Contenders Aplenty as Progressive AFT Arrives at Lima Half-Mile
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 25, 2024) – The 2024 Progressive American Flat Monitor season, sanctioned by AMA Professional Racing, kicks off its second half with the fabled Lima Half-Mile offered by Indian Bike and Drag Specialties on the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio on Saturday, June 29.
The opening half of the ‘24 season makes for a captivating showdown this weekend, particularly when thought-about at the side of previous historical past at Lima.
Three of the 4 leaders within the ongoing Mission AFT SuperTwins title combat have taken a number of race wins on the Lima Half-Mile. That checklist is headed by nine-time Grand Nationwide Champion, Jared Mees (No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Bike FTR750), who boasts 5 prior victories within the race, the primary of which got here 19 years in the past at present.
In the meantime, two-time class champ Briar Bauman (No. 3 Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Components Plus KTM 790 Duke) has taken three Lima Half-Mile wins on three totally different makes of apparatus. His first got here in 2017 on a Kawasaki, his second in 2021 on a manufacturing facility Indian, and final yr noticed him declare KTM’s maiden twin-cylinder victory within the premier class.
And it’s finest to not overlook Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Methods Indian FTR750), as he’s repeatedly demonstrated together with his class-leading three race wins in 2024, the latest coming simply days in the past. Robinson additionally occurs to be a two-time winner at Lima, together with simply two years in the past.
That leaves Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), the present Mission AFT SuperTwins championship chief, as the only rider among the many 4 main contenders with no Lima Half-Mile victory to his identify. Nevertheless, a more in-depth inspection exhibits that in his two makes an attempt, he’s twice been the quick qualifier and he’s twice completed a preventing second. With an ideal podium file on the road and pushed by the sting that accompanies a defeat of 0.086 seconds this previous weekend, Daniels is as robust a guess as any to face atop the rostrum this weekend.
Can any of the rest of a stacked discipline combine it up with Mees, Bauman, Robinson, and Daniels this weekend? Brandon Value (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Sody Ent/OTBR Yamaha MT-07), Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750), and Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing Mission Meals KTM 790 Duke) have all proven the capability to take action on quite a few events prior to now and all 4 are keen to take action once more as quickly as is humanly attainable.
In the meantime, Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Mission Meals/Zanotti Racing Indian FTR750), Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Transalp), Declan Bender (No. 70 GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750), and Cameron Smith (No. 34 RVR/KTM/Schaefer’s Motorsport KTM 790 Duke) proceed to collect the expertise and information mandatory to interrupt into the highest 5 on any given weekend.
Two riders who’ve already finished so this season – Billy Ross (No. 29 Mission Meals/Digitale Kawasaki Ninja 650) and Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) – will look to take action once more, and on the identical monitor the place Johnny Lewis raced the Royal Enfield Twins FT to victory within the Mission Manufacturing Twins class in 2021.
Components Limitless AFT Singles offered by KICKER
Can anybody hope to include the surging Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Components Plus KTM 450 SX-F) this weekend?
Not solely is Kopp the reigning two-time defending Components Limitless AFT Singles offered by KICKER champion. Not solely is Kopp the category’ all-time winningest rider and co-leader within the Half-Mile self-discipline particularly. And never solely is Kopp at present using a three-race win streak; he additionally occurs to have dominated the earlier two visits to Lima, claiming blowout victories in each 2022 and 2023.
Title hopefuls Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R), Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), and Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Meals CRF450R) are all determined to snap Kopp’s profitable streak and shift the momentum of their route because the season heads down its second half.
In the meantime, James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Group Husqvarna FC450) flashed final yr’s frontrunning kind on the Bridgeport Half-Mile and will finally be able to problem for wins, notably at a circuit the place he landed on the rostrum a yr in the past.
Younger weapons Tarren Santero (No. 75 Vinson Building/P&M Bikes Honda CRF450R), Travis Petton IV (No. 82 ECG Racing/A.M Ortega KTM 450 SX-F), Logan Eisenhard (No. 66 Hannum’s Harley-Davidson KTM 450 SX-F), Tyler Raggio (No. 55 Raggio Racing/Sluggo Racing KTM 450 SX-F), and Evan Renshaw (No. 265 American Honda/Mission Meals CRF450R) are all primed to make a splash at any second.
And the way about the potential for a resurgent trip on the a part of Shayna Texter-Bauman (No. 52 Rick Ware Racing/Components Plus KTM 450 SX-F)? With two earlier Lima Half-Mile victories to her identify, Texter-Bauman may reclaim a bit of the all-time wins lead and retake sole possession on the prime of the Half-Mile wins checklist with a 3rd Lima HM win this weekend.
There will probably be loads to maintain spectators entertained off the monitor as effectively, together with reside music courtesy of Gypsy Kyngs, a bouncy home for youths, quite a few distributors, loads of meals and beverage choices, and intensive bike parking.
Moreover, flat monitor followers can head out to the monitor a day early to observe the novice racing scheduled for Friday, June 28, from 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT) till 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT), freed from admission. Following the race motion, Angels of Dust will probably be proven on the Jumbotron beginning at roughly 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT).
At present is the ultimate day to avoid wasting $10 on tickets, with all costs set to extend to their customary charge on Wednesday, June 26. If you happen to act quick, Common Admission Bleacher tickets stay simply $30 (children 12 and beneath free with paid grownup ticket), Reserved Grandstand tickets are $35 (All Ages), Premier Reserved Grandstand tickets solely $40 (All Ages), and the brand new VIP tickets, which gives entry to the VIP trailer, are $125 (All Ages). The Pit Move Improve ($40 for adults, $20 for youths on the whole admission, and free for youths with reserved seating tickets) gives all-day entry to the pit space.
Go to https://www.tixr.com/teams/meespromotions/occasions/lima-half-mile-87016 to order your seats at present.
Gates will open for followers at 2:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. PT) with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to start at 6:40 p.m. ET (3:40 p.m. PT). You possibly can catch the livestream of all of the weekend’s racing actions on FloRacing. Motorsports followers can subscribe to FloRacing to get pleasure from over 1,000 reside motorsports occasions in 2024. FloSports is on the market by visiting https://flosports.hyperlink/aft or by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Hearth and Chromecast.
FOX Sports activities protection of the Lima Half-Mile, that includes in-depth options and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, July 6, at 10:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. PT).
For extra data on Progressive AFT go to https://www.americanflattrack.com.
