RED BULL KTM’S KODY KOPP CROWNED 2022 AFT SINGLES CHAMPION AT ROUND 15
Round 15 – American Flat Track Championship
NEW RICHMOND, Wis. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kody Kopp has wrapped up the 2022 American Flat Track Singles Championship – his first and the team’s second – with two rounds remaining in the series. With a title on the horizon, the 17-year-old Kopp managed the race like a champion knowing that a fourth-place finish at the Cedar Lake Short Track was as good as gold. His teammate, Max Whale, rounded out the night with seventh overall in New Richmond, Wisconsin.
Chris Fillmore, Team Manager: “We’re thrilled to wrap up our first championship. I’m very proud of Kody, the team members and everybody that’s helped out through the year. There’s a lot of people to thank that make this all work and it wouldn’t have been possible without everybody’s participation. It’s a nice weight off of our shoulders to go into the two final rounds with the number one plate and I’m looking forward to having this team together for next year and building off the momentum from this season.”
Qualifying second, Kopp started on pole position in Semi 2. He immediately took the lead. Just after the halfway point, he dropped back one position. Kopp was able to quickly recover the lead and took the win aboard his KTM 450 SX-F after leading all but one lap. Kopp also won the Dash for Cash, leading all four laps. With the possibility of wrapping up the championship early, Kopp knew that his performance in the AFT Singles Main Event needed to be strong. Starting from the front row, he was positioned third early on. He then slipped to fourth, where he battled for the remainder of the race, except for one lap where he was in fifth. His fourth-place finish was enough to allow him to capture his first-ever AFT Singles championship, with two rounds remaining.
Kody Kopp: “We won our first championship today, it’s surreal! I finished fourth in the race, I didn’t know if it was enough with the Trevor Brunner machine right in front of me. We were second in qualifying, won our semi, won the dash, and were sitting really nice for the Main Event. Fourth is not where we wanted to be today – I guess the nerves got to me – but fourth is what it took. We’ve had a good enough season so far to wrap it up two rounds early, which is kind of just a dream come true, to be honest.”
In Semi 1, Whale started from the second row of the grid due to a 15th place qualifying position. He got off to a fifth place start on his KTM 450 SX-F, where he settled in for the majority of the race before moving into fourth with one lap to go. After a second-row start in the AFT Singles Main Event, Whale settled into sixth for the next 21 laps. With just a few laps to go, he slipped to seventh where he eventually finished.
Max Whale: “It’s been an up and down year for sure. With two rounds to go, I just want to finish off strong. Today started off with probably one of the worst qualifyings this year but every session on-track we improved a little bit, but just came up a little short in the Main Event. I had a few issues that hindered me a little bit and then ended up costing me.”
Next Race: Volusia Half-Mile (Double Header) – Barberville, Florida – October 14-15, 2022
Round 15 Results – Cedar Lake Short Track
AFT Singles Main Event
1. Chad Cose, Honda
2. Trent Lowe, Honda
3. Trevor Brunner, Yamaha
4. Kody Kopp, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
OTHER
7. Max Whale, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
9. James Ott, KTM
12. Hunter Bauer, KTM
AFT Singles Point Standings (After Round 15)
1. Kody Kopp, 273 points
2. Trevor Brunner, 222
3. Morgen Mischler, 221
OTHER
5. Max Whale, 206
8. James Ott, 111
10. Hunter Bauer, 91
14. Travis Petton IV, 65
