Supertwins and Singles Debut for Mission Triple Challenge
Lima Half Mile I & II
Allen County Fairgrounds, Springfield Ohio
Rounds 6 & 7, June 27 & 28
In an AFT season characterized by change, the first of the two rounds (6 & 7) over the Allen County Fairgrounds half mile oval at Springfield, Ohio on June 27 (the Lima Half Mile I) saw another big change with a first outing for the 'Mission Triple Challenge'.
Why have one Main Event race when three will do, right? The points boosting idea to increase the 'BOOM' factor for fans and manufacturers alike sees three races - over 10, then 15 and, finally, over 20 laps - for the hard-of-math that's 40 laps of 'Derring-do' to give plenty of time in which anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
Time will tell whether what appeared to be a positive public response at the track translates into those all-important online and on-TV views that is the primary form of competition that AFT appears to be engaged in these days, but there are three races in this inaugural year, over the three different distance disciplines in which AFT and the AMA will be able to make that judgement.
This June 27 Round 6 over the Half Mile distance is to be followed by the Jack Pine Gypsies Short Track at the Sturgis Rally on August 5 and the Springfield Mile I on August 30.
The 'Lima I' half mile saw wins for Dallas Daniels in the first (10-lap) and third (20-lap) races on his Yamaha MT-07, ahead of Bauman, who took the win ahead of Daniels in race two (the 15-lap race) on his H-D XG750R, and the two seconds behind Daniels in races one and three.
Robinson (H-D), Bromley (Suzuki GSX-8S and Declan Bender, racing an MT-07 for the Memphis Shades/Corbin backed OTB-Racing team) also scored Podiums. This all meant that Daniels took the overall Lima I win, ahead Bauman, Robinson and Bromley in fourth.
In the Singles it was a Honda CRF450R) lock-out in the overall Tripple Challenge standings, with Australian rising star Tom Drane toking the overall win, Honda, ahead of Tarren Santero second and Chase Saathoff third.
The following evening, in the Lima Half Mile II (Round 7, June 28) Bauman took the win ahead of Daniels, second and Brandon Robinson third for a H-D 1 and 3 in the Supertwins. Bender was fourth with James Off fifth to give Yamaha a 2, 4, 5 finish.
Drane triumphed again in the Singles, ahead of Saathoff in second this time and Tervor Brunner (Honda) third. Kage Tadman was fourth on his KTM 450 SX-F with Walker Porter fifth on another Honda.
Next up: Memphis Shades DuQuoin Mile, July 5 (Illinois); then to the Black Hills of South Dakota for three Sturgis races - two Jack Pine Short Tracks on August 4 and 5 before wrapping the Rally up with a downtown TT on August 10.