TT Ace Janisch Strikes
Again with Springfield TT Victory
Note: While
current and recent front-running road racers have enjoyed a great deal of success at the Springfield TT over the
years, 2019 did not follow in that tradition. (It’s been many years since winner Jesse Janisch raced in professional road races). MotoAmerica Superbike racer Jake Lewis flashed front-running
potential but was hit from behind while running second in his heat race and
sent over the top of his bike. A red flag was shown following the multi-rider
incident, but Lewis was unable to repair his bike sufficiently to be allowed
back on the grid for the restart. MotoAmerica Supersport racer Nick McFadden had his own difficulties in his
heat and elected to use his only provisional start of the season to move into
the semis. There, McFadden finished 12th and failed to advance to the Main
Event. McFadden was joined on the outside looking in by former AMA Supersport Champion James Rispoli, who
finished ninth in that same semi, one spot short of a qualifying position.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 25, 2019) – Jesse Janisch (No. 132 Roof Systems
Dallas TX/Öhlins Yamaha YZ450F) not only furthered his claim as the preeminent
TT master of American Flat Track’s Roof
Systems AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys class in
Saturday night’s Springfield TT, he
seized the AFT Singles championship lead straight-up in the process.
Janisch
appeared to be facing an uphill climb to keep his perfect 2019 TT win streak
alive heading into the 15-lap Main Event at the Illinois State Fairgrounds due
to the impressive pace of scrub-jumping two-wheeled legend Ryan Sipes (No. 264 Red Bull/Leatt/KTM 450 SX-F).
And in
fact, Sipes stole the holeshot from pole and threatened to pull an immediate
gap. However, the ISDE superstar threw away a likely victory on lap 3, allowing
the rear end to get around on him mid-corner and he fell to the dirt.
Janisch
gladly picked up the reins and registered a series of flawless laps at the
front. The result wasn’t without any addition drama through, as a hard-charging
Mikey Rush (No. 15 RMR Honda/Red
Riders Rewards Honda CRF450R) kept him honest all the way to the checkered
flag.
Earlier,
Rush worked overtime to find a way past last year’s Springfield TT winner (and
reigning class champ) Dan Bromley
(No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F). Once through, he slashed into
Janisch’s advantage but failed to get close enough for even a Hail Mary attempt
on the final lap.
The win
was Janisch’s third in three TTs this season and his fourth TT win in a row
dating back to last year’s Peoria TT.
His big
night was made even more monumental due to the misfortune of title rival Dalton Gauthier (No. 122 D&D
Cycles/Gobert Smash Husqvarna FC450). Gauthier entered the event as the AFT
Singles’ points leader, but was unable to advance past the heat races after
being assessed a 10-second penalty for twice jumping the start. As a result,
Janisch now leads Gauthier 111-96 following 6 of 18 rounds. Additionally, Rush
and Bromley have also moved into striking distance with 91 and 90 points,
respectively.
“Getting
the win was absolutely awesome,” Janisch said. “It was unfortunate for Ryan, I
think he definitely had some speed on us today, but I’m certainly going to take
it. The Roof Systems of Dallas, Texas team has been awesome this year; I think
my results speak volume for how great the team has been and how much they’ve
propelled me forward.”
Runner-up
Rush said, “I had a fun time doing that race, but I wish it was a few laps
longer, for sure. It took my awhile to get by Dan. We had a nice, clean race. When
I got by him, I put my head down and tried to put in smooth laps and hit my
marks. I realized I was catching (Janisch), but I knew I was going to run out
of laps. But I kept charging and charging. My team works their tails off for
me. I’ll continue to keep chipping forward, and hopefully I’ll get that win
soon.”
Third-place
Bromley said, “I was over-riding a little bit. I tried pushing in the corners
and got on the gas a little too soon and it would upset the bike a little bit
and I’d pretty much lose my drives. Jesse and Mikey rode one heck of a race.”
Spanish
flat track star Ferran Cardús (No.
377 Bullet Strong Racing/Vanilla Cycles Honda CRF450) got the better of a
hyper-aggressive Chad Cose (No. 49
Parkinson Brothers Racing/Ritchie Reynolds Racing Honda CRF450R) in a tight
duel for fourth.
Meanwhile,
Cole Zabala (No. 51 RMR/Al Lamb’s
Dallas Honda Honda CRF450R) picked up sixth ahead of Max Whale (No. 18 Weirbach Racing Kawasaki KX450F), Andrew Luker (No. 11 Keeran
Racing/Baker Racing Kawasaki KX450F), Michael
Inderbitzin (No. 54 Pacific Tub & Tile/Mark Strock CRF450R), and Ben Lowe (No. 20 Roof Systems/Bruce
Lowe Excavating Honda CRF450R) who rounded out the top ten.
2016
class champ Ryan Wells (No. 94
Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) fought his way back from an early crash to
finish 11th, one position ahead of Sipes.
Be sure
to catch the feature broadcast of the Springfield
TT on NBCSN with flag-to-flag coverage of the Main Event, enhanced by
exclusive features and cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage. The
broadcast will debut on Saturday, June 1, at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT and
will re-air on Tuesday, June 4, at 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT.
Next Up:
American
Flat Track will conclude its Memorial Day weekend with the famed Springfield Mile I on Sunday. Live
coverage will be available at FansChoice.tv starting at 10:00 a.m. ET/7:00 a.m.
PT. Tickets for the Springfield Mile I are on sale now and can be purchased at https://www.springfieldmile.org/Tabs/Events/EventList.aspx.
Fans can
keep up-to-date with American Flat Track on Facebook (@American Flat Track),
Twitter (@AmericanFlatTrk) and Instagram (@AmericanFlatTrack). AFT mobile apps
are available for iPhone on the App Store and for Android at Google Play. For
more information, please visit http://www.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 maintains its
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.