Owned by Eric Hoyt, Jacksonville, Florida based 1st Impressions Race Team will field a four-rider assault on the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles championship in 2022. In its first two seasons of competition, 1st Impressions grew from a one-rider team to a two-rider outfit, scoring a pair of podium finishes and top-ten championship rankings along the way. A new-look four-rider roster will campaign its fleet of Honda CRF450Rs - spearheaded by two-time AFT race-winner Michael Inderbitzen, who will be flanked by the talented trio of Tyler Raggio, Justin Jones and Michael Lainhart. 27-year-old Inderbitzen has been a top-ten finisher since the very start of his ten-year Progressive AFT career, including two Production Twins race wins and multi-time Parts Unlimited AFT Singles podium finishes.
New Freedom, Pa. based HRP Racing (Henderson Race Products) has signed Illinois native Cole Zabala to compete in the Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines class aboard Yamaha MT-07s in 2022. Memphis Shades and Corbin Motorcycle Saddles will function as co-title sponsors, with additional support from Vinson Road Boring. Nick Henderson will continue to oversee the team. The shared history in Progressive AFT of Memphis Shades, Corbin Seats and Mike Vinson (Vinson Road Boring) is beyond impressive. Memphis Shades was the long-time supporter of the late Babe DeMay's racing program, Corbin Motorcycle Saddles has fielded successful teams over the years fronted by the likes of Rich King, Joe Kopp and Kenny Coolbeth, and Vinson has been heavily involved in flat track racing since the 1970s. Viper Air, S&S Cycle, Motion Pro, Motul, WKR, J&M Racing, ARC, R Nyne Designs, RC Hotcoats, First Klass Glass, Foard Racing, ODI, RASE, Penske Racing Shocks, Evans Coolant, Helmet House are among the other sponsors supporting the team.
Arai Helmet, Inc. will be the Official AFT Helmet for a fifth consecutive season in 2022. Widely recognized as the world's premier helmet manufacturer, Arai boasts innumerable motorsports successes across such championships as Progressive AFT, Formula 1 and MotoGP. "Arai has provided elite two- and four-wheeled athletes with unparalleled safety, comfort, technology and style for generations."
In an all-new partnership, Sena Technologies has been named as the Official AFT Motorcycle Communication System of Progressive AFT. Established in 1998, Sena is the global leader in Bluetooth communication solutions for motorcycle and outdoor sporting applications. Over the past quarter century, Sena has developed countless innovative solutions for motorcyclists - including rider-to-rider communications, mesh intercom technology, smart helmets, integrated cameras and phone and GPS pairing - which have made the shared experience of riding both safer and more enjoyable.
California based tools, cables and controls specialist Motion Pro, Inc. is continuing with its race contingency program for the 2022 AFT season. The company is offering a total of $25,500 for year-end championship contingency. In the SuperTwins class, the top three in points are eligible to receive $5,000 for first, $3,500 for second and $2,500 for third place. A total of $7,250 will be available between the top five finishers in points for the Production Twins class; and $7,250 is available in the Super Singles class between the top five finishers in points; full details at motionpro.com.
Bryan Smith has been added to the AFT Management Team in the newly created role of Director of Industry Relations. He'll support all aspects of the Competition department, including managing rider and team relationships, new rider evaluation, track prep, safety and rules development. Smith will also be available for the series to call on as an elite-caliber test rider, whether to fine-tune the rulebook or assess the viability of potential new venues. Smith was the 2016 GNC Champion and 2012 and 2013 GNC1 Twins Champion, winning 33 races during his career and is tied for eighth on the all-time win list.
G&G Racing has announced that its partnership with Yamaha Racing will continue for a seventh season. In just the most recent three seasons, with Cory Texter as pilot, G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing has claimed two AFT Production Twins championships and 14 victories among its 27 podium finishes. Including its previous success in the premier class with JD Beach, Mikey Rush and Chad Cose at the controls, the team has collected a combined 29 podiums, 36 top fives and 50 top tens during its six-year partnership with Yamaha.
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news, RideApart.com, Motor1.com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter.com
