Progressive AFT Hits the Streets for Arrowhead Brass Sturgis TT
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 9, 2024) – History is now mere days away. On Sunday, August 11, the stars of Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, will take the Grand National Championship into the Streets of Downtown Sturgis, South Dakota, for the inaugural Arrowhead Brass Sturgis TT presented by Rick Ware Racing & The CAT Rental Store.
The innovative event, developed and promoted in collaboration with AFT Events, Øuterkind and the City of Sturgis, reconnects the city to its legacy of motorcycle racing that dates back to the very origins of the fabled Sturgis Motorcycle Racing, now in the midst of its 84th edition.
Equal parts heritage and modern-day spectacle, the Arrowhead Brass Sturgis TT will not just honor the past by way of the present but also look to the future with the highly anticipated introduction of the all-new AFT AdventureTrackers™ class.
However, the season’s headlining story continues to be the quest of reigning Mission AFT SuperTwins champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycle FTR750) to become the first rider in the seven-decade history of the series to claim a tenth Grand National Championship. That mission came even more clearly into focus this past Tuesday night when Mees moved to the top of the points race for the first time this season.
A victory this weekend would push him that much closer to the unprecedented achievement, but it will not come easily. When the series last did battle on a hybrid TT circuit that combined dirt and asphalt at the 2021 Atlanta Super TT, JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) was fastest in every practice and qualifying session, won both his heat and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, and ran away with the Main Event victory by several seconds. Despite spending the bulk of his season racing a Tytlers Cycle BMW Superbike, Beach is already back at the top of his dirt track game as evidenced by his runner-up finish at the Peoria TT and a first-career Half-Mile victory at Black Hills Speedway.
The fact that Beach was beaten at all in Peoria underlines the fact that Briar Bauman (No. 3 Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790 Duke) is a rider to watch this weekend as well. Besides being a rider with the all-around talents to excel at the circuit, he’s also one who will be looking to make amends coming off a difficult Main Event in Rapid City.
But perhaps no rider is more in need of a big day than Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), who currently ranks second to Mees in the championship race. While TTs have never been Robinson’s forte, the Mission Roof Systems rider has improved in the discipline, and the novel nature of the circuit provides ample opportunity to shock the world.
Pit up against a 17-point disadvantage with four rounds remaining, Robinson would be well served to put riders between himself and Mees. Fortunately for his championship hopes, Beach isn’t the only wild card with the potential to run up front; Multi-time TT winner Sammy Halbert (No. 69 OnlyFans/Martin Trucking/ Castro Yamaha MT-07) is back in the mix following a run of hugely impressive rides earlier this season.
Several series regulars could also play the role of spoiler, including the likes of Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750), Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Sody Ent/OTBR Yamaha MT-07), and Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650), not to mention red-hot rookies Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Mission Foods/Zanotti Racing KTM 790 Duke) and Declan Bender (No. 70 GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750), who both claimed maiden premier-class top fives earlier this week.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Double defending Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER king Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F) has a chance to secure one of the few remaining accomplishments that has thus far eluded him during his record-breaking stint in the class. Now holding either sole possession or a share of the all-time lead in championships as well as career, single-season, Half-Mile, and Short Track victories, Kopp has yet to stand atop the podium at a TT.
Doing so this Sunday would also tilt the balance of power back in his direction after seeing the last four races go to his primary rivals, Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R) and Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), who figure to once again be Kopp’s biggest threats this weekend.
Tarren Santero (No. 75 Vinson Construction/P&M Motorcycles Honda CRF450R), Evan Renshaw (No. 265 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), and Jared Lowe (No. 63 BigR/Little Debbie Racing Honda CRF450R) were next best in Peoria. However, those results should be considered, at best, a rough guide of what may transpire this weekend, with the Arrowhead Brass Sturgis TT promising to be a different beast entirely.
Meanwhile, Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) and James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) will resume their fight for fourth in the championship hunt and hope to do so by adding to their seasons’ tally of podium finishes.
AFT AdventureTrackers
One of the fastest growing and fiercely competitive segments of the global motorcycle market will take their respective claims of supremacy to the Streets of Downtown Sturgis with the long-awaited debut of the AFT AdventureTrackers. And as a showcase for Dual Adventure bikes specifically designed to dominate any and all terrain they are confronted with, the hybrid TT course couldn’t possibly be more perfectly suited for the task at hand.
The AFT AdventureTrackers class has been designed around production-based race bikes that are as close to street stock as is feasible. And in turn, an incredibly decorated and diverse collection of riders has been recruited to demonstrate exactly what these versatile machines are capable of.
Saddlemen Race Development will field a Daytona 200 legend and big-bike specialist in teammates Danny Eslick (No. 64 Saddlemen Race Development Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250) and Frankie Garcia (No. 14 Saddlemen Race Development Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250).
Meanwhile, Memphis Shades/Vinson Honda comes armed with a championship-winning dirt tracker in Dan Bromley (No. 62 Sody Enterprises/Memphis Shades/Vinson Honda Africa Twin).
And Triumph has its bases well covered with big-name riders hailing from across dirt track, world enduro, stunt riding, and Superhooligan in Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Triumph Racing Triumph Tiger 1200), Robby McLendon (No. 169 Triumph Racing Triumph Tiger 1200), Ivan Cervantes (No. 25 Triumph Racing Triumph Tiger 1200), Nick ‘Apex’ Brocha (No. 777 Triumph Racing Triumph Tiger 1200), and Kole King (No. 80 Triumph Racing/Triumph Indianapolis Triumph Tiger 1200).
Which style will prove superior for these machines and this course? That’s a fascinating question that won’t be answered until the AdventureTrackers’ rubber hits the road (and dirt) for the first time in history this Sunday.
Due to its setting in Downtown Sturgis on the final day of the 84th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, race fans will obviously have a huge number of off-track attractions at their disposal. Included among them are the Progressive Insurance Sturgis TT Demo & Display Lot, numerous vendors, expansive food and beverage options, and live music from the Rally Point stage performed throughout the day by country music star and The Voice alum Joey Green.
Attendance for Sunday, August 11’s inaugural Arrowhead Brass Sturgis TT presented by Rick Ware Racing & The CAT Rental Store is free of charge. Fans also have a unique opportunity to witness history in comfort from ideal vantage points offered by legendary Sturgis Main Street bars Loud American and One-Eyed Jacks Saloon. These Arrowhead Brass Sturgis TT VIP Experiences are available for $175 at https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/sturgis-tt-112510.
Practice will start at 2:00 p.m. ET (11:0 a.m. PT) with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m. ET (1:45 p.m. PT). You can catch the livestream of all the weekend’s racing activities on FloRacing. Motorsports fans can subscribe to FloRacing to enjoy over 1,000 live motorsports events in 2024. FloSports is available by visiting https://flosports.link/aft or by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast.
The Arrowhead Brass Sturgis TT pre-race show will air on FS2 on Saturday, August 17, at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT), immediately followed by the race broadcast on FOX at 2:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT). The complete two-hour pre-race and race package will then re-air on FS1 later that evening, starting at 9:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. PT).
For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
