Daniels in Command at Inaugural Ventura Short Track
The dream season of ascending Progressive AFT star Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) continued with a convincing victory in the inaugural Ventura Short Track at Ventura Raceway in Ventura, California, on May 6 (Round 6).
Mission SuperTwins Presented by S&S Cycle
As impressive as he was a year ago as a rookie, Daniels has taken his game to the next level in 2023. The prodigious teenager extended his unblemished run of firsts and seconds this season with a calm and controlled performance.
Daniels’ teammate, JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), shot off the line in first but held the position for less than a single quick lap of the 1/5-mile clay oval. Beach did well to keep Daniels honest after being dropped to second and even reeled him back in at one point. But the relentless perfection of the title leader gradually stacked up to a near one-second advantage by the time the Main Event was seven minutes deep, with reigning champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750) significantly further back in third.
A red-flag reset occurred after Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) came out the worst in a crash that saw Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750) get into the back of Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650), leading directly to Robinson’s spill. The fallen Robinson was subsequently clipped by Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Dodge Bros. Racing/Martin Trucking Harley-Davidson XR750), forcing a stoppage in the action.
However, that didn't stop Daniels ultimately scooping up a third win of the year to go with his three runner-ups. Beach completed the Estenson Racing Yamaha 1-2, while Mees managed to score third place. Two-time Grand National Champion Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 890 Duke) was fourth, with Lewis fifth.
As a result, Daniels tightened his grip on the title fight. He opened his lead to 24 points over Mees (138-114) a third of the way into the season, while Beach moved back ahead of Bauman for third (97-94).
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Presented by KICKER
Like Daniels, Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) earned the third win of his 2023 season as he continued his Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER title defense in stellar fashion.
He was pushed to the brink by a hungry Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) and after hectic early laps the two got free from Saathoff’s Turner Racing teammates, Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) and Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R). From that point on, the race became a two-rider duel for top honors, with Kopp taking the win.
Mischler held off Kopp’s charging teammate Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F - fourth) to pick up third place for a second consecutive podium, while Estenson Racing Yamaha’s Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) charged his way forward to fifth after getting off the line in ninth.
Next Up: The series stays in California for one more race - the Sacramento Mile on May 13 - then swings on to the Red Mile at Lexington, Ky., on May 27. After another three-week gap, Round 9 will mark the half-way point in the 2023 Championship with the last in the sequence of Mile races at DuQuoin, Il., on June 17. After which the first of a four-race run of Half-Miles kicks-off with the popular Lima, Ohio Half-Mile on June 24, followed by the West Virginia Half-Mile at Mineral Wells, WV, on July 1st and the Orange County Half-Mile at Middletown, NY, a week later (July 8).