DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(March 5, 2024) – Following
months of training, preparation,
and anticipation, the 2024
Progressive American
Flat Track season,
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing, is now just two
days away. And in Daytona
Bike Week tradition,
the season will kick off in
spectacular doubleheader fashion
under the lights of the Flat
Track at Daytona International
Speedway with the Royal
Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I
& II on Thursday, March
7, and Friday, March 8, in
Daytona Beach, Florida.
With decades of heroics in its
record books dating back to
1954, each new battle for the
fabled Grand National
Championship is
historic by definition. 2024 has
the potential to go down as one
of the most significant as
reigning Mission
SuperTwins king Jared
Mees (No. 1 Rogers
Racing/SDI Racing/Indian
Motorcycle FTR750) attempts to
upgrade his already lofty status
from legendary to immortal.
Mees has an unprecedented tenth
Championship squarely in his
sights, needing just one more
title triumph to reset one of
the sport’s foundational records
once thought unbreakable.
However, it’ll likely prove one
of the most difficult of his
remarkable career, a fact that
could very well be underlined in
the Daytona opener.
Despite his lengthy list of
accomplishments, Mees has yet to
conquer the DAYTONA Short Track.
That reality is in sharp
contrast to rising title
challenger Dallas
Daniels (No. 32
Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07
DT), who dominated the event
last year, a feat that served as
a springboard to a spectacular
sophomore season in which he
very nearly toppled Mees in his
quest for a ninth Grand National
Championship. And Daniels only
figures to be that much more
formidable in ‘24 as he
continues to gain confidence and
experience.
Another rival standing in the
path of Mees is two-time Mission
SuperTwins champion Briar
Bauman (No. 3 Parts
Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 790
Duke), who toiled in ‘23 with
the expectation of being
rewarded for those efforts in
‘24. Bauman managed to win a
pair of races last season even
as he tamed a KTM 790 Duke that
was still early in its
development. The hard-earned
knowledge gleaned last season
should allow him to once again
emerge a full-blown championship
contender.
The obstacles Mees will need to
overcome do not end with Daniels
and Bauman. The 2024 field is
loaded with the greatest
motorcycle dirt trackers on the
planet, including premier-class
Main Event winners Davis
Fisher (No. 67 Rackley
Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing
Indian FTR750), Brandon
Robinson (No. 44
Mission Roof Systems Indian
FTR750), Jarod
Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC
Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio
Indian FTR750), Bronson
Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack
Racing Mission Foods KTM 790
Duke), and Johnny Lewis (No.
10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by
Royal Enfield 650).
And while Sammy Halbert (No.
69 Dodge Bros. Racing/Castrol
Harley-Davidson XR750) is not a
threat for the crown, he is a
threat to run up front whenever
he lines up during his limited
schedule. That’s especially true
at the DAYTONA Short Track where
he stands as the event’s
winningest rider, boasting four
prior victories.
The Mission SuperTwins field
only increases in strength this
season with a number of big-name
talents stepping up to full-time
premier-class duty, including Max
Whale (No. 18 Latus
Motors Racing/Liqui Moly
Harley-Davidson XG750R), Trevor
Brunner (No. 21 Mission
Foods/Zanotti Racing KTM 790
Duke), Declan Bender (No.
70 GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin
Trucking Indian FTR750), and Morgen
Mischler (No. 13 Big
Red Super Twins Honda XL750R),
who joins Dan Bromley (No.
62 Big Red Super Twins Honda
XL750R) on the newly announced
Honda-powered Big Red Super
Twins squad.
Parts Unlimited AFT
Singles presented by KICKER
It’s something of a similar
story in the Parts
Unlimited AFT Singles presented
by KICKER class, where
reigning champ Kody Kopp (No.
1 Latus Motors/BMC KTM 450 SX-F)
is in position to become the
most decorated rider in the
history of the category, both in
terms of championship triumphs
and race victories.
Kopp projects as Mission
SuperTwins superstar in the near
future; if everything goes to
plan, this could very easily
prove to be his last opportunity
to leave his mark in the
extraordinarily competitive and
entertaining Parts Unlimited AFT
Singles class.
His presence is also an
opportunity for other
up-and-coming riders looking to
make their own impression. The
list of potential usupers to
Kopp’s throne is headlined by
the Tom Drane (No.
59 Estenson Racing Yamaha
YZ450F), Chase Saathoff (No.
88 JPG Motorsports Honda
CRF450R), and Trent Lowe (No.
48 American Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R).
Once fully up to speed, Drane
was effectively Kopp’s equal
over the ‘23 season’s second
half and should only be that
much better in his second full
season. Saathoff has been on the
verge of a breakthrough maiden
win for two seasons now, the
first of which could come at any
time and open the floodgates to
many more. Lowe managed to break
down that same wall a year ago
and now looks to transform that
speed into legitimate title
contention.
The class is never in short
supply of talent, also boating
the likes of Dalton
Gauthier (No. 79 D&D
Certified/Vance & Hines KTM 450
SX-F), Shayna
Texter-Bauman (No. 52
Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM
450 SX-F), and James
Ott (No. 19 1st
Impressions Race Team Husqvarna
FC450) among its ranks.
It’s also a battleground where
newcomers can establish
themselves as frontrunners with
little delay. Could 2023 Nicky
Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon
Award winner Evan
Renshaw (No. 265
American Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R) become the latest
rookie sensation to set the
Progressive AFT alight?
Additionally, Royal Enfield will
showcase its enormously
successful and popular Build.
Train. Race. (BTR) program
on both days at the Royal
Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA.
Since its introduction, BTR has
injected new talent and
excitement into the series as
highlights, celebrates, and
encourages the involvement of
women in flat track racing.
There will be plenty to keep
fans entertained off the track
as well, including numerous
vendors, plenty of food and
beverage options, music courtesy
of international famed and
Daytona-based DJ Shea Michaels,
fireworks displays at the
conclusion of both night’s Main
Event programs, Monster Energy
and Mission Foods sampling
activations, and extensive
motorcycle parking.
General Admission
Grandstand tickets are
just $30 (kids 12 and under $5)
each day, while Reserved
Grandstand tickets are
only $10 more (all ages) per
day. The Pit Pass
Upgrade provides
all-day access to the pit area
where fans can scope out the
world’s fastest dirt track
motorcycles and get up close and
personal with the stars of the
sport. Pit access is included
with Reserved Pit
Grandstand tickets,
which are $75 per day.
New for 2024 is the
Opening Ceremonies Trackside Fan
Experience ($150
all ages). This ticket option
provides reserved seating with
pit pass access, a guided tour
of, and photo opportunities at,
the infield podium and
start/finish line, infield
viewing of Opening Ceremonies
and the heat races, and a track
talk and photo opportunity with
2016 Grand National Champion
Bryan Smith.
Fans can save $10 by purchasing
Thursday and Friday tickets
together via the Multi-Day
Discount.
To
purchase Royal Enfield
Short Track at DAYTONA I tickets,
visit: https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/daytona-short-track-i-86846.
To
purchase Royal Enfield
Short Track at DAYTONA II tickets,
visit: https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/daytona-short-track-ii-86992.
And to take advantage of the
Multi-Day Discount for the Royal
Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I
& II, visit: https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/daytona-short-track-i-and-ii-86845.
Gates will open for fans at 3:00
p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT with
Opening Ceremonies scheduled to
begin at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m.
PT on both days.
For those that can’t catch the
live action from the circuit, FloRacing is
the live streaming home of
Progressive AFT. 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.
For more information on
Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
To
score the latest gear for the
Progressive American Flat Track
fan, visit our official
merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.