Contenders Aplenty as Progressive AFT Arrives at Lima Half-Mile

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 25, 2024) – The 2024 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, kicks off its second half with the fabled Lima Half-Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle and Drag Specialties at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio on Saturday, June 29.

The opening half of the ‘24 season makes for a fascinating showdown this weekend, especially when considered in conjunction with past history at Lima.

Three of the four leaders in the ongoing Mission AFT SuperTwins title fight have taken multiple race wins at the Lima Half-Mile. That list is headed by nine-time Grand National Champion, Jared Mees (No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycle FTR750), who boasts five prior victories in the race, the first of which came 19 years ago today.

Meanwhile, two-time class champ Briar Bauman (No. 3 Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790 Duke) has taken three Lima Half-Mile wins on three different makes of equipment. His first came in 2017 on a Kawasaki, his second in 2021 on a factory Indian, and last year saw him claim KTM’s maiden twin-cylinder victory in the premier class.

And it’s best not to overlook Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), as he’s repeatedly demonstrated with his class-leading three race wins in 2024, the most recent coming just days ago. Robinson also happens to be a two-time winner at Lima, including just two years ago.

That leaves Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), the current Mission AFT SuperTwins championship leader, as the sole rider among the four leading contenders without a Lima Half-Mile victory to his name. However, a closer inspection shows that in his two attempts, he’s twice been the fast qualifier and he’s twice finished a fighting second. With a perfect podium record on the line and driven by the sting that accompanies a defeat of 0.086 seconds this past weekend, Daniels is as strong a bet as any to stand atop the podium this weekend.

Can any of the remainder of a stacked field mix it up with Mees, Bauman, Robinson, and Daniels this weekend? Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Sody Ent/OTBR Yamaha MT-07), Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750), and Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing Mission Foods KTM 790 Duke) have all shown the capacity to do so on numerous occasions in the past and all four are eager to do so again as soon as is humanly possible.

Meanwhile, Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Mission Foods/Zanotti Racing Indian FTR750), Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Transalp), Declan Bender (No. 70 GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750), and Cameron Smith (No. 34 RVR/KTM/Schaefer’s Motorsport KTM 790 Duke) continue to gather the experience and data necessary to break into the top five on any given weekend.

Two riders who have already done so this season – Billy Ross (No. 29 Mission Foods/Digitale Kawasaki Ninja 650) and Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) – will look to do so again, and at the same track where Johnny Lewis raced the Royal Enfield Twins FT to victory in the Mission Production Twins class in 2021.

Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER

Can anyone hope to contain the surging Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F) this weekend?

Not only is Kopp the reigning two-time defending Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER champion. Not only is Kopp the class’ all-time winningest rider and co-leader in the Half-Mile discipline specifically. And not only is Kopp currently riding a three-race win streak; he also happens to have dominated the previous two visits to Lima, claiming blowout victories in both 2022 and 2023.

Title hopefuls Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R), Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), and Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) are all desperate to snap Kopp’s winning streak and shift the momentum in their direction as the season heads down its second half.

Meanwhile, James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) flashed last year’s frontrunning form at the Bridgeport Half-Mile and may at last be ready to challenge for wins, particularly at a circuit where he landed on the podium a year ago.

Young guns Tarren Santero (No. 75 Vinson Construction/P&M Motorcycles Honda CRF450R), Travis Petton IV (No. 82 ECG Racing/A.M Ortega KTM 450 SX-F), Logan Eisenhard (No. 66 Hannum’s Harley-Davidson KTM 450 SX-F), Tyler Raggio (No. 55 Raggio Racing/Sluggo Racing KTM 450 SX-F), and Evan Renshaw (No. 265 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) are all primed to make a splash at any moment.

And how about the possibility of a resurgent ride on the part of Shayna Texter-Bauman (No. 52 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F)? With two previous Lima Half-Mile victories to her name, Texter-Bauman could reclaim a piece of the all-time wins lead and retake sole possession at the top of the Half-Mile wins list with a third Lima HM win this weekend.

There will be plenty to keep spectators entertained off the track as well, including live music courtesy of Gypsy Kyngs, a bouncy house for kids, numerous vendors, plenty of food and beverage options, and extensive motorcycle parking.

Additionally, flat track fans can head out to the track a day early to watch the amateur racing scheduled for Friday, June 28, from 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT) until 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT), free of admission. Following the race action, Angels of Dirt will be shown on the Jumbotron starting at approximately 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT).

Today is the final day to save $10 on tickets, with all prices set to increase to their standard rate on Wednesday, June 26. If you act fast, General Admission Bleacher tickets remain just $30 (kids 12 and under free with paid adult ticket), Reserved Grandstand tickets are $35 (All Ages), Premier Reserved Grandstand tickets only $40 (All Ages), and the new VIP tickets, which provides access to the VIP trailer, are $125 (All Ages). The Pit Pass Upgrade ($40 for adults, $20 for kids in general admission, and free for kids with reserved seating tickets) provides all-day access to the pit area.

Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/lima-half-mile-87016 to reserve your seats today.

Gates will open for fans at 2:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. PT) with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 6:40 p.m. ET (3:40 p.m. PT). You can catch the livestream of all the weekend’s racing activities on FloRacing. Motorsports fans can subscribe to FloRacing to enjoy over 1,000 live motorsports events in 2024. FloSports is available by visiting https://flosports.link/aft or by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast.

FOX Sports coverage of the Lima Half-Mile, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, July 6, at 10:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. PT).

For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.