DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(June 25, 2024) – The
2024 Progressive
American Flat Track season,
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing, kicks off its
second half with the fabled
Lima Half-Mile presented
by Indian Motorcycle and Drag
Specialties at the
Allen County
Fairgrounds in Lima,
Ohio on Saturday, June 29.
The opening half of the ‘24
season makes for a fascinating
showdown this weekend,
especially when considered in
conjunction with past history at
Lima.
Three of the four leaders in the
ongoing Mission AFT
SuperTwins title fight
have taken multiple race wins at
the Lima Half-Mile. That list is
headed by nine-time
Grand National Champion,
Jared Mees (No.
1 Rogers Racing/SDI
Racing/Indian Motorcycle
FTR750), who boasts five prior
victories in the race, the first
of which came 19 years ago
today.
Meanwhile, two-time class champ
Briar Bauman
(No. 3 Rick Ware
Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790
Duke) has taken three Lima
Half-Mile wins on three
different makes of equipment.
His first came in 2017 on a
Kawasaki, his second in 2021 on
a factory Indian, and last year
saw him claim KTM’s maiden
twin-cylinder victory in the
premier class.
And it’s best not to overlook
Brandon Robinson
(No. 44 Mission Roof Systems
Indian FTR750), as he’s
repeatedly demonstrated with his
class-leading three race wins in
2024, the most recent coming
just days ago. Robinson also
happens to be a two-time winner
at Lima, including just two
years ago.
That leaves Dallas
Daniels (No. 32
Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07
DT), the current Mission AFT
SuperTwins championship leader,
as the sole rider among the four
leading contenders without a
Lima Half-Mile victory to his
name. However, a closer
inspection shows that in his two
attempts, he’s twice been the
fast qualifier and he’s twice
finished a fighting second. With
a perfect podium record on the
line and driven by the sting
that accompanies a defeat of
0.086 seconds this past weekend,
Daniels is as strong a bet as
any to stand atop the podium
this weekend.
Can any of the remainder of a
stacked field mix it up with
Mees, Bauman, Robinson, and
Daniels this weekend?
Brandon Price (No. 92
Memphis Shades/Sody Ent/OTBR
Yamaha MT-07), Davis
Fisher (No. 67 Rackley
Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing
Indian FTR750), Jarod
Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC
Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio
Indian FTR750), and
Bronson Bauman (No. 37
Fastrack Racing Mission Foods
KTM 790 Duke) have all shown the
capacity to do so on numerous
occasions in the past and all
four are eager to do so again
as soon as is humanly possible.
Meanwhile, Trevor
Brunner (No. 21 Mission
Foods/Zanotti Racing Indian
FTR750), Dan Bromley (No.
62 Memphis Shades/Vinson/Al
Lamb’s Dallas Honda Transalp),
Declan Bender
(No. 70
GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin
Trucking Indian FTR750), and
Cameron Smith
(No. 34 RVR/KTM/Schaefer’s
Motorsport KTM 790 Duke)
continue to gather the
experience and data necessary to
break into the top five on any
given weekend.
Two riders who have already done
so this season – Billy
Ross (No. 29 Mission
Foods/Digitale Kawasaki Ninja
650) and Dalton Gauthier
(No. 79 Moto Anatomy X Powered
by Royal Enfield 650) – will
look to do so again, and at the
same track where Johnny
Lewis raced the Royal
Enfield Twins FT to victory in
the Mission Production
Twins class in 2021.
Parts Unlimited AFT
Singles presented by KICKER
Can anyone hope to contain the
surging Kody Kopp
(No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts
Plus KTM 450 SX-F) this weekend?
Not only is Kopp the reigning
two-time defending Parts
Unlimited AFT Singles presented
by KICKER champion. Not
only is Kopp the class’ all-time
winningest rider and co-leader
in the Half-Mile discipline
specifically. And not only is
Kopp currently riding a
three-race win streak; he also
happens to have dominated the
previous two visits to Lima,
claiming blowout victories in
both 2022 and 2023.
Title hopefuls Chase
Saathoff (No. 88 JPG
Motorsports Honda CRF450R),
Tom Drane (No.
59 Estenson Racing Yamaha
YZ450F), and Trent Lowe
(No. 48 American Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R) are all desperate
to snap Kopp’s winning streak
and shift the momentum in their
direction as the season heads
down its second half.
Meanwhile, James Ott (No.
19 1st Impressions Race Team
Husqvarna FC450) flashed last
year’s frontrunning form at the
Bridgeport Half-Mile and may at
last be ready to challenge for
wins, particularly at a circuit
where he landed on the podium a
year ago.
Young guns Tarren
Santero (No. 75 Vinson
Construction/P&M Motorcycles
Honda CRF450R), Travis
Petton IV (No. 82 ECG
Racing/A.M Ortega KTM 450 SX-F),
Logan Eisenhard
(No. 66 Hannum’s Harley-Davidson
KTM 450 SX-F), Tyler
Raggio (No. 55 Raggio
Racing/Sluggo Racing KTM 450
SX-F), and Evan Renshaw
(No. 265 American Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R) are all primed to
make a splash at any moment.
And how about the possibility of
a resurgent ride on the part of
Shayna Texter-Bauman
(No. 52 Rick Ware Racing/Parts
Plus KTM 450 SX-F)? With two
previous Lima Half-Mile
victories to her name,
Texter-Bauman could reclaim a
piece of the all-time wins lead
and retake sole possession at
the top of the Half-Mile wins
list with a third Lima HM win
this weekend.
There will be plenty to keep
spectators entertained off the
track as well, including live
music courtesy of Gypsy
Kyngs, a bouncy house
for kids, numerous vendors,
plenty of food and beverage
options, and extensive
motorcycle parking.
Additionally, flat track fans
can head out to the track a day
early to watch the amateur
racing scheduled for Friday,
June 28, from 11:00 a.m. ET
(8:00 a.m. PT) until 7:00 p.m.
ET (4:00 p.m. PT), free of
admission. Following the race
action, Angels of
Dirt will be shown
on the Jumbotron starting at
approximately 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00
p.m. PT).
Today is the final day to save
$10 on tickets, with all prices
set to increase to their
standard rate on Wednesday, June
26. If you act fast,
General Admission Bleacher tickets
remain just $30 (kids 12 and
under free with paid adult
ticket), Reserved
Grandstand tickets are
$35 (All Ages), Premier
Reserved Grandstand
tickets only $40 (All Ages), and
the new VIP
tickets, which provides access
to the VIP trailer, are $125
(All Ages). The Pit Pass
Upgrade ($40 for
adults, $20 for kids in general
admission, and free for kids
with reserved seating tickets)
provides all-day access to the
pit area.
Visit
https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/lima-half-mile-87016
to reserve your seats today.
Gates will open for fans at 2:30
p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. PT) with
Opening Ceremonies scheduled to
begin at 6:40 p.m. ET (3:40 p.m.
PT). You can catch the
livestream of all the weekend’s
racing activities on
FloRacing. 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.
FOX Sports coverage
of the Lima Half-Mile,
featuring in-depth features and
thrilling onboard cameras, will
premiere on FS1
on Saturday, July 6,
at 10:00 a.m. ET
(7:00 a.m. PT).
For more information on
Progressive AFT visit
https://www.americanflattrack.com.
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