Round 16 of the 2019 AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines (the Williams Grove Half-Mile at Mechanicsburg, PA, September 7) saw Indian Motorcycle consolidate its 2019 Manufacturers Championship win as Wrecking Crew rider Briar Bauman added a fifth win for the season so far with two races to go.
This was the 14th win of the year so far for the FTR750 as the current series points leader extended his championship lead, with Indian Motorcycle Racing privateers Brandon Price and Davis Fisher finishing second and third. Jared Mees finished fourth and is now 35 points behind Bauman, who leads the series with 305 total points, with fellow Wrecking Crew teammate Bronson Bauman third with 221 points. Robert Pearson (No. 27 R/J Performance/Hite Trucking Indian FTR750) rounded out the top five.
"Briar continues to showcase his talent and determination to win a Twins championship," said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology & Service for Indian Motorcycle. "He's maintained his focus throughout the entire season and is running his best races we've ever seen."
Dalton Gauthier (No. 122 D&D Cycles/Gobert Smash Husqvarna FC450) registered a second consecutive AFT Singles victory to expand his championship advantage in title fight crunch time.
Morgan Mischler (No. 69 Waters Autobody Racing/D&D Powersports KTM 450 SX-F) was second; Englishman Oliver Brindley (No. 24 Roof Systems of Dallas/FX Solutions Yamaha YZ450F) was third; reigning champion Dan Bromley (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) was fourth, with third-ranked Mikey Rush (No. 15 RMR Honda/Red Riders Rewards Honda CRF450R) keeping his title hopes alive with another top-five result in fifth.
As a result, Gauthier now leads Bromley by 15 points (266-251) with two races left to decide this year's champion.
In the 15-lap AFT Production Twins rock-steady Ryan Varnes (No. 68 Varnes Racing/RoyBuilt Kawasaki Ninja 650) registered a virtual wire-to-wire. Holeshot with polesitter Dalton Gauthier (No. 122 Black Hills Harley-Davidson XG750R Rev X) was second, with title leader Cory Texter (No. 65 G&G Racing/Holeshot Powersports Yamaha MT-07) third.
Varnes' second win of the season catapults him into second in the championship standings and pulls him to within 16 points of Texter (165-149) with two rounds remaining.
Kolby Carlile (No. 136 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) is now ranked third at 140 points after slashing past both James Rispoli (No. 71 Black Hills Harley-Davidson XG750R Rev X - fifth) and Kevin Stollings (No. 999 Roof Systems/Motion Pro Kawasaki Ninja 650 - sixth) to take fourth.
The season continues on September 21 with the Minnesota Mile at Canterbury Park in Minneapolis, MN, before the Meadowlands Mile finale at East Rutherford, NJ, on September 28.
