Just three days after the rivalry between Grand National Championship contenders Briar Bauman and Dallas Daniels hit DEFCON 3 when Bauman unintentionally knocked Daniels into the dirt, the paddock returned to the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club to wage war at the venue’s hybrid TT circuit.
By Chris Martin | Photography by Tim Lester & Kristen Lassen
Three days wasn’t much time to allow tensions to dissipate, nor was it so long that anyone was forced to stew in their feelings. Instead, the Mission AFT SuperTwins title fighters immediately returned to battle and were happy to do so.
Still, the potential for escalation was high. The technical layout mixed up big jumps in the dirt and tight corners on the pavement. A relatively narrow line often made riders force the issue to create their own overtaking opportunities, and the timesheets showed Rick Ware Racing star Bauman and Estenson Racing Yamaha ace Dallas Daniels in a virtual deadlock all day long.
Bauman led a practice and qualifying session, as did Daniels, the two twice separated by less than a tenth of a second on the timing sheets. They then went 1-2 in their heat as well as in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge that led up to the hotly anticipated main event rematch.
The only rider who managed to split them up prior to the main was TT legend Henry Wiles, now a part-time racer but one with a record 19 TT victories to his name. Wiles looked very comfortable on the DL Racing/HYMMC Yamaha, and unlike his opponents, he had very little to lose if push came to shove.
That made the start massively important. And there Daniels jumped out into the lead, and, critically, Wiles rushed into second ahead of Bauman.
The number-32 Yamaha runner put his head down to open up an early advantage, while Wiles and Bauman tussled for second. That clash was an abbreviated one; Wiles hit a neutral coming off the jump, allowing Bauman to power past on his Harley-Davidson XG750R without facing any resistance.
And while that transpired just 45 seconds into the eight-minute-plus-two-lap main, by then Daniels had stretched open a gap of over a second.
The two played a cat-and-mouse exchange of a couple tenths over the ensuing several laps, but Bauman never got close enough for a lunge. Ultimately, Daniels shook free and got his redemption by way of a 5.781-second margin of victory.
Daniels said, “Today was just kind of like how I’ve wanted all year to feel, like really good right out of the gate. No one really knew what the track was going to be like, and everyone was on edge, but it ended up being cool. I thought it was awesome. Jackpine Gypsies and AFT did a tremendous job getting this track raceable.
“It was a picture-perfect day. Fast qualified, won my heat, won the dash, and won the main. It’s been a long time since I’ve won a TT, and it’s been a couple of races since I won a national. And it’s redemption, obviously, after what happened. But more so than that, it’s good getting a win for the team so we can get our heads back in the right place because we’re pretty much wide open until we’re done. It’s crazy; this year has flown by.”
It was still a positive week overall for Bauman’s title aspirations, as he came into the 85th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally with a four-point lead and left with a seven-point gap (243-236).
The associated math suggests next week’s showdown at the Peoria TT, where they should again be well matched, will prove extraordinarily important considering Daniels will be viewed as the favorite at the Springfield Mile doubleheader and Bauman the favorite at the Lake Ozark Short Track finale.
While the two are nearly 80 points clear of the next closest rider, the fight for third continues to rage. There was unrealized potential for significant movement in that matchup in the Jackpine Gypsies Super TT.
Third-ranked Brandon Robinson suffered a mechanical DNF days after earning his first XG750R-mounted win for the Mission Roof Systems outfit. That opened the door for fourth-ranked Davis Fisher on the Rackley Racing KTM, who came up behind Wiles and pressured him for third late in the contest.
However, Fisher suffered a bike issue of his own and joined Robinson at the bottom of the night’s results, while Wiles scooped up his second podium of the Mission AFT SuperTwins season.
“We started seventh, and on the first lap we worked our way up to fourth and was there all the way up until 10 seconds to go when I came over the jump and threw a chain,” Fisher said. “I tried throwing it back on like a bicycle, but sparks started flying [laughs], so I pulled off.”
Robinson and Fisher’s twin misfortune allowed Fastrack Racing KTM’s Jarod VanDerKooi to claim fourth and close in on both of them in the points. As it stands, Robinson remains safe in third at 164, while Fisher is fourth at 148 with VDK fifth at 142.
Dan Bromley scored his fourth top five of the season on the Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson-backed Suzuki GSX-8S. OTBR’s Declan Bender, Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield’s Max Whale, G&G Racing’s James Ott, Turner Honda’s Trent Lowe, and Schaeffer’s MotorSports’ Logan McGrane rounded out the top 10.
AFT SINGLES
Throughout the day, several dark horse picks emerged in 450cc action, with the likes of Schaeffer’s MotorSports’ Evan Kelleher, Roof Systems’ Kage Tadman, Mission Roof Systems’ Tarren Santero, and Big R Racing’s Jared Lowe all looking like potential winners at different times.
However, come the main event, the rider who bolted out early was a familiar one, title hopeful Chase Saathoff.
One of those dark horses stuck, however, as Aidan RoosEvans put the front wheel of his FRA Trust Advisors/ATVs and More Yamaha right behind Saathoff’s RWR Honda.
While initially posing a threat, his presence became a boon, as Saathoff’s fellow Illinois native held strong in second and kept title leader Tom Drane at bay in third to the checkered flag.
As a result, the Estenson Racing pilot lost seven points to his rival in their three-round Sturgis adventure. While still solidly in front at 230-214, Saathoff is close enough to retain control over his own destiny with four races to go.
Hannum’s H-D’s Bradon Pfanders reeled in his best finish as a pro yet in fourth, while former class champ Dalton Gauthier finished fifth on the Parts Bros Worldwide/D&D Cycles KTM.
“The day started out good,” Pfanders said. “We went out for the main event and were kind of skeptical about starting on the outside of the second row, but we got a good start from out there and carried momentum around the outside. I put myself in a good spot getting on the pavement on the first lap and just kind of picked guys off one at a time as they were making mistakes. Once I got by, it was a game of defense to keep my position. I held onto fourth; that’s my best career finish, so it’s only upwards from here.”
ADVENTURETRACKERS
Just about everyone expected a third AFT AdventureTrackers’ shootout between Daddy Deep Pockets Suzuki’s Dan Bromley and WFOracingonline.com Harley-Davidson’s Jesse Janisch after the two split wins and runners-up at the Jackpine Gypsies ST I and II earlier in the week.
And that’s exactly what they got, at least until Janisch broke and crashed, allowing Bromley to cruise away with an easy win on his V-Strom 1050 while piling up an imposing title advantage heading into next weekend’s finale in Peoria.
“I had a good starting spot, got off the line good,” Janisch said. “I was just like, ‘I gotta send it in on Dan, you know, gotta try it.’ We were going over that jump. He was wide open, and he obviously got me back there, and then the race went red. And I kind of had a decent little game plan for turn one. But then the game plan didn’t really work. So, I just had a little bit of a mechanical. It’s unfortunate. Obviously, the championship is kind of done, so. But I’m still happy with the way I rode in the main, and Dan’s a great competitor.”
Wiles snared yet another podium, hustling the Walters Bros Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250.
Triumph Racing’s Dalton Gauthier came home fourth, with Memphis Shades/Black Hills Powersports’ Austin Luczak earning his third top five in five days. CN
2025 AMA American Flat Track Round 12 Results
SuperTwins (Top 10)
- Dallas Daniels (Yam) 20 Laps
- Briar Bauman (H-D) 5.781
- Henry Wiles (Yam) 8.578
- Jarod VanDerKooi (KTM) 14.300
- Dan Bromley (Suz) 15.436
- Declan Bender (Yam) 16.338
- Max Whale (RE) 19 Laps
- James Ott (Yam) 2.902
- Trent Lowe (Hon) 4.776
- Logan McGrane (KTM) 25.453
Singles (Top 10)
- Chase Saathoff (Hon) 16 Laps
- Aidan RoosEvans (Yam) 0.507
- Tom Drane (Yam) 1.036
- Bradon Pfanders (KTM) 9.132
- Dalton Gauthier (KTM) 9.857
- Trevor Brunner (Hon) 10.525
- Jared Lowe (Hon) 11.620
- Kage Tadman (KTM) 11.926
- Tarren Santero (Hon) 12.473
- Bronson Pearce (Yam) 13.470
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