Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Kennedy Racing/Armbruster Racing Indian FTR750) accomplished what few riders have in recent American Flat Track history in the Yamaha Atlanta Short Track presented by Cycle Gear (March 23) - successfully beating dominant double-defending Grand National Champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) to win the 25-lap AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines main event at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Ga.
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| Photo: Scott Hunter/American Flat Track |
On lap 22 of 25, Robinson made the race’s decisive maneuver, pulling off a skillful outside overtake to steal away the lead - Mees had no response as Robinson headed to a 0.621-second margin of victory - Robinson’s first AFT Twins win since he won the Lima Half-Mile midway through the 2016 season.
Daytona TT winner Briar Bauman was third; Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Harley-Davidson Factory Flat Track Team XG750R Rev X) was fourth, with Short Track expert Henry Wiles (No. 17 Bandit Industries/DPC Racing/Wilco Racing Indian FTR750) fifth.
In the 15-lap Roof Systems AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys main event, Dalton Gauthier (No. 122 D&D Cycles/Gobert Smash Honda CRF450R) took the win - completing a comeback after being forced to serve a suspension for violating the sanctioning body’s substance abuse policy for the better part of the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
Morgen Mischler (No. 69 Waters Autobody Racing/D&D Powersports KTM 450 SX-F) recovered from a poor start to race to second; reigning AFT Singles Champion Dan Bromley (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) was third; Ryan Wells (No. 94 Estensen Racing Yamaha YZ450F), who originally finished fourth, was disqualified for exceeding the maximum allowable weight for a rear wheel assembly following post-race technical inspection, leaving Roof Systems teammates Oliver Brindley (No. 24 Roof Systems of Dallas/Fox Solutions Yamaha YZ450F) and Kevin Stollings (No. 99 Roof Systems of Dallas/Hinson Honda CRF450R) to take fourth and fifth respectively.
AFT now takes a few weeks off before the Texas Half-Mile presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday, April 20. After that is the Wild Horse TT at the Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Chandler, AZ., April 27; the So-Cal Half-Mile at Perris Auto Speedway, Perris, CA., May 11; the legendary Sacramento Mile at Cal Expo, Sacramento, CA., May 18; then the first of two visits to the Illinois State Fairgrounds this season for Springfield Mile I on May 26.