DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(March 3, 2026) – The Grand
National Championship is
far from alone in opening
its title fight when the
2026 Progressive
American Flat Track season,
sanctioned by AMA
Pro Racing, get
underway with this week’s Royal
Enfield Short Track at
DAYTONA I & II on Thursday,
March 5, and Friday,
March 6.
The week will be
consequential across
categories, as KICKER
AFT Singles, AFT
AdventureTrackers™, AFT
ProSport 450, and Royal
Enfield BTR join Mission
AFT SuperTwins in
launching their respective
‘26 campaigns at the DAYTONA
Flat Track during Bike
Week in Daytona
Beach, Florida.
Can Anyone Contain
Tom Drane?
Reigning KICKER AFT
Singles Tom Drane (No.
59 Estenson Racing Yamaha
YZ450F) is back to defend
his crown. A ‘25 season that
opened with an
uncharacteristic five-race
wins drought was transformed
into a display of outright
domination by the
Australian.
Once Drane rounded into
midseason form, he
was nearly unstoppable. When
he saw his record-setting
nine-race podium streak
snapped, Drane stormed back
with a (still-active)
12-race podium streak.
The final four of those
podiums came in victorious
fashion, tying him with
three-time class champion Kody
Kopp for the
second-longest win streak in
class history and leaving
him just a DAYTONA double
away from equaling two-time
KICKER AFT Singles
king Dallas Daniels for the
most ever recorded in
succession.
When the dust had settled,
Drane claimed the 2025 title
by a resounding 86-point
margin. As a result, he
opens his title defense
viewed as the unquestioned
favorite.
Leading the Chase
Despite Drane’s apparent
position of strength, three
riders in particular
can provide
compelling arguments why
2026 should pose a
considerably stiffer
challenge.
Drane’s fierce rival, Chase
Saathoff (No. 88
1st Impressions Race Team
Husqvarna FC450), is back
for another run at the
title, now teamed up with
1st Impressions Race Team.
Saathoff and Drane have
proven well-matched over the
years, leading to several
memorable (and heated)
moments due to repeated
last-race clashes. Saathoff
missed the final four races
of ‘25 due to injury, but
prior to that, he picked up
three wins and remained
within striking distance of
Drane in the championship
fight.
Trevor Brunner (No.
21 KMA Racing/March
Equipment Yamaha YZ450F)
took up the chase in
Saathoff’s absence
and ultimately finished as
runner-up. Following a
season aboard a big twin,
Brunner’s 450cc muscle
memory came back to him as
the season developed. By the
end of the year, he was back
to his typical front-running
standard.
Like Saathoff, Brunner has
switched teams for ‘26,
joining KMA Racing, which
puts him back on Yamaha
equipment. The last time he
rode a YZ450F, he went
tooth-and-nail with
then-teammate Drane for
runner-up honors behind
Kopp.
Super sophomore Kage
Tadman (No. 28
American Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R) comes into the
season with new surroundings
as well, joining the
factory-backed Turner Racing
squad. Last year, Tadman
finished fourth in the
points in what was a
breakout rookie season –
highlighted by two
mind-boggling wins – despite
running only a partial
season.
Armed with a year of
experience and an offseason
of training, Tadman is
primed to make a big leap
forward.
Breakthrough
Candidates
KICKER AFT Singles is a
star-maker, a class where
riders break out and
break through every
year. There’s a deep list of
candidates with the
potential to do the same
in 2026. It’s difficult to
predict exactly who it might
be – few foresaw the rise of
Tadman at this time last
year. That said, a
handful have already shown
considerable promise and
just a minor uptick in form
would put them right in the
fight.
Tarren Santero (No.
75 Roof Systems/Vinson
Construction Honda CRF450R)
earned four podiums a year
ago as he continued his gain
in momentum and
confidence.
Bradon Pfanders (No.
83 Memphis Shades/Corbin
Seats Yamaha YZ450F) earned
his first professional
podium late last season
after demonstrating the pace
required to do so pretty
much from the time he first
joined the tour in an
injury-shortened 2024.
2024 Nicky Hayden
AMA Flat Track Horizon Award winner Walker
Porter (No. 10
American Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R) fought his way to
a top-five race result as
a rookie despite not being
eligible to compete until
turning 16 midway through
the season.
And Jared Lowe (No.
63 Big R Racing/Vinson
Construction Honda CRF450R)
continues to knock on the
door of a maiden podium,
gaining strength and speed
along the way.
Here Come the
Rookies
To the surprise of
absolutely no
one, there’s another healthy
crop
of rookies entering KICKER AFT
Singles competition
in 2026.
Among those to keep an eye
on include a pair of young
guns supported by strong
teams in Jack
Brucks (No. 113 1st
Impressions Race Team
Husqvarna FC450) and Jackson
Sangals (No. 210
BigR Racing/Vinson
Construction Honda CRF450R).
And don’t overlook Gabriel
Boisvert (No. 112
Waters Autobody Racing KTM
450 SX-F), a proven
commodity on the Canadian
scene who is now set to make
his Progressive American
Flat Track debut.
450/650/850+
The week will be jam-packed
with race action at the DAYTONA
Flat Track.
Thursday’s Royal
Enfield Short Track at
DAYTONA I will
formally introduce the AFT
ProSport 450 class
to the festivities, while
itself introducing fans to
the next-generation of
Progressive AFT heroes,
several of whom will gain
entry to the class with a
successful run in
Wednesday’s 450 Road
to AFT clash at
the AMA-sanctioned Mission
Foods CTR Showcase Event held
at the same venue.
Meanwhile, Friday’s Royal
Enfield Short Track at
DAYTONA II will
launch the 2026 AFT
AdventureTrackers title
fight with reigning class
champ Dan Bromley (No.
62 Big Momma and Daddy Deep
Pockets Suzuki V-Strom 1050)
set to pilot Suzuki V-Strom
once again. The big-bore
Dual Adventure showdown will
prove quite the show with
these versatile 500+ pound
machines banging bars in the
close confines of the
DAYTONA Flat Track.
And both nights will
feature Royal
Enfield’s massively popular
and successful and popular Build.
Train. Race. (BTR) program.
Now entering its seventh
season, BTR has served to
highlight, celebrate, and
encourage the involvement of
women in flat track racing
since its inception.
Bike Week Bonus
Per usual, Daytona Beach
will be jam-packed with
two-wheeled activities
throughout Bike Week. And
fans at the track will have
plenty to keep them
entertained beyond the
on-track action, including a
wide range of
vendors, numerous food and
beverage options, and
extensive designated
motorcycle parking.
That’s the Ticket
Upper Rim Road
Standing Room Only tickets are
just $30 (kids 12 and under
free with the purchase of an
adult ticket) each day,
while General
Admission tickets
are just $35 ($25 for
students with a valid ID and
$10 for kids 10 and under). Reserved
Grandstand and Premium
Reserved Grandstand tickets
are only $45 and $55 more
(all ages), respectively,
per day. There’s also a Military/First
Responder Discount available,
allowing GOVX fans
to purchase tickets at
reduced rates.
The Practice Viewing and Opening
Ceremonies Trackside Fan
Experiences offer
reserved grandstand seating,
a guided tour of the infield
podium and start/finish line
complete with photos ops.
The Practice Viewing Fan
Experience is available for
$100, while the Opening
Ceremonies Trackside
Experience, which also
includes up-close viewing of
Opening Ceremonies, can be
purchased for $125 per day.
To purchase Royal
Enfield Short Track
at DAYTONA I tickets,
visit:
https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2026-daytona-short-track-i-150573.
To purchase Royal
Enfield Short Track
at DAYTONA II tickets,
visit:
https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2026-daytona-short-track-ii-150638.
And to purchase Thursday and
Friday tickets together via
the Multi-Day
Ticket for
the Royal Enfield Short
Track at DAYTONA I & II,
visit:
https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2026-daytona-short-track-i-and-ii-149220.
Gates will open for fans at
3:00 p.m. ET (12:00 p.m. PT)
both days with Opening
Ceremonies set to begin at
7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT)
on Thursday and 6:30 p.m. ET
(3:30 p.m. PT) on Friday.
How to Watch
FloRacing
For those that can’t catch
the live action at the
track, FloRacing is the live
streaming home of
Progressive American Flat
Track. Motorsports fans can
subscribe to FloRacing to
enjoy over 1,000 live
motorsports events in 2026.
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.
FS1
FOX Sports will provide
in-depth coverage of the
Royal Enfield Short Track at
DAYTONA doubleheader
featuring rider features and
thrilling onboard cameras.
Stay tuned for an upcoming
announcement regarding premiere
airdates on FS1 and re-airs
on FS2. The full listing of
American Flat Track’s
television premieres will be
posted to the AFT website at https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports.
