was for second while Saathoff
gapped the field at the front.
By the time the contest hit
mid-distance, Saathoff had
more than two seconds in hand
and was eyeing his long-awaited
breakthrough win.
But it was also around that
time that Kopp finally escaped
Drane's clutches and was
allowed to run his lines unde
-
terred. Two-and-a-half minutes
later,
Kopp slid up alongside
Saathoff and took the lead,
which he would grow to over a
second by the time he reached
the checkered flag.
The move was not without
controversy. Kopp hit a rut
mid-corner, which sent him up
the track, forcing an annoyed
Saathoff to get off the throttle or
risk taking both riders out.
The two exchanged words on
the cooldown lap despite an ear
-
lier wave of apology. Both riders
ROUND 12 / JULY 8, 2023
ORANGE COUNTY FAIR SPEEDWAY / MIDDLETOWN, NEW YORK
FLAT TRACK I AMA/PROGRESSIVE AMERICAN FLAT TRACK
P94
59 TOM DRANE
3RD SINGLES
Estenson Racing's Tom Drane is now
living up to all the lofty expectations
after getting his season off to a bit of
a quiet start. After going without a po-
dium in the year's opening six races,
he's now reeled in five in the last six,
including a pair of wins. "The day
started off good," he said. "We were
able to start off good and continued
that through the whole day. There
were some shadows in turn three in
the main. I couldn't see the holes, and
I kept catching my foot there, which
made it a little tricky. But I'm really
happy with the podium."
MYOWNRACE
(Above) Kody Kopp had to make
some passes to win the Orange
County Half-Mile. The KTM rider holds
a commanding lead in the Singles
class championship chase.
Chase Saathoff finished
second to Kopp. The
Honda rider is also
running second in a multi-
rider battle for second in
the championship.
