Briar Bauman Wins Chicago Half-Mile
After a four-week break since the Atlanta TT (the Texas Half-Mile was a weather casualty), AFT Racing resumed at the Dirt Oval at Route 66 Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, for the Chicago Half-Mile on May 29 with Briar Bauman (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) taking the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle win - reminding us why he’s the two-time defending Grand National Champion. His dominant performance finally broke his uncharacteristic eight-race wins drought.
A wild opening, several minutes saw him repeatedly cross lines and swap positions as part of an energized five-rider lead pack that also included his brother Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Indian Motorcycle of Oklahoma City FTR750), Jared Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750), Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) and Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750).
That scintillating multi-line dogfight for victory was cut short near mid-distance when Mees got into the back of Robinson's machine. In a slow-developing incident, Mees was stood up twice and was nearly thrown over the bars. Ultimately, he held on and stayed upright, but Robinson was not nearly so lucky as his bike was spun out from underneath him.
Moments later, James Rispoli (No. 43 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R Rev X) joined Robinson on the deck, crashing as a result of the evasive action he took to avoid striking the downed rider.
A staggered restart saw the reigning champion quickly establish a solid lead, and Vanderkooi eventually brought it home in second, with Mees third, Brandon Robinson fourth and the younger Bauman fifth.
In the AFT Singles, the Australian Max Whale on the factory KTM (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) saw off the challenge from Morgen Mischler (No. 13 Mission Roof Systems KTM 450 SX-F) to make it a brand one-two for KTM, followed by Holeshot winner Mikey Rush (No. 15 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) and reigning class champion Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), who continues to lead the title fight, in fourth, ahead of Michael Inderbitzin in fifth (No. 54 Pacific Tub & Tile Honda CRF450R).
The AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines saw Cory Texter (No. 65 G&G Racing/Roof Systems Yamaha MT-07) outduel Chad Cose (No. 49 Voodoo Ranger/Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) in a stunning late-race shootout to become the first AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines rider to score a second victory in 2021.
The battle gradually took shape over the course of a highly entertaining Main Event as the early thrills at the front were delivered by the likes of Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Cycles/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R), Danny Eslick (No. 64 Pro One Industries Kawasaki Ninja 650), Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield Twins FT) and Ben Lowe (No. 25 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R).
At mid-distance Eslick was doing all that he could aboard his Kawasaki to fend off a fleet of Harleys from the low line, at least until Cose made his move. The Californian went around Eslick and then up the inside of Lowe in rapid succession and put his head down in a bid to escape.
Texter, meanwhile, systematically worked his way forward from further behind, closing in on Cose as the minutes ticked away. Once Texter decided to make his push for the win, the jockeying kicked into high gear. The final minute (plus two laps) saw the two trade the lead back and forth on five occasions, with Texter executing the final maneuver just as the two took the white flag. Cose made one last desperate attempt around the outside, but came up 0.114 seconds short at the checkered flag.
Daytona 200 legend Eslick rounded out the podium, with Lowe a few tenths back fourth and Ryan Varnes (No. 68 RVR/RoyBuilt Don’s Kawasaki Ninja 650) in fifth.
Next up is Oklahoma OKC Mile I & II double header (June 18 and 19), followed by the Lima Half-Mile (Ohio) powered by Drag Specialties, June 26; the DuQuoin Mile, Illinois (July 17), and the Port Royal Half-Mile (PA) on July 24.
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May 29th - Chicago Half-Mile
Mission Super Twins Presented by S&S Cycle
1. Briar Bauman - Indian FTR750, Indian Motorcycle/Progressive
2. Jarod Vanderkooi - Indian FTR750, Mission Foods/Roof Systems
3. Jared Mees - Indian FTR750, Indian Motorcycle/Progressive
4. Brandon Robinson - Indian FTR750, Mission Foods/Roof Systems
5. Bronson Bauman - Indian FTR750, Indian Motorcycle
Singles
1. Max Whale - KTM 450 SX-FFE, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
2. Morgen Mischler - KTM 450 SX-F, Mission Foods/ Roof Systems DFW
3. Michael Rush - Yamaha YZ450F, Estenson Racing/Yamaha Racing
4. Dallas Daniels - Yamaha YZ450F, Estenson Racing/Yamaha Racing
5. Michael Inderbitzin - Honda CRF450R, Pacific Tub & Tile/6D Helmets
Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines
1. Cory Texter - Yamaha MT-07, G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing
2. Chad Cose - H-D XG750R, Voodoo Ranger/Roof Systems/Vance & Hines
3. Daniel Eslick - Kawasaki Ninja 650, Bob Berry/Clayton Criswell
4. Ben Lowe - H-D XG750R, Mission Foods/ Roof Systems DFW
5. Ryan Varnes - Kawasaki Ninja 650, RVR Rausch Fuel/Dick Ford Risbon Excavating