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/1542014
VOLUME ISSUE DECEMBER , P119 Dallas came home fourth in race one but, fortunately, ahead of seventh-placed Bauman. The alarm bells started ringing in earnest in race two, however, where Bauman finished a close second while Daniels crossed the stripe an uncharacteristic seventh. With his season on the line, Daniels edged 0.092 of a second ahead of HRP Racing's Brandon Price to not only win main-event three but also claim the day's overall victory. Bauman, meanwhile, finished fifth in the race and fourth overall, allowing Daniels to close to within just two points of his archnemesis. That served as the springboard, aided by a disastrous Springfield Mile II for Bauman in which he was black-flagged as a result of a smoking machine, for Daniels to finally complete his boyhood dream of claiming the sport's ultimate prize. While it didn't play out the way most foresaw, Daniels is even more appreciative of the accom - plishment due to the struggle. "It was just a grind of a season. I'm really proud we were able to come out on top because the season was so difficult. We had to go out and earn it for a lot of reasons. Briar was tough. I wasn't at my best at the start of the season, and neither was the bike. We had to earn it. "I think we learned a lot about our - selves, about our team, and about our bike this year. Sometimes, tempers flare and guys get mad, but you circle back and say, 'Hey, we all want the same thing, and we're all trying to do this for the same reason.' "In a weird way, it brought us all closer together. And from now on, we're going to be much stronger." As he repeatedly makes clear, the triumph wasn't Daniels' achievement alone. It was also Yamaha's first unshared Grand National Champion - ship in more than half a century, going all the way back to Kenny Roberts' two-year reign in 1973 and 1974. And while it wasn't 50-plus years for Tim Estenson, it might have felt that way at times. Es - tenson believed and persevered, pushing forward with the project even during the tough times, in- cluding a 2020 season in which the team's two pilots, JD Beach and Kolby Carlile, finished 14th and 18th in points, with only a single finish better than 10th between them all year. Daniels saw that struggle firsthand, winning the first of his two AFT Singles crowns for Estenson that same year. Dallas came home fourth in race The alarm bells started ringing in earnest in race two, however, where Bauman finished a close second while With his season on the line, Daniels edged 0.092 of a second ahead of HRP Racing's Brandon Price to not only win main-event three but also claim the day's overall victory. Bauman, meanwhile, finished fifth in the race and fourth overall, allowing Daniels to close to within just That served as the springboard, aided by a disastrous Springfield Mile II for Bauman in which he was black-flagged as a result of a smoking machine, for Daniels to finally complete his boyhood "I think we learned a lot about our selves, about our team, and about our bike this year. Sometimes, tempers flare and guys get mad, but you circle back and say, 'Hey, we all want the same thing, and we're all trying to do this for the same reason.' "In a weird way, it brought us all closer together. And from now on, we're going to be much stronger." As he repeatedly makes clear, the triumph wasn't Daniels' achievement alone. It was also Yamaha's first unshared Grand National Champion ship in more than half a century, going all the way back to Kenny Roberts' two-year reign in 1973 and 1974. And while it wasn't 50-plus years for Tim Estenson, it might have felt that way at times. Es tenson believed and persevered, pushing forward with the project even during the tough times, in cluding a 2020 season in which the team's two pilots, JD Beach and Kolby Carlile, finished 14th and 18th in points, with only a single finish better than 10th between them all year. Daniels saw that struggle firsthand, winning the first of his two AFT Singles crowns for Estenson that same year. (Above) Daniels' main rival was Briar Bauman (3), who battled the Yamaha rider until the final race. Daniels' championship was Yamaha's first GNC title since Kenny Roberts.