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/842139
FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 9 / JUNE 24, 2017 ALLEN COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS / LIMA, OHIO P78 My Own Race: 14 BRIAR BAUMAN 1ST AFT TWINS The tenacity of the Zanotti Race Team and Briar Bauman paid off handsomely at the halfway point of the AFT Twins season. "I can't give enough credit to Dave Zanotti. It's a combination," said Bauman. "You can't just show up on anything and go out there and go fast, that's for sure. You can't just put anyone out there on a good bike. We had a good bike and I felt like I was riding really well. I really, really wanted this one. I wanted last week, too. I've wanted all of them, just like all these guys do. You show up with the mentality you're going to win, whether you're 30th fastest or you're first fastest. You're always there trying to put everything you can into it." 6 BRAD BAKER 2ND AFT TWINS "It was an exciting race altogether. Jeffrey [Carver] and I started racing after the red flag," said Brad Baker. "He would pass me and come up the inside. I would kind of let off and cut to the inside. We high-lowed each other probably every single lap after the restart. It was fun; Jeff and I grew up racing together. He's a guy you can really trust. It was good fun racing with him. Unfortunately it was for second and not for first. I knew that I wanted to win, but at the same time I didn't want to throw the thing away. Running down low was where I felt the most comfortable. Obviously it wasn't too terribly slow [Baker actually posted the fastest lap of the race and claimed $500]. I got second, but it wasn't fast like the normal line of running up top. I just wasn't comfortable up there. Briar was just riding the rim all the way around the racetrack. With the way my bike was feeling, all it would have taken was one little huck-a-buck and you're in a chain link fence and guardrail. I thought, 'No thanks.' When I'm comfortable I don't mind. When I'm not comfortable, no thanks." 23 JEFFREY CARVER 3RD AFT TWINS "We were running opposite lines so we were trying to set each other up like a chess match," Jeffrey Carver said of his battle with Brad Baker. "I was getting roosted hard, ripping tear-offs, bucking around, and almost getting into the fence, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't even know how many times we swapped positions; it was crazy. We could watch each other's shadows a little bit. We both know each other really well and we both know that we like to square it up really hard. We were trying to set each other up. I was trying to cut off the racetrack but not get too sideways and not pick it up too hard and lose momentum and keep the energy going that way. I was trying to chase the cushion off the turns and Brad was trying to square it and drive off. He had better traction than me. I had to get to the cushion. I abandoned my line at the beginning of the main event a little bit. I wanted to go back to it, but I didn't feel super comfortable up top. On the restart, I knew at least with a decent jump off the line that I could get try to get in front of Briar coming off of four. I got by them both, but Briar blew back by me. There really wasn't much I could do for that. The battle for second was great." 67 DAVIS FISHER 4TH AFT TWINS "Bryan Smith and I were going back and forth for a couple laps. He was kind of like stopping and I was diving to the bottom," said Davis Fisher. "I know I would catch him off guard a couple times and slowed him down. Finally I was able to make it stick down below. I was able to drive off the corner and get past him. Then I was able to start work- ing on [Henry] Wiles. I got by Henry by staying down low and made it stick. He was up in the cushion just bouncing around. On the cool down lap I started counting and thought, 'I only missed the podium by one.' I was all excited." 17 HENRY WILES 5TH AFT TWINS "I was getting roosted all night," said Henry Wiles. "I had a pretty good pace. Some- body told me I had like the second-fastest lap of the race. We definitely know how to go around this track. The first few laps were smooth and I could pick where I wanted to go. I think what happened is Briar was riding really good tonight. They had a real good setup. He went under me and I thought 'I can't believe that line is better than the one I'm on.' At that time my line was starting to get a little rougher too. I tried to kind of change up some different lines. I tried to tag on with him, but we're still trying to gain on our setup. Once it got rough it was just a fight for me."