DAN BROMLEY TAKES FOURTH AT SO-CAL HALF-MILE
Round 5 – American Flat Track Championship
PERRIS, Calif. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Dan Bromley had an impressive come-from-behind performance on Saturday to finish fourth at the So-Cal Half-Mile for Round 5 of the 2019 American Flat Track Championship in Perris, California.
Bromley lined up in AFT Singles Heat 1, where he got off to a fifth-place start on the opening lap. He bounced around the top-five for the remainder of the race to ultimately finish fourth in the heat. In Semi 1, he started off sixth and quickly made his way into fourth by lap two. From there, he battled hard to secure a fifth-place finish. In the Main, Bromley didn’t get off to the best start as he rounded the opening lap in 10th. He worked his way into seventh by lap six and continued to charge in the latter half of the race to bring himself into the top-five just before the white flag flew. On the final lap, Bromley made the pass into fourth and found himself charging toward the podium battle. Despite catching the front-runners in the final laps, Bromley ran out of time before he could make a pass, finishing just off the podium in fourth.
Dan Bromley: “I had a horrible start in the Main Event and had to come from behind. As the race went on, I found a line entering one down low and started passing riders one by one. By the time the white flag came out, I passed for fourth but I ran out of laps as the front three were right in front of me. Overall, I believe we had a good day finishing fourth. There are some things I’m going to work on for the next round – one being starts – and hoping to get back on the podium in Sacramento!”
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Shayna Texter completed the night with a top-ten performance in the AFT Singles Main Event. In Heat 1, Texter got off to a top-ten start and she worked her way up to a sixth-place finish, heading into the Semi with a second-row start. In Semi 1, Texter got a better start in seventh, where she climbed her way up to sixth by lap four. From there, she rode a steady pace to ultimately finish sixth. In the Main Event, Texter began once again from a second row starting position. She got off the line in seventh and diced back-and-forth for positions early on. She eventually settled into ninth before putting a last-minute charge in the final three laps to bring herself up to an eighth-place finish in the Main Event.
(Above) Shayna Texter (52).
Shayna Texter: “For me, it was a challenging night, but we were able to come home with an eighth-place finish, which is a lot better than where we started for the day. So, we’ll take the good from the bad and move onto Sacramento, a track that I’ve won at several times and I’ve been on the podium a lot there, so definitely looking forward to getting on the mile and stretching the legs out on the KTM.”
Next Race: May 18, 2019 – Sacramento Mile – Sacramento, California
AFT Singles Main Event
1. Ryan Wells, Yamaha
2. Michael Inderbitzin, Honda
3. Dalton Gauthier, Husqvarna
4. Dan Bromley, KTM
OTHER KTM
7. Morgan Mischler, KTM
8. Shayna Texter, KTM
10. Tristan Avery, KTM
AFT Singles Point Standings
1. Dalton Gauthier, 96 points
2. Jesse Janisch, 86
3. Dan Bromley, 73
4. Mikey Rush, 71
OTHER KTM
6. Morgan Mischler, 52
8. Shayna Texter, 46
11. Tristan Avery, 31
More, from a press release issued by Estenson Racing:
Ryan Wells Has Perfect Night at So-Cal Half-Mile to Keep Estenson Racing’s Win Streak Alive
(From left) Estenson Racing’s Dallas Daniels, Tim Estenson, Ryans Wells, and Nick Daniels. Photo courtesy of Estenson Racing.
PERRIS, CA – Ryan Wells rode a superb race to score his first AFT Singles Main Event win with the Estenson Racing team to cap off a perfect night at the So-Cal Half-Mile, round five of the American Flat Track season.
Victory was sweet for the 2016 Singles Champion and his new team who have had a roller-coaster ride of the season. The podium finish at the team’s home race in Chandler, Arizona, for the Super TT was a nice boost, and Wells and crew were happy to build on that to get the results they were aiming for – the top step of the podium aboard the Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F.
The cherry on top was a Heat win, a Semi win and the win everyone lines up for, crossing the line with a healthy gap to take his eighth Main Event win in the support class.
Meanwhile, the team’s AFT Twins riders had a day of mixed blessings. It was a struggle in tough track conditions, but also a step forward in developing the all-new Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT. JD Beach, fresh off of his win at the Super TT, was the fastest qualifier in the AFT Twins class. It was a big boost for the team, which is in the early stages of development for their new flat track racer.
Two-time Grand National Champion Jake Johnson also made forward progress with the new machine, but felt that tire choice hurt him early on. It was stiff competition on the timing sheets, and Johnson had a tough start in the Semi on a track that made it difficult to pass, which left him out of the Main and unable to use his provisional.
Beach finished fourth in his Semi and had a good position for the start of the Main Event, but he got penalized for a jumped start and was put on the back row. That did not stop him from getting a flying start from the back of the row to seventh as the pack crossed the line on the first lap. He got a second chance on the restart but his leg got snagged in a hole on the track and slowed his forward progress.
The Estenson Racing squad heads to Northern California for the legendary Sacramento Mile on Saturday, May 18.
Ryan Wells – AFT Singles #94:
“I won seven races in the Singles class before this one, and this was by far the coolest one. After all that we’ve been through, all that we battled against at the beginning of the year, and finding ourselves digging a huge hole from the start… To come out today and win the Heat, win the Semi, and win the Main, it was just unbelievable. Everything was perfect. There was never a time when we came off the track and doubted anything. I knew we were capable of winning, but it just seems like we fought against ourselves. We weren’t letting everything flow together like we knew it should. So, for us to finally click it off, it feels awesome. I think this is the first of many to come this year.”
JD Beach — AFT Twins #95:
“I think our result didn’t really show how much we improved with the bike. It was feeling good. In the Semi, I felt really good. Every time I got on the bike, we kept improving it. I think we learned a lot tonight. In the Main, I feel like we had a bike that we could have fought for a top five or so, or at least been close. I was feeling good in the race and then I caught my foot in a hole going into turn three and it ripped it back hard. I think I got passed by about three guys or so. I took a few laps and kind of gathered myself a little bit. I thought my hotshoe came off, so I was trying to check for that. It was good. I kept trying to push through it but my leg was pretty sore.
“I’m always out there looking to win, but I’m happy because I think we have learned some stuff with the bike, and the bike has gotten better. We’re taking small steps. I’m looking forward to next weekend to get on the Mile and see what we can do there.”
Jake Johnson — AFT Twins #5:
“I guess you can say it was kind of a disaster. It was definitely not what we were shooting for, but it was a weird night. There were a lot of guys struggling; a lot of the guys who are winning every week and were mid-pack. It was definitely a weird night, so you can’t get too discouraged.
“There were some positives in the day. We’re making a lot of progress. I’m ready to just go into the Miles. All year, I think that’s what we have felt was going to be one of our stronger points. We’ll see. Going to forget about this weekend and head into Sac.”
More, from a press release issued by Kennedy Racing:
Brandon Robinson First Two-Time Winner of AFT Twins Season
(Above) Brandon Robinson (44). Photo courtesy of Kennedy Racing.
Phoenix— May 13, 2019 — Since his first win of the American Flat Track (AFT) Twins season in Atlanta, Brandon Robinson took a third place at the Texas 1/2 mile behind Indian Factory Wrecking Crew team riders Jared Mees and Briar Bauman. He then scored a tough eighth place finish at the inaugural Phoenix Super TT, still gaining valuable championship points through his grit and determination. It all changed at the So-Cal 1/2 mile as Brandon again stormed to the front of the pack and became the first two-time winner of the AFT Twins season. Indian factory team rider Briar Bauman was second and Harley Davidson factory team rider Sammy Halbert came in third.
Brandon and the Kennedy Racing Team were again able to keep all the factory-backed riders behind them. This time though, the Harley Davidson team is showing some new found muscle as they stood on the podium for the first time this season. These results continue to show that the Kennedy Racing Team is on the right path to be a real challenger for the season championship, as they are now sitting a solid second in the championship standings.
Next up on the AFT season schedule is the first mile track race of the year in Sacramento, California on May 18th. The Kennedy Racing Team is eager to show the competition what they have been working on all winter and are looking forward to a great result!
All the AFT racing action can be seen live on Fanschoice.TV and on NBC Sports Network via delayed broadcast.
Kennedy Racing would like to thank all of our sponsors who have helped to make racing this year possible: Kennedy Racing | Armbruster Racing | J&H Repair | Rod Lake | Arai Helmet Americas | Works Connection | Saddlemen | Öhlins USA | Motion Pro, Inc. | Alpinestars | Motul USA | NMC Cycling | Full Spectrum | KICKER | Evans PowerSports Coolant | Cometic Gasket, Inc. | WCHS | Chicken Hawk Racing Tire Warmers | Team95 | Kraus Motor Company |
SPONSORSHIPS STILL NEEDED: It is not an easy or inexpensive task to take on the factory-backed teams as we strive to win the AFT Twins Championship in 2019. Anyone interested in helping us reach our goal can contact Lee Seidel, Kennedy Racing Marketing Manager, at (530) 565-5492, [email protected], or Jerry Kennedy, Kennedy Racing Team Owner, at (408) 221-8686, [email protected].