VOLUME 63 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 11, 2026 P73
ment through his right wrist and
down through the specialized
MT-07 that Yamaha typically
wheels out only for TTs and
remains undefeated in Super TT
competition.
But a Daniels runaway wasn't
a foregone conclusion.
Latus Motors Harley-Davidson's
Kody Kopp and Super.com/Rick
Ware Racing's Briar Bauman are
similarly talented all-around pilots.
In his first TT on a big twin, Kopp
threw down the fastest lap in qual
-
ifying, while Bauman won his heat
in a blowout with
a faster best lap
than Daniels had managed in his
own heat race runaway.
suited to the task at hand.
That edge was expected and
obvious. His other edge was
knowing it. Despite brandish
-
ing the number one plate after
completing the lifelong
goal
of winning the Grand National
Championship in 2025, the
Estenson Racing Yamaha pilot's
confidence had taken a beating
during his title defense, as he
claimed just two victories over
the season's opening 11 races,
compared with the combined
nine earned by his Harley-David
-
son-mounted rivals.
Daniels' upper hand
was
translated to the dirt and pave
-
D
allas Daniels arrived
at the 86th Sturgis
Motorcycle Rally with
an edge. Two edges, in
fact—a double-sided blade
he'd use to eviscerate
the opposition at the
Caterpillar Jackpine
Gypsies Super TT.
That sharpness was
both physical and men
-
tal. Daniels, a national-
caliber road
racer in
an earlier incarnation,
developed his skills on tracks
similar to Saturday evening's
multi-layered arena as a boy in
Central Illinois and was perfectly
BY CHRIS MARTIN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM LESTER
