KODY KOPP AND MAX WHALE TAKE TOP FIVE FINISHES FOR RED BULL KTM IN DALLAS HALF-MILE

Round 5 – American Flat Track Championship

MESQUITE, Tex. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo Kody Kopp and Max Whale each claimed top five results in AFT Singles during the fifth round of the 2023 American Flat Track Championship, with the Dallas Half-Mile featuring at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Texas.

Following a difficult qualifying session, defending champion Kopp regrouped in the opening Heat race of the night, securing a direct transfer to the Main Event after a third-place finish. From there, it was a determined ride from Kopp onboard his KTM 450 SX-F to a fourth-place result in the fast-paced Main Event, maintaining his AFT Singles points-lead five rounds into the season.

Kody Kopp: “We ended up P4 on the night and I was super happy with my riding. We started the Main Event as far back as 10th on the lap charts, just had to dig because it was totally different riding and the line was up really high in the Main Event. I just had to go to work, fought my way through the pack to make seven passes all the way up to fourth place, and had some great battles! I really closed in on the leaders over the last few laps, was within about two-tenths of a podium position, so that was huge progress. Hats off to my whole team, we’re really looking forward to these next rounds now.”

Red Bull KTM teammate Whale began the day inside the top five at the conclusion of qualifying, continuing his early season form. A fifth-place ride in the opening Heat of the night set him up well for the Main Event, where he would also charge through the pack on his way to a fifth-place result, retaining third in the standings as the series next heads to Ventura, California.

Max Whale: “Dallas started out pretty good, qualifying fifth, and then I sort of struggled a little bit in the Heat, but was able to finish fifth again. I fought really hard in the Main Event, was outside of the top 10 on the first lap, and came through to fifth. To bring it home fifth was a really good night, for what could have happened being so far back early on. We salvaged a strong points finish, the team worked really hard all day, and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

Next Race: Ventura Short Track – Ventura, California – May 6, 2023

Round 5 Results

AFT Singles Main event

1. Trent Lowe, Honda

2. Chase Saathoff, Honda

3. Morgen Mischler, Honda

4. Kody Kopp, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

5. Max Whale, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

OTHER KTM

7. Dalton Gauthier, KTM

9. Shayna Texter-Bauman, KTM

13. Travis Petton IV, KTM

15. Clarke Morian V, KTM

16. Justin Jones, KTM

17. Logan Eisenhard, KTM

2023 AFT Singles Point Standings

1. Kody Kopp, 102 points

2. Dalton Gauthier, 98

3. Max Whale, 86

OTHER KTM

11. Justin Jones, 40

13. Logan Eisenhard, 25

14. Shayna Texter-Bauman, 22

16. Travis Petton IV, 19

18. Hayden Gillim, 14

22. Hunter Bauer, 11

24. Clarke Morian V, 10

25. Tanner Dean, 9

30. Olin Kissler, 4

More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:

Indian Motorcycle Racing and Reigning AFT SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees Win Big at Dallas Half-Mile

Mees Captures Second Win of the Season, Indian Motorcycle Privateer Brandon Robinson Finishes Third

MINNEAPOLIS – Under the lights of the Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, the 2023 American Flat Track (AFT) action continued, where Indian Motorcycle Racing and reigning AFT SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees secured their second win of the season. Taking third and reaching the podium for the second time this season was Indian Motorcycle privateer Brandon Robinson.

Piloting his Indian FTR750, Mees took the hole shot off the line during Saturday night’s Main event. After falling back to fourth and chasing a pack of three riders, Mees was able to stay close and make a move past the group along the outside. Once there, the eight-time champion locked in and kept his lead until the checkered flag.

“This was a classic bounce back performance by Jared, as he knows each and every race is critical to the season standings as he continues to chip away and push for his record-tying ninth championship,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Service & Technology for Indian Motorcycle. “It’s great to see Robinson grind out a podium finish. He’s one of the sport’s most talented riders, and we’d expect to see plenty more top finishes from him and his team this season.”

For Robinson, consistency was key as he started near the back of the pack, but steadily improved his positioning throughout the race. One-by-one, Robinson edged his way into third place with two laps to go and would finish in this position.

Mees’s second win of the season places him squarely in second on the leaderboard with 96 total points – 17 points off the lead. The 2023 AFT season will continue on Saturday, May 6, at Ventura Raceway in Ventura, California.

For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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