An increasingly intense and heated Grand National Championship arrived at the iconic 78th Peoria TT for a potentially pivotal showdown between Mission AFT SuperTwins title leader Briar Bauman and second-ranked Dallas Daniels.
The venue represented ostensibly friendly confines for both riders—the setting for two prior premier-class victories for Bauman, including one over JD Beach a year ago—and the home track of Daniels, who put the paddock on notice with his first professional victory in Peoria as a 16-year-old rookie in AFT Singles action back in 2019.
By Chris Martin | Photography by Tim Lester
It’s also played host to several near misses for Bauman, a repeat of which could’ve proven nearly catastrophic to his ’25 title ambitions, considering the upcoming slate. That said, Peoria has been even more fickle to Daniels, who suffered through some of the lowest moments of his career there, including more than one uncharacteristic and costly crash.
Unsurprisingly, as the day progressed, the two proved very evenly matched with one another and far more than a match for everyone else.
Bauman looked to have a slight edge in terms of sheer pace, but one minor enough that the start could make all the difference.
While Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield’s Max Whale actually beat both Bauman and Daniels off the line, Daniels grabbed the early advantage over his title rival. A quick move past Whale and into open air promised to be the recipe for victory and a more accessible path to the championship.
However, Bauman struck before Daniels had a chance to make that vision concrete, slipping his Rick Ware Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R underneath the Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT of Daniels as they negotiated turns one and two on the race’s second lap. Moments later, he stormed by Whale over the jump, pulling off an ascension from third to first in mere seconds.
Daniels immediately followed Bauman through on Whale, setting up a race-long duel for victory.
However, that heavyweight tilt never truly took shape. Bauman’s minor lap-time edge in practice and qualifying held true in the main, and he gradually worked up the gap until it reached nearly two seconds.
That lead fluctuated more regularly as they sliced through traffic, but Daniels never got close enough to attempt even the most desperate maneuver.
The separation at the checkered flag was 1.204 seconds, and even more critically, 11 points (266-255).
With 23 points paid for each win versus the 19 awarded for second, that difference means Daniels must now win the final three races to be assured of the title.
As the Yamaha had the measure of the Harley-Davidson at the DuQuoin Mile, the upcoming Springfield Mile I and II provide Daniels a golden opportunity to get the first two of those three. However, the finale will take place at the Lake Ozark Short Track, and Bauman has finished ahead of Daniels in each of the last five Short Tracks.
That makes for an uphill climb. The win might have saved Bauman from an even more difficult path to the crown, however. Should he win at the finale, Bauman would only need a pair of thirds in Springfield to survive a 1-1-2 finish by Daniels. That margin for error may prove crucial, as it’s important to remember that Yamahas locked out the podium in DuQuoin.
Bauman said, “It was a good day. We were super-fast all day. And Dallas was so good all day, per usual. It was a must-win for me because I know Springfield is probably not going to go real well for us. We just wanted to get it done now, just get some points and see what happens when we get to the Miles. So, thank you to the team: Rick Ware Racing, Parts Plus, Latus Motors. We didn’t really know how the XG was going to handle it. It doesn’t accelerate super well. It’s good at the ovals, but we were experimenting on TTs, which you saw last weekend [in] Sturgis, and Dallas straight up smoked us there. So, we’re pumped to do this.”
Fastrack Racing KTM’s Jarod VanDerKooi was the best of the rest, working his way up to third and then riding a race of his own from that point on. VDK has always been very good at Peoria, finishing fourth or fifth five times in the past, but this weekend marked the first time he actually made his way to the box at the fabled race.
“I was just in survival mode,” VDK said. “Man, it’s so hot out today. It was challenging. I didn’t get the greatest of starts in the dash or this main. I just kind of stayed in there, started putting consistent laps down. It was pretty brutal. The track was a little treacherous. Man, it was so slippery. It kind of sucks. I heard they were going to dig it up all day. Everyone was wanting it, but it never happened. But I’m pumped on a podium in Peoria.”
Briar’s younger brother, Bronson Bauman, made a guest appearance on the Mike Butler Racing /Mission Foods Yamaha this weekend as the series returned to his adopted hometown. And he made his presence felt, winning out in a late scrap with Whale for fourth.
For a stretch, that position seemed destined to go to American Honda Turner Racing’s Trent Lowe. Lowe found an outside line around turns one and two that allowed him to systematically charge up from 12th to fifth. However, he ran into mechanical issues shortly after passing Whale for fourth with less than a minute remaining on the clock.
While he soldiered on, he was repassed by Whale, Bronson Bauman, and finally, Mission Roof Systems’ Brandon Robinson, who stole away sixth and left Lowe seventh at the flag.
Rackley Racing’s Davis Fisher, Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson’s Dan Bromley and OTB Racing’s Declan Bender rounded out the top 10.
AFT SINGLES
While already trending in this direction, after the Peoria TT, the 2025 AFT Singles crown is now all but Tom Drane’s for the taking.
The Estenson Racing ace did his part by dominating the proceedings and running away with an eight-second-plus victory. His championship aspirations were further aided by the absence of ’24 Peoria winner and title rival Chase Saathoff, who suffered a huge crash shortly after setting the fastest lap in qualifying.
Saathoff was transported to a local hospital and released later that night after being treated for his injuries. His participation for the remainder of the season remains in question.
Minus Saathoff, Drane’s biggest threat is expected to be three-time class champion Kody Kopp, who made a wild-card appearance in hopes of finally winning the Peoria TT. However, a mechanical problem during his heat forced him to race up from the back of the Last Chance Qualifier just to start from the back of the main.
A couple of hero opening laps allowed him to be in the mix in both of those races, albeit not to the point where he could challenge Drane for the win.
Instead, he got caught up in a highly entertaining fight with Turner Racing Honda’s Trevor Brunner and Mission Roof Systems’ Tarren Santero, each rider with their own particular strengths and weaknesses on the track.
Ultimately, Brunner proved too tough to get around for second, while Santero held off Kopp for third.
Illinois native Aidan RoosEvans continued his strong form of late, putting the FRA Trust Advisors/ATVs and More Yamaha fifth.
ADVENTURETRACKERS
Daddy Deep Pockets Suzuki’s Dan Bromley played it smart and walked away with both a runner-up result and the 2025 AFT AdventureTrackers title as a result.
With a significant points advantage heading into the finale, Bromley sat back and watched WFOracingonline.com Harley-Davidson’s Jesse Janisch and Saddlemen Race Development’s Danny Eslick battle it out for the win.
And it was a good show, with Janisch holding down first via a smooth approach and Eslick attempting to disrupt it with a wild and send-y ride in second.
To form, Eslick threw in one final Hail Mary attempt to steal the win in the race’s last corner. That left him in the grass and Bromley second at the flag.
Eslick recovered to finish third ahead of Triumph Racing’s Dalton Gauthier and Walters Bros. Harley Davidson’s Henry Wiles.
Bromley closed out the four-race AFT AdventureTrackers series with the number-one plate on the strength of two wins and two runners-up. If not for Janisch’s mechanical woes at Sturgis, the sport may have been treated to a winner-take-all finale, but it wasn’t to be, and Bromley wisely rode fast but smart en route to the title.
Bromley said, “It [winning the number-one plate] feels good. We had a lot of success [in Sturgis]. Jesse and I were going to come here and fight tooth and nail, but unfortunately, he had an issue at the last race. That’s a bummer, but I know he gave it everything he had. He rode his ass off, and he was able to win today. And if he had won [at Sturgis], that would have been the tiebreaker. But to be able to win this championship is pretty cool. It’s going to go up on the wall next to my Singles Championship. And hopefully, there’s more to come.” CN
2025 AMA American Flat Track Round 13 Results
SuperTwins (Top 10)
- Briar Bauman (H-D) 24 Laps
- Dallas Daniels (Yam) 1.204
- Jarod VanDerKooi (KTM) 19.278
- Bronson Bauman (Yam) 22.650
- Max Whale (RE) 23.366
- Brandon Robinson (H-D) 27.436
- Trent Lowe (Hon) 29.079
- Davis Fisher (KTM) 23 Laps
- Dan Bromley (Suz) 1.310
- Declan Bender (Yam) 2.174
Singles (Top 10)
- Tom Drane (Yam) 20 Laps
- Trevor Brunner (Hon) 8.148
- Tarren Santero (Hon) 8.408
- Kody Kopp (KTM) 8.734
- Aidan RoosEvans (Yam) 9.266
- Dalton Gauthier (KTM) 10.920
- Kage Tadman (Hus) 14.583
- Chad Cose (Hus) 17.911
- Thomas Herrick (Hus) 19.767
- Jared Lowe (Hon) 20.491
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