Round 7 - Bauman Triumphs in Epic AFT Lima Half-Mile Battle
Mission SuperTwins Presented by S&S Cycle
Defending Grand National Champion Briar Bauman (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) scored arguably the most critical victory yet of the 2021 premier class of the Progressive AFT season.
The win came after an epic showdown with Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) in the Johnny K's Indian Motorcycle Lima Half-Mile powered by Drag Specialties (Allen County Fairgrounds, Lima, Ohio, June 26, 2021).
That heavyweight fight went right down the final lap, with Robinson attempting one final desperation overtake in the race's final corner before Bauman cut back underneath to secure his second victory of the season by 0.427 seconds.
Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) out-dueled Brandon Price (No. 92 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) to grab third - his third podium of the season - as the Mission Roof Systems squad locked down spots 2-3-4 on the evening.
Kolby Carlile (No. 36 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) continued his recent run of form to finish fifth, marking the third consecutive race in which he was the highest-placed among the non-Indian riders.
Meanwhile, race promoter and multi-time Lima Half-Mile winner Jared Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) brought it home in eighth - suffering from the ill effects of his still mending knee.
James Rispoli brought the top placed H-D XG750R Rev X (Latus Motors Racing, Harley-Davidson, Fast Track Racing) in 10th spot. There were seven Indian FRTR750s in the top ten, plus two Yamaha MT-07s.
AFT Singles
The prior weekend's AFT Singles winners, Henry Wiles (No. 17 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) and Australian Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE), picked up right where they left off in Oklahoma with a One-Two in Ohio.
Morgen Mischler (No. 13 Mission Roof Systems KTM 450 SX-F) took third with the second KTM; the second Honda runner Trevor Brunner (No. 21 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) charged his way up through the field to take fourth, with Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) in fifth.
Matched on points for the season so far, Whale left Ohio atop the points order by holding the tiebreaker with two wins to Daniels' one. There were five Hondas in the top 10, three KTMs, one Yamaha and one Suzuki.
AFT Production Twins Presented by Vance & Hines
Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield Twins FT) sat out the prior weekend's OKC Mile specifically in order to best position himself and his factory Royal Enfield doubleheader race bike for success in the AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines class at the Lima Half-Mile - and it worked.
To the surprise of no one, despite getting the third pick on Row 1, title leader Cory Texter (No. 65 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) scored yet another holeshot.
Despite the rapid start, however, he had nothing for the streaking Lewis, who drove underneath Texter less than a minute into the Main event, blasted him with the roost, and immediately opened a sizable advantage - eventually taking the win from Ryan Varnes (No. 68 RVR/RoyBuilt Don's Kawasaki Ninja 650) by 0.153 seconds.
Cory Texter was third, ahead of Ben Lowe (No. 25 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) in fourth, with OKC podium finisher Cameron Smith (No. 44 Mike Butler Racing/Cornerstone Masonry Group Honda CRF450R) closing out the top five.
The results marked the first podiums of the year for 2020 race winners Lewis and Varnes, while third-place finisher Texter added his sixth. Fourth-place finisher Lowe, meanwhile, was left still seeking his first win of the season.
Next up is the "Magic Mile" - the incredibly fast DuQuoin Mile at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in DuQuoin, Illinois, on Saturday, July 17 (Round 8).
Round 9 is the Port Royal Half-Mile (Pennsylvania) on July 27, followed by the New York Short Track doubleheader (Weedsport, New York - Rounds 10 and 11) on August 13 and 14; the Peoria TT (Illinois - Round 12) on August 21 and, also in Illinois, the Memphis Shades Spring Field Mile I and II (September 4 & 5 - Rounds 13 and 14 out of the 17 slated for 2021).
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Mission Super Twins Presented by S&S Cycle
1. Briar Bauman - Indian FTR750, Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance
2. Brandon Robinson - Indian FTR750, Mission Foods/Roof Systems
3. Jarod Vanderkooi - Indian FTR750, Mission Foods/Roof Systems
4. Brandon Price - Indian FTR750, Indian Motorcycle, Mission Foods/Roof Systems
5. Kolby Carlile - Yamaha MT-07, Estenson Racing, Yamaha Racing, Monster Energy
Singles
1. Henry Wiles - Honda CRF450R, American Honda, Progressive Insurance
2. Max Whale - KTM 450 SX-FFE, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
3. Morgen Mischler - KTM 450 SX-F, Mission Foods/Roof Systems DFW
4. Trevor Brunner - Honda CRF450R, American Honda, Progressive Insurance
5. Dallas Daniels - Yamaha YZ450F, Estenson Racing/Yamaha Racing
Production Twins Presented by Vance & Hines
1. Johnny Lewis - Royal Enfield 650, Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield, Harris Performance
2. Ryan Varnes - Kawasaki Ninja 650, RVR Rausch Fuel, Dick Ford Risbon Excavating
3. Cory Texter - Yamaha MT-07, G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing
4. Ben Lowe - Harley-Davidson XG750R, Mission Foods, Roof Systems Dallas TX
5. Cameron Smith - Yamaha MT-07, Fredricktown Yamaha, Richie Reynolds Racing