American Flat Track Lima rounds eight and nine, the Lima Half Mile I & II, is June 26-27 at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio.
This is press release from AFT…
Daytona Beach, FL (June 23, 2026) – The 2026 Grand National Championship will reach and exceed its midpoint at a doubleheader event of particular prestige and consequence—the Super.com Lima Half Mile I & II presented by Drag Specialties—at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio, on Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27.
Featuring the Mission Triple Challenge format on Friday and a conventional slate on Saturday, Rounds 8 and 9 of the ‘26 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, are destined to have massive implications on this year’s remarkably tight Mission AFT SuperTwins title fight.
Points of/and Pride
VIctory at the fabled Lima Half Mile ranks as among the most coveted for any motorcycle dirt tracker—aspiring or established. Its pea-gravel battlefield and fervent fanbase make for a unique atmosphere, which is only enhanced by the monumental challenge the venue presents.
There’s a reason the winningest riders at Lima also happen to be the winningest riders in the history of the sport, full stop. Seven of Scott Parker’s 94 career premier-class wins were taken here, as were five of (Lima co-promoter) Jared Mees’ 78 and four of Chris Carr’s 78.
It’s not enough to be fast at Lima, a racer must also be fanatically fit and supremely focused to have any shot at winning, which makes the accomplishment that much more rewarding.
Two-time Grand National Champion Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Jacob Construction/Parts Plus Harley-Davidson XG750R) is all of those things, a fact made evident by his Lima track record.
Bauman is tied with Carr for third in career Lima victories with four, and, quite remarkably, he’s done so on four different makes of racebike—Kawasaki, Indian, KTM, and Harley-Davidson.
Should he claim one more this weekend, he’ll move into a tie with the legendary Ricky Graham for fifth all-time in total premier-class victories at 39. And if he sweeps the weekend, he’ll move past Graham in career wins and into a tie with him for the most-ever consecutive premier-class victories at six straight.
While it’s hard to bet against Bauman, his Mission AFT SuperTwins rivals have their own reasons to be optimistic coming into the weekend.
Reigning class king Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) has won two of the last three races here, including last year’s 1-2-1 conquering of the Mission Triple Challenge.
It’s to Daniels’ credit and his adversaries’ peril that he has been just a tick off most of the season and yet is still just 10 points back in the title fight.
However, neither Bauman nor Daniels leads the way as the season approaches its midpoint. That status is claimed by rookie phenom Kody Kopp (No. 12 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R). Kopp has earned the position via six finishes of first or second in the year’s first seven races.
However, both of his wins came in the 2026 double opener in Daytona more than three months back. The Latus Motors Harley-Davidson ace will be looking to change that this weekend in Lima, a personal favorite of his like Daytona, and a track where he previously registered a pair of blowout wins in Kicker AFT Singles competition.
Second (Half) Chance
While Kopp, Bauman, and Daniels are locked into a 10-point championship clash, no other rider is within even 50 points of third.
It’s perhaps a bit harsh to suggest everyone else’s seasons have gone off the rails, but it’s fair to say they haven’t gone exactly to plan either.
As the Lima Half Mile represents both the end of the season’s first half and the start of its second, the weekend is as good a time as any for a new beginning for this talented collection of potential spoilers.
Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke) came into ‘26 with legitimate hopes of making this a four-way title fight. Unfortunately, he’s been held back in large part by poor luck despite routinely showing the outright speed to run up front. Kopp’s win in early March was also the last time Fisher has been on the box. That’s a long time for a rider of Fisher’s caliber.
Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods Honda CB750 Hornet) hasn’t enjoyed the breakthrough season both desired and expected after last year’s second-half flourish. The Indiana native scored two sixths at Lima last year—which matched his best finish to that point in the year before he really kicked things up a notch down the stretch. Perhaps a repeat is in order.
OTB Racing teammates Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07) and Declan Bender (No. 70 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07) have struggled to make as strong an impression as they would have liked due to injury, misfortune, and a simple lack of form. However, the team has started to find its way as of late, Bender in particular. He’s steadily marched his way up the order, going from DNQ to 16th to 14th to 12th (twice) to fourth last time out.
Bender also came home fourth at Lima a year ago and will be looking to continue his upward trajectory this weekend.
Rookie Evan Renshaw (No. 95 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) has had to scrape and claw just to make the mains, an indication of just how deep the current field is. However, now with a half season of premier-class duty under his belt to acclimate to the bike and the competition, he’s poised to settle in and allow his natural ability to shine through.
Others have their own stories of mixed first-halfs, including the likes of Chad Cose (No. 49 Parker Racing/Pro Roofing Yamaha MT-07), Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Roof Systems KTM 790 Duke), Hunter Bauer (No. 24 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07), and Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 Parts Bros/D&D Cycles/Fairway Ford Aprilia Tuareg 660).
The primary exception may be Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust Advisors Harley-Davidson XG750R), who probably couldn’t have asked for a much smoother start to his premier-class career. While outside of title contention, RoosEvans has reeled in five top-six results, including a first official Progressive AFT podium at the Silver Dollar Short Track.
RoosEvans also has Lima expert Jeffrey Carver, Jr., in his corner, which could give him an edge this weekend.
Part-Time Runners
Things haven’t gone exactly to plan for Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Lisa Niner Racing Suzuki GSX-8S) either.
He took a pretty heavy fall in the season’s opening weekend and sat out the next few races. Bromley has since returned to (part-time) action and has it in him to make waves this weekend in Ohio. A year ago, he was seriously quick on the Suzuki at Lima, notching up a combined fourth (4-4-5) in the Mission Triple Challenge.
Bromley is set to compete on Saturday before completing his season in his home state at the Appalachian Harley-Davidson Williams Grove Half Mile on July 11.
The season has been less kind still to another Pennsylvanian in Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R), who is out for the remainder of the season as he recovers from the injuries he sustained in Ventura.
That’s a tough beat for the Mission Roof Systems outfit on a weekly basis but particularly so at Lima, where Robinson has won twice previously.
They’ve got the best possible replacement in place, however, in Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R), who finished on the podium here back in 2021.
Drane Aims to Rule the Roost at Lima Doubleheader
The emerging stars of Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, will continue to highlight the bright future of the sport when the Kicker AFT Singles and AFT ProSport 450 classes resume their respective clashes at the Allen County Fairgrounds, host of the Super.com Lima Half Mile I & II presented by Drag Specialties, in Lima, Ohio, on Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27.
All Aboard
While it took nearly a half season for the championship outlook to take shape, you can almost feel reigning Kicker AFT Singles champion Tom Drane (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) building up that trademark freight train-like momentum at this point.
With three victories on the year and a 20-point title advantage, the Australian comes into the venue that has defined his power more than any other poised to truly seize control.
Drane first burst onto the Progressive AFT scene with a stunning runner-up debut at Lima back in 2022. He’s only furthered his mastery over the challenging pea-gravel circuit in the time since.
In that first race, Drane finished second to current Mission AFT SuperTwins title leader Kody Kopp by some four seconds. In 2023—Drane’s first full season in the series—he came second to Kopp again, this time by a margin of two and a half seconds.
In 2024, Drane beat Kopp by nearly a half-second.
And last year, the Estenson Racing Yamaha star completely dominated the proceedings, winning both the final leg of the Mission Triple Challenge and Saturday’s main event by over five seconds.
Should Drane repeat that sort of form with another Lima sweep, he’ll not just extend his lead to more than a full race’s payment of points, he’ll overtake Kopp for the all-time Kicker AFT Singles wins record.
He’d also make a compelling argument regarding the wisdom of Estenson Racing granting him a handful of premier-class wild-card entries down the stretch this season.
En Garde
That same weekend Drane made his runner-up debut in ‘22, Chase Saathoff (No. 88 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) backed up his first-career Kicker AFT Singles podium with a second, finishing third to Kopp and Drane at Lima.
He’s also continued to excel at the track, notching up four podiums in five career attempts. He’s been embroiled with a heated rivalry with Drane over that time, as the two have traded wins, paint and barbs over the years.
Trevor Brunner (No. 21 KMA Racing/March Equipment Yamaha YZ450F) has largely been in that same orbit as well, despite opening his Kicker AFT Singles career a couple years earlier and then spending one season away garnering Mission AFT SuperTwins Rookie of the Year honors.
But Brunner has been a regular frontrunner as well, winning races in all six of his seasons in the class, including this one.
This year, however, has threatened to upset the power dynamic with a potential changing of the guard taking effect. As Saathoff continues to seek his first victory of the year, and Brunner comes to Lima following a pair of disappointing outings, second-year ace Kage Tadman (No. 28 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) has claimed two wins and a runner-up over the last four races, leaping up past both in the points in the process.
Tadman, Saathoff and Drane won’t want to spend too much time arguing over second place, however. Drane is still the primary target, and all three will need to come up huge this weekend if they hope to slow him down.
Santero Watch
The Lima doubleheader will provide two more chances for Tarren Santero (No. 75 Roof Systems/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R) to at last get his first career Progressive AFT victory.
Fifth-ranked Santero has been knocking on the door for nearly two full seasons at this point. This weekend presents a real opportunity for Santero, considering he finished as the runner-up in last year’s Mission Triple Challenge overall results.
Similarly, sixth-ranked Walker Porter (No. 10 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) continues to hunt his first pro podium, an accomplishment that has only narrowly eluded him for multiple weeks on end.
Porter made his Progressive AFT debut here last year and did so in impressive fashion, collecting a top-five result in his very first weekend.
Young Brucks
Turner Racing teammates Tadman and Porter are far from the only first- and second-year riders making waves.
Rookie Jack Brucks (No. 113 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) has finished inside the top 10 in five of his seven starts, including three finishes of sixth or better.
His ascendent teammate, Jett Katarzy (No. 117 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), is even newer on the scene, having recently graduated from AFT ProSport 450 success. Despite transitioning from the amateur ranks up to the pros midseason, Katarzy has lived up to the team’s name by making the main event in his first two attempts.
Meanwhile, Ryder Reese (No. 41 Fasthouse/Smoking Butcher Coffee KTM 450 SX-F FE) and
Skylar Sentell (No. 60 R&D Racing/Hoffer Performance KTM 450 SX-F)—who both first broke into the Kicker AFT Singles top 10 at Lima a year ago—have continued to work their way up the order more regularly as they accumulate valuable experience.
And keep an eye on Dylan Cunningham (No. 252 Scott Stump/Joel Laub KTM 450 SX-F), who comes into Lima having converted his first two main event qualifications into consecutive top-10 finishes.
Keeping Up with the Joneses
Meanwhile, the field is stocked up with established runners hoping to reassert themselves.
The likes of Justin Jones (No. 91 Fairway Ford Chevy GMC Yamaha YZ450F), Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats Yamaha YZ450F), Jared Lowe (No. 63 Big R Racing/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R), Evan Kelleher (No. 31 Schaeffer’s Motorsports KTM 450 SX-F), and Logan Eisenhard (No. 66 Eisenhard Racing/Pags Powersports KTM 450 SX-F) have all enjoyed their moments this season, but it’s been a minute since any of them really pushed for podium contention.
Perhaps this will be the weekend one (or more) of them reminds the usual suspects exactly what they’re capable of on their day.
No Sleep Till DuQuoin
The all-new AFT ProSport 450 class will make one last appearance this season as the nation’s top amateurs make their final preparations before heading to DuQuoin, Illinois, from July 5-10 for the 2026 Roof Systems AMA Flat Track Grand Championship.
The class has helped raise the profile of a number of heralded prospects, including race winners Sam Drane (No. 7 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), Adam Costan-Wood (No. 88 Turner Racing Honda CRF450R), Bayne Nantz (No. 313 Nantz Bros Racing KTM 450 SX-F), and the aforementioned Katarzy.
Will another rising star add their name to that list and carry some extra momentum into DuQuoin?
Three-Day Weekend
Fans will have plenty to keep them entertained beyond the world-class on-track excitement. There will also be music, a bouncy house for kids, numerous vendors, and plenty of food and beverage options, along with extensive motorcycle parking.
And spectators are invited to get the party started a day early, as Thursday at the track will spotlight the future stars of the sport with an AMA-sanctioned Mission Foods CTR Showcase Event, which will feature the 450 Road to AFT clash that will set the grid for Saturday’s AFT ProSport 450 season finale.
Act Fast to Save Your Cash
General Admission Bleacher tickets are just $45 each night (kids 12 and under free with a paid adult GA ticket) with Reserved Grandstand and Premier Reserved Grandstand tickets priced at $55 and $60, respectively.
Meanwhile, fans who purchase a two-day ticket will save $5 (General Admission $65, Reserved $85, and Premier Reserved $95).
The Pit Pass add-on ($40/day) provides fans a chance to get an up-close look at the racebikes and meet the riders and their teams.
Fans looking to take things to the next level can choose the VIP Experience add-on ($150 per day or $280 for two days, seats included) to gain access to a climate-controlled VIP room with a catered meal, five alcoholic beverages, and a Pit Pass.
Camping is also available at the Allen County Fairgrounds. The camping sites, which are accessible off Harding Highway and include water and electric hookups, are available on a first-come, first-served basis at $50 per night (Wednesday night through Saturday night).
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