FLAT TRACK
2018 AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 14 / AUGUST 18, 2018
PEORIA RACE PARK / PEORIA, ILLINOIS
P74
der was set as the leaders worked
through traffic. Wiles finished with
just over a four-second lead on
Bauman with Johnson another
four seconds back. Mees could
only close to one second behind
Johnson and missed the podium
for the first time this year.
Gillim was another 10 seconds
back, well ahead of Bronson Bau-
man. Vanderkooi and Pearson
were the only riders left on the
lead lap. Davis Fisher (Double
D Performance/Bob Lanphere
Beaverton Motorcycles, Indian
Scout FTR750) and Kirkness led
the lap-down riders to ninth and
10th place, respectively.
Halbert, meanwhile, saw all of
his hard work go to waste when
his chain broke.
Wiles struck right back, and just
as it has been for every year since
2004, the race was virtually over.
By the halfway point, the lead-
ers were in lapped traffic and
Wiles' lead grew to over three
seconds. Johnson was a solid
third with Mees in pursuit after
getting back by Gillim. Sammy
Halbert (Harley-Davidson Motor
Company/Vance & Hines Harley-
Davidson XG750R) was moving
up also taking sixth from Pearson.
Jarod Vanderkooi (Harley-David-
son Motor Company/Vance &
Hines, Harley-Davidson XG750R),
Bronson Bauman (Indian Motor-
cycle/Howerton Motorsports,
Indian FTR750) and Kirkness held
the top-10 positions.
For the most part, the final or-
son XR750) and Jared Mees (In-
dian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing,
Indian Scout FTR750) with Wiles
buried on the inside.
Kirkness drifted wide allowing
Hayden Gillim (Indian Motorcycle/
Cycle World/S&S Cycle, Indian
Scout FTR750) and Rob Pearson
(RJ Performance/Hite Trucking,
Indian Scout FTR750) to slip by
and up front Wiles was quickly
moved to third behind Bauman
and Johnson.
Lap two saw Gillim muscle
his way into fourth as Wiles took
second and stalked Bauman
for the lead. On lap eight, Wiles
finally made his move in the last
turn, but Bauman wasn't going to
go away easily and re-passed in
turn one, but it was short lived.
Henry Wiles (17) sets
out for leader Bauman
after getting around
Hayden Gillim (169) and
Jared Mees (1).
