DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(June 28, 2022) – Progressive
American Flat is
destined to deliver fireworks at
the Mission New York
Short Track presented by Mad Max
Indian Motorcycle as
the series arrives at
Weedsport Speedway in
Weedsport, New York, for an
Independence Day weekend
showdown on Saturday, July 2.
It’s been an explosive season to
date in the Mission
SuperTwins presented by S&S
Cycle class with
renewed parity and
unpredictability. Still less
than halfway through the
campaign, the premier class has
already witnessed five different
winners across two manufacturers
and three teams, while nine
different riders and four
different makes have been
represented on the podium.
As much as some things may have
changed, reigning champion
Jared Mees (No.
1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive
Insurance FTR750) remains atop
the pecking order, holding both
the points lead and bragging
rights as the only rider to
score more than one win this
season. Mees enters the New York
Short Track with two prior wins
at the 3/8-mile circuit,
including a critical victory
that helped kickstart his
late-season flurry to take back
the crown a year ago.
That said, he’s been under
intense pressure on multiple
fronts, not the least of which
coming from the Estenson Racing
Yamaha duo of Dallas
Daniels (No. 32
Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT)
and JD Beach
(No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha
MT-07 DT), who went 1-2 the last
time the series visited a Short
Track. Daniels is only growing
in strength and looks more and
more like a genuine title threat
each successive week. Beach
isn’t far behind and still has
some of his best tracks ahead.
Two-time class champion
Briar Bauman (No. 3
Indian Motorcycle/Progressive
Insurance FTR750) is still very
much in the mix as well.
Currently ranked third in the
points, Bauman is in something
of a wins drought by his high
standards, going winless since
reigning supreme in the ‘22
season opener. Furthermore, that
opening-night triumph stands as
his only victory over the last
15 races, dating back to just
before last year’s New York
Short Track. Bauman is
motivated, talented, and
determined, not to mention a
past winner at Weedsport, which
could make him an extremely
formidable contender this
weekend.
Of course, there’s also last
weekend’s winner,
Brandon Robinson (No.
44 Mission Roof Systems Indian
FTR750), who appears to be
finding his footing at just the
right time. He leads a group of
‘22 podium finishers ranked just
behind the top four that also
includes Bronson Bauman
(No. 37 Latus Motors Racing
Harley-Davidson XG750R),
Jarod Vanderkooi (No.
20 Mission Roof Systems Indian
FTR750), and Davis
Fisher (No. 67 Bob
Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian
FTR750).
And don’t forget about
Sammy Halbert (No. 69
Mission Roof Systems Indian
FTR750), who will be making one
of his select appearances this
season at Weedsport. Halbert
showed plenty of pace at Laconia
and split the wins with Mees
here a year ago, and thus,
should not be underestimated.
Mission Production Twins
presented by Vance & Hines
The Mission Production
Twins presented by Vance &
Hines championship is
fast taking shape as a two-man
race featuring points leader
Jesse Janisch
(No. 33 Vance & Hines
Harley-Davidson XG750R) and
defending champ Cory
Texter (No. 1 G&G
Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha
MT-07).
They’ve been nearly perfectly
matched with both owning a pair
of wins, while Janisch holds a
slight podium advantage (6-5) to
go along with his one-point
title lead. Janisch has been on
an incredible roll, racking up
five consecutive finishes of
first or second, while Texter
finally unleashed his most
convincing effort of the season
last weekend at Lima.
With Janisch out of the series
completely before getting an
opportunity to ride as a sub
late last year and Texter in the
midst of his farewell season,
either rider would make a most
deserving and compelling
champion.
A wild card will be thrown into
the mix this weekend as 2020
class champ James
Rispoli (No. 43 Wally
Brown Racing/Haversack KTM 890
Duke) will be back in action.
The WBR KTM 890 Duke proved
itself a race winner straight
out of the gate at the Red Mile.
It’ll be interesting to see how
it fares this weekend on a Short
Track.
Several other riders could have
their say as well, including the
on-form Billy Ross (No.
109 Mission Foods/Roof Systems
Harley-Davidson XG750R),
Cameron Smith (No. 34
Thee Cathy Gray/Al Barker Yamaha
MT-07), Ben Lowe
(No. 25 Mission Foods/Roof
Systems Yamaha MT-07), and
Johnny Lewis
(No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered
by Royal Enfield 650).
Parts Unlimited AFT
Singles presented by KICKER
Kody Kopp (No.
12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
450 SX-FFE) has been nearly
unstoppable in the two most
recent Parts Unlimited
AFT Singles presented by KICKER races,
barely providing his rivals a
turn in the spotlight as he’s
conquered practices, qualifying
sessions, Semis, and Main Events
alike.
Kopp now owns over half of the
season’s race wins (four of
seven) and is threatening to
build up an unassailable points
gap if his challengers don’t
find a way to counter him and
soon.
Morgen Mischler (No.
13 American Honda/Progressive
Insurance CRF450R) stands as the
only rider within even a
two-race margin of Kopp. The
Honda ace is due for a
bounce-back effort after logging
an eighth and seventh during
Kopp’s last two dominant
outings. Fortunately for
Mischler, he won here a year ago
and could desperately use a
repeat performance right about
now.
Mischler’s teammate,
Dalton Gauthier (No. 79
American Honda/Progressive
Insurance CRF450R), is ranked
third and also stands as a
former winner of the New York
Short Track.
While Kopp, Mischler, and
Gauthier are the only winners in
the field thus far this season,
a number of others have what it
takes to join those ranks,
including Trent Lowe
(No. 48 Mission Foods/Al Lamb’s
Dallas Honda CRF450R),
Max Whale (No. 18 Red
Bull KTM Factory Racing 450
SX-FFE), Trevor Brunner (No.
21 Estenson Racing Yamaha
YZ450F), and Chase
Saathoff (No. 106
American Honda/Progressive
Insurance CRF450R).
There will be plenty to keep
fans entertained off the track
as well, including numerous
vendors, a variety of food and
beverage options, and the Kids
Zone. Chasing Neon
will entertain with its eclectic
mix of live party music that
ranges from country to classic
rock and everything in between,
while Rich the Magic Man
will be performing the illusions
that have made him Rochester’s
most amazing and engaging
magician for over 30 years.
Finally, the evening will be
topped off by a Independence Day
weekend fireworks display.
Visit
https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3764/
to reserve your tickets today.
General Admission
Grandstand tickets are
available for just $25 in
advance with kids 12 and under
free when accompanied by an
adult. Premium General
Admission, VIP
Experience, and
Indoor Box Suite ticketing
options are also available for
purchase.
Paddock Access Upgrades
are also available for purchase,
which provide all-day access to
the pits where fans can scope
out the world’s fastest dirt
track motorcycles and get up
close and personal with the
stars of the sport.
Gates will open for fans at 3:30
p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT with
Opening Ceremonies scheduled to
begin at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m.
PT ahead of the day’s Main Event
program. You can catch the
livestream of all the weekend’s
racing activities on
FansChoice.tv.
FansChoice.tv provides
free-to-view livestreaming of
Practice and Qualifying.
FansChoice.tv subscribers will
then be able to watch the drama
unfold from Opening Ceremonies
through the Semis, Main Events,
and podium celebrations.
FansChoice.tv offers two
subscription options, granting
unlimited access to premium AFT
content. Monthly subscriptions
start at just $7.99, while a
six-month subscription is
available for $44.99.
The Mission New York
Short Track presented by Mad Max
Indian Motorcycle will
premiere on FS1 on
Saturday, July 9, at 11:30 a.m.
ET/8:30 a.m, PT, including
exclusive features, cutting-edge
aerial drone and onboard
footage, and expert commentary.
For more information on
Progressive AFT visit
https://www.americanflattrack.com.
To score the latest gear for the
Progressive American Flat Track
fan, visit our official
merchandise store at
https://store.americanflattrack.com.
How to Watch:
FOX Sports and FansChoice.tv are
the official homes for coverage
of Progressive American Flat
Track. For the 2022 season, all
races will premiere in one-hour
telecasts on FS1 during highly
desirable weekend time slots.
The complete schedule can be
viewed at
https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports.
FansChoice.tv provides
livestreaming coverage of every
Progressive AFT round at
http://www.FansChoice.tv.
