Henry Wiles wins Peoria TT | Mees retains 92-point lead

Henry Wiles wins his 14th consecutive Peoria TT

Jesse Janisch takes the singles win

Images by Scott Hunter

Henry Wiles has won the AFT Twins Main Event at the Peoria TT, making his 14th consecutive win at this particular event, while ensuring he’s also still mathematically capable of winning the championship, although Jared Mees’ 92 point lead and only four rounds to go, makes it a small chance.

AFT Twins Rnd Peoria TT Henry Wiles ERV — Henry Wiles – AFT Twins 2018 – Peoria TT

Wiles was certainly forced to earn it on Saturday. In the race’s early stages he found himself trapped behind three AFT Twins superstars with prior TT race wins: Briar Bauman, Jake Johnson and Jared Mees. Wiles made relatively quick work of Mees and Johnson, but Bauman put up a serious fight for the lead.

AFT Twins Rnd Peoria TT Start ERV — Twins Start – AFT Twins 2018 – Peoria TT

Wiles tracked Bauman down and was breathing down his neck by lap five. But it wasn’t until the end of lap eight he finally found an opening, slashing beneath Bauman as they exited the final corner. Bauman immediately mounted a counterattack, storming back in front of Wiles as they negotiated the very next corner. Wiles was ready for the move, however, holding his line and reclaiming the position moments later.

AFT Twins Rnd Peoria TT Mees ERV — Jared Mees – AFT Twins 2018 – Peoria TT

From there Wiles proved too strong, slowly and steadily building an unassailable advantage en route to the historic win. His 14th triumph at the Peoria Motorcycle Club’s Race Park puts him ahead of the “Prince of Peoria” Chris Carr for most ever American Flat Track wins at the venue.

AFT Twins Rnd Peoria TT Briar Bauman ERV — Briar Bauman – AFT Twins 2018 – Peoria TT

Bauman came home clear in second, followed by Johnson, who just held off Mees at the flag for third. Up-and-coming TT hero Hayden Gillim rounded out the top five.

Henry Wiles

“I found myself as far back as I ever have in a Main here. I was able to wiggle my way through fairly quickly. Briar had a really good pace today, and he got going really quick at the front. I had to pick my way through. I got about a guy a lap getting to him. It was great having everyone behind me – the whole Peoria Motorcycle Club and so many fans cheering me on. It feels so awesome.”

Not only did today’s win keep Wiles’ remarkable win streak intact, it also kept his slim title hopes alive, if only just. Mees leads him by 92 points (305-213) with four races and 100 points left in play on the 2018 slate. Wiles is the sole rider remaining with even a remote mathematical chance of preventing the reigning Grand National Champion from repeating.

AFT Twins Rnd Peoria TT Twins Podium FA — AFT Twins Podium 1. Wiles, 2. Bauman, 3. Johnson – AFT Twins 2018 – Peoria TT

AFT Twins Results – Top 10

Henry Wiles
Briar Bauman 4.228
Jake Johnson 8.128
Jared Mees 9.016
Hayden Gillim 19.327
Bronson Bauman 22.801
Jarod Vanderkooi 24.981
Robert Pearson 26.978
Davis Fisher +1lap
Michael Kirkness +1lap

AFT Twins Standings

Jared Mees 305
Henry Wiles 213
Jeffrey Carver Jr. 160
Briar Bauman 156
Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. 154
Brad Baker 147
Chad Cose 134
Jake Johnson 129
Davis Fisher 126
Sammy Halbert 123

AFT Singles

Peoria TT master Jesse Janisch became the 10th different winner of the AFT Singles season with a masterful performance on Saturday. 2016 class champ Ryan Wells grabbed the early advantage but a minor bobble was all it took to open the door for TT aces Cole Frederickson and Janisch.

AFT Twins Rnd Peoria TT Singles Start ERV — Singles Start – AFT Twins 2018 – Peoria TT

Janisch then stalked new leader Fredrickson for a pair of laps before striking; in a superior display of racecraft, Janisch set Fredrickson up with a fast, sweeping line leading into the jump where he overtook him as the two sailed through the air.

Janisch pulled free en route to victory from there. Frederickson, meanwhile, was ultimately dropped to third by Wells, who regrouped from his early mistake to steal back the runner-up position. While it may have been Janisch’s first victory of the season, the result was anything but a shocker considering it was his third Peoria TT victory (’15, ’17, and ’18).

AFT Twins Rnd Peoria TT Ryan Wells ERV — Ryan Wells – AFT Twins 2018 – Peoria TT

Jesse Janisch

“It was awesome, Wells had the lead and Cole was second. I found a good line in Turn 1. I was just kind of waiting when Wells hit a big hole. Cole got underneath him, and I knew I needed to make a move on Wells right away. I sat behind Cole for a while, and I kind of got into him in Turns 1 and 2. I made the move and got him over the jump. Then I just tried to put my head down for like two laps. When I looked back, I had a little bit of a gap and tried to relax because was easy to make mistakes on the track today. Hats off to my whole team.”

AFT Twins Rnd Peoria TT Kolby Carlile ERV — Kolby Carlile – AFT Twins 2018 – Peoria TT

Buffalo Chip TT runner-up Jacob Lehmann finished fourth, followed by 2017 Peoria TT podium finisher Ben Lowe in fifth. Title leader Dan Bromley came home sixth. As a result, Bromley’s championship advantage was narrowed to 42 points over Saturday second-place finisher Wells (243-201).