Mees Takes Both Atlanta Short Track Double Header Wins
Progressive AFT track legend Jared Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) stood triumphant at the conclusion of an absolutely stunning Yamaha Atlanta Short Track presented by Law Tigers on Saturday October 3rd, having taken consecutive stunners at the Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Georgia.
AFT SuperTwins presented by Vance & Hines
The Friday race (October 2) saw Jeffrey Carver Jr. (No. 23 Happy Trails Racing FTR750) and Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Coolbeth-Nila Racing Indian FTR750) make great starts before the race eventually boiled down to a dual between Jared Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) and reigning champion Briar Bauman (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) before Mees eventually scored the win by 0.308 seconds to snap Bauman's four-race win streak.
Younger brother Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) took third, with Halbert fourth and Brandon Price (No. 92 Roof Systems of Dallas, Texas Indian FTR750) fifth.
Jarod Vanderkooi led the H-D, Vance & Hines XG750R factory team contingent home in 9th, with Dalton Gauthier 11th and Bryan Smith 13th.
In round 12, the second of the two Progressive AFT Yamaha Atlanta Short Track presented by Law Tigers races at Woodstock, Georgia, (October 3) Jared Mees stole the show again and made it a double for the weekend by a mere 0.339 seconds, with the challenge on the Saturday night (October 3) coming from young rising Brandon Price (No. 92 Roof Systems of Dallas, Texas Indian FTR750) who scooped second.
Championship leader Briar Bauman was third, ahead of Sammy Halbert fourth and Brandon Robinson fifth.
Jarod Vanderkooi brought his V&H backed factory XG750R home in 6th, with the other Harleys in 9th (Bryan Smith) and 14th (Dalton Gauthier).
The weekend's Vance & Hines SuperTwins results gave Mees' title hopes a major boost - he left Georgia for the penultimate races at Charlotte (Half-Milers, October 9 & 10) trailing Briar Bauman by just 12 points (256-244) with four races remaining.
AFT Singles
On a roll, Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) racked up his fourth consecutive AFT Singles victory following an extremely entertaining duel with polesitter Morgen Mischler (No. 13 Roof Systems DFW/Duffy Fleet Services KTM 450 SX-F) who eventually brought it home 0.482 seconds behind in second place.
Brandon Kitchen (No. 105 Donley Excavating/TCD Suspension Honda CRF450F) was third, ahead of Trent Lowe (No. 48 Roof Systems of Dallas, TX/Shoei Helmets Honda CRF450R), with second-ranked Henry Wiles (No. 17 RMR Honda/Honda Talon CRF450R) hanging on for fifth.
In round 12, Saturday's Singles title favorite Dallas Daniels backed up his Friday win to score a double header double of his own, with Morgen Mischler second again in an Atlanta Short Track rematch that may have been even more spectacular than their Friday duel - Daniels squeezing Mischler out by just 0.090 seconds.
Aussie Max Whale (No. 18 Coondoo Cattle Co./Australian Road Services Kawasaki KX450F) was third, "super-sophomore" Brandon Kitchen (No. 105 Donley Excavating/TCD Suspension Honda CRF450F) fourth and class legend Shayna Texter (No. 52 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) fifth.
As a result of Daniels' seventh win of the season, the 17-year-old prodigy now leads the championship by 70 points (233-163) over Wiles and Whale, while Rush has dropped to fourth with 151 points.
AFT Production Twins
At long last, defending AFT Production Twins champion Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Roof Systems Yamaha MT-07) brought the win streak of runaway title leader James Rispoli (No. 43 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) to a halt at five.
Texter hadn't won a race since the season's opening weekend and had subsequently finished as runner-up to Rispoli on four occasions, but was brilliant from the start, but Rispoli's second was his tenth top-two finish in eleven starts.
Ryan Varnes (No. 68 RVR/RoyBuilt Don's Kawasaki Ninja 650) was third, ahead of Ben Lowe (No. 25 Roof Systems of Dallas/Bruce Lowe Excavating Yamaha MT-07) fourth, with Daytona 200 hero Danny Eslick (No. 64 Scott Powersports/R&D Machine Kawasaki Ninja 650) fifth. Chad Cose brought the V&H backed Wally Brown Racing/Roof Systems XG750R home in sixth.
The Saturday Production Twins saw 2020 championship leader James Rispoli (No. 43 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) outlast defending class champion Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Roof Systems Yamaha MT-07) in a race-long straight fight to reverse the Friday result and give Rispoli his fifth win out of six.
Chad Cose (No. 49 Wally Brown Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) brought it home in third to give the Harleys a podium double, with Danny Eslick (No. 64 Scott Powersports/R&D Machine Kawasaki Ninja 650) winning a multi-rider scrap for fourth, taking the checkered flag just ahead of Michael Inderbitzin (No. 54 Weirbach Racing/Rekluse Kawasaki Ninja 650).
Next up is the penultimate race weekend - the Half-Mile double header at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina, (October (9 & 10) before this much rebuilt 16-round season wraps up at Daytona on October 16 & 17.
