MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – Briar Bauman continued his domination of Williams Grove Speedway by sweeping the weekend in American Flat Track action Saturday night.
It took Bauman all of two corners to seize control of Friday’s AFT SuperTwins presented by Vance & Hines main event. He didn’t even need that many in Saturday’s rematch. Bauman translated the holeshot into a one-sided, 5.544-second beatdown.
“This place is my home now. It’s just an hour-and-a-half from my house. I woke up the other morning and came to the track and went racing,” Bauman said. “The race was good. I kind of did my thing. I really like this place.”
Sammy Halbert was the only rider who could even hope to cling to Bauman wake in the race’s opening stages. Doing so successfully pulled Halbert clear of the rest of the field but that early advantage only delayed the inevitable.
Jeffrey Carver Jr. overhauled Halbert with four minutes remaining before shaking free to take the runner-up position by more than two seconds.
Halbert later found himself under assault by Jared Mees, who chased him down in time for a two-lap podium showdown as the clock showed 0:00. Mees slid into third with a tight pass with just over a lap-and-a-half remaining, but Halbert set him up for a last corner counterattack.
Those plans, however, were foiled by the unfortunate positioning of some slower riders, allowing Mees to capture third at the checkered flag by .078 seconds.
Home-state hero Dan Bromley rounded out his best weekend yet since rejoining the premier class, backing up Friday’s fifth with an identical result on Saturday night.
Bauman’s win pushes him back ahead of Mees in his quest to repeat as Grand National Champion as the season officially reaches its midpoint. Bauman will carry a slim five-point advantage (169-164) into what promises to be an epic four-weekend, eight-race stretch run to the throne.
The AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys main event served as a showcase for the sport’s future stars as Dallas Daniels earned a close victory over fellow second-year pro Trent Lowe.
Daniels blasted off to the lead at the start and never saw as much as a wheel from a rival throughout the eight-minute (plus two lap) main. However, Lowe was right there throughout, primed to capitalize on any mistake. Unfortunately for Lowe, that mistake never came. Still, it was a breakout performance for Lowe, who boasted a pair of fifth-place finishes as his personal bests prior to Saturday’s runner-up ride.
Daniels’ third win of the season not only elevates him into the championship lead, it also hands him a relatively healthy 14-point advantage.
Tanner Dean engaged in an extended scrap for third with Morgen Mischler before breaking loose to claim the final spot on the box all by his lonesome.
Mischler dropped a couple more positions before it was all over with Kevin Stollings finishing fourth and highly touted rookie Trevor Brunner rounding out the top five.
James Rispoli continued his steamroller act in the AFT Production Twins class Saturday night, claiming his fourth win in the last five AFT Production Twins main events, and he did so in almost drama-free fashion, going nearly unchallenged in his green light to checkered flag victory.
Rispoli and reigning AFT Production Twins champion Cory Texter briefly reenacted Friday night’s high-line/low-line comparo, but within a matter of laps, Rispoli was working his way out of reach and to a lopsided victory.
Rispoli’s 2.642-second victory increases his championship lead to an imposing 30 points at the season’s halfway point.
Other than a mid-race pass for third by Ryan Varnes over Ben Lowe, the race inside the top five was rather processional… until the very final two corners that is.
Varnes slowly closed down on Texter over the Main’s final three minutes and worked his way into position to dive underneath his potential prey just as the two entered Turn 3 for the last time. However, they arrived there alongside a pair of lappers who were embroiled in their battle for position, adding another layer of complexity to the attempted maneuver.
Texter got the better of the fray, reclaiming the position as they exited 4 and holding on to grab second in the sprint to the checkered flag by 0.058 seconds. Lowe cruised to fourth a couple seconds back.
Chad Cose rode a lonely race in fifth for the bulk of the Main, only to get some unwelcome company late from Jeremiah Duffy. Duffy got the better of Cose in the end, stealing fifth position by 0.111 seconds.
Johnny Lewis continued to demonstrate the potential of the Royal Enfield’s developing new racebike; he raced his way forward to seventh after starting from last position due to being black flagged in his semi.