TOP-FIVE FINISHES FOR RED BULL KTM’S MAX WHALE AND KODY KOPP IN DUQUOIN MILE
Round 9 – American Flat Track Championship
DUQUOIN, Ill. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates Max Whale and Kody Kopp raced hard at Round 9 of the 2023 American Flat Track Championship, with Whale finishing in fourth and Kopp fifth position following a thrilling AFT Singles Main Event at the DuQuoin Mile.
After qualifying ninth, Whale made strong progress throughout the event with his KTM 450 SX-F, as he secured second position in the second heat race of the night. This earned the Australian entry into Dash-for-Cash, which resulted in P4. More advancements were made as the Main Event arrived, with Whale situated in a five-rider dual for the top spot, eventually crossing the line in P4 by a slender 0.081s margin.
Max Whale: “We improved every time we hit the track here at the DuQuoin Mile and got everything working really well. We started strong, made it into the Dash again, which was good, and then just worked hard – got into a groove in the Main Event, tried to get to the front as quick as I could. I ended up in a battle with five guys, which was awesome, a lot of fun, and I crossed the stripe in fourth. We’ve worked hard as a team and are stoked to head into Lima!”
Defending AFT Singles Champion Kopp began the round with P2 in qualifying, before racing to third place in his heat race. A hotly-contested Main Event saw Kopp battle hard as the top six were separated by less than a half a second, with the number one plate-holder ultimately crossing the line in fifth place – only 0.106s from victory – to keep himself right in title contention.
Kody Kopp: “Ended up P5 today, which is the best result we’ve had in a while, although there are a bunch of rounds coming up that I’m looking forward to. I wanted to get through these miles, because the results have been frustrating, and the consecutive off the box finishes have hurt the points chase. We’ll keep our heads up though, go into the next round which we won last year, and hope to do the same thing this time around.”
Next Race: Lima Half-Mile – Lima, Ohio – June 24, 2023
Round 9 Results
AFT Singles Main Event
1. Tom Drane, Yamaha
2. Chase Saathoff, Honda
3. Trent Lowe, Honda
4. Max Whale, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
5. Kody Kopp, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
OTHER KTM
8. Dalton Gauthier, KTM
13. Travis Petton IV, KTM
15. Declan Bender, KTM
16. Shayna Texter-Bauman, KTM
18. Landen Smith, KTM
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING WINS BIG AT DUQUOIN MILE WITH THRILLING PERFORMANCE BY JARED MEES
Reigning SuperTwins Champion Continues Gaining Momentum as he Hunts for Ninth-Career Grand National Championship
MINNEAPOLIS – In a thrilling Father’s Day weekend at the DuQuoin Mile in DuQuoin, Illinois, Indian Motorcycle Racing and reigning SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees secured their third-consecutive win of the 2023 American Flat Track (AFT) season. The win marks Mees’ fifth of the season and 26th-career Mile victory.
In the night’s Main event, it was Mees and rival, Dallas Daniels, along with Briar Bauman and Indian Motorcycle privateer Brandon Robinson, who gave fans a thrilling four-man showdown. While the pack endured a bar-to-bar battle throughout the race, frequently exchanging passes, it was Mees who crossed the checkered flag first, just .033 seconds ahead of Robinson.
“Jared and team have done an incredible job setting up the FTR750 for Mile races this season, as displayed through the team’s three consecutive Mile victories,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Service & Technology for Indian Motorcycle. “Now halfway through the season, just nine points back from the top of the leaderboard, Mees is primed to carry this momentum and make a strong push at securing a record-tying ninth-career championship.”
Marking his 26th-career Mile victory, the win broke a three-way tie between Mees and former racing icons Bubba Shobert and Bryan Smith, giving Mees the third most Mile wins of all time.
Now with 189 points, Mees continues to chip away and close the gap behind SuperTwins points leader Daniels, who has three wins and 198 points on the year. The 2023 American Flat Track season continues June 24 for the Lima Half-Mile at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, OH.
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Indian Motorcycle Company 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.
