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/1526211
hurt. We'll go with that for a little while. But no, great job to him, he's a helluva rider, and I hope he sticks around so we can go at it again next year." AFT SINGLES Rick Ware Racing's Kody Kopp knew the score when he arrived at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Twice he'd closed out the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Champion - ship early, and he was in prime position to do so for a third con- secutive time this season. Only JPG Motorsports' Chase Saathoff and Estenson Racing's Tom Drane retained even the lon - gest odds at catching Kopp. If Saathoff were to double in Springfield, a pair of seconds would be enough for Kopp to clinch ahead of the finale. And if it were Drane who doubled, a pair of thirds would do. As it was, Drane doubled and Kopp collected a pair of fourths. So, the fight—as much as it can be described as one—continues as the series goes to its season- ender. Ignoring some red flags and late-race resets, both races were effectively the same. Drane, Saathoff, Kopp and Chad Cose, who was riding in place of the injured James Ott on the 1st Impressions Husqvarna, were the class of the field with all four in contention for the win down to the last lap of both races. While the particulars were somewhat different, Drane had to work around Cose in the last corner both times and then power past Saathoff at the flag to claim victory. six weeks doesn't do you any favors. All-in-all, looking at the day, I've said it over and over that it feels good to come here and improve on what we did last year. Last year was a struggle, and to come here and have a motorcycle that I believe could have won the race with a 100 percent guy on it means a lot to me, and it means a lot to the team. Everyone put in a lot of work to make the motorcycle great. And that was the main reason I wanted to come back— to see if we made progress. We definitely did. We needed to beat Jared to stay alive, but I'll go ahead and use the excuse that he only won it because I got cushion going into the finale. That's good because anything can happen. The bike felt good all day, especially in both main events. It all clicked, everything fell together, and I had a ton of confidence. It was like I just needed to hit my marks and stay clear, and we did. "Going forward, the goal com - ing into the year was to break the record and get number 10. We're sitting good, but I know as well as anybody that anything can happen in racing. We want to stay clean and stay safe and bring it home." "I, for sure, had a winning motorcycle," Daniels said. "That thing was handling like a dream. But sitting on the couch for ROUNDS 14 & 15 / SEPTEMBER 1, 2024 ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS / SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS FLAT TRACK I AMA PROGRESSIVE AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP P74 Brandon Robinson had a good day, going 4-3 but wanted better.