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/1475091
ery" led him back to this year's 75th Peoria TT. And that list of prior winners didn't even include reigning champion and points leader Jar- ed Mees, who still had a victory at the Peoria TT on his bucket list despite finishing as the race's runner-up to Wiles seven differ- ent times over the years. So, with all that advance build- up, did the actual race live up to the hype? Well, for the most part. A dry, dusty, and one-line circuit made life difficult for the riders, placed heightened importance on starts, and curtailed overtak- ing opportunities. Still, the Mission SuperTwins main was pressure-filled with Es- "King Henry" had previously established himself as the big- gest of big hitters at the Peoria TT, winning 14 in succession from 2004-2018. His circuit excel- lence went even deeper than that, as he hadn't been beaten in a straight fight since his debut effort in 2003: He missed the '19 edition due to injury, the 2020 race was a pandemic scratch, and Wiles stood atop the podium in last year's Parts Unlimited AFT Singles race even if he was later stripped of the win following a failed drug test. That was the last time the series had seen him before the successful completion of Pro- gressive AFT's "Road to Recov- ROUND 10 / JULY 30, 2022 PEORIA MOTORCYCLE CLUB / PEORIA, ILLINOIS P80 FLAT TRACK I FLAT TRACK / PROGRESSIVE AMERICAN FLAT TRACK MYOWNRACE 17 HENRY WILES 6TH SUPERTWINS For the first me since 2003, Henry Wiles finished a Peoria TT Main Event in any posi on other than first. Wiles marked it up as a learning experience aboard the Willy Built/Lyndy Roofing Co. Kawasaki Ninja 650 with another shot at the podium coming soon in the form of the Castle Rock TT. He said, "It's a beau ful day here at the Peoria TT. In qualifying we were about a tenth off and I was rolling around by myself. But I figured out in the (Semi) we might be in a li le bit of trouble. Some mes that happens. The reality is we were just a li le off today. I s ll had an awesome day, and so many people were here suppor ng me. It didn't work out nearly as well as I thought it would, but I'm s ll happy even if it didn't go quite as planned." 44 BRANDON ROBINSON 7TH SUPERTWINS For Mission Roof Systems' Brandon Robinson, seventh place at a TT is akin to a podium finish just about anywhere else. That was especially true at this year's Peo-