DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May
18, 2024) – Nine-time
Grand National Champion
Jared Mees (No. 1
Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian
Motorcycle FTR750) reigned
supreme in the inaugural
Silver Dollar Short Track, Round
6 of the 2024
Progressive American Flat Track season,
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing.
The big crowd that turned out at
in Chico, California, to see the
world’s elite motorcycle dirt
trackers compete at the historic
Silver Dollar Speedway were
treated to a virtuoso
performance on the part of one
of the sport’s all-time greats.
Mission AFT SuperTwins king Mees
was fastest in both practice
sessions and both qualifying
sessions, and then proceeded to
win his heat, the Mission
#2Fast2Tasty Challenge, and the
night’s Main Event.
If it sounds clear cut, it was
anything but.
Mees grabbed the early lead from
holeshotter Dallas
Daniels (No. 32
Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT)
but then came under heavy
pressure from Sammy
Halbert (No. 69 Dodge
Bros. Racing/Castrol
Harley-Davidson XR750).
In fact, Halbert actually worked
his way into the lead after the
two broke free from the pack at
the front. They then proceeded
to dice it out for several laps,
all the while Daniels settled in
and upped his pace.
Mees finally broke Halbert’s
challenge and set about building
up a big lead at the front.
Halbert in turn shifted his
attention to harrying Daniels
over second. But even with that
delay, the Estenson Racing
Yamaha MT-07-mounted ace quickly
closed in on Mees’ factory
Indian FTR750 after dispatching
of Halbert and his venerable
Harley-Davidson XR750.
The title rivals would spend the
contest’s final three minutes
dueling for victory with Mees
ultimately holding strong after
his young challenger’s last-lap,
last-corner bid came up just
short.
“It definitely feels good to get
that win,” Mees said. “Dallas
got the holeshot, but I was able
to get by him. And then here
comes Sammy on the ole Hog, and
he was giving me a run. He
actually stretched it out a
little bit, but I was able to
get back up to him. I felt like
I had a good pace and was maybe
checking out, but I lost my
rhythm in the lappers. I peeked
back and there was Dallas. We
went back and forth, and I had
to get a little aggressive a
couple of times. He’s been
riding so good. It feels like
every week I have to dig deeper
and deeper.”
Halbert completed the podium in
third, but only after reclaiming
the position from
Brandon Robinson (No.
44 Mission Roof Systems Indian
FTR750) on the race’s final lap.
Last week’s winner,
Briar Bauman (No. 3
Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus
KTM 790 Duke), completed the top
five. He was followed to the
stripe in sixth through tenth by
Jarod Vanderkooi (No.
20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford
Ohio Indian FTR750), Dan
Bromley (No. 62 Memphis
Shades/Vinson/Al Lamb’s Dallas
Honda Transalp), Bronson
Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack
Racing Mission Foods KTM 790
Duke), Max Whale (No.
18 Latus Motors Racing/Liqui
Moly Harley-Davidson XG750R),
and Declan Bender
(No. 70
GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin
Trucking Indian FTR750).
Despite being bitterly
disappointed by Saturday’s
result, Daniels continues to
lead the points chase with 124
points to Mees’ 118. Robinson is
one point further adrift at 117,
followed by Bauman’s 99.
Parts Unlimited AFT
Singles presented by KICKER
Kody Kopp (No.
1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus
KTM 450 SX-F) continued his
march toward a third
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles
presented by KICKER championship
by scoring his third Short Track
victory of the ‘24 season on
Saturday night.
While Kopp would eventually take
hold of his customary position
out front, the opening stages of
the contest saw his primary
challengers, Tom Drane (No.
59 Estenson Racing Yamaha
YZ450F) and Chase
Saathoff (No. 88 JPG
Motorsports Honda CRF450R), wage
their own battle over first,
trading the lead back and forth
with intersecting lines.
Saathoff’s strategy proved
superior in that early fight,
and he then put his head down to
break free at the front.
Meanwhile, Kopp closed in on
Drane’s rear wheel in second.
A bobble on the Australian’s
part gave Kopp the small opening
he needed. Once through, he not
only shook Drane but instantly
reeled back in Saathoff after
trailing him by as much as 1.5
seconds a small handful of laps
earlier.
In fact, the Rick Ware Racing
pilot’s momentum barely stalled
upon catching Saathoff; he
merely rode around the outside
and continued to walk away in
the lead.
However, with the top three
seemingly settled at that point,
a lapped rider went down upon
Saathoff’s overtake as the
leaders negotiated traffic.
Drane became collateral damage
in the crash, going down in a
two-part incident that summoned
the red flag.
Kopp and Saathoff lined back up
in first and second,
respectively, while Drane was
forced to the back of the pack
after looking as if he might not
be fit enough to continue.
There was little drama at the
front once the action resumed.
Kopp powered away in the same
fashion he had prior to the red
flag. Saathoff completed his run
to second, while Trent
Lowe (No. 48 American
Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R)
claimed the final step on the
podium.
“We worked hard for that one,”
Kopp said. “We were fast all
day, but I was one of the only
ones shifting out here today. It
was fast, but would it have been
consistent in this whole Main
when we were running up on the
top? Probably not. So we made a
game-changing call right before
the (Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda
Challenge), and I had to go out
and learn how to ride the bike
again because we weren’t
shifting all of a sudden. Thanks
to my team. This was a big one
for us.”
Californians Tarren
Santero (No. 75 Vinson
Construction/P&M Motorcycles
Honda CRF450R) and James
Ott (No. 19 1st
Impressions Race Team Husqvarna
FC450) rounded out the top five.
As for Drane, he not only
gritted his way to the finish,
he actually charged all the way
up to sixth to keep his
championship hopes very much
alive.
Kopp now leads with 133 points,
followed by Saathoff at 111 and
Drane at 108.
Next Up:
Progressive American Flat Track
will head back east for the
Orange County Half-Mile
at Orange County Fair
Speedway in Middletown,
New York, on Saturday, June 15.
Visit
https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/orange-county-half-mile-94110
to secure your tickets today.
For those who can’t catch the
action from the circuit,
FloRacing is the live
streaming home of Progressive
AFT. Sign up now and catch every
second of the on-track action,
from the first practice to the
victory podium, at
https://flosports.link/aft.
FOX Sports coverage
of the Silver Dollar
Short Track, featuring
in-depth features and thrilling
onboard cameras, will premiere
on FS1 on
Saturday, May 25,
at 11:00 a.m. ET
(8:00 a.m. PT).
For more information on
Progressive AFT visit
https://www.americanflattrack.com.
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