DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla.
(August 19,
2026) – The
championship is
on the line as
the KICKER AFT
Singles
competitors
arrive in
Peoria,
Illinois, for
the 79th World
Famous
Caterpillar
Peoria TT
presented by
Walters Brothers
Harley-Davidson
at the Peoria
Motorcycle Club
on Saturday,
August 22.
The world’s
elite 450cc
motorcycle dirt
track pilots
will battle each
other around
right- and
left-hand turns
and over jumps,
with the
visceral
moment-to-moment
action and
overarching
season goals
combining to
create a most
compelling draw
for the 14th
round of the
2026 Progressive
American Flat
Track season,
sanctioned by
AMA Pro Racing.
The Best
Revenge
Defending KICKER
AFT Singles
champion Tom
Drane (No. 1
Estenson Racing
Yamaha YZ450F)
enters this
weekend in
Peoria following
a dreadful week
of racing in
Sturgis that saw
him hit with his
worst
back-to-back
finishes since
early his rookie
season.
And that’s not
all that hit
him. The
Australian’s dip
in results came
after being
taken out while
leading the
Caterpillar
Jackpine Gypsies
Super TT. He
then hit the
ground again two
days later after
getting caught
between two
competitors as
they all sought
the same real
estate off the
start of the
Caterpillar
Jackpine Gypsies
Short Track.
As a result, he
was forced to
run up through
the field from
the back of the
grid following
both restarts,
winding up with
10th-and
7th-place
finishes.
A small positive
was that 10th
was elevated to
a 9th after
archrival Chase
Saathoff (No. 88
1st Impressions
Race Team
Husqvarna FC450)
was disqualified
for having taken
Drane out. A
larger negative
was that Drane
himself was hit
with a
five-point
penalty after
banging into the
back of
Saathoff’s rear
wheel out of
frustration when
it was all
over.
However, that
penalty wasn’t
big enough to
prevent Drane
from taking out
his frustrations
in a more
productive
manner this
weekend.
Despite the
subtraction, he
still holds a
42-point
advantage over
second-ranked
Saathoff. Drane
already has the
tiebreaker in
hand, which
means if he
leaves Peoria
with that lead
expanded by just
four points,
he’ll have
secured his
second
consecutive
KICKER AFT
Singles
championship.
Incidentally,
the difference
between first-
and second-place
is four points.
So if Drane wins
this year’s
Caterpillar
Peoria TT – as
he did by more
than eight
seconds a year
ago – the rising
star will lock
this one up two
rounds early.
It’ll also give
him a strong
case to be
rewarded with a
Mission AFT
SuperTwins wild
card ride at the
Caterpillar
Springfield Mile
I & II double
finale.
There should be
no lack of
motivation.
Standing
in the Way
The flip side to
that is Saathoff
knows exactly
what he must do
to make certain
he keeps his
vanishingly slim
title hopes
alive to the
finale: win.
Drane’s ‘25
victory at the
circuit was no
doubt made
easier by the
fact that
Saathoff was
absent after
suffering an
injury during
qualifying. And
he would have
been a threat;
the Illinois
native had just
posted the
fastest time of
the session when
he was thrown
from his machine
attempting to
land the jump.
Now fully
healthy and with
his own source
of motivation,
Saathoff
responded to his
Sturgis DQ by
scoring his
first win of the
season two days
later.
He’ll look to
carry those
winning ways
forward at the
same Peoria
racetrack where
he took top
honors in 2024
following an
intense battle
with
then-champion
Kody Kopp and
future-champion
Drane.
Signing
Off
So long as he’s
sufficiently
recovered from
the qualifying
spill that ruled
him out at the
Caterpillar
Jackpine Gypsies
Super TT, Jesse
Janisch (No. 33
American
Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R)
will line up for
what’s being
billed the final
Progressive AFT
race of his
career.
If that holds
true, Janisch
can be proud of
his sparkling
record, which is
highlighted by
the 2022 Mission
AFT Production
Twins title but
spread out
across many
classes and
years.
Along with his
successful title
run, Janisch
will be
remembered as
one of the
all-time KICKER
AFT Singles TT
greats – a
discipline in
which he leads
all riders with
six career
victories… and a
certified Peoria
TT superstar.
Janisch has won
four races at
the venue –
three in KICKER
AFT Singles
competition
(2015, 2017, and
2018) along with
last year’s AFT
AdventureTrackers
Main Event.
Still plenty
quick and with a
huge edge in
experience,
it’ll be
interesting to
see how the
young lions of
the class match
up with a
returning (and
exiting) Peoria
grand master.
Dark
Horses
A couple other
riders have
shown they have
what it takes to
fight up front
this weekend.
Trevor Brunner
(No. 21 JMC
Motorsports/Fairway
GMC KTM 450
SX-F) won in a
wild one here in
2023, edging
Drane and Kopp
to the checkered
flag. He also
finished as last
year’s runner-up
and earlier
earned a podium
in 2022, when he
finished third.
Brunner’s first
week of action
on the JMC
Motorsports KTM
signaled a
return to form,
a fact that
makes him a
contender of
note this
weekend.
And Tarren
Santero (No. 75
Roof
Systems/Texas
Utility
Studies/Vinson
Construction
Honda CRF450R)
has also shown
well here in the
past. He rounded
out the podium
in 2025 after
finishing fourth
in 2024.
But podiums are
no longer the
goal – Santero
has racked up
his share of
those these past
three seasons;
it’s that maiden
win that’s
overdue.
Wizards
of Oz
Drane isn’t the
only Australian
with their sights
set on
the top step
of the podium
this weekend.
Two others are
set to join the
mix, one whose Peoria potential
is proven, the
other’s whose is
projected.
Max Whale
(No. 18 Australian
Road
Services/Heaton
Plant &
Pipeline KTM 450
SX-F) is set to
make
his first Progressive AFT
appearance of
the season after
taking a step
away following
a decorated near-decade
long stint in
the series from
2018-2025. During
that time, Whale
finished as
KICKER AFT
Singles runner-up twice
while scoring nine
victories along
the way.
Two of those
wins came at the
Peoria TT,
and he
underlined his
expertise at
the venue with a
top five in last
year’s Mission
AFT SuperTwins
Main Event.
Whale will
be joined by
young charger
Bodie
Paige (No. 165 American Honda/RWR/BA
Ranch Honda
CRF450R), who has
not only
finished on the
podium in all
three of
his prior KICKER AFT
Singles starts, he’s also
spent the
season winning
races in
MotoAmerica Twins Cup
action.
Paige, who
followed Dallas
Daniels to
become just the
second-ever
winner of the
Nicky Hayden AMA
Horizon Award in
both flat track
and road racing,
should be able
to put that
unique blend of
abilities to
good use in
Peoria.
Time to
Step Up
Meanwhile, the
field is full of
young chargers
who have yet to
taste
significant
success at the
fabled race. No
doubt they’ll
look to do just
that this
weekend.
Four-time KICKER
AFT Singles
winner Kage
Tadman (No. 28
American
Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R),
DAYTONA winner
Bradon Pfanders
(No. 83 Memphis
Shades/Corbin
Seats Yamaha
YZ450F), and
Caterpillar
Jackpine Gypsies
Super TT winner
Evan Kelleher
(No. 31
Schaeffer's
Motorsports KTM
450 SX-F) have
shown they’ve
got what it
takes to stand
atop the
podium.
Meanwhile, the
likes of Walker
Porter (No. 10
American
Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R),
Jared Lowe (No.
63 Big R
Racing/Vinson
Construction
Honda CRF450R),
and Jack Brucks
(No. 113 1st
Impressions Race
Team Husqvarna
FC450) are
hungry to do the
same.
Dan
Bromley AFT
ProSport 450
Invitational
This weekend,
Progressive AFT
will pay further
tribute to the
late Dan
Bromley, a
two-time
national
champion who was
cherished for
his generosity
and spirit as
much as his
talent and
speed.
The series will
do so by hosting
the Dan Bromley
AFT ProSport 450
Invitational as
part of
Saturday’s race
activities at
the Caterpillar
Peoria TT.
Invitations have
been extended to
riders who
earned AFT Pro
Sport licenses
through the Road
to AFT Program
during the 2026
season, and
they’ll be
racing with a
$4000 purse on
the line.
The entry
list is a who’s
who of highly
rated amateurs,
including AFT
ProSport
450 race
winners Sam
Drane (No. 7
Estenson Racing
Yamaha
YZ450F), Adam
Costan-Wood (No.
88 Turner Racing
Honda
CRF450R), and Bayne
Nantz (No. 313
Nantz Bros
Racing KTM 450
SX-F),
among several other
podium
finishers.
The future stars
of the sport
will need to
give it their
all to properly
honor the legacy
of Bromley, who
won the 2021
Mission AFT
Productions
Twins race in
Peoria.
They will, and
Bromley – who
dedicated
himself to
helping prepare
the next
generation of
racers prior to
his passing –
would have no
doubt been proud
of their
efforts.
The
Amphitheater
Awaits
Beyond the 79th
running of one
of the most
thrilling and
historic
motorcycle races
on the planet,
those in
attendance will
also be treated
to a Saturday
afternoon of
entertainment
highlighted by a
range of
vendors,
expansive food
and beverage
options, and
dedicated
motorcycle
parking.
Mark Ramsey and
Eric “Digger”
Manes, stars of
the hit
television show
Moonshiners,
will be on site
to serve as
Grand Marshals
to underline the
celebratory
nature of the
event.
General
Admission
tickets are just
$30 (kids 12 and
under free with
a paid adult GA
ticket).
For $125 (all
ages), fans can
purchase a VIP
ticket, which
includes
admission to the
Turn 1 VIP
lounge – located
in
an air-conditioned building
that overlooks
the entire track
– food and
beverage, a swag
bag, and VIP
parking.
And for $135
(all ages),
H.O.G. members
can enjoy the
Harley-Davidson
VIP Experience,
which provides
dedicated H.O.G.
parking and an
exclusive
seating section,
a guided tour of
the infield
podium and
start/finish
line, photo ops
included, a
meet-and-greet
with the
Harley-Davidson
riders, and
exclusive
swag.
Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/peoriamotorcycleclub/events/2025-peoria-tt-129191 to
secure your
tickets today.
Gates will open
at 9:00 a.m.
ET/6:00 a.m. PT
with Opening
Ceremonies
scheduled to
begin at 3:00
p.m. ET/12:00
p.m. PT.
How to
Watch
FloRacing
For those that
can’t catch the
live action at
the track,
FloRacing is the
live streaming
home of
Progressive
American Flat
Track.
Motorsports fans
can subscribe to
FloRacing to
enjoy over 1,000
live motorsports
events in 2026.
FloSports is
available by
visiting https://flosports.link/AFT2026 or
by downloading
the FloSports
app on iOS,
Android, Apple
TV, Roku, Amazon
Fire and
Chromecast.
FS1
FOX Sports
coverage of the
World Famous
Caterpillar
Peoria TT,
featuring
in-depth
features and
thrilling
onboard cameras,
will premiere on
FS1 on Sunday,
August 30, at
12:00 p.m. ET
(9:00 a.m. PT).
The full listing
of American Flat
Track’s
television
premieres can be
found at https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports.
