Dallas Daniels Scores First-Career American Flat Track Win in Peoria

In just his fifth race in the professional ranks, Estenson Racing’s Dallas Daniels put on a masterclass performance in his home state of Illinois to score his first-career American Flat Track AFT Singles victory at the Peoria TT. His teammate Ryan Wells pushed through adversity to score points.

Daniels’ day got off to a good start, qualifying in the top three. The 16-year-old backed that up with a third-place finish in his Heat race then went on to turn a lot of heads with an impressive win in the Semi. In the Main Event, he quickly worked his way into second and was able to take the lead from the reigning AFT Singles Champion in turn three on lap two. From there on, the rookie put his head down to build a gap and take the win by 2.124 seconds aboard the Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F.

On the flip side, the day did not go as smoothly for Wells. He had a solid start to qualifying in fifth, but unfortunately, he was sidelined with a technical issue in the second qualifying session. When it came time for the Heat races, the track had changed, and Wells was unable to find his comfort zone in the demanding conditions. He finished fourth in his Heat race and crossed the line eighth in his Semi, which put him on the third row of the grid for the Main Event. The 2016 AFT Singles champ soldiered on to finish the race 15th and score points.

Estenson Racing’s AFT Singles team gets a weekend off before returning to Illinois for the Springfield Short Track on Friday, August 30.

Dallas Daniels — AFT Singles #163:

“It feels awesome, not only for me to get my first win, but to reward everybody who’s been helping me over the years and my awesome team, Estenson Racing. We’ve had to face some adversity already here at the beginning of our short season, but it’s been good for us because we’ve been learning how to rebound and how to come back stronger when we have bad days.

“Coming here I felt really confident. I have ridden this track a couple times. My dad always went very well here. I was in the top three in both qualifying sessions, got third my Heat race, won the Semi, so we were sitting second for the Main Event. I knew I had the speed. I just had to get an okay start. I didn’t really need to holeshot it. I just needed to play it safe the first few laps. I got past Jesse [Janisch] going into turn one, and he ran it up the inside of me, and I was actually able to square up him and [Ryan] Sipes and pass both of them at the same time. Then I followed [Dan] Bromley for a little bit. I had kind of a line going off the jump through the right-hander and the left. I would get out a little wider and miss the bumps going into turn three. Bromley hit them and huckabucked, and I was able to get to the bottom and pass him. That was really it. At about two laps to go, I looked back just to make sure – because I was starting to kind of make some mistakes. I was making myself tired and getting nervous, but coming across the line and seeing everybody and being able to take my dad and sister for our first victory lap… it’s hard to put into words. My family, my mom, my sister, they’ve all done so much for me. My grandma, my grandpa, my mechanics – Josie, Larry… Everybody’s done so much, and to get it here at my home track, it was awesome.”

Ryan Wells — AFT Singles #94:

“I started off the day pretty good. I was fifth in the first qualifying session, but I had to miss the second qualifying session. We went out for the Heat race and the track just got way rougher than the last time I was out there. It was just really hard for me to kind of catch up, I think. It’s a tough track. There’s one thing about this track, when jump is rough, it’s hard for me to get used to it. Of course, the jump got rough today. I just was not comfortable at all. It’s definitely not the results we were looking for, but we’re looking forward to the Springfield Short Track. We’re going to try to make another run for it and finish off the year strong.”

More, from another press release issued by Estenson Racing:

JD Beach Leads the Way for Estenson Racing’s Twins Team with a Podium at Peoria

Estenson Racing’s JD Beach fought to the finish to take the final spot on American Flat Track’s AFT Twins podium at the 73rd running of the Peoria TT on Saturday, August 17. Jake Johnson and Kolby Carlile finished inside the top 10, with the fourth member of the Twins team, Roger Hayden soldiering on in spite of technical issue late in the race to finish 13th.

Mother Nature nearly spoiled the plans for race day with a downpour early Saturday morning, but the track was turned around and ready to go for a delayed afternoon start. Johnson led the way in qualifying in fifth, with Beach not far behind in seventh, Hayden 10th and Carlile 12th. Both Beach and Johnson had a good start in the Semi, ultimately finishing second and third, respectively, giving them a front row spot on the grid for the Main.

In the Main Event, Beach and Johnson were right behind the top three for the early part of the race. With two TT wins under his belt already this season, the dirt track/road racer was looking to get past the reigning AFT Twins champ but found himself locked in battle for the long haul. That race for the final spot on the podium became a three-way fight with Beach getting shuffled back a position. In the end, he was able to pass both riders on the final run to the checkers and cross the line third. His efforts at the Peoria Motorcycle Club mark his third podium of the season.

As for Johnson, the rough track conditions in turns three and four hurt his forward progress. After a few big moments, the two-time Grand National Champion went into conservation mode to avoid ending up on the ground. He felt that he may have found something, but it was a little too late to catch up to the lead group and seventh was the best result on the day.

Carlile had a decent result in the Semi in fifth with Hayden right behind him in sixth. In spite of having to go with his backup bike before the Main Event, the rookie kept his cool and ran a solid race in the top-10 for all 25 laps, ultimately crossing the line 10th. Hayden was not far behind and looking for a top-10 spot himself, but unfortunately a technical issue had him focused on finishing the Main.

Estenson Racing’s AFT Twins team gets a weekend off before returning to Illinois for a Springfield Mile doubleheader, on Saturday, August 31, and Sunday September 1.

JD Beach — AFT Twins #95:

“It just was hard because I felt like we had more speed, but going through turns one, two, three and four, the bike didn’t roll through the turn as well as I hoped. I was behind (Jared) Mees. He would make ground, and then I would make ground on him. We were just kind of going back and forth, but there really wasn’t anywhere where I could get by him. With four laps to go, Rob (Pearson) got by me in the last turn. He came flying by me. I had a feeling that he knew that we were fighting for third. Going into the last lap, he was real close to me. I wanted to make sure I was right there. I knew he was going to try the same pass (on Mees) that he did on me. When he was going for that, I kind of set up wide and turned it and got a good drive. Then Rob wheelied and started coming over, we came together but I just stayed on the gas. To get third is great. We’ve got some Miles ahead of us now, looking to see what we can do.”

Jake Johnson — AFT Twins #5:

“Not the Peoria I was hoping for. I felt okay today, I just couldn’t get going the way I wanted to all day. In the Main Event I felt okay, just had some big moments down in turn three and four. So, I had to play it safe down there and try to make some time up on the rest of the track where I felt like I could at times. It was just kind of give and take the whole race. As the race went on, I felt like I kind of figured out an okay way to get around, but at that time it was a little too late. There must have been a serious battle going on in front of me. I think towards the end I was going their pace, but got into some lappers. They were not quite courteous and not really getting out of the way. A disappointing day for me, but we’ll take a couple weeks off and go to Springfield.”

Kolby Carlile – AFT Twins #136:

“I’m super happy with how today went. I felt pretty good all day. I qualified twelfth overall and finished up the Main Event in 10th. I put in a solid 25 laps that I’m really happy with. We had an issue before the Main Event, so I had to hop on my backup bike, which I hadn’t ridden all day and it didn’t have the best suspension for what we needed. Nothing we could have predicted, but we pulled together. I kept my head level and just put in a solid 25 laps. I rode hard. It was my first time ever getting lapped and I didn’t want to mess up the winners’ race. I had a pretty good gap on 10th place until I got lapped. I think when I got lapped I just got in my head a little bit and I couldn’t hit my marks after that, so I fell back to 10th, but no big deal. I’m learning. A top 10 is a good, respectable finish for me today at Peoria. The team worked great. I can’t thank my mechanic and crew chief enough. I’m looking forward to Springfield.”

Roger Hayden — AFT Twins #195:

“Not a terrible day. I had my best qualifying effort. The track got a little rough and I kind of struggled in my Semi, but was feeling better in the Main. I was going decent, right around the top 10, and then the last couple laps just something happened and the bike was cutting out. To be honest, it was a pretty solid day. I was a lot farther up than I have been any other races, from first practice to Semis and stuff. So I’m definitely improving and was happy to get some decent laps in, and really ride the bike a lot. I would have liked to finish better, but things happen. Looking forward to the next one already.”

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:

BROMLEY TIES UP AFT SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP WITH A PODIUM FINISH AT THE PEORIA TT

Round 14 – American Flat Track Championship – August 18, 2019

PEORIA, Ill. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team’s Dan Bromley made big strides in the 2019 championship chase with a solid runner-up performance at Round 14 of the 2019 American Flat Track Championship in Peoria, Illinois. The 2018 AFT Singles Champion proved that he’s in it for the long haul as he tied things up on Saturday, where he heads into the final four rounds in a head-to-head battle for the two-peat.

Bromley came into the weekend with a seven-point deficit and he knew what he needed to do in order to maintain his fight in the championship. In AFT Singles Heat 1, he got off to a great start aboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION where he rounded the opening lap in third. He maintained that position for the remainder of the race to advance with ease into the semi. He got another good start in the Semi, positioning himself into second early on. He battled inside the top-three for the remainder of the race, ultimately securing a third-place transfer into the main. In the Main Event, Bromley powered his way into the lead off turn one and he led the first two laps of the race. A small mistake in turn four cost him the lead as he settled into second on lap three. From there, he continued to apply pressure on the leader all the way through the checkers, finishing only two seconds back for second-place.

Dan Bromley: “The Peoria TT was good to me this year. In the past, I’ve struggled to get out front and stay out front but this year I came in open-minded and hungry for points. Heading into the final four rounds, I feel confident and ready to give it my all for the championship!”

Coming off a big win at the Sacramento Mile last weekend, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Shayna Texter had a tough day in Peoria. Despite a hard-fought effort, Texter wasn’t able to make the AFT Singles Main Event. She continues to hold a top-five position in the championship standings heading into the final four rounds.

Next Race: August 30, 2019 – Springfield ST – Springfield, Illinois

AFT Singles Main Event

1. Dallas Daniels, YAM

2. Dan Bromley, KTM

3. Jesse Janisch, YAM

OTHER KTM

7. Ryan Sipes, KTM

12. Kayden Downing, KTM

AFT Singles Point Standings

1. Dalton Gauthier, 216 points

2. Dan Bromley, 216

3. Mikey Rush, 202

OTHER KTM

5. Shayna Texter, 153

8. Morgen Mischler, 125

11. Tristan Avery, 87

More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:

INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING CAPTURES THIRD CONSECUTIVE MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP WITH TOP-TWO FINISH AT PEORIA TT

Indian Motorcycle Wrecking Crew Riders Briar Bauman and Bronson Bauman Capture First and Second Place Aboard FTR750

PEORIA, IL. – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, and its championship-winning FTR750 earned its eleventh win of the 2019 season on Saturday night in Illinois at the Peoria TT. Wrecking Crew Rider Briar Bauman was able to widen his lead atop the point standings by securing first place, while teammate Bronson Bauman placed second. The top-two finish also secured a third consecutive Manufacturer’s Championship for Indian Motorcycle Racing, its third since joining American Flat Track competition.

The Bauman Brothers were locked in a fierce battle at the outset of the Main. They remained neck and neck, each taking the lead several times early on until Briar decisively seized control on lap 9, propelling himself to his 4th win of the season. Bauman’s triumph ties him with defending AFT Twins Champion Jared Mees for most wins in the 2019 season. Mees finished in fifth place, less than a second behind Indian Motorcycle Racing Privateer Robert Pearson.

“We’re extremely proud of our team’s commitment to excellence over the course of the last three years,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology & Service for Indian Motorcycle. “The Manufacturer’s Championship is a great honor and to begin with three out of the gates is extremely humbling. We’re excited to see our guys continue to compete for the riders championship over the next five races.”

Through thirteen races, Briar Bauman remains the series points leader with 243 points. Mees is currently in second with 205 points and Bronson Bauman maintains third with 183 points.

The AFT Twins season continues on August 31 and September 1 with back to back Springfield Miles at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, IL. For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For more information on 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.