Daniels Just Shy of Podium in AFT Singles Dogfight at Indy Mile II

Estenson Racing’s Dallas Daniels was once again in the hunt for a win in another multi-rider AFT Singles battle, coming just short of the podium in the final laps Saturday night at the Indy Mile II. His teammate Mike Rush soldiered on in spite of a technical issue to score some points in 15th. AFT SuperTwins riders JD Beach and Kolby Carlile also had a tough night at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, finishing 13th and 15th, respectively.

Daniels headed into the second day of the Indy Mile looking to improve upon his 10th-place finish Friday night. He felt much better from the start but unfortunately, a technical issue in the Semi resulted in another eighth-place finish. Starting from the fourth row, the 17-year-old got a decent start and after settling in for the first few laps made his charge to the front. He took over the lead with around five laps to go and held onto it for a couple of laps. It was another drafting war though, with multiple riders fighting for position. Daniels got jostled back but was able to work his way back to fourth. He made a run for that final podium spot but it was just out of reach.

Coming off of his second-straight podium this season, Rush was hoping for a repeat performance on Saturday. He finished fourth in his Semi to start on the second row of the grid. Unfortunately, a technical issue had him doing what he could to salvage some championship points and ultimately crossed the line 15th.

After a tough Indy Mile I on the AFT SuperTwins side of the tent, Beach improved his Friday Semi result to finish sixth. He got a good start from the third row of the grid, but ultimately lost a few positions but was able to hold on to 13th. His teammate Carlile finished eighth in his Semi and was able to make some improvements to his setup before the Main. Feeling more comfortable he was able to battle instead of riding a lonely race and crossed the line 15th. Although it was not what the team was hoping for at the first Mile race of the season, they were able to take away some valuable information for the third doubleheader of the season in two-weeks time.

Next up for the Estenson Racing team is an action-packed Labor Day weekend in Springfield, Illinois. On September 4, the AFT Singles team will race two Main Events Friday night at the Springfield Short Track. Then on September 5-6, the AFT SuperTwins team will hit the big track, the legendary Springfield Mile for another doubleheader.

Tommy Hayden – Estenson Racing Team Manager

“It was a tough day for us in Indy. On the AFT Singles team, we struggled a little bit with both guys all day. Dallas had a good race. We made some changes that were positive for him. His bike kind of came alive and he battled up front for the lead. Mikey was riding well all day. Unfortunately there were a few issues here that didn’t allow him to repeat backing his performance from last night. We’re looking forward to getting to the Springfield Short Track doubleheader. Our guys like that track and we should be able to do pretty well there.

“On the Twins side, we didn’t progress as much as we’d hoped today, but definitely there were a few things here and there that we learned that I think we can apply for Springfield. At the end of the day, the results were not what we want or expect, so we’re going to put our heads together between now and Springfield. We’ve got some ideas for a few different things to bring there and look to be more competitive.”

Dallas Daniels – Estenson Racing AFT Singles

“We had a much better day today. I found myself in the lead with about five minutes to go. I was trying to hold it down. I could pretty much draft anybody I wanted, but it was tough. There were six or seven of us up there. Every lap I was getting passed by somebody different. On the last lap, I got drafted and I think I was in seventh. I made a few passes going into turn three and I was catching third going to the line but it just wasn’t enough.

“After the weekend we had, finishing 10th last night and struggling a little bit, leaving with fourth was good for points in the championship. Everything is working pretty well. I think these next string of races are going to be really good for us. We had a podium in Springfield last year and at some of these car tracks our bike is really good. Big thanks to the team. These guys bust their butts all through the week and on the weekend and it shows. We just need to figure some little things out and we’ll be up there.”

Mikey Rush – Estenson Racing AFT Singles

“We struggled a bit today. We had some issues with the bike, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. I’m disappointed, for sure, but I’m glad I came out in one piece and didn’t crash or anything. We’re just going to come back twice as hard the next round. We had a good podium finish the first day. Hats off to the team. They’re doing a great job and working their tails off. It’s nice to have all that support.”

Kolby Carlile – Estenson Racing AFT SuperTwins

“We’re all hitting our heads a little bit because we’re pretty far off from where we want to be at the moment. I had a little more fun today though. I had a better bike setup, so I was able to push a little harder the whole race. I didn’t get completely left alone, so I had some visuals to keep up with some riders. That was a little better. We also learned a few things about the bike setup that are going to help me going into Springfield. We’re just keeping our heads down. I think we’ll have a new combination for Springfield and hopefully, that’s the ticket.”

JD Beach – Estenson Racing AFT SuperTwins

“It was just a tough night. We struggled all day. We’re not making the progress that we hoped we would. The team’s working so hard right now, so that makes it frustrating. We’re just going to keep working on it. We’ve got another race in two weeks and we’ll see what we can do. They’ve got some plans. We’re just going to keep working and keep training and see what happens.”

More, from a press release issued by KTM:

RED BULL KTM’S SHAYNA TEXTER CAPS OFF INDY MILE DOUBLE-HEADER WITH A HARD-FOUGHT PODIUM FINISH IN AFT SINGLES

Rounds 3 & 4 – American Flat Track Championship – August 23, 2020

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team’s Shayna Texter capped off an Indy Mile double-header weekend at the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center with an impressive come-from-behind performance to earn her second podium finish of the season in the AFT Singles class. Serving as rounds three and four of the 2020 American Flat Track Championship, Texter’s combined performances on Friday and Saturday have further established her as a championship contender who now sits third overall in the series points.

Texter qualified 13th on day one, where she assumed a second row start in Semi #1. She grabbed a top-10 start in the semi and began making a charge through the field by lap three. She got up to fourth with three laps to go but a mistake dropped her back to ultimately secure a sixth-place transfer into the Main Event. In the Main, Texter got a 13th place start and she battled around 12th for most of the race. She put her head down and made a late charge to ultimately lock in eighth for Round 3.

On Saturday, Texter came into qualifying with great speed but she wasn’t able to piece together a fast lap during the session and she carried a third-row start position into Semi #2. She made the best of an unfavorable start position, though, as she powered her way up to fourth early on. She mixed it up with the race leaders before taking over the lead on lap five. She continued to battle in podium contention for the rest of the race, claiming a third-place transfer into the Main Event. In the Main, Texter secured a top-five position off the start but a couple of mistakes dropped her back to ninth early on. She once again put her head down and charged all the way through the field, making a last-lap pass to secure the third-place podium position at Round 4.

Texter: “Overall, it was a great weekend and great for points. If we had a couple more laps in that Main Event, we would have been up there fighting for the win. The bike felt great, the team worked hard all weekend and I can’t thank everyone enough.”

Next Race: September 4, 2020 – Springfield, Illinois

AFT Singles Main Event (Round 3 – Indy Mile I)
1. Brandon Kitchen, KTM
2. Henry Wiles, HON
3. Michael Rush, YAM
OTHER
5. Ryan Wells, KTM
8. Shayna Texter, KTM
14. James Ott, KTM

AFT Singles Main Event (Round 4 – Indy Mile II) 
1. Henry Wiles, HON
2. Cole Zabala, HON
3. Shayna Texter, KTM
OTHER
5. Ryan Wells, KTM
13. James Ott, KTM

AFT Singles Point Standings (After Round 4)
1. Henry Wiles, 68 points
2. Brandon Kitchen, 65
3. Shayna Texter, 58
OTHER
8. Ryan Wells, 41
12. James Ott, 29
16. Morgen Mischler, 20

More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:

SMITH RACES HARLEY XG750R TO AFT SUPERTWINS PODIUM FINISH AT INDY MILE

Rispoli Dominates Production Twins to Win on Harley-Davidson XG750R

INDIANAPOLIS – Harley-Davidson® Factory Flat Track Racing Team rider Bryan Smith scored a podium finish at the American Flat Track (AFT) SuperTwins presented by Vance & Hines main on the Indy Mile at the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center. From the start Smith charged to the front aboard his Harley-Davidson XG750R competition motorcycle and was engaged in a race-long battle for the lead before finishing third at the end of the 24-laps on a very fast one-mile dirt oval.

“It’s so great to get Harley-Davidson on the podium,” said Smith, known as the “Mile Master” for his skill on the longest oval tracks, where he has won 25 times in his career. “The XG750R was great tonight and we had a shot at the win. It’s just been four races for me with the team and we are really making progress.”

The Harley-Davidson® Factory Flat Track Racing Team competes on the Harley-Davidson XG750R flat tracker powered by the liquid-cooled, fuel-injected and race-tuned Harley-Davidson® Revolution X™ V-Twin based on the production engine originally designed for the Harley-Davidson Street 750 motorcycle.

Smith qualified fourth for the main and used a great start to jump up from the second row and take off with a pack that included Jared Mees, Briar Bauman and Brandon Robinson. The four riders battled wheel-to-wheel for much of the race until Robinson fell off the pace. Smith officially led one lap. Bauman opened a small gap in the closing laps and was the winner, followed by Mees, with Smith just 2.0 seconds back. Harley Factory Team rider Jarod Vanderkooi finished 10th, with Dalton Gauthier placing 18th on the team’s third XG750R motorcycle.

With four of 16 races completed on the American Flat Track (AFT) SuperTwins schedule, Smith is seventh in series points. Gauthier is in 11th place and Vanderkooi is 12th.

Earlier in the evening James Rispoli dominated the AFT Production Twins race aboard his Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R motorcycle. It was Rispoli’s first win of the season after placing second in each of three previous races. Rispoli was the top qualifier on Saturday and won his semi-final race. After a red-flag restart for an opening-lap crash, Rispoli charged away from the field, turning laps a full second quicker than the pack to open a lead that stretched to 12 seconds by the close of the 18-lap race.

“We’ve been fast all season but could never pull off the win, and this is how we want to do it,” said Rispoli. “We want to stamp our authority. They say it’s hard but when everything is flowing it feels easy. We have a rocket of an engine in this Harley-Davidson. I’m just pumped!”

Rispoli’s consistent results so far this season put him in the Production Twins points lead, with 85 points and a 9-point lead over Corey Texter.

American Flat Track (AFT) teams return to action September 5-6 in a double-header event on the Springfield Mile at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill.