Strong start for Aussies Drane & Whale at Daytona AFT double-header

2023 American Flat Track

Images by Scott Hunter, Tim Lester

Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) did the double at Daytona over the weekend, claiming victory in the Daytona Short Track I and Daytona Short Track II in the Mission SuperTwins class.

Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) was the AFT Singles victor as well, in both runnings. Of the Aussies Tom Drane finished fifth in the opening bout, with Max Whale eight, while in the second running (Daytona Short Track II) Whale was fifth and Drane 13th.

Read on for the race reports…

Daytona Short Track I

Dallas Daniels secured a nail-biting victory at the DAYTONA Short Track I presented by Daytona Dodge to open the 2023 Progressive American Flat Track season in dramatic fashion.

A hectic opening several laps around the Flat Track at Daytona International Speedway featured the four riders on four different makes who lined the front row for the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Main Event.

Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) raised more than a few eyebrows when he grabbed the early lead aboard the Royal Enfield while established Mission SuperTwins superstars Daniels, Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), and Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 890 Duke) jockeyed for position just behind.

After some back-and-forth, Robinson managed to work his way into the lead and then threatened to make an early escape. By the time Daniels and Bauman dispatched Lewis, the Mission Roof Systems rider had nearly a second in hand.

Daniels put his head down at that point, stretching out an advantage over Bauman while eating away at Robinson’s. By half distance the two linked up at the front just as they made their way into lapped traffic for the first time.

The Estenson Racing pilot began to actively search for a way into the lead with just over two minutes on the clock, nudging the front wheel of his Yamaha MT-07 DT up the inside of Robinson’s Indian FTR750 a few times before finally finding the gap he had been looking for.

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Once through, Daniels, Robinson, and Bauman appeared safe to open their 2023 campaigns a respective 1-2-3 as time expired. However, the Main Event delivered a final twist in the form of a waving red flag that came after Lewis’ crashed from fifth following a clash with another rider.

Not only was Lewis’ hard-earned top five gone, but so seemingly was Bauman’s remarkable podium run in his debut aboard the all-new Rick Ware Racing KTM 890 Duke, his brake pedal disconnected during the Main Event melee.

However, even with Bauman’s technical issues and the potential for chaos the top three were forced to negotiate, the trio locked down their positions as they powered away from the staggered start and held on to the checkered flag.

The victorious Daniels said, “I tell you what – there’s nothing that makes you more nervous than that right there, leading the laps going away and a red flag comes out with two to go. My dad was talking to me (before the restart), saying “You’re good, you’re good.” And then he stopped talking, and I was like, “No, no, no, keep talking, I’m getting nervous! These two guys on the podium with me – I grew up watching these guys win here. These guys are my heroes. And now I want to beat them. It’s an honor to win here.”

Even if the podium went unaltered in the wake of the late stoppage, there was plenty of reshuffling as a result of the restart. Defending Mission SuperTwins king Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750) was the biggest beneficiary, slashing up to a fourth-place finish after previously being mired as deep as 12th in the pack.

He was followed home by Daniels’ teammate, JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), who took fifth despite not faring much better than Mees to that point.

Four-time DAYTONA ST winner Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Martin Trucking/Castrol Yamaha MT-07) took sixth, followed by Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07) and the remounted Lewis.

Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) – who had been fourth at the time of the red flag – ended up ninth, while Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Mission Foods Indian FTR750) completed the top ten.

AFT SuperTwins Daytona Short Track I Results

Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER

Reigning Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER champion Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) got his title defense off to what was effectively a perfect start.

The fact that Kopp entered the season as the primary target of every other rider in the field seemingly did nothing but enhance the dominant streak he flashed so often a year ago. Despite contending with a slick track that demanded focus and invited mistakes, the factory KTM ace topped practice and qualifying, won his Heat and the Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenge, and then ultimately reigned supreme in the season’s opening Main Event.

Kopp blasted off to the holeshot and basically put it out of reach a few short corners later. He systematically worked his lead up to around four seconds before cruising his way to an eventual 3.370-second margin of victory.

Afterward, Kopp claimed the day didn’t come quite as easily as it appeared outwardly. He said, “The #1 plate definitely is a little heavy I think. There were some nerves and some Outlaw races this offseason where I was doubting myself if we were still good on a Short Track. But this is some way to start a season for sure. We pretty much had a clean sweep of the day.”

Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F) held down second throughout, perfectly positioned to take advantage of a mistake that never came. Still, his runner-up effort sent a strong message that he’s still very much a threat despite returning to an independent effort in ‘23.

Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) rounded out the podium, coming out on top of a race-long fight after making an early strike on Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), the rider signed to fill Gauthier’s former seat at Turner Honda.

Aussie sensation Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) made it two Estenson Yamahas in the top five with a nice start to his full-time Progressive AFT in fifth.

Kopp’s teammate and expected title challenger Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) didn’t enjoy nearly as smooth an evening as his stablemate. Whale crashed in his Heat and the LCQ, but still just managed to advance into the Main, where he battled his way up to eighth in the end.

Max Whale sharing, “Nothing like starting your season off like that. Qualified P5. Was battling for second in my heat and went down. Had to come from the last row of the LCQ. Grabbed the last transfer to the main. Main start P18 finished P8. Fought hard all night tough track to pass but was lucky with a few red flags. Lets reset and start again today!!”

AFT Singles Daytona Short Track I Results

Daytona Short Track II

Dallas Daniels kicked off his 2023 Progressive American Flat Track championship campaign in near-perfect fashion, completing the second half of the season-opening double win with another sensational ride in Saturday night’s DAYTONA Short Track II presented by Daytona Dodge at the Flat Track at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Daniels was already a legitimate title contender as a rookie a year ago. Early indications suggest he’s that much stronger now with a year’s Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle experience under his belt.

The Estenson Racing Yamaha ace got away off the line in third, running in close quarters behind early leader Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750) and Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750), with Thursday runner-up Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) right in his tracks.

Robinson made an early exit from the fight for the win, getting into the airfence and losing several positions in the process. Daniels slipped up the inside of Mees a little less than three minutes into the ten-minute-plus-two-lap Main to take over second, just as Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) closed in to make it four-rider fight at the front again.

Daniels then spent the next four minutes stalking Vanderkooi, looking up the inside and around outside, while generally applying the sort of pressure that might just open a door straight through. He finally found the gap he was looking for with 3:30 minutes remaining on the clock, striking up the inside as the leaders encountered a wave of lapped riders.

Daniels met little resistance once into the lead, stretching out an advantage that finalized as a 2.069-second margin of victory in the end.

“It was tough – Jarod was running a really good race,” Daniels said. “He was being patient – he was really easy on the throttle and wasn’t making any mistakes. I had to search. I wanted to sit there for a little bit. After I got off the line, I was all right with where I was, and I was paying attention to everything. I wanted to stalk him for a while, but then it was time to go. A double at Daytona is crazy. It’s unbelievable. A big thanks to the whole Estenson Monster Energy Yamaha team. We had a great year last year, and to start off the year with two wins in Daytona is insane.”

Shortly after Daniels took over the lead, Fisher slashed his way past Mees to complete the “new guard” podium line-up in third, joining winner Daniels and second-placed Vanderkooi.

Reigning champ Mees came away with his second fourth of the double-opener – a marked upgrade over how his prospects may have looked earlier in the week. Meanwhile, Daniels’ teammate, JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), logged a second fifth.

Robinson recovered well enough from his early drama to finish in sixth, one spot ahead of Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 890 Duke), who was forced to claw his way up to seventh from outside the top ten.

Four-time DAYTONA ST winner Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Martin Trucking/Castrol Yamaha MT-07), privateer Kayl Kolkman (No 98 B&L Plumbing/Rod Lake Yamaha MT-07), and Royal Enfield factory man Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) completed the top ten.

AFT SuperTwins Daytona Short Track II Results

AFT SuperTwins Standings

Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER

Defending Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) doubled up in Daytona, delivering a second dose of domination on Saturday night.

Clearly in a class of his own at the venue, Kopp pulled off another sweep, repeating his Thursday trick of topping practice, qualifying, his Heat, the Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenge, and most importantly, the Main Event.

Kopp successfully weaved his way through the opening lap chaos to secure the lead three turns into the race. And while Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) did everything in his power to cling onto Kopp’s rear wheel, a little more than a minute in, the race for victory was effectively over.

Kopp ultimately worked his advantage up to over five seconds before taking a drama-free checkered flag.

“It’s just two for 18,” Kopp said. “We’ve got 16 more rounds, so there’s a lot more work to do. You can’t judge a season off two races at a track that really suits my style. I grew up riding a lot of indoors in the Pacific Northwest, and this was kinda like that. Thanks to my whole Red Bull KTM crew – this is a dream way to start the season for sure.”

After losing touch with the leader, Saathoff was gradually reeled in by ‘22 championship runner-up Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F), who first had to fight his way past Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) and Justin Jones (No. 91 NRC Racing/Elder Trucking KTM 450 SX-F) to slide into third.

Gauthier and Saathoff then swapped the second spot back and forth, squaring one another up in quick succession before the charging Gauthier finally stole the position away for good.

Saathoff held on for the final spot on the box by a scant 0.084 seconds despite having to fend off a late challenge from new Turner Honda teammate Lowe.

Kopp’s teammate, Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F), battled past the impressive Jones to complete the top five.

Tome Drane finished the second race in 13th.

AFT Singles Daytona Short Track II Results

AFT Singles Standings