DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(June 22, 2024) – Brandon
Robinson (No. 44
Mission Roof Systems Indian
FTR750) served up a timely
reminder that remains a genuine
contender for this season’s
Grand National
Championship with an
inspired performance in the
Arai Bridgeport
Half-Mile presented by Drag
Specialties, Round 8 of
the 2024 Progressive
American Flat Track
season, sanctioned by
AMA Pro Racing.
And his victory at
Bridgeport Speedway in
Swedesboro, New Jersey, couldn’t
have come under much more
demanding circumstances, with
Mission AFT SuperTwins title
leader Dallas Daniels
(No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha
MT-07 DT) breathing down his
neck and desperate to fight
through after charging his way
forward the bottom of the top
ten.
Earlier, Daniels had made quick
work of a big swath of riders to
slot ahead of Briar
Bauman (No. 3 Rick Ware
Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790
Duke) and into fourth.
Meanwhile, Robinson was busy
clearing off in front as
Jarod Vanderkooi (No.
20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford
Ohio Indian FTR750) and
Jared Mees (No. 1
Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian
Motorcycle FTR750) scraped it
out for second.
Once Daniels worked past
Vanderkooi, he and Mees prodded
each other forward, closing the
gap back to first position in
the process. Mees would
eventually fall off that chase,
but Daniels would not. He
successfully reeled in Robinson
and then slung his Estenson
Racing Yamaha into first with
approximately half of the Main
Event still to go.
However, in his bid to break
free in first, Daniels ran wide,
providing Robinson with a golden
opportunity to reclaim the
position. Daniels proceeded to
stalk the Mission Roof Systems
rider from that point forward,
but his intended quarry had an
answer for every late-race
attempt to snatch away the win.
Robinson’s triumph saw him
become the first rider to claim
a third win this season just as
it reached its halfway point. It
also catapulted him ahead of
Mees and into second in the
points, some 14 back of title
leader Daniels (170-156).
Robinson, who originally hails
from nearby Oxford,
Pennsylvania, said, “This is
awesome. That’s the stuff dreams
are made of right there. It’s
just awesome to have my parents,
my grandparents, my
mother-in-law, my wife’s family,
and all our friends here. That
means the world to me. This win
is my favorite right now. A
super huge thank you to Jerry
Stinchfield with Roof Systems
and Juan Gonzalez at Mission
Foods. Without those guys, this
program wouldn’t be possible…
Third win of the season? Let’s
keep this ball rolling.”
Mees managed to hold off Bauman
to earn the final spot on the
podium despite still riding at
less than 100% after getting
beaten up in a mountain bike
crash suffered a little over a
week earlier.
Vanderkooi was a late-race DNF,
allowing Davis Fisher
(No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob
Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian
FTR750) to break into the top
five.
He was followed by
Brandon Price (No. 92
Memphis Shades/Corbin/OTBR
Yamaha MT-07), rookies
Trevor Brunner (No. 21
Mission Foods/Zanotti Racing
Indian FTR750) and
Declan Bender (No. 70
GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin
Trucking Indian FTR750), and
Bronson Bauman
(No. 37 Fastrack Racing Mission
Foods KTM 790 Duke).
Tenth place went to
Dalton Gauthier (No. 79
Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal
Enfield 650), who added a second
top-ten result to his stint with
Royal Enfield after earning the
squad its first premier-class
podium last weekend.
Parts Unlimited AFT
Singles presented by KICKER
There was hardly a moment to
catch a breath while witnessing
the latest masterpiece of double
defending Parts
Unlimited AFT Singles presented
by KICKER champion
Kody Kopp (No.
1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus
KTM 450 SX-F) take shape under
the lights of Bridgeport
Speedway.
Returning to a venue where he
finished outside the top five a
year ago, Kopp once again looked
more like an interested observer
than a potential winner for a
significant portion of the
contest. While the Rick Ware
Racing ace spent much of his
race swapping position with
Trent Lowe (No.
48 American Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R) and James Ott (No.
19 1st Impressions Race Team
Husqvarna FC450) over third,
last year’s winner, Tom
Drane (No. 59 Estenson
Racing Yamaha YZ450F), traded
haymakers and handlebars with
Chase Saathoff (No.
88 JPG Motorsports Honda
CRF450R) as they waged war for
first.
But with two minutes remaining,
Kopp turned up the heat and
closed in on that fight. He then
made his move to steal away the
lead with less than a minute
remaining and carried that
momentum forward to a
0.703-second margin of victory
over runner-up Drane.
The win was not only Kopp’s
third in succession, it was the
20th of his Progressive AFT
career, handing him sole
possession of the all-time
victory mark in the category.
He said, “That’s why we train
through the week because that’s
the hardest I’ve ever pushed on
a flat track bike. I had a big
moment when I was back in third
watching Tom and Chase duke it
out, and they were going at it.
I thought I had no chance. I had
a big moment and almost
highsided. But this one is huge
to come from that far back. Wow.
Big thanks to my dad for always
being there. This is an awesome
one to get 20 career wins. And
thanks to everyone behind me.
This one means a lot to them and
to me.”
Saathoff finished third less
than a second off the win, while
Ott and Lowe settled into fourth
and fifth respectively after
factoring into the podium mix
until the waning stages of the
race.
Logan Eisenhard
(No. 66 Hannum’s Harley-Davidson
KTM 450 SX-F) registered his
third finish of sixth or better,
while Tyler Raggio
(No. 55 Raggio Racing/Sluggo
Racing KTM 450 SX-F),
Hunter Bauer (No. 24
Vinson Construction/American
Harley-Davidson Yamaha YZ450F),
Aiden RoosEvans
(No. 26 FRA Trust/ATV’s and More
Yamaha YZ450F), and
Tarren Santero (No. 75
Vinson Construction/P&M
Motorcycles Honda CRF450R)
completed the top ten.
The rolling Kopp now boasts a
commanding 33-point advantage
over Saathoff (183-150) in his
quest for an unprecedented third
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles
crown. Drane is another three
points back in third with 147.
Next Up:
Progressive American Flat Track
completes its run of three
Half-Miles in as many weeks with
the fabled Lima Half-Mile at the
Allen County
Fairgrounds in Lima,
Ohio on Saturday, June 29. Visit
https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/lima-half-mile-87016
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 Arai Bridgeport
Half-Mile presented by Drag
Specialties, featuring
in-depth features and thrilling
onboard cameras, will premiere
on FS1 on
Saturday, June 29,
at 2:00 p.m. ET
(11:00 a.m. PT).
For more information on
Progressive AFT visit
https://www.americanflattrack.com.
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