possible at one point, it was still a
nice rebound ride for the 16-year-old
Alabaman. "In qualifying, I started up
a bit high. I knew the bike was pretty
good, but I didn't know where the
line was here. When I came in, Mike
Turner told me that I was a little too
high compared to everybody else. I
went down because I knew the bike
would still be good everywhere else.
So, we went down to the bottom of
the track and felt good all day. It felt
good in the heat race, and that gave
me good confidence going into the
main. But the track changed a little bit
about halfway through. The line at the
bottom kept getting narrower and nar-
rower. I should have moved my line
up a little bit sooner than I did."
MYOWNRACE
proved capable of sticking with
him in his getaway attempt.
But rather than experiment with
his lines, the three-time 450cc
champ elected to instead apply
pressure from directly behind
and see if he couldn't get Dan
-
iels to wilt under the immense
expectations
of his position and
the setting.
But the champion did not
crack; he was quick and con-
sistent to the end, securing his
and
Yamaha's first Mission AFT
SuperTwins win in Senoia.
"What a great night," Daniels
said. "I'm so pumped to get this
win for Yamaha. We went to the
plant and the headquarters these
last few days. And everyone
there is so invested in their racing
program and to us. And their love
for flat track and their passion
for it is so strong. The essence
and our racing partnership with
Yamaha just seems right.
"It's amazing to get this win
for them. This place has been a
alongside his polesitting MT07
were the respective Harleys of
Bauman, Kopp and Robinson.
The bikes served as a reminder
that the track was the scene
of the XGs' first-ever triumph,
earned in resounding 1-2 fash
-
ion here 12 months back, a race
that kicked off an active nine-
race
Short Track win streak for
the machine.
Daniels accomplished his ini-
tial goal of grabbing the lead off
the line.
From there, he held on
down low, established a scintil-
lating pace, and dared anyone to
try
to find a faster line and come
around the outside.
Kopp was the only rider who
bled there, again by an XG750R,
but this time under the control of
Latus Motors Racing's superstar
rookie Kody Kopp.
Saturday in Senoia proceeded
promisingly enough. Daniels
won his heat and followed that
up with a victory in the four-lap
Mission #2Fast2Tasy Challenge.
But he'd done similar things in
the past before coming up just
short in the main event.
There was no disguising the
challenge he faced. Lined up
VOLUME 63 ISSUE 12 MARCH 24, 2026 P95
(Above) Daniels fought hard for the
win, his first at the Atlanta Short
Track. (Left) Kopp kept it close en
route to second place.
