Tom Drane on podium at Orange County Half-Mile

2023 Progressive American Flat Track Championship
Orange County Half-Mile

Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kody Kopp took an impressive 13th AFT Singles victory of his career at the Orange County Half-Mile, with Tom Drane looking to be his main competition going in.

While that initially proved true, what wasn’t expected was that their clash would be for second with Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) blasting away a couple second out in front.

Saathoff’s long-awaited maiden Progressive AFT victory was delayed yet again, however. Once in the clear after shaking free of Drane, Kopp set about tracking the Turner Honda pilot down.

The KTM star quickly gobbled up the gap and then searched for a way into first. He found one quickly enough although perhaps not exactly as scripted. The defending champ caught a rut in the middle of the corner and was sent wide, forcing Saathoff to chop the throttle to prevent contact.

Once into first, Kopp flexed his sheer pace advantage and walked away with his sixth victory of the season.

Kody Kopp

“Notched pretty much the perfect day of racing here in New York – managed to top qualifying, won the heat race, won the Dash, and then was able to get the win in the Main Event. The win didn’t come easy this weekend though, we had to fight from being way back and, I think at one point I was three seconds down, but dug deep for that one. The goal was to keep the winning streak going and show we’re here to fight for this championship. That’s win number six for me this year, so we’ll go back to work and be back for New Jersey, hungry for more.”

Drane held on for third ahead of Sathoff’s teammate, Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R). Fifth went to a strong-running Aiden RoosEvans (No. 26 A1R Racing/FRA Trust Honda CRF450R), who pushed his way into the early podium battle before settling in for his best career Parts Unlimited AFT Singles finish to date.

Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) ended up sixth with Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F), Tarren Santero (No. 75 Vinson Construction/Eric Hoyt Honda CRF450R), Hunter Bauer (No. 24 BigR Racing/Little Deb Racing Honda CRF450R), and Travis Petton IV (No. 82 ECG Racing/3 Bros KTM 450 SX-F) rounding out the top ten.

Kopp’s big title lead got that much bigger with his triumph. He now leads Saathoff by nearly two full races (241-194).

Kopp’s Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Max Whale posted the fifth-fastest time in qualifying, before racing to a fourth-place finish in the second Heat race of the night. The Australian would then experience a first turn fall in the Main Event, and struggle to completely come to grips with the track surface as the laps clicked off, restarting to finish in 18th place.

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Max Whale

“The day started off decent for me, felt good in practice and qualifying, even though this was a very challenging circuit to ride. I struggled as the day went on with the track drying out, and then rode average in the Heat race. That meant I had a second row start for the main, but then went down by myself in the first turn, and just struggled here in a big way. We’ll need to regroup and come back for the next one.”

AFT Singles Main Result

AFT Singles Standings – Top 20

Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle

Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750) claimed sole possession of the career Grand National Championship Half-Mile wins record with a showcase performance in Saturday night’s Orange County Half-Mile as Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, returned to Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York, for the first time in 35 years.

The combination of Mees’ immense ability, experience, and support provided the reigning Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle champion with a decisive edge on a hyper-slick surface that tested the upper limits of the field’s collective skill.

Even a late red flag that wiped out the multi-second lead Mees had diligently assembled did little to dent the factory Indian star’s dominance on the evening. He simply powered off the staggered start and marched away while his primary rivals waged war for second behind him.

The last time the series visited the century-old venue, the legendary Scott Parker earned one of his record-setting 35 career Half-Mile wins. Mees’ victory tonight was his 36th HM win, which established the new all-time mark.

Mees’ monumental night also saw him wrest the points lead away from Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) for the first time this season.

Prior to the red flag, the young title hopeful was caught up in a heated scrap for second with the rolling Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 790 Duke). After the restart, his season-long podium streak came under serious threat with the additions of Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) and JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) to the fray.

Bauman slashed up to second and controlled the spot to the flag. Afterward, the Rick War Racing ace proclaimed himself a contender from here on out now that the bike is properly dialed, a sentiment backed up by a win, two seconds, a third, and a fourth in his last five attempts.

Daniels, meanwhile, had to hustle his way back past Robinson over the race’s final two laps to narrowly finish third, upping his active podium streak to 12 in the process. Still, it wasn’t quite enough to retain his championship standing, as Mees now leads the chase 257-255.

Jared Mees

“We’ve just got to keep plucking away. Dallas has been riding phenomenally all year. It’s almost underrated how consistent he’s been this season. It’s making me dig down as deep as I can, and I’m really enjoying the battle. We’ve got a lot of racing to go, and I’ve got a couple tracks coming up that are more his forte than mine with the TTs. It’s an honor to keep the ball rolling, really.”

Robinson and Beach completed the top five, while Billy Ross (No. 109 Mission Foods/Roof Systems Kawasaki Ninja 650) took the best finish of his premier-class career in sixth.

Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750) finished seventh, followed by Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), Henry Wiles (No. 17 BriggsAuto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750), and Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing/2 Wheelz KTM 790 Duke), in that order.

SuperTwins Main Result

SuperTwins Standings – Top 20

Next Up

Progressive American Flat Track will return to action on Saturday, July 22, for the inaugural Bridgeport Half-Mile at Bridgeport Speedway in Swedesboro, New Jersey.