straightaway back. I couldn't
believe it. For the restart, I knew
I had to nail that start because
Briar was going to want that
win. He tried in Turn 1 on the
first lap, but I just did my thing,
rode as smooth as I could, and
brought home the win again."
SINGLES
The Parts Unlimited AFT Singles
main event was even trickier to
get a handle on than the wild
premier-class tilt. Featuring two
flags and three starts, the 450
race was three distinct entities.
There was a bit of start-line
drama before the race even got
underway as title defender and
championship leader Kody Kopp
waved his hands frantically,
looking to be in real danger
of not being able to start. He
did, however, and shortly after,
powered by Estenson Racing
teammates Trevor Brunner and
Tom Drane to capture the lead
and pile up an advantage at the
front.
At that point, the only pos
-
sible threat to Kopp's first-career
TT
win was his Red Bull KTM
teammate Max Whale. The
reigning two-time winner of the
race slashed his way forward
following a poor start, gliding up
from sixth to second before set-
ting his sights on Kopp, who had
nearly
a second-and-a-half in
hand with some three minutes
remaining on the clock.
A red flag not only interrupted
their fight, but it also completely
altered the shape of the race.
Following the restart, the
surging Drane found new life,
blasting out front and leaving
the field in his wake. But with
ROUND 14 / JULY 30, 2023
PEORIA MOTORCYCLE CLUB / PEORIA, ILLINOIS
FLAT TRACK I AMA/PROGRESSIVE AMERICAN FLAT TRACK
P82
Bauman leads Daniels, Beach and
Mees in the Mission Challenge race.
