BY CHRIS MARTIN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AFT
D
allas Daniels' landmark vic-
tory aboard the Estenson
Racing Yamaha at the Red
Mile was unquestionably more
historic, but the JD Beach-led
Estenson 1-2 at the Laconia Short
Track may have sent an even big-
ger message.
While rookie Daniels' rivals
gave him his proper due after
snapping Yamaha's four-plus
decade oval wins drought in Lex-
ington, there was also the added
subtext concerning the rule
changes that restricted the Indi-
ans in order to level the playing
field, and a general eagerness
on their part to return to a "rider's
track" like Laconia.
While the dry, bumpy, one-
lined track they found in New
Hampshire may not have been
exactly what they had in mind, it
certainly proved a significant test
of man and machine, and one
very different from the high-speed
Mile they left behind in Kentucky.
Despite the contrast, the
Yamahas remained a constant
presence at the front. Daniels
and Beach went 1-2 in the final
qualifying session and then did
the same (in the reverse order)
in the four-lap Mission Challenge
ahead of the main.
With ideal starting positions
and a track that made overtaking
extremely difficult to the point that
the preferred tactic was simply
to wait for the rider in front of you
to make a mistake, all the two
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 24 JUNE 14, 2022 P81
JD Beach was all smiles after
winning his first oval race at
the Laconia Half-Mile.
