Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1131259
VOLUME 56 ISSUE 24 JUNE 18, 2019 P81 "It was something you dream of really," said Briar. "It was so give-and-take out there. If you got in good, you might lose a little bit off. We got closer at the end. We fi- nally made the pass, and then the red came out. It's kind of a bummer." Once again the restart saw a race favorite forced to the sidelines. Defending AFT Twins Champion, Jared Mees lost fire in his Indian and was unable to get it restarted. "It was like the 10th restart, and it quit," said Mees. "It was just a really rough day." Jake Johnson, who had inherited third place, started to take a run for the lead but was challenged by Jarod Vanderkooi (Harley-Davidson Motor Company/Vance & Hines, Harley-Davidson XG750R). Vanderkooi had made the most of every re- start and steadily worked his way up from a third-row start. The last five laps were rela- tively uneventful as Briar made a couple of unsuccessful stabs at the lead and Johnson held off Vanderkooi for the final podium position. Smith plugged away and finished fifth, well ahead of Brandon Robinson (Kennedy Racing/Armbruster Racing, Indian FTR750), Wiles and Hayden. Robinson's sixth- place finish was a major accomplishment as he was forced to use his provisional start after falling in his semi. Wiles' charge from last to seventh in five laps was also impressive. Carver and Rob Pearson (RJ Performance/ Hite Trucking, Indian FTR750) filled out the top 10. AFT SINGLES As it has been all year, the AFT Singles main was pretty much a bare-knuckle brawl. Dalton Gauthier (D&D Cycles/ Gobert Smash, Husqvarna FC 450) grabbed the holeshot and immediately opened a gap over the war that was go- ing on behind him. Ryan Wells (Estenson Rac- ing/Monster Energy, Yamaha YZ450F), Chad Cose (Parkin- son Brothers Racing/Ritchie Reynolds, Honda CRF450R) and Dan Bromley (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing/Roof Systems, KTM 450 SX-F) were fighting for second, but more and more riders were working into the mix. The first of two red flags came out when Kevin Stollings crashed on the front straight. Mikey Rush (RMR Honda/Red Rider Rewards, Honda CRF450R), who had steadily worked his way through the field, took full advantage of the opportunity and grabbed the lead in turn three. Gauthier stayed close, but couldn't regain the lead. Andrew Luker (Keeran Rac- ing/Baker Racing, Kawasaki KX450F) worked his way to third from deep in the pack. Max Whale (Kawasaki Mo- DARK CLOUD Bad luck continues to offset the progress of the Harley-Davidson/Vance & Hines team. Sammy Halbert had been running in the top five when he was unable to make the second restart. Due to the flatness of the track, the riders were having a hard time seeing the start- ing-light tree. "On the third time of moving to try to see the starting light, I hit the kill switch," said Halbert. "I couldn't get it restarted, but it would have been interesting." Virtually the same thing happened to Jared Mees on the next restart. Mees and Halbert were credited with 15th and 16th, respectively. FAN FRIENDLY While the racetrack was a problem, the event looked to be a success, with all but the VIP area completely full. The large crowd seemed duly impressed with the skill of the riders on such a challenging track. ADDING IT UP Briar Bauman has just one win in 2019 but has been on the podium in all seven races this year. The consistency has resulted in Bauman owning a 34-point lead over Brandon Robinson. Defending AFT Twins Champion Jared Mees is one more point back. Both Robinson and Mees have two wins. The AFT Singles have been able to get in eight races, and their points race is a little tighter. Mikey Rush's consecutive wins have given him a 10-point lead over Dalton Gauthier. Jesse Janisch has notched three wins and is just two points behind Gauthier. Defending class Champion, Dan Bromley is in fourth, 27 points off the lead. HAYDEN MAKES TOP 10 Roger Hayden, once again, took the reins of JD Beach's Estenson Racing Yamaha while JD was road racing in Utah. Roger had a better result this time, as he qualified for his first Twins main event since the 2001 Mile at Vernon, NY. He finished eighth. Briefly...