Bauman Headlines Historic Harley-Davidson 1-2 at Senoia Short Track
History was made in Saturday night’s Yamaha Senoia Short Track when Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R) hustled the Harley-Davidson XG750R to its maiden Mission AFT SuperTwins victory.
Bauman twice teased that possibility earlier this month at the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track double season opener, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, but he still somehow managed to pull it off in stunning fashion at Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia.
In fact, Bauman appeared out of sorts prior to the Main Event, finishing an uncharacteristic fifth in his heat race, while title leader Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) and fast qualifier Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown Racing KTM 790 Duke) stole away the pre-race the momentum.
But as it played out, the Main delivered non-stop drama that actually started prior the race itself. VanDerKooi went from pole position to the back of the grid – along with Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction/OTBR Yamaha MT-07), Henry Wiles (No. 911 J&M Logging/Ray C’s Harley-Davidson Kawasaki Ninja 650), and Billy Ross (No. 29 Mission Foods/Roof Systems Kawasaki Ninja 650) – after arriving late to the staging area.
That development resulted in a frantic opening several laps in which Daniels, Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R), and Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke) ran three wide in their clash for the lead, followed closely by an on-form James Ott (No. 19 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07)… and soon enough, a charging VanDerKooi.
Right around the time the race hit the halfway point, Robinson took command. And then with three minutes to go, Bauman made his move. Lurking just behind the leaders to that point, the two-time Grand National Champion snaked his way up to second before making a strike for first with less than two laps remaining.
Robinson reactively countered but Bauman was better positioned and reasserted his claim. All the while, Daniels was in their immediate wake, desperately seeking a way around both Harleys at Yamaha’s home round.
Ultimately, Bauman edged Robinson at the stripe to take the XG750R – which originally debuted back in 2016 – to its first-ever premier class victory with an emphatic 1-2 finish.
Bauman was understandably ecstatic afterward. He said, “It’s so much, right? It means the world to me, to my Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus/Latus Motors team. It means so much to Dave (Zanotti) and Michelle (Disalvo) and everyone behind us. I struggled in our heat race pretty badly, but the whole group came together and said, ‘Hey, what do we need to do to make this thing better?’
“This means so much to me, and it means so much to my family. And, like I said, I have a phenomenal team.”
Daniels came up 0.028 seconds short of breaking up the Harley first and second but still managed to up his record-breaking podium streak to 16 in the attempt. Fisher finished fourth another half-second behind Daniels, while VanDerKooi ended his blitz up through the field in fifth.
Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Progressive Insurance Honda Transalp) continued his rather seamless transition to Mission AFT SuperTwins competition and the Honda Transalp with a fine sixth only two seconds removed from the win.
Ott followed him home in seventh with Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Suzuki GSX-8S), Price, and Max Whale (No. 18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) completing the top ten.
Daniels continues to lead the early-season championship chase but only by a single point over Bauman (62-61). Robinson and Fisher are tied for third at 44.
AFT Singles presented by KICKER
While the season opener in Daytona effectively served as a recap of the past three years of AFT Singles presented by KICKER domination by triple champion Kody Kopp (No. 1 Bob Lanphere/KTM/Fastrack Racing KTM 450 SX-F), the Senoia Short Track properly set the stage for the season ahead.
What it delivered was what was widely expected – a showdown featuring preseason title favorites Chase Saathoff (No. 88 RWR/Parts Plus Honda CRF450R) and Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) – but it took the entire day and a portion of the Main to arrive at that inevitability.
The front row was held down by just two riders – Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust/ATV’s and More Yamaha YZ450F) and Tyler Raggio (No. 55 Raggio/Sluggo/Unsettled Racing KTM 450 SX-F) – after heat race winners Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Certified Racing KTM 450 SX-F) and Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Hannum’s HD/Pfanders Racing KTM 450 SX-F) were unable to participate after colliding while running 1st and 2nd in the AFT Singles 1st Impressions Challenge.
RoosEvans and Raggio shot off into the lead and took full advantage of their turn in the spotlight, at least until Drane and Saathoff finally came good when it mattered the most.
Saathoff utilized a high line to work his way from Row 3 and into the lead less than two minutes into the Main. Aussie Drane forced his way through to prevent his rival from executing his planned escape. The Estenson Racing star then spent the remainder of the race showing the Rick Ware Racing ace his front wheel, but he could never quite make the inside angle stick.
Saathoff took the checkered flag by 0.312 seconds over Drane to earn his first career Short Track win and become just the fifth rider in AFT Singles history to complete the class Grand Slam.
He said, “I struggled all day long out here, and I told (Crew Chief) Bryan (Bigelow) before that Main Event, ‘Dude, I might be on the third row, but if you fix the problems that I’m having, it’s a guaranteed win.’ And I never think like that; I’m very humble about that type of stuff, but I definitely let the dog off the leash in the Main.”
Despite falling short of his bid to win, Drane took his ninth consecutive podium, most ever in the class.
Completing a podium stacked three deep with significance was Evan Renshaw (No. 65 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), who sailed his way from 12th to 3rd thanks to an adventurous high line to secure his first-career pro podium.
Meanwhile, RoosEvans equaled his career best AFT Singles finish in fourth, matching the result he claimed here one year ago.
Trevor Brunner (No. 21 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) took fifth, followed by Declan Bender (No. 70 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), who impressed mightily in last-minute substitute duty filling in for Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450).
Jared Lowe (No. 63 Big R/Little Debbie Racing Honda CRF450R), Raggio, Evan Kelleher (No. 31 Schaeffer’s Motorsports KTM 450 SX-F), and Hunter Bauer (No. 24 Vinson Construction/Reel Medics Yamaha YZ450F) rounded out the top ten.
Drane now leads the championship with 54 points, followed by Senoia winner Saathoff. Kopp continues to hold down third at 46 despite making his roadracing debut in Texas today.
Next Up:
The world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series continues its run of six consecutive Short Tracks to open the 2025 season on Saturday, April 26, with its return to scenic Ventura, California, for the Ventura Short Track at Ventura Raceway.
For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://flosports.link/aft.
FOX Sports coverage of the Yamaha Senoia Short Track, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, April 6, at 10:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. PT).
For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
About Progressive American Flat Track
Progressive 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. Progressive American Flat Track is televised on FOX Sports and streams live via FloRacing. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track, please visit us on the web, like us on Facebook, follow us on X, and check us out on Instagram.
About AMA Pro Racing
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle and ATV disciplines from its headquarters in Daytona Beach, Fla.
