DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(March 11, 2023) – Dallas
Daniels (No. 32
Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT)
kicked off his 2023
Progressive American Flat Track championship
campaign in near-perfect
fashion, completing the second
half of the season-opening
double win with another
sensational ride in Saturday
night’s DAYTONA Short
Track II presented by Daytona
Dodge at the Flat
Track at Daytona International
Speedway in Daytona
Beach, Florida.
Daniels was already a legitimate
title contender as a rookie a
year ago. Early indications
suggest he’s that much stronger
now with a year’s
Mission SuperTwins presented by
S&S Cycle experience
under his belt.
The Estenson Racing Yamaha ace
got away off the line in third,
running in close quarters behind
early leader Jarod
Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC
Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian
FTR750) and Jared Mees
(No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers
Racing/SDI Racing FTR750), with
Thursday runner-up
Brandon Robinson (No.
44 Mission Roof Systems Indian
FTR750) right in his tracks.
Robinson made an early exit from
the fight for the win, getting
into the airfence and losing
several positions in the
process. Daniels slipped up the
inside of Mees a little less
than three minutes into the
ten-minute-plus-two-lap Main to
take over second, just as
Davis Fisher
(No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob
Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian
FTR750) closed in to make it
four-rider fight at the front
again.
Daniels then spent the next four
minutes stalking Vanderkooi,
looking up the inside and around
outside, while generally
applying the sort of pressure
that might just open a door
straight through. He finally
found the gap he was looking for
with 3:30 minutes remaining on
the clock, striking up the
inside as the leaders
encountered a wave of lapped
riders.
Daniels met little resistance
once into the lead, stretching
out an advantage that finalized
as a 2.069-second margin of
victory in the end.
“It was tough – Jarod was
running a really good race,”
Daniels said. “He was being
patient – he was really easy on
the throttle and wasn’t making
any mistakes. I had to search. I
wanted to sit there for a little
bit. After I got off the line, I
was all right with where I was,
and I was paying attention to
everything. I wanted to stalk
him for a while, but then it was
time to go.
“A
double at Daytona is crazy. It’s
unbelievable. A big thanks to
the whole Estenson Monster
Energy Yamaha team. We had a
great year last year, and to
start off the year with two wins
in Daytona is insane.”
Shortly after Daniels took over
the lead, Fisher slashed his way
past Mees to complete the “new
guard” podium line-up in third,
joining winner Daniels and
second-placed Vanderkooi.
Reigning champ Mees came away
with his second fourth of the
double-opener – a marked upgrade
over how his prospects may have
looked earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, Daniels’ teammate,
JD Beach (No.
95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07
DT), logged a second fifth.
Robinson recovered well enough
from his early drama to finish
in sixth, one spot ahead of
Briar Bauman
(No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob
Companies KTM 890 Duke), who was
forced to claw his way up to
seventh from outside the top
ten.
Four-time DAYTONA ST winner
Sammy Halbert
(No. 69 Martin Trucking/Castrol
Yamaha MT-07), privateer
Kayl Kolkman (No 98 B&L
Plumbing/Rod Lake Yamaha MT-07),
and Royal Enfield factory man
Johnny Lewis
(No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered
by Royal Enfield 650) completed
the top ten.
Parts Unlimited AFT
Singles presented by KICKER
Defending Parts
Unlimited AFT Singles presented
by KICKER Kody Kopp
(No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory
Racing 450 SX-F) doubled up in
Daytona, delivering a second
dose of domination on Saturday
night.
Clearly in a class of his own at
the venue, Kopp pulled off
another sweep, repeating his
Thursday trick of topping
practice, qualifying, his Heat,
the Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda
Challenge, and most importantly,
the Main Event.
Kopp successfully weaved his way
through the opening lap chaos to
secure the lead three turns into
the race. And while
Chase Saathoff (No. 88
American Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R) did everything in his
power to cling onto Kopp’s rear
wheel, a little more than a
minute in, the race for victory
was effectively over.
Kopp ultimately worked his
advantage up to over five
seconds before taking a
drama-free checkered flag.
“It’s just two for 18,” Kopp
said. “We’ve got 16 more rounds,
so there’s a lot more work to
do. You can’t judge a season off
two races at a track that really
suits my style. I grew up riding
a lot of indoors in the Pacific
Northwest, and this was kinda
like that. Thanks to my whole
Red Bull KTM crew – this is a
dream way to start the season
for sure.”
After losing touch with the
leader, Saathoff was gradually
reeled in by ‘22 championship
runner-up Dalton
Gauthier (No. 79 D&D
Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F),
who first had to fight his way
past Trent Lowe
(No. 48 American Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R) and
Justin Jones (No. 91
NRC Racing/Elder Trucking KTM
450 SX-F) to slide into third.
Gauthier and Saathoff then
swapped the second spot back and
forth, squaring one another up
in quick succession before the
charging Gauthier finally stole
the position away for good.
Saathoff held on for the final
spot on the box by a scant 0.084
seconds despite having to fend
off a late challenge from new
Turner Honda teammate Lowe.
Kopp’s teammate, Max
Whale (No. 18 Red Bull
KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F),
battled past the impressive
Jones to complete the top five.
Next Up:
The world's premier dirt track
motorcycle racing series makes
its first-ever trip to
Senoia Raceway in
Senoia, Georgia, for the
inaugural Yamaha Senoia
Short Track on
Saturday, March 25. Visit
https://www.tixr.com/promoters/americanflattrack
to secure your tickets today.
For those that can’t catch the
live action from the circuit,
FansChoice.tv
is the live streaming home of
Progressive AFT. Sign up now and
catch every second of on-track
action starting with Practice &
Qualifying and ending with the
Victory Podium at the end of the
night at
https://www.fanschoice.tv.
FOX Sports coverage,
featuring in-depth features and
thrilling onboard cameras, will
premiere on FS1
from the DAYTONA Short
Track I on March
18 at 10:30
a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. PT)
and DAYTONA Short Track
II on March 19 at
12:30 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m.
PT).
For more information on
Progressive AFT visit
https://www.americanflattrack.com.
