Vance & Hines and Team Rider Jesse Janisch Win 2022 AFT Production Twins Championship
With the dust having settled on the 2022 AFT season, and a provisional 18-race 2023 schedule already published, it's time to reflect on successes beyond the "Jared Mees is AFT Royalty" headlines and congratulate the other teams and racers that helped make the 2022 package such a success.
Vance & Hines and Harley-Davidson are basking in the sunshine of AFT Production Twins rider Jesse Janisch' success, with the two-race Volusia Speedway finale weekend helping him to secure his first professional flat track championship aboard a Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R.
Janisch won seven of the 17 AFT races in the 2022 series, finishing seven points ahead of 2021 champion Cory Texter.
Janisch came into the final weekend with a nine-point lead. His win in the Volusia Half-Mile I, along with a sixth-place finish by Texter, meant that in the Volusia II the following evening, he needed to qualify for the Main event and get at least five points to secure the championship. His eighth-place performance was enough to put him in the series lead, even with the race win going to the veteran Texter.
Janisch joined the Vance & Hines AFT team with six races remaining in the 2021 season. He rewarded his sponsors with five top-four finishes and a win in Charlotte last year and was subsequently named to the 2022 Vance & Hines team in February 2022.
"What an awesome year," said Vance & Hines Team Manager Craig Koontz. "Jesse is a great rider and a great team member. He trusts us to give him a fast bike and he goes out and does great things with it."
Janisch said: "I have a reputation for being a great rider on TT tracks, but this year, winning three Half-Miles, two Miles and two TTs, I think I proved that I can compete, no matter what track I'm on.
"I love my team from Vance & Hines. They never pressured me, just gave me great equipment and allowed me to go out and race."
Janisch rode a Vance & Hines-prepared Harley-Davidson XG750R, Harley-Davidson's purpose-built flat track racing motorcycle. Vance & Hines is the only organization designated to produce the XG750R race-only motorcycle - a turnkey solution for riders wishing to compete in AFT’s Production Twins racing.
In 2022, Vance & Hines was a presenting sponsor of AFT's Production Twins class and offered a contingency sponsorship program that made nearly $100,000 in prize money available to racers.
www.vanceandhines.com
