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) kicked off his 2019 AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines championship campaign in front of AFT’s largest crowd at the Daytona International Speedway with a statement victory in Thursday night’s American Flat Track season opener, the third annual DAYTONA TT presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys.

Bauman went handlebar-to-handlebar with brother Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) on the opening lap of the 25-lap Main Event under the lights at Daytona International Speedway to secure the lead. Once established, Bauman systematically stretched out an imposing advantage at the front.

TT legend Henry Wiles (No. 17 Bandit Industries/DPC Racing/Wilco Racing Indian FTR750) was desperate to give chase but found himself trapped behind Bauman’s brother and teammate as the leader made his escape.

Wiles finally made his way through near half distance, but at that point it didn’t make a difference. Bauman continued to race off into the distance, further opening the gap before finally cruising past the legendary tri-oval’s start/finish stripe for the final time with a 5.149-second margin of victory.

“To hop out there in the front — it’s all about trying to put in a gap in the beginning,” Bauman said. “I’ve been training hard this offseason. I tried to throw down as much as I could and get a little bit of a gap and maintain the rest of the race.”

Even before Thursday’s win, the ascending Bauman’s profile was rapidly on the rise. And now as the newest member of Indian’s Wrecking Crew, he’s well positioned to take the next step forward and make a run at the 2019 AFT Twins Championship — as evidenced by his stunning form in the season opener.

Besides handing him the (very) early title advantage, Bauman’s triumph also brings the DAYTONA TT win streak of reigning Grand National Champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) to a halt at two. Those prior victories served as springboards for dominant title runs in ‘17 and ‘18, but Mees’ ‘19 opener packed at least a half-season’s worth of drama into a single night. Mees crashed twice in the Semi and then retired with a mechanical issue in the Main while running fifth.

Jake Johnson (No. 5 Estenson Racing/Monster Energy Yamaha MT-07 DT) gave Yamaha’s trick new flat track machine a podium debut by finishing in third behind Bauman and Wiles.

Meanwhile, Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Harley-Davidson Factory Flat Track Team XG750R Rev X) registered perhaps the hero ride of the evening. After being forced to use a Provisional Start just to make the Main, Vanderkooi battled his way up from the back of the pack to an eventual fourth.

Bronson Bauman rounded out the top five.

Roof Systems AFT Singles presented by Russ Browns Motorcycle Attorneys

Jesse Janisch (No. 132 Roof Systems Dallas TX/Öhlins Yamaha YZ450F) added yet another blowout TT victory to his burgeoning résumé with a wire-to-wire win in the Roof Systems AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys Main Event at the DAYTONA TT.

Janisch pushed hard on the race’s opening lap to corral the field behind him and then took full advantage of his superior speed with an open track in front of him. He ultimately wheelied past the checkered flag with a comfortable 2.577 seconds to spare.

“To start off Daytona with a victory… it’s amazing,” Janisch said. “Last year, we left here with a second, and that was a great way to start off the season. Just putting in all the work over the course of the winter and leaving here with a win is amazing. The Roof Systems team has really made a home for me. We’ve really built a great program.”

Janisch was followed to the line by Dalton Gauthier (No. 122 D&D Cycles/FlatTrack.com KTM 450 SX-F), who registered a remarkable ride to complete his “Road to Recovery” where he started it — on the podium.

Gauthier was victorious in the first AFT Singles DAYTONA TT Main Event back in 2017 and was stacking wins on top of that one before being suspended for violating the sanctioning body’s substance abuse policy. After sitting out the majority of the past two seasons, Gauthier only learned he would be eligible to compete again days ago. He made the most of his second chance.

And in an always merciless DAYTONA TT in which numerous AFT Singles title hopefuls don’t even make the Main Event due to the ocean deep field teeming with big name wild cards hailing from multiple nations and racing disciplines, defending class champ Dan Bromley (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) just did what he does.

After earning last year’s crown on the strength of 13 podiums in 18 races, Bromley is now one for one in 2019 to open his title defense with a third-place result.

Long-time AFT Twins competitor Mikey Rush (No. 15 RMR Honda, Red Riders Rewards Honda CRF450R) and up-and-coming Australian Max Whale (No. 18 Weirbach Racing Kawasaki KX450F) completed the top five.

Be sure to tune into the feature broadcast of the DAYTONA TT on NBCSN with flag-to-flag coverage of both Main Events enhanced by in-depth coverage of the many dramatic storylines through exclusive athlete features and interviews. and onboard footage. It will debut on Sunday, March 24, at 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT and will re-air on Thursday, March 28, at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT.

American Flat Track will be back in action for Round 2 of the 2019 season in just over a week’s time as the series travels to Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Ga., for the Atlanta Short Track presented by Cycle Gear on Saturday, March 23. Live coverage can be viewed on FansChoice.tv starting at 1:30 p.m. ET with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to get underway at 7:20 p.m. ET. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased at https://tickets.americanflattrack.com/.

How to Watch:

NBCSN and FansChoice.tv are the official homes for coverage of American Flat Track. For the 2019 season, NBCSN’s coverage of AFT moves to highly-coveted, weekend afternoon programming slots within two weeks of each event. The complete schedule for AFT on NBCSN can be viewed at http://www.americanflattrack.com/events-nbcsn/. FansChoice.tv remains a cornerstone of AFT’s digital strategy, providing live streaming coverage of every event on AFT’s live page while previous events and exclusive features are available on AFT’s VOD page.

About American Flat Track:

American Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. For more information on American Flat Track, please visit http://www.americanflattrack.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, check us out on Instagram, live stream the events at FansChoice.tv and catch all the American Flat Track racing action on NBCSN.

More, from a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:

Briar Bauman Rides Indian Motorcycle To DAYTONA TT Championship

· Yamaha Rider Jessie Janisch Dominates AFT Singles Class

· Qualifying for 78th DAYTONA 200 on Friday

· DAYTONA 200 Set for Saturday at 1 p.m.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 14, 2019) – Briar Bauman won the DAYTONA TT on Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway, in the season-opening race for the American Flat Track season.

Bauman, riding an Indian FTR750, built an early lead in the 25-lap AFT Twins main event featuring 16 riders. Henry Wiles (Indian) finished second, 5.149 seconds behind, followed by Jake Johnson (Yamaha). Prior to the main event, Bauman set the stage by winning the 10-lap semifinal.

“I hopped out there at the front … it’s all about trying to put a gap there in the beginning,” said Bauman, from Salinas, California. “Luckily I’ve been training hard in the off-season; I tried to throw down as much as I could and get a little bit of gap – and then try to maintain the rest of the race.”

Thursday’s action continued the 78th Bike Week At DAYTONA lineup of races at DIS and also marked the third consecutive running of the DAYTONA TT. Riders negotiated a unique layout consisting of a dirt-track portion built on top of the DIS tri-oval grass “ball field” plus – for the first time – a backstretch utilizing the speedway’s 18-degree banked pavement fronting “The World Center of Racing” main seating area.

Two classes of motorcycles competed: powerful twin-cylinder bikes in the headlining AFT Twins class and single-cylinder machines in the AFT Singles class.

Jessie Janisch of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin was dominant throughout the evening aboard a Yamaha YZ450F in the AFT Singles, winning a heat and a semifinal before also capturing the 15-lap main event. Dalton Gauthier (KTM 450 SX-F) and defending Daytona AFT Singles champion Dan Bromley (KTM 450 SX-F) finished second and third, respectively.

“This is a huge effort [by our team] and a great way to start the season,” Janisch said.

AFT Twins featured two heat events, won by Wiles and JD Beach (Yamaha MT-07). The Twins Semifinals advanced 16 riders to the main event; the two winners were Bauman and Wiles.

The AFT Singles class had four heats, won by Oliver Brindley (Yamaha YZ450F), Janisch, Bromley and Jacob Lehmann (Honda CRF450R). The Singles semifinals also advanced eight riders to the main; semifinal winners were Janisch and Gauthier.

Bike Week At DAYTONA concludes on Saturday with the 78th DAYTONA 200, a tradition-rich road racing event dating to 1937 when it was held on the Daytona Beach-Road course that utilized both the Atlantic Ocean shoreline and State Road A1A. The DAYTONA 200 moved to Daytona International Speedway in 1961. The 200-mile/57-lap event is now contested on a 3.51-mile course that travels through the speedway’s infield and atop the 31-degree banking in the turns.

Qualifying for the DAYTONA 200 is set for Friday with three sessions – 10:50-11:30 a.m., 1-1:25 p.m. and 4:30-4:55 p.m. The race will take the green flag at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets for the 78th DAYTONA 200 and all speedway events can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Snapchat, and by downloading Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest Speedway news throughout the season.

More, from a press release issued by KTM North America:

RED BULL KTM’S DAN BROMLEY CAPTURES A PODIUM FINISH AT DAYTONA TT OPENER

Round 1 – American Flat Track Championship – March 14, 2019

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The 2019 American Flat Track Championship got underway on Thursday with the Daytona TT opener from the renowned Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team’s Dan Bromley got off to a great start in defending his 2018 AFT Singles Championship with a third-place podium finish at Round 1.

Bromley immediately felt right at home aboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, qualifying third overall in the practice sessions. In AFT Singles Heat 3, Bromley got off to a good start, where he battled early on with KTM-mounted rider Ryan Sipes. Bromley eventually made the pass into the lead to claim his first heat race win of the season. In the Semi, Bromley finished third to seed himself into the evening’s Main Event. At the start of the Main, he put himself into a top-four position right away as he battled his way into third early on. From there, the Pennsylvania native maintained a solid pace inside the top-three to ultimately secure a podium finish at the season opener.

Dan Bromley: “Overall, I’m super happy to be able to walk away on the podium and hopefully continue on to a consistent season. I was really happy with the bike from the start, we basically had everything working perfectly from testing. We’re definitely going to put the homework in and come back swinging at Atlanta and hopefully continue the podium streak.”

It was a challenging day for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team’s Shayna Texter, who did not qualify into the racing portion of the Daytona TT.

Shayna Texter: “Today was a little bit of a challenging day for me. I felt like I’ve made a lot of progress compared to other TT races in the past. One of the things I worked on a lot in the off-season was jumping and I felt really strong off the jump. I was struggling a little bit through the dirt track sections, which is a little bit unusual for me, but the track was rough and I experienced a little bit of tank slapping. But overall, it gives us a good base to improve on from here on out and I’m definitely looking forward to Atlanta. I feel like I have a great bike and a great team behind me and I’m ready to go racing ovals!”

Team Manager, Chris Fillmore: “Overall, coming in here with a new program and a new team, we know we’re going to have to shake out the bugs a little bit. We’re really proud of Dan’s performance, he rode really well, stayed calm and did all the right things to seal himself a podium at the first race. Shayna has been working really hard this off-season and she’s going to continue to put her head down and chip away at these TT tracks. We’re looking forward to the Atlanta Short Track next weekend.”

Next Race: March 23, 2019 – Atlanta Short Track – Woodstock, Georgia

AFT Singles Main Event

1. Jesse Janisch, YAM

2. Dalton Gauthier, KTM

3. Dan Bromley, KTM

OTHER

10. Ryan Sipes, KTM

12. Gage McAllister, KTM

14. Morgen Mischler, KTM

AFT Singles Point Standings

1. Jesse Janisch, 25 points

2. Dalton Gauthier, 20

3. Dan Bromley, 17

OTHER

10. Ryan Sipes, 9

More, from a press release issued by Estenson Racing:

Jake Johnson Scores Podium Finish in Estenson Racing’s Yamaha MT-07 DT Debut

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 15, 2019) – The 2019 American Flat Track season got off to a rousing start on Thursday with the Daytona TT and, at the end of the night, Jake Johnson ran a calculated race in tough conditions to put the Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT in the famed Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway. On the other side of the tent, it was a roller coaster night for both JD Beach and Kolby Carlile with Beach not making the Main Event and Carlile’s night ending early with a mechanical.

Johnson started slow in the practice sessions but ultimately qualified sixth. When it came time to race, though, the “Squadfather” continued to work his way up, finishing fifth in his Heat, and second in his Semi. In the Main Event, there were some early battles, but Johnson was able to establish himself firmly in third position. Looking for more, the two-time Grand National Champion went to work chasing down second place, but he unfortunately broke his shifter in the dirt berm of the chicane. Johnson was then in full conservation mode and crossed the line third on his Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT in its maiden AFT Twins race.

For most of the Main, it looked like the team would have two riders take the checkers in the top five, with Johnson solidly in third and Carlile in fifth. However with five laps remaining, Carlile had a bobble, which resulted in him slipping back to sixth. And then, on the final lap, disaster struck for Carlile when he suffered a mechanical and was unable to finish the race.

As heartbreaking as the situation was for Carlile, the third AFT Twins rider on the team, Beach, suffered an even bigger heartbreaker. Beach, who looked to be one of the favorites to win the AFT Twins Main, qualified fourth and took the win in his Heat race. Unfortunately for Beach, it all went pear shaped with a first turn crash. He remounted and made a valiant effort to still try and make the Main Event, but he had too much ground to make up.

One rider per Main or Semi has the option to use a provisional card to advance in the program, but unfortunately for Beach that is based on points standings. As this was the first race of the season, that defaulted to last year’s points when Beach only raced three events in the series, so he was unable to use his in Daytona.

Jake Johnson — AFT Twins #5:

“I dug the shifter into the dirt in the chicane after the jump and bent it around backwards. Then it was kind of panic mode for the last 12 laps, just trying to get that thing to shift. I was hitting neutral, missing gears. I was just trying to be calm and bring it home on the box. The way the track was, it kind of helped because when you would come through turn one on the dirt, you could see the guys coming off the banking. So I kind of had a gauge. I had a good gap but I could kind of tell they were getting closer, but not fast enough to get me. I was able to bring it home third. After all the work that’s gone into this deal over the winter – not that we had any doubts, but there were a lot of questions coming in: brand-new bikes, brand-new crew, brand-new everything – so, to be able to put it on the box the first time out feels pretty good.”

Kolby Carlile – AFT Twins #136:

“I really can’t be too mad about anything that happened. We did have a DNF at the end of the day with two laps to go, but there are not a lot of rookies right now that are running top five in their first Main Event, so I’m really happy about that. The team and I are gelling really well. We had a really good package today. We didn’t make a bunch of changes, but the changes we did make, I was confident with, and they always helped. So that was good. I’m just happy. It was good to sit up in the top five, top six basically the whole race and to know I can be there now. The TT was kind of tough. Hopefully I can just keep carrying this momentum on for the rest of the year, and to all the ovals. I know I have a lot to learn, but I think we got off to a good start.”

JD Beach — AFT Twins #95:

“It was a good day for sure leading up to the Semi, but I just made a mistake with the front brake. I think the track kind of caught me off-guard because the moisture started to come up a little bit, and I lost the front. We got the bike back going again, but of course by then I was too far back. We’ll just try again next weekend.”

More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:

BRIAR BAUMAN WINS 2019 AMERICAN FLAT TRACK SEASON OPENER AT DAYTONA TT

Bauman Shines in Indian Wrecking Crew Debut Aboard Indian FTR750

Minneapolis – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, kicked off the start of the 2019 American Flat Track (AFT) season with a first-place finish at the Daytona TT. Making his Indian Motorcycle Wrecking Crew debut, Briar Bauman dominated the track aboard his Indian FTR750.

The highly-anticipated AFT season opener was action-packed, with Bauman taking an aggressive lead early in the Main and forging a considerable gap between himself and the rest of the field. Indian Motorcycle Privateer Henry Wiles (Bandit Industries, DPC Racing, Wilco Racing Indian FTR750) battled his way into second place, but was unable to track down Bauman.

“Briar had an impressive finish to the 2018 season as an Indian privateer aboard the FTR750,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology & Service for Indian Motorcycle. “He and his crew put in an extensive amount of time and preparation during the off-season, so we’re extremely proud to see him find success this early in the season.”

Fellow Wrecking Crew rider Bronson Bauman raced to a fifth-place finish, while the back-to-back reigning Grand National Champion Jared Mees salvaged a Main event qualifier after uncharacteristically hitting the dirt twice during the Semi. Mees made a strong push early in the Main and was running in fifth, until a mechanical issue ended his night early.

The second race of the season kicks off next weekend with the Atlanta Short Track at Dixie Speedway on March 24. For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter & 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.