DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(June 15, 2024) – Dallas Daniels
(No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha
MT-07 DT) was precise to the
point of perfection in Saturday
night’s blowout win of the
Orange County
Half-Mile, Round 7 of
the 2024
Progressive American
Flat Track season,
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing.
While slippery conditions and
continually altering lines at
Middletown, New York’s
Orange County Fair Speedway kept
the world’s elite motorcycle
dirt track racers guessing all
day long, Mission AFT
SuperTwins championship
leader Daniels was composed and
in control throughout.
After sitting atop the
leaderboard in practice and
qualifying, and then winning his
heat and the Mission
#2Fast2Tasty Challenge,
Daniels merely needed to get off
the line clean and then do his
thing in the Main. Once he did,
the end result was a drama-free
5.293-second margin of victory.
Daniels’ second triumph of the
season also saw him build upon
his Grand National
Championship advantage
on a what was by contrast a
frustratingly off day for
nine-time champion Jared
Mees (No. 1 Rogers
Racing/SDI Racing/Indian
Motorcycle FTR750), who was
forced to rally just to finish
inside the top five.
Daniels, who now leads the
championship chase 149-133 over
Mees, said, “To come here and do
what we did all day… These are
the days you dream of. It was
one of those days when you’re
just on, and you feel it no
matter what. Man, we’ve been
working behind the scenes, and
it’s starting to pay off. We put
on a clinic, and it feels good.
The Estenson Racing Monster
Energy Yamaha motorcycle is
handling so good. Just a big
thanks to everyone. What a day…
What a day.”
While Mees battled his way
forward from outside the top
ten, Briar Bauman
(No. 3 Rick Ware
Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790
Duke) got away in second and was
the only rider who managed to
catch even a fleeting glimpse of
Daniels’ immediate escape.
While unsuccessful in his bid to
keep pace, the effort to do so
catapulted Bauman into the clear
himself where he ultimately took
second with more than four
seconds to spare.
Meanwhile, third place had major
‘Cinderella story’ potential
with Billy Ross
(No. 29 Mission Foods/Digitale
Kawasaki Ninja 650) desperate to
fend off Brandon
Robinson (No. 44
Mission Roof Systems Indian
FTR750) in search of a first
career premier-class podium in
what was his ‘24 debut after
suffering an injury shortly
before the season opener.
However, that Cinderella story
was swapped out for another when
the fight for fourth, featuring
Mees and Dalton
Gauthier (No. 79 Moto
Anatomy X Powered by Royal
Enfield 650), converged with the
scrap over third as the contest
neared its conclusion.
Gauthier, in just his first race
on the Royal Enfield in
substitute duty, pulled off a
final-corner overtake to steal
away third and grab what was
instead his first
career premier-class podium by
an impossibly slim 0.002
seconds. Ross held on for
fourth, while Mees pushed
Robinson down to sixth by a
similarly tight 0.045 seconds at
the checkered flag.
Positions seventh through ten
went to Brandon Price
(No. 92 Memphis
Shades/Corbin/OTBR Yamaha
MT-07), Jarod
Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC
Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio
Indian FTR750), Trevor
Brunner (No. 21 Mission
Foods/Zanotti Racing Indian
FTR750), and Davis
Fisher (No. 67 Rackley
Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing
Indian FTR750) in that order.
Parts Unlimited AFT
Singles presented by KICKER
Reigning Parts Unlimited
AFT Singles presented by KICKER champion
Kody Kopp (No.
1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus
KTM 450 SX-F) etched himself yet
another prominent position in
the history books.
Already with a strong claim as
most decorated rider the
category has ever seen, Kopp
furthered his argument by
equaling Shayna
Texter-Bauman (No. 52
Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM
450 SX-F) for most career Parts
Unlimited AFT Singles wins by
scoring his 19th triumph in just
his 58th attempt.
While Kopp has authored his fair
share of runaway wins, #19
ranked among the most lopsided.
The Rick Ware Racing star shook
free of an early four-rider
melee and promptly checked out.
Despite cruising to the
checkered flag, the Washington
native still hit the stripe with
more than three-and-a-half
seconds in his favor.
Kopp said, “I feel like I’m
really focused on this sport in
general. I want to keep checking
off goals and climbing up the
list. Huge shout out to my Rick
Ware Racing team. This one is
huge for sure. And with four
weekends in a row racing, it’s
good to start it off with a win.
We want to keep working towards
that end goal of a
championship.”
Second-ranked Chase
Saathoff (No. 88 JPG
Motorsports Honda CRF450R) and
third-ranked Tom Drane (No.
59 Estenson Racing Yamaha
YZ450F) finished in their
championship standing order at
the conclusion of a relatively
processional affair despite some
early fireworks.
Trent Lowe (No.
48 American Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R) extended that
championship mirror to fourth
after tracking down New Yorker
Justin Jones
(No. 91 J&H Racing Husqvarna FC
450).
Even with that disappointment,
Jones played a starring role
throughout the day and actually
looked like the rider beat after
winning his heat and the
Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda
Challenge with style.
Jones led the opening two laps
and didn’t go away easily after
being dispatched by Kopp,
countering momentarily and then
tussling with the title fighters
for the opening half of the
race. While Jones wouldn’t earn
a second-career win nearly a
decade after taking his first,
he did give the home state fans
plenty to cheer about en route
to a top-five result.
Behind, Travis Petton IV
(No. 82 ECG Racing/A.M Ortega
KTM 450 SX-F) came home sixth
with Hunter Bauer
(No. 24 Vinson
Construction/American
Harley-Davidson Yamaha YZ450F),
Jared Lowe (No.
63 BigR/Little Debbie Racing
Honda CRF450R), Tarren
Santero (No. 75 Vinson
Construction/P&M Motorcycles
Honda CRF450R), and Evan
Renshaw (No. 265
American Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R) completing the top ten.
Kopp continues his march towards
an unprecedented third Parts
Unlimited AFT Singles title. He
now leads by 26 points – more
than a full race haul – over
second-ranked Saathoff
(158-132). Drane is third at
126, followed by Lowe with 108.
Next Up:
Progressive American Flat Track
will be right back in action
next weekend with the
Bridgeport Half-Mile at Bridgeport
Speedway in Swedesboro,
New Jersey, on Saturday, June
22. Visit
https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/bridgeport-half-mile-86133
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 Orange County
Half-Mile, featuring
in-depth features and thrilling
onboard cameras, will premiere
on FS1 on
Sunday, June 23,
at 12:00 p.m. ET
(9:00 a.m. PT).
For more information on
Progressive AFT visit
https://www.americanflattrack.com.
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