ROUNDS 17-18 / SEPTEMBER 2-3, 2023
ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS / SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS
FLAT TRACK I AMA/PROGRESSIVE AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP
P82
third overall.
Sunday's last podium position
went to Kopp, who upped his
season's top-three tally to one,
one better than Drane's. Kopp
will be looking to stay ahead of
his emerging rival in 2024. The
Red Bull KTM rider announced
his intention to return to the
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles
again next season in a bid to
completely rewrite the class's
record books before making his
long-awaited graduation to the
premier class.
"I wanted to win a Mile more
than anything all year," Kopp
The win was the fast-rising
Estenson Racing pilot's fourth
this season, which also included
10 podiums over the final 12
races and a second-place rank
-
ing in the championship.
Saathoff, meanwhile, racked
up nine podiums, six of those
runner-ups, and fourth place in
the final standings, albeit still
looking for that first Progressive
AFT win.
Sandwiched between them in
the standings is Drane's Este
-
nson Racing teammate, Trevor
Bruner,
who notched up a pair of
fourths in Springfield en route to
As dramatic as it was, Sunday
may have produced an even
more entertaining race. This
time a huge pack that slowly
whittled down to a still hefty
nine-rider crew charged for the
checkered flag in unison. Again,
despite continual overtakes and
reshuffling, Drane and Saathoff
were the primary protagonists.
Saathoff's dream finale
would have seen him finally
break through after so many
near misses, but instead, Drane
poked past to end the year on
top of the box by 0.043 sec
-
onds.
Kody Kopp (1) successfully
defended his number-one
plate and won Saturday's main.
