later), finding a way past Mees.
At that point, any hopes for
victory were delayed for at least
a year even if Daniels had dem-
onstrated the requisite speed to
challenge for the top spot in his
rookie effort.
Mees held on for fourth, while
Vanderkooi rounded out the top
five.
And Wiles? Considering both
his past record and his pro-
longed absence from the sport,
it wouldn't have been a massive
surprise if he either dominated
or got completely blown out of
the water. The actual result was
somewhere in the middle.
Wiles flashed near the top of
the charts in practice on the Willy
tenson Racing ace Beach locked
firmly in the sights of works Indian
pilot Bauman from lights to flag.
While Bauman showed Beach
his front wheel once at mid-
distance, Bauman's primary
tactic was to apply the pressure
and wait for a mistake at a track
that promised to deliver plenty
of them. But that mistake would
never come.
Behind them, Beach's team-
mate, Daniels, was a victim of his
continued difficulties in getting
off the line. It took him most of
the main to work his way up from
fifth to third, first overtaking the
fast-starting Jarod Vanderkooi on
the Mission Roof Systems Indian
FTR750, and then later (much
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 31 AUGUST 2, 2022 P81
MYOWNRACE
ria TT, which was absolutely stacked with
TT superstars. He said, "Normally, when I
come to Peoria, I'm not looking forward
to it; I'm not known as a TT specialist by
any means. But we unloaded and had
decent speed, which was pre y cool. I
came in with no expecta ons and just
let the day come to me. This is probablyy
the best it's ever went for me… This is
actually my career-best TT finish. Seventh
doesn't sound like a lot to people, but I'm
happy with it for once."
94 RYAN WELLS
7TH AFT SINGLES
2016 Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Cham-
pion Ryan Wells has bounced from team
to team this season while looking to redis-
cover his old form, along with his career
momentum. At Peoria, he hooked back
up with his '21 squad—the 1st Impres-
sions Race Team—and looked as good
as he has in some me, highlighted by a
win over Kody Kopp in the Semi. While he
hoped for more than seventh in the main,
it was a posi ve day overall. "It's been
a good day," he said. "It's been a while
since I've been relevant at the racetrack,
honestly. To be decently far up front in all
the sessions and get my first Semi win, I
think since 2019, it's just a really big step
in the right direc on. Seventh in the main
isn't quite what we wanted, but just being
in the mix felt really good. I'm excited
to keep plugging away and get back up
front."
Beach (95) had to hold off
the determined rivals and
had the added pressure of
repeating his 2021 win.
Despite finishing
second, it was good day
for Bauman (pictured)
who gained a few more
points on championship
leader Jared Mees.
