Kolby Carlile Charges To Fourth-Place Finish In Texas
After a big off in the Texas Half-Mile Semi, Jake Johnson looks to rebound at Calistoga
FORT WORTH, TX – It was a night of mixed fortunes for Estenson Racing on the Texas Half-Mile as both Kolby Carlile and Jake Johnson battled the competition and tough track conditions at round three of the 2018 American Flat Track season.
As has been the story so far this season, Carlile gets off to a good start in qualifying, does well in his heat, but struggles in the Semi with setup issues as he and his team familiarize themselves with its all-new 2018 Yamaha YZ450F. It all came together, though, in the Main at Texas Motor Speedway, and they got the bike dialed in for the reigning AFT Singles Champion. Once Carlile was able to get through the traffic that was slowing him down, the “Flying Tomato” was flying in an attempt to chase down the lead pack. Unfortunately, it was a bit too late, and he had to settle for fourth. Although hoping for better, Carlile was happy to make more progress with his new machine and gain some valuable momentum heading into round four after a rough first two rounds of his title defense.
On the AFT Twins side, the day as a whole was full of highs and lows for Johnson. It started out well with a decent first-practice session, but looking to fine-tune and continue the development of the fast Yamaha MT-07, he ended up going backwards and qualified eighth. This didn’t worry the two-time Grand National Champion, and he felt good going into the evening program. That feeling carried forward into the Semi, but a pair of red flags negated two great starts, and the wear on the clutch made the third one less so. Just as Johnson thought he was poised to reel-in the pack in front of him, he got caught up in a multi-rider incident that ended his night early. Thankfully, although Johnson was left feeling a bit beat up after a big off, he was okay and looking forward to some time at home to rest before Calistoga next weekend.
Kolby Carlile – AFT Singles #1:
“We started really well today in practice and qualifying. Then we went into the heat race and the track kind of changed. The bike setup was off a good bit, and in the Semi, I struggled a lot and ended up fifth. So that set me back for the Main event. I was on the second row, but the whole team got together, and we threw a Hail Mary and found a setup that worked amazing in the Main. I got a good start, but I got held up for quite a while. Then once I got by one rider, I started passing a rider each lap and I ended up in fourth. I saw third place and second and first way ahead, but it was just too late at that point. I couldn’t catch up. I knew I had the speed, the bike was great, and everyone worked hard today. I’m really happy with how it went. I just want more.”
Jake Johnson – AFT Twins #5:
“It was a little bit of an up-and-down day. We were decent in the first round of practice, then we tried some things for qualifying and went backwards. In the Semi everything seemed to be going pretty good. The first start, I came out right in third and was running with Bryan [Smith] and Jared [Mees]. Next start, I got the holeshot and another red comes out… then got the clutch hot and got a bad start.
“Seemed like I was reeling back in on the pack in front of me. I saw Bryan go down and he was like three spots ahead of me. As I was getting close to [the crash], it almost looked like it was coming back down in front of me. I had nowhere to go and went over the bars. It wasn’t the way I wanted to end the day. Even though I didn’t feel that great today because the track was pretty tough, I felt like we could have had a good, solid finish if it wasn’t for that. We’ll get healed up and give it another go next week.”
Catch the Texas Half-Mile on NBCSN, May 6 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING’S SCOUT FTR750 TAKES FIRST & THIRD PLACE AT TEXAS HALF-MILE
2017 Reigning Champion & Wrecking Crew Rider Jared Mees Takes Victory; Chad Cose & Indian Motorcycle of OKC Finish Third
FORT WORTH, TX– Indian Motorcycle Racing and reigning 2017 American Flat Track (AFT) Champion Jared Mees secured the top leaderboard position with a win at the Texas Half-Mile. Indian Motorcycle of Oklahoma City Privateer Chad Cose secured his first career AFT Twins podium with a strong third-place finish after setting the top qualifying time. Meanwhile, fellow Scout FTR750 privateers Henry Wiles and Johnny Lewis placed inside the top 10 with a fifth and eighth place finish, respectively.
Mees and Cose each won their semi-final race and earned the top-two starting positions in the Main. After trailing initially, Mees was able to pass several riders and capture the lead. Cose ran the majority of the race from the third position and was able to hold off the fourth-place finisher, who was challenging for that final podium spot for the majority of the race.
“We’re entering an important stretch of the season right now, as Texas kicks off six straight weeks of racing,” said Mees. “To start this run off with a victory is huge. I want to thank Indian Motorcycle, my team and all the fans for their continued support. With Texas in the books, we’re on to Calistoga.”
Cose’s third-place finish marked the third time a privateer has podiumed with the championship-winning Scout FTR750. In 2017, on his first race aboard the Scout FTR750, Johnny Lewis reached the podium with a third-place finish at the Texas Half-Mile.
“To see Chad reach the podium for the first time in his career was amazing,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology & Service for Indian Motorcycle. “He’s feeling comfortable and riding well on the Scout FTR750, and we couldn’t be more excited to see him compete in these upcoming races.”
In a highly competitive night, a number of riders crashed and were unable to finish. Among those were Wrecking Crew Riders Brad Baker and Bryan Smith. Baker went down in his heat and suffered a mild concussion, while Smith was involved in a multi-rider crash in Semi 1. Both have reported to be okay, though, their status for the Calistoga Half-Mile on May 5 is currently unknown.
Through three races Mees leads the pack with 50 points. Wiles, who has finished fourth and fifth the last two races on his Scout FTR750 is currently second with 46 points. Despite missing the Main in Texas, Kenny Coolbeth Jr. sits in the fourth position with 36 points.
The Indian Wrecking Crew and stable of privateers aboard the Scout FTR750 will continue its season on May 5 at the Calistoga Half-Mile. For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, backed by Allstate Insurance, the Indian Wrecking Crew and Scout FTR750, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. For information on purchasing a Scout FTR750, please contact [email protected].
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle 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.
More, from a press release issued by ST52 Racing:
Texter Solid Second in Texas Half Mile
Continues to Make History with Husqvarna
FORT WORTH, Texas – Getting better and better as the program went on, Shayna Texter finished a strong second in Saturday’s Texas Half Mile American Flat Track (AFT) Singles competition for ST52 Racing.
After posting the 31st-fastest time in practice, the Pennsylvania rider qualified 20th, finished fifth in her heat and took third in her semi aboard the No. 52 ST52 Racing Husqvarna FC 450.
Starting fifth in the main event, Texter quickly caught eventual winner Morgen Mischler and pressured him for the remainder of the 15-lap AFT Singles Main Event, coming up just 0.094 seconds short of the victory at the checkered flag.
“I wanted that one so bad,” Texter said after the race. “Today was my first time I actually got to ride my Husqvarna motorcycle on a half mile. I was hungry tonight. I thought I had [Mischler] set up perfect [on the last lap], but he got a little sideways and blocked me coming off Turn 4. But it’s so good to be back on the podium.”
The second place Singles result matches Husqvarna’s best finish in American Flat Track competition.
Texter won five races and finished third in the 2017 AFT Singles standings. After missing the 2018 season-opening Daytona TT, she finished seventh in the Atlanta Short Track. The second-place finish moved her up to fifth in the standings after three races, just 22 points out of the lead.
“I want to win; I want to put my Husqvarna on top of the box,” Texter said. “I had a total of seven hours on the bike coming into today. We showed that it’s a serious brand, and a great motorcycle. I can’t wait to get going for the rest of the season.”
Texter was the second competitor to qualify a Husqvarna in GNC competition, with Saturday’s finish matching Joe Kopp’s runner-up finish at Las Vegas in 2015, competing in what’s now known as the AFT Twins division.
Saturday’s race opens a busy stretch of action on six consecutive weekends. Next up is the Calistoga Half-Mile on Saturday, May 5, in Calistoga, Calif.