Daniels Wins Memphis Shades DuQuoin Mile
DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, Illinois
R-8 July 05-07-25
Mission Supertwins
Dallas Daniels won the DuQuoin Mile by the narrowest of margins, official 0.037-second margin of victory following a hectic five-rider showdown to the very end. Riding the Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT, an early eight-rider scrap whittled down to six after a few minutes of fighting.
It then took its final form of five - which included Daniels, title rival Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R), James Ott (No. 19 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07), Declan Bender (No. 70 Memphis Shades/Corbin/OTB Racing Yamaha MT-07), and Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) - after Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere's BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke) was forced out due to mechanical issues.
Ott was eventually second, ahead of Bender in third, with Robinson fourth and Bauman fifth. It was an all Yamaha lock-out of Podium spots for the Yamahas with the two Harleys in fourth and fifth followed home by five more production bike brands, to make seven in the top ten in total - the Kawasaki Ninja 650 (Dalton Gaulthier) , KTM 790 Duke (Jared VanDerkooi), Honda Transalp (Trent Lowe), Suzuki GSX-8S (Dan Bromley)and Royal Enfield 650 of the Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield team in tenth (Max Whale).
![]() |
Picture from - AFT/Tim Lester |
AFT Singles presented by KICKER
In just over the span of a week, Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) took a protracted wins drought and vulnerable AFT Singles presented by KICKER championship position and transformed it into a three-race victory streak and a commanding 20-point advantage.
The Australian did so in an intense Main Event that saw an eight-rider lead freight train storm past the checkered flag separated by a combined 0.342 seconds. As it went, the heated rivalry between Drane and Chase Saathoff (No. 88 RWR/Parts Plus Honda CRF450R) got that much hotter - Saathoff came up just 0.020 seconds in claiming second.
Eventual third-place finisher was Trevor Brunner (No. 21 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) with Hunter Bauer (No. 24 Vinson Construction/Reel Medics Yamaha YZ450F) fourth and Evan Renshaw (No. 65 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) fifth.
There were two Yamaha Yz450F riders (Drane and Bauer); four Honda CRF450Rs (Saathoff, Brunner, Tarren Santero eighth and Jared Lowe ninth); two KTM 450 SX-Fs (Brandon Pfanders sixth and Tyler Raggio tenth) with two Husqvarna FC 450 badged KTM's in fifth (Evan Renshaw) and seventh (Chad Cose).
Next Up: The Lucas Oil Speedway hosts an AFT debut Short Track on July 18 (Wheatland, Mo.) before the series heads to the Black Hills of South Dakota. During the 75th Rally, production manufacturers will be competing for attention in the midst of a captive audience of some 500,000 or more riders. From a tentative single race first outing two years ago, Sturgis is now a three-race residency - two Jack Pine Short Tracks on August 4 and 5 (the August 5 race will feature a second outing for the AFT's Mission Triple Challenge format concept) before wrapping the Rally up with a downtown TT on August 10.
Straight after Sturgis it's the Peoria TT in Illinois on August 16, then the Springfield Miles I & II on August 30 and 31( the August 30 Springfield Milke I will see the final of the three experiments the AFT has been trialling this year - the Mission Triple Challenge format concept) before the season finale, a Short Track at Ozark, Missouri on September 13.