DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(July 2, 2024) – Ten
rounds into the 2024
Progressive American Flat Track season,
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing, the series at
last prepares to do battle on a
Mile racetrack – the
Memphis Shades DuQuoin Mile at
the DuQuoin State
Fairgrounds in DuQuoin,
Illinois, this Saturday, July 6.
The world’s elite motorcycle
dirt trackers dicing it up on a
Mile is widely recognized as one
of the greatest spectacles in
all of motorsport. A unique test
of pace, courage, and strategy,
Mile nationals are commonly
decided by mere inches despite
being waged at triple-digits
speeds.
The DuQuoin Mile is considered
special even inside its
category. Known as the “Magic
Mile,” DuQuoin has played host
to a some of the most legendary
and thrilling races in
Grand National Championship
history.
And this Independence Day
weekend’s atmosphere is destined
to be that much more electric,
as Saturday’s Progressive AFT
event will conclude a full week
of competition that will also
crown this year’s amateur
national champions during the
2024 Mission Foods AMA
Flat Track Grand Championship, sanctioned
by the American
Motorcyclist Association
from June 30-July 6.
Progressive American Flat Track
has its resident Mile magician
in Jared Mees
(No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI
Racing/Indian Motorcycle
FTR750). The nine-time and
reigning Mission AFT
SuperTwins king has won
an astonishing 17 of the most
recent 24 premier-class Miles
dating back over the previous
five seasons.
That includes last year’s
DuQuoin Mile, which saw Mees
avenge his 2015 defeat to
Bryan Smith in
the closest race the series has
ever seen, decided by an
official 0.000 seconds. Last
year’s contest was nearly as
close, with Mees taking top
honors over Brandon
Robinson (No. 44
Mission Roof Systems Indian
FTR750) (0.033 seconds),
Dallas Daniels (No. 32
Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT)
(0.097 seconds), and
Briar Bauman (No. 3
Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus
KTM 790 Duke) (0.160 seconds).
There’s a lesson in there for
Estenson Racing Yamaha star
Daniels, who comes in with a
21-point advantage, a perfect
podium record on the season, and
fresh off a dominant victory at
the Lima Half-Mile. He fully
understands that if he doesn’t
play his cards just right this
weekend, he could potentially
see that hard-earned points lead
eaten into and his podium streak
snapped, even if he manages to
finish just a fraction of a
second behind the winner.
The Indian-mounted Mees and
Robinson will both be looking to
make that possibility a reality,
while Bauman will be motivated
to showcase the prodigious
top-end speed of his KTM after
using it to such good effect in
the 2023 season finale at
Springfield, the last time the
field lined up for a Mile.
If a genuine pack war is to take
hold, it’ll likely include some
or all of the following
premier-class standouts:
Brandon Price (No. 92
Memphis Shades/Sody Ent/OTBR
Yamaha MT-07), Jarod
Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC
Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio
Indian FTR750), Davis
Fisher (No. 67 Rackley
Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing
Indian FTR750), Dan
Bromley (No. 62 Memphis
Shades/Vinson/Al Lamb’s Dallas
Honda Transalp), and
Bronson Bauman (No. 37
Fastrack Racing Mission Foods
KTM 790 Duke).
It’ll also provide a
high-profile stage for rookies
Trevor Brunner
(No. 21 Mission Foods/Zanotti
Racing KTM 790 Duke) and
Declan Bender (No. 70
GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin
Trucking Indian FTR750) to
continue to prove their skills
at the pinnacle of the sport.
Parts Unlimited AFT
Singles presented by KICKER
As stunning as last year’s
Mission AFT SuperTwins Main
Event may have been, the
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles
presented by KICKER race at
the DuQuoin Mile was even
tighter. Six riders took the
checkered flag within 0.262
seconds of the win, and even a
tenth of a second behind first
was too much for a rider hoping
to finish on the box.
The winner on that day was
Tom Drane (No.
59 Estenson Racing Yamaha
YZ450F), who comes in riding
high after also claiming top
honors just days ago in Ohio.
With big skills and light
weight, Drane has immediately
proven to be a monster on the
Miles, a reputation he’ll only
hope to enhance this weekend.
That combination will present
quite the challenge for two-time
defending class champion,
Kody Kopp (No.
1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus
KTM 450 SX-F). Kopp will no
doubt be eager to start up
another win streak after seeing
his three-race run snapped this
past weekend. While the bulk of
Kopp’s victories have come on
Half-Miles and Short Tracks, he
made it his mission to win a
Mile and accomplished that feat
in last year’s
Springfield Mile I.
He’ll also be motivated by the
fact that he left DuQuoin last
year with just a fifth-place
result despite crossing the line
a mere 0.106 seconds after
Drane.
Another rider seeking revenge is
Chase Saathoff (No.
88 JPG Motorsports Honda
CRF450R), who finished second to
Drane by 0.011 seconds here a
year ago. Saathoff is on
something of a roll, having
reeled in four consecutive
podiums, along with six top
threes in his last seven races.
As good as his form has been,
his goal remains to transform
more of those seconds and thirds
into firsts.
The same can be said for
fourth-ranked Trent Lowe
(No. 48 American Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R), who finished
third at DuQuoin in ‘23 and
earned a win in last year’s Red
Mile.
James Ott (No.
19 1st Impressions Race Team
Husqvarna FC450) continues to
head up the next group, which
consists of fellow California
natives Travis Petton IV
(No. 82 ECG Racing/A.M Ortega
KTM 450 SX-F), Tarren
Santero (No. 75 Vinson
Construction/P&M Motorcycles
Honda CRF450R), and
Tyler Raggio (No. 55
Raggio Racing/Sluggo Racing KTM
450 SX-F), along will
up-and-coming Pennsylvanians
Logan Eisenhard
(No. 66 Hannum’s Harley-Davidson
KTM 450 SX-F) and Evan
Renshaw (No. 265
American Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R). However, if he
continues at his more recent
pace, Ott will find himself
instead considered a member of
the top group, having scooped up
three top fives in his last four
races.
There will be plenty to keep
spectators entertained off track
as well, including numerous
vendors, plenty of food and
beverage options, and extensive
motorcycle parking.
General Admission
Grandstand tickets can
be purchased for $30 (kids 12
and under free with a paid adult
GA ticket), while
Reserved Grandstand
tickets are $40 (all ages). The
Pit Pass Upgrade
can be added to either option
for $40 ($20 for kids).
New for 2024 is the
Opening Ceremonies Trackside Fan
Experience ($150 all
ages). This ticket option
provides reserved seating with
Pit Pass access, a guided tour
of, and photo opportunities at,
the infield podium and
start/finish line, infield
viewing of Opening Ceremonies
and the heat races, and a track
talk and photo opportunity with
2016 Grand National Champion
Bryan Smith.
Visit
https://www.tixr.com/groups/trackenterprises/events/duquoin-mile-2024-80042
to reserve your seats today.
Gates will open for fans at 4:00
p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT) with
Opening Ceremonies scheduled to
begin at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 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 Memphis Shades
DuQuoin Mile, featuring
in-depth features and thrilling
onboard cameras, will premiere
on FS1 on
Sunday, July 14,
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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