Saturday Cinema Matinee from AMA Pro Flat Track Brings You the Final National Main from the 2012 Springfield TT

Round 3 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season saw the cast and crew of The Rolling Thunder Show head to the Illinois State Fairgrounds for what would be the final National event held at the Multipurpose Arena for the foreseeable future. 

With the still-varying economy and so many other events being held over the course of the Memorial Day Weekend, crowd turnout at the 'little track that could' just wouldn't hold-up or make a National event feasible for the IMDA to continue to operate without massive losses to their already slim budget.  Of note, the Saturday night races before both of the Springfield Mile I (May 26) and the Springfield Mile II (September 1) will still be running races this year, but now will be promoted by the fine group of folks out of Paducah, KY. also known as Steve Nace Racing Promotions.

The SNR folks will be visiting Springfield on both weekends with TT and Short Track rounds of the 2013 Steve Nace Racing All-Star AMA National Flat Track Series presented by Golden Tyre, and those events are all but guaranteed to be what I like to call 'mini Nationals,' or races that are attended by a majority of the Grand National regulars looking to supplement their weekends at top-tiered races hosted at or near where there is a scheduled National event close by. 

For your enjoyment on this fine spring weekend, and thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track's YouTube page, today we bring you last year's final National main event from the Springfield TT, as produced from the great folks at the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour crew.  In it's entirety as seen on MavTV and NBC Sports Network, all 49+ minutes of viewing pleasure have been uploaded to the AMA Pro Vids page, and it's worth taking the time to kick back on a lazy spring afternoon with a cool beverage of your choice to check this one out and relive the excitement of one of the best venues in the business.

In the shot above from heat 3 of the 2012 Springfield TT from May 26, the stars of the greatest racing series on two wheels in the world take off for their 10-lap qualifying heat to determine the 18-rider grid in the 25-lap main event.

(L-R); Cory Texter on the #65 RLT Racing Honda CRF450R, Brad Baker on the #12 Kenny Tolbert Racing Kawasaki KX450F, Matt Weidman on the #20 DFW Honda Racing CRF450, Mick Kirkness on the #87 Yeagers Cycle Suzuki RMZ450, Briar Bauman on the #10Z USC Kawasaki, and eventual heat, Dash and National main winner Henry Wiles on the #17 Don's Kawasaki blast off the line in unison.

Also seen in this shot are Dustin Crow on the #61 Greg Crow Racing Honda (2nd row, between Kirkness and Bauman), Sammy Halbert on the #7 Fredericktown Yamaha YZ450F (just over Wiles' left shoulder on row 2), and Lucas Scherb on the #22 DFW Honda (just behind Wiles on row 2.)

So kick back and enjoy the action, and get ready for the rest of the season ahead in the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship!


AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship round 3 of the 2012 season, the Springfield TT

You can use this as a study guide to help you relive the action at the Springfield TT with the results from AMA Pro Flat Track.

AMA Pro Flat Track: Brad 'The Bullet' Baker Fills Us In on the Season-Opening Doubleheader Rounds at Daytona

2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year Brad Baker runs it in hard during the final qualifying session at round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Springfield Short Track in route to a 2nd-place qualifying position behind 2-Time and defending AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson.

The Washington State resident went on to take his #12 Brothers Powersports/D&D Exhaust/Schenk Racing Enterprise/Boughner Racing Suspension-sponsored Honda CRF450R to the win in his heat race and a pair of 2nd-place finishes in the Dash for Cash and the 25-lap National main, behind winner Henry Wiles after leading the majority of the main event.

'The Bullet' had an excellent start to the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season at rounds 1 & 2 in Daytona in mid-March, finishing 2nd in both Nationals held at the Daytona International Speedway short track.  However, after round 2 he was demoted to a 'DNF' status after a misinterpretation of the rules concerning his forks on his 2013 Honda.

Check out the full press release below to get filled in from 'The Bullet' as to what transpired in Daytona and how the first two races of the season went for the former rookie of the year.


Press release courtesy of Brad 'The Bullet' Baker, AMA Grand National #12 and the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year.

Daytona Short Track 2013 Round 1&2 AMA Pro Flat Track

The beginning of the year excitement is one of my favorite feelings.  When you hit the track in Daytona you have a clean slate from the seasons past and it’s just the beginning of the next 7 months of great racing!  I always look forward to the Daytona rounds, it is a track that has always seemed to treat me well as I have not finished outside the top-5 there since I began my Pro career in 2009.

This year was no different.  I had some pretty good momentum going into the series this year.  I raced almost every weekend throughout the off-season and trained as much as I could in between getting everything ready.  Not to mention, I had just come off a second place at the Savannah, Georgia half-mile and a win at the Volusia Speedway short track in the AMA All Star Series previous that week.

Round 1 started off a little shaky when I qualified outside the top 10.  I quickly turned it up a notch by having an awesome battle with Jake Johnson #5 in the heat race, earning myself a spot in the Dash for Cash and a front row start for the main event.  In the Dash we were all stacked on top of each other like we were dominos!  I got shuffled around a little and ended up 5th in the short 4-lap race, earning my first championship point of the year.

When the main rolled around it was go time!  I nailed an awesome start getting to turn one second right behind the Grand National Champion, Jared Mees.  I followed him down the back stretch and then squared him up coming off turn 4 rocketing past him for the lead going past the start/finish line.  For the next 17 laps I just tried to stay consistent and hit my marks and I guess I had a pretty good sized lead for a while.

That changed when my good friend and fierce competitor Mikey Rush #54 started applying the heat on my rear wheel pretty hard.  Mikey is an awesome rider and when I slipped just a little wide going into turn 3 on lap 18 he was there to take the spot.  I stayed pretty much even with Mikey for the remaining laps he was riding great and I ended up second. Although, I fell short of my first win once again it was a great way to start off the year and I went into the next day in 3rd-place in championship points!

On the morning of round 2 I was a man on a mission!  I knew exactly what I had to do and I was ready to succeed in my goal.  In qualifying I set fast time in all three rounds and set pole for the heat races.  In the heats, I lined up right next to my biggest competitor from the previous night, Mikey Rush!

Unfortunately, Mikey went down going into turn one also taking Jake Johnson with him.  We all found out that the track was way slicker then it had ever been throughout both nights of racing and we were going to have to adjust our riding a little.  I nailed the hole shot on the restart and went on to win heat 1 and also set pole for the Dash for Cash and the main event!

In the Dash, I again nailed the hole shot but I had Brandon Robinson #44 right behind applying the pressure.  I put in four solid laps and earned my second Dash for Cash win of my career and an extra 5 points in the championship hunt!

Come main event time as you can imagine I was more determined than ever!  I decided to switch up my starting position from the pole position to complete outside position.  I thought this was a smart call because there was a lot of rubber being laid down on the outside and Jared Mees had nailed the hole shot from the outside on the previous night.

I ended up getting off the line about third but I was on the outside.  Another rider came up the inside of Henry Wiles and rammed into him hard!  I was on the outside of Henry so this sent both of us way up the race track.  I crossed the start/finish on the first lap in about 6th-place I believe.  By lap 3 or 4 I had already moved up to second place and I had my sights set on the leader which was #44 Brandon Robinson.  I closed the gap at the beginning of the race but about midway through we were about dead even on our lap times.  He would make a little slip and I would gain some ground but then I would make a mistake and he would gain it right back.  Eventually, I just ran out of laps and I came home in another second place position!  I never got my first win like I wanted but I got to witness another great friend get their first win, so that was cool.  I was also very happy and proud of myself because I had realized that I had the championship point’s lead moving on to round 3 of the AMA Pro Flat Track GNC Series!

As they say though, great things always come to an end!  When I got back to the pits I was informed by the AMA Pro Racing staff that a protest was posted against me for a non-homologated coating that I was running on my fork tubes.  At first, I thought I was okay because I had spoken to Al Ludington (AMA Pro Racing’s technical director) about possibly using a set of forks that had D.L.C.-coated fork tubes at Daytona.

The reason why I decided to use the forks in the first place was because they were an older conventional/spring set of forks that I had for a back up in case I encountered a problem with the new air forks that come on the 2013 Honda CRF450.  The only problem with this situation was that the only extra set of older forks I had available to me had D.L.C.-coated fork tubes, which violates rule 5.5. B in the rule book.  It wasn’t that I encountered a major problem with the air forks but with how the track conditions were shaping up at Daytona and I knew I would feel more safe and comfortable running the older spring/conventional forks, so I switched to them throughout the program of round 2.

What I understood during the conversation between Al Ludington and myself was that I could switch to the forks that had the D.L.C coating at any time whatever the reason may be and I would be safe from any protest.  Al recalls telling me that the only circumstance that I could use the forks was if I had a mechanical failure and I had to contact him before I used them.  Regardless of it being a misunderstanding between myself and AMA Pro Racing, I was still stripped of all my championship points from round two’s main event.  I have decided to file an appeal to AMA Pro Racing.  The appeal wasn’t to bash on AMA Pro Racing at all, I appreciate all their hard work they put in to further our sport!  I just think that since it was a misunderstanding between both of us and that D.L.C. coating is a minimal-to-no-performance advantage that I don’t deserve that severe of a punishment.  As we all know, one point can determine a championship, let alone 19!

In Conclusion, whether the appeal falls in my favor and my punishment is dropped to a less-severe punishment and I get my points back I am proud of myself and my team and all the hard work we put in to start off the year with a bang like we did!

This just in Tuesday, April 2, 2013 @ 8:30 EDT:

Brad Baker #12 AMA Pro Racing Daytona Short Track II Protest/Appeal Conclusion

After further ado, the appeal that I filed to AMA Pro Racing to fight the protest that was made against me during round 2 of the Daytona Beach short track has come to rest.  I actually found this out late last week but I figured it would be more proper to give you the first half of the story that I had planned to release on April 1^st.

It’s unfortunate that they still thought I deserved that severe of a punishment but I guess it is all part of racing.   I have learned a big lesson during this whole situation!  I should get all clarifications and interpretations submitted in writing, not just with AMA Pro Racing but with everyone.  On the bright side, I am still inside the top-5 in points and the championship is still close within grasp!  I am just going to use this as fuel to feed my fire and put my head down come May.  Thank you again for all your help and support.  Take care, talk to you soon.

I would love to thank all my great sponsors that make it possible for me to achieve my goals!

Schenk Racing Enterprises, Sefnco Communications, Specialty Fabrication Incorporation, Silkolene Lubricants, Boughner Racing Suspension, EBC Brakes, Brother Powersports, Dodge Bros Racing, Motion Pro, CP Carrillo, D&D Exhaust, Fusion Graphix, Saddlemen, K&N Air Filters, Arai Helmets, YSR, Crank Works Incorporation, Micro Blue Racing, Cometic Gaskets, Perrys Harley Davidson, MVR, Jack MIlls, Defy All Odds, Light Shoe, 100%, Oneal USA, Sparkplugs.com, Atlas Brace Technologies, Matrix Concepts, Alpinestars, Micah Racing Services, KIbblewhite, Major League Motorsports, Spencer Aircraft, Paint By Smokey, Rockstar Powder Coating, Renthal, PMP Sprockets, Eddie Mulder 12, Devol Engineering, Mototassinari, Loudmouth MX, DandW Racing, Boysen, Acerbis, PMP Sprockets, Moto Hose, Bam it All and Pacific Auto Trim.

http://www.bradthebulletbaker.com/

AMA Flat Track: Stu's Shots & Todays Cycle Coverage.com 2012 Season Wrap-Up

The top-7 men in the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season get ready to roll out for the first practice session of the day at round 13 at the Springfield Mile II on September 16.  With four rounds to go in the season, the battle for the 2012 AMA Grand National Championship was coming to a head with the Pomona season-finale lying just 27 days away.

Finishing what could have been a totally miserable season after breaking his leg at round 5 at Lima just shy of three months earlier, Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. rounded out his season with another win (after having taken the Knoxville Half-Mile win in just his second race back from injury).  Coolbeth took the #2 Screamin' Eagle/Harley-Davidson Motor Co/Fox/Arai Helmets-sponsored factory XR750 to a decisive win at Pomona to end the season ranked in the 7th-place position after missing out on five of the season's 16 rounds due to his recovery.

After having another stellar year in winning three rounds in the Singles Series for the 2012 season (Springfield TT and Short Track and his record-tying 8th win at the Peoria TT), Henry Wiles and the #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Foremost Insurance Group/Ramspur Winery/ENI USA-backed Ducati team had what could easily be referenced as an up-and-down season in the series' ten Twins Series events. 

Losing three motors on the year, the team fought hard to still bring home two top-5 results with finishes of 2nd and 4th at Lima and Indy, respectively, and also added three other top-10 finishes to round out the year on a much higher note to rank as the 6th-place rider for the 2012 season.

2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year Brad 'The Bullet' Baker was probably the most-traveled of riders throughout the 2012 season in terms of how many different motorcycles he threw his leg over in competition.  Starting off the season riding for Kenny Tolbert Racing on a fleet of Kawasaki KX450Fs and 650R-based mounts, it all fell apart for KT and the Washington state resident at the fourth round of the season at the Springfield Mile I round.

Failing to make the main, just days later Tolbert pulled the plug on the team due to lack of funding (other then what was coming out of the Texan's pockets) and mothballed the team, leaving Baker without any current options.  By round 5 at Lima he showed up on a bike that reportedly hadn't been in competition in several years, qualified strong only to end the evening in the 17th-place spot with only two points scored in two events.

See-sawing between some strong rides on a Tony Dodge-prepped XR, putting in two events on the Harley factory mount in place of injured team rider Coolbeth, and then competing on his own Baker Brothers' Honda for the remaining Singles Series events on the calendar,  the sophomore Expert ended the year with a super 2nd-place finish at Pomona and as the 5th-ranked rider in the nation.  I don't believe since Gary Scott's defense of his '75 championship has a rider rode or competed on such a wide breadth of equipment in one season and Baker's ability to jump on different machinery throughout the year more then shows it is just a short matter of time before we see him on top of the box.

Bryan Smith was one of only four men in the 2012 season that made all 16 events on the year (the other three will be mentioned shortly.)  With the advantage of two wins on the year on the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing/MPH/Guts Wear-sponsored Kawasaki 650R-based rocket (Sacto Mile and Springfield Mile II) and a big handful of top-3s, Flyin' Bryan not only finished the season as the 4th-ranked rider in the country, but also took home the ceremonial Twins Series Championship for the year. 

All of the talk this last season was focused on and around the new parallel twin mount that first showed it's strength and prowess under the mile specialist's grip at the Springfield Mile I round by winning his heat and the Dash for Cash (and eventually a hard-fought 3rd-place in the first Twins Series event of the season.)  By mid-year the talk had turned to advantages and riding styles and differences between the power output, weight and racing lines used by the new breed of mile machines.

At Pomona last month, it also showed that a Kawi could also end up on the box at a half-mile event in what was a great 3rd-place finish to cap off the season's ramblings.  It was also what I believe to be the second-best finish on a half-mile track since the Kawi's first started hitting the track in the 2010 season (Johnny Lewis took the #10 Scott Powersports Kawi to a 2nd-place finish at Hagerstown in 2011.)

With his string of 10 of 11 podium finishes between the Springfield TT and the Springfield Mile II rounds, 2-Time and defending AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson looked more than able to keep in the fight for his third series title in the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.

But in the end, the champ and the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing/Arai-backed XR750 team not only had dropped to the 3rd-ranked spot on the year but Johnson failed to win a National main for the first time in his over ten years competing in the series.    Never fret, the quiet man with the championship focus will be back as strong as ever carrying the #5 again, proudly ready to go after it again.  And you can bet he'll be ready to make up for lost time.

Sammy Halbert again led the series in overall wins for the 2012 season (Lima Half-Mile, Castle Rock TT, Indy and Santa Rose Miles) and with his first-ever mile event win at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18 grabbed the dirt track 'grand slam' along the way.  Looking to steal the championship from Jared Mees by getting a 2nd-place in the Dash at Pomona after both Mees and Johnson missed the extra points-paying event, Slammin' Sammy's #7 South East Harley/The South Ass/Mo Vaughn Transport/LZ Racing-sponsored XR had his clutch go south in the National main and ended up with an unlucky 13th-place finish to end the year ranked as the 2nd-overall rider in the nation. 

Jared Mees had previously wrapped up the ceremonial 2012 Single Series Championship at the Springfield Short Track on September 15, but even then stated he still had 'unfinished business' in terms of clinching the overall championship at Pomona.  After getting banged and moved around at Pomona, Mees settled into an eventual 8th-place finish that would cap his run to the 2012 AMA Grand National Championship on the #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D/National Cycle/Lucas Oil-sponsored XR750. 

With the team announcing several weeks ago that tuner Brent Armbruster would be leaving the team (and moving to the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports corral for the 2013 season), Mees' and Rogers' new tuner, Kenny Tolbert, will be back in action spinning the wrenches for the new AMA Grand National Championship-winning effort.

Could KT also be bringing along his fleet of Mean Green Kawi 650Rs that have been in the closet since mid-June?  Mees had talked of having to put a Kawi together in order to keep with the Kawi rockets in mid-September.  Or will KT's signing make the difference for them to be able to stay with their tried and true XR fleet?  Don't forget, the chances are still pretty good that the rules will get some tweaking in terms of restrictor sizes mandated and in weight minimums being set for all of the competitors for the 2013 season.  But will that be enough to keep the pundits quiet? 

Only time will tell, and it's going to be a long off-season...............

Stephen Vanderkuur hops off of his #10J Parkinson Brothers Racing/Performance Cycle & Dyno/MDR/SSR-sponsored Honda CRF450R after winning his heat race at round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles season at the Lima Half-Mile on June 30.  AMA Pro Flat Track announcer Barry Boone talks to the crowd while Vanderkuur gets some help with his mount and gear prior to the podium celebrations.

Vanderkuur ended the season with three wins on the year and capped off his 2012 Pro Singles Championship in style by winning the season-finale round at Pomona to go with his previous wins at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile and Santa Rosa Mile events.  The young rider, another of a long line of superior flat track talent to come out of the state of Michigan, didn't even qualify for the first two rounds at Daytona, yet still finished the season on top over two riders who qualified for all 16 rounds on the season (runner-up in the 2012 championship Jake Shoemaker and 3rd-place man Jason Isennock) and completed his great run for the championship with seven top-3 performances, ending the year with a tally of 214 points to Shoemaker's 192 and Isennock's 175 points.

A big congrats to our new 2012 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Champion, Stephen Vanderkuur, who had a strong season to capture the fourth Pro Singles Championship since the series' inception in 2009.  Vanderkuur joins former series champions Brad Baker, Jeffrey Carver, Jr. and Mikey Martin in a very unique group of young men who have since moved up to the AMA Grand National Expert class to compete against the best racers in the world in The Rolling Thunder Show.  A job well done, and I'm sure we'll see our new champion competing against the big boys before too long!


Dan Jacobson, Sr. is one of the many fans, photographers and journalists that follow the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship to every event possible each season.  Based out of the Great White North in Fargo, North Dakota, 'Dakota Dan' as he is known, probably puts on thousands of miles each year traveling to the events he covers from his remote location, and chronicles those events at Todays Cycle Coverage.com.  Check out Dan's latest from the season-finale at Pomona below, along with some super photography from Tom Hnitaw.

A big thanks to Dan Jacobson, Sr. & Todays Cycle Coverage.com for this great write-up on the season-finale at round 16 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Pomona Half-Mile:

http://www.todayscyclecoverage.com/wordpress/2012/11/09/the-king-of-cool-and-fast/

AMA Flat Track: Sammy Halbert Takes Santa Rosa Mile for 4th Win of the 2012 Season

Sammy Halbert took his #7 South East H-D/The South Ass/Mo Vaughn Transport/LZ Racing-sponsored XR750 to the win yesterday at round 14 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Santa Rosa Mile in Sonoma, California.  Halbert ran down early leader Bryan Smith on the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports/Eaken Racing/Dreyer Motorsports-sponsored Kawasaki after Smith's line went away on the track.  Smith held on to 3rd-place at the end of the 25-lap National main to secure his tie in the Twins Series standings with Sammy Halbert just nine points behind Twins points leader Jake Johnson. 

Finishing in an astounding 2nd-place was current overall points leader Jared Mees on the #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D/Saddlemen/National Cycle-backed XR after being forced to run the semi (and take the win) and starting in the 13th-place spot on the third row.  The Jammer and Jake Johnson on the #1 Zanotti Racing XR hooked up early in the race as both were forced to start at the back and work their way through the field, and both missing out on valuable Dash points, especially after Slammin' Sammy also scored the Dash win to add to his overall total.  The three head to Tucson on Saturday, October 6 with Mees recovering from what could have been a disaster for his season leading the overall standings with 262 points, Halbert now holding down second with 248 and Johnson now in the third spot with 246 points.

Brad Baker on the #12 Dodge Brothers Racing/Perry's H-D XR was another rider who put in a spirited performance at Santa Rosa.  After breaking early in the day, The Bullet also missed the cut in the semi and was forced to take a provisional to start on the fourth row in the 19-rider field.  Baker fought like the true rider and champ he is to work his way through the field and bring home a very strong 7th-place finish.

Henry Wiles on the #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Foremost Insurance Group/ENI USA-sponsored Italian 'L'Twin earlier in the day ran away from the pack in his heat race while also getting a 3rd-place in the Dash.  Henry fought the good fight in the National main to bring it home in the 6th-place spot for his and the team's third top-10 of the season.

Brandon Robinson on the #44 Werner-Springsteen Racing/Big Dawg Racing-backed Kawasaki had an off-day for how he has turned his and the Werner/Springsteen team's season around, finishing in the 16th-place spot five laps down after earlier getting second in his heat behind Bryan Smith and carding a 4th-place in the Dash.  Robinson heads to Tucson this Saturday tenth in the overall standings.

One rider of note not in the shot above (taken at the re-start of round 10 of the 2012 season at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18, the first of Sammy's two mile wins this season and his career!) was Rob Pearson on the #27 Memphis Shades XR.  Bugs fought through after a 3rd-place in his heat behind winner Halbert and runner-up Matt Weidman #20 on the Scott Powersports Kawasaki (18th in the main), to take home his second top-5 of the season with a hard-earned 5th-place finish, and his fourth top-10 of the year in the Twins Series.

Stevie Bonsey (seen above on the #80 Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki) was on the Goodwin Racing XR yesterday and came home in the 14th place spot.  And Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. on the #2 Screamin' Eagle/Harley-Davidson Motor Co/Fox/Arai Helmets-sponsored factory XR750 solidiered home to an 8th-place finish.

Jeffrey Carver, Jr. on the #23 Kiesow Racing XR and Briar Bauman on the #10Z Rod Lake Racing Suzuki rounded out the top-10. 

Check out the press release below thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track and stay tuned for the final two rounds of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Tucson Half-Mile on October 6 and the season-finale round at the Pomona Half-Mile on October 13!

Halbert Wins Santa Rosa Mile In Front of Packed House

 

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (September 30, 2012) - In a blazing end to a hot Santa Rosa Mile, Bryan Smith (Crosley Radio/Kawasaki) let a five-second lead slip and Sammy Halbert took full advantage during the 25-lap race at the Somona County Fairgrounds.

 

On lap 20 of Sunday's AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil main event, Halbert slammed the throttle and stole the lead from Smith, notching his fourth win of the season. The final laps brought the crowd of 12,000 to their feet in what proved to be an absolute thriller between some of the best flat track talent in the world.

"In the beginning, I was playing cat and mouse with Bryan (Smith)," said Halbert. "Once I passed him, I just kept looking back and saw the guys catching me but I adapted and overcame it. It was a great win. I loved coming out here to Santa Rosa and really want to thank all the great fans. I also want to thank my mom, dad, girlfriend and all of my sponsors."

 

 

Sammy Halbert on his #7 South East H-D XR750 took the win at the Santa Rosa Mile yesterday for his series' leading fourth win of-the-year in 2012.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.

Smith took the holeshot right from the start and was looking as if he was about to cruise to his second consecutive mile-track victory. With 10 laps to go, Smith opened up his biggest lead of the race at 4.9 seconds but it didn't last. Halbert turned on the jets and Smith seemed to lose significant time on the corners causing him to lose his lead.

Jared Mees looked very impressive as he came all the way back from 13th position to finish 2nd in the race. Though Smith dropped the ball at the end, he was able to salvage a podium finish as he barely nicked fierce competitor Jake Johnson by .18 seconds for a third place finish. Johnson andRobert Pearson rounded out the top five finishers, respectively.

AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles

Michigan product Stephen Vanderkuur (Parkinson Brothers/Honda) had no mercy on the field today as he was the clear-cut winner by almost a full 10 seconds over second-place finisher Rodney Spencer Jr. (831 Pinnit/Honda). Vanderkuur started from pole position and increased his lead every lap on his way to claiming his second victory of the year.

"I was just riding my own race," said Vanderkuur. "I knew I had to get ahead early and I did just that. This is a big accomplishment for my team as far as the point standings go. I have to thank my team and sponsors for all their support, without them I would not be here. I also want to give a shout-out to the great fans here in California."

The best race on the track was the battle for third. Cole Anderson (Diesel Minnesota/Honda) edged out Jake Shoemaker (Montgomeryville Cycle Center/Honda) by .26 seconds for an impressive third-place finish after starting from eighth on the grid. Less than a second was the difference between finishing in third place and finishing in seventh.

Next Up

AMA Pro Flat Track heads to Tucson, Ariz. for the Tucson Half-Mile, scheduled for October 6, 2012 at the Tucson International Speedway.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.  For additional information contact: AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

Thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track for this link to the complete results from yesterday's round 14 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at The Santa Rosa Mile:

http://results.amaproracing.com/live/results/pdfresults/ft/2012/F1270/default.aspx


And a big thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track photographer Dave Hoenig for this gallery of shots from yesterday's race at Santa Rosa:

http://amaproracing.com/ft/multimedia/gallery.cfm?gid=7652

AMA Pro Flat Track Reviews Round 12 of the 2012 Season at the Final Springfield Short Track Grand National

In what was a bittersweet ending to a great little venue on the series' schedule, 48 riders showed up to show their form at round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the final Grand National to be held for the foreseeable future at the Springfield Short Track on September 15. 

Having been an annual doubleheader round paired up with the Labor Day Weekend running of the Springfield Mile II, the Multipurpose Arena-hosted event has been on the calendar going on over a dozen years now and has a long list of big-name winners including JR Schnabel, Jr., Chris Carr and the most current record-holder at Springfield, Henry Wiles.

Five of those riders are lined up and ready to go out for the first practice session above, and will end up a variety of results when the evening's racing is complete.  Of course, Henry Wiles will win his 6th event in-a-row on the #17 Don's Kawasaki/DPC Racing/Nick Nazzisi/Schiller's Tree Svc-backed KX450F to cement his name in the legends column of all-time short track winners, tying now-retired and 7-Time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr for the most wins on a short track (9 each) in AMA Grand National racing.

Hammerin' Hank had to work a little more for this one, taking 20 laps to finally get around early leader Brad Baker on his #12 Brothers Powersports/D&D Exhaust/Schenk Racing Enterprise/Boughner Racing Suspension-sponsored Honda CRF450R to take that win, but The Bullet was that one that showed a resurgence in his short track abilities to let everyone know he hasn't forgotten how to run up at the front of a Grand National main event.  A very fine effort from last year's AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year.

Jake Johnson came into the final Singles Series event of the season hoping to nab the win at Springfield to go along with his double-win on the mile and his Springfield TT win of May '11 to be the only man to win all three events held on the Illinois State Fairgrounds.  By the end of the evening he had taken the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Southland Pro Suspension/Arai-backed Honda to a 5th-place spot after running in the top-3 earlier in the final race of the night but had stayed with sight of current point leader Jared Mees who left with the 2012 Singles Championship and a 3rd-place finish.

Matt Weidman was back on his #20 DFW Honda/SNIP/Fiorio Investments/Shoei-backed CRF450R and also hoping to end the day with another win to go along with his first-ever Grand National win at the Daytona Short Track II earlier in the season.  He ended the night with a solid 10th-place finish after battling throughout the night with Rob Pearson #27 (8th) and Brandon Robinson #44 (9th).

Probably the hardest hit in terms of points lost in the championship battle for the evening was taken by Sammy Halbert on his #7 The South Ass/Fredericktown Yamaha/GYTR/Van's Yamaha-sponsored YZ450F, who was forced to race one of the semis and losing out on a direct qualifying spot to the main.  Forced to take a provisional fourth-row start in the 19th spot on the grid, Slammin' Sammy worked his way back for a 14th-place finish to close out the evening's event.

Thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track for the official review of the Springfield Short Track in the press release below!

AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil Race Recap: Springfield Short Track

Wiles Wins With Jared Mees Picking up 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Expert Singles Championship

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (September 25, 2012) - Hurricane Isaac delayed Springfield Short Track, Round 12 of the AMA Pro Racing Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil, for two weeks, but the delay proved to be worth the wait. The Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association had the little "bull ring" at the Illinois State Fairgrounds race ready and in typical short track fashion there was pushing, shoving, bar banging and passes galore. The 48 Expert qualifiers were separated by eight tenths of a second from first to forty eighth.   For 20 laps it appeared that Brad Baker (Brothers Powersports) would hold on and win his first Grand National main event, but Grand Nationals are 25 lap affairs and when the dust settled it was Don's Kawasaki's Henry Wiles once again on top of the box.  "I didn't think I was going to be able to pull it off. It took me a long time to get going. I think it all worked out just right for me," said Wiles. "I've said that I was always in the right spot at the right time and tonight it seemed like I was in the wrong spot at the wrong time and it was keeping me for making some passes. It had to be a great race to watch from the stands. I'm just glad that I could come out on top."   Wiles' win, his ninth Short Track National victory proved to have some historical significance also. "It ties me for the all-time short track wins record with Chris Carr. I think he had nine short track wins and that's pretty neat," added Wiles. "It's a little feather in the cap. Probably doesn't really matter much, but I look up to Chris Carr a lot. I knew when he was racing with us I felt fortunate just to be able to race with him. I have a lot of respect for a guy like that who has won so many races."   Young mister Baker is still looking for that elusive first win, but looked well positioned early on as he withstood the challenges of Jake Johnson (Zanotti Racing) then Briar Bauman (Rod Lake Racing / Brown's Cycles) before Johnson again. Wiles bided his time in fourth until mid-race, when he started to come to the front.   "I was doing some shuffling around there. I was back into fourth for about half the race," said Wiles. It was such tight racing. It was almost hard to make a move on somebody, if you did, somebody was going to be making a move on you. I got up into third behind Jake and I passed him down in three and four. When I got to Brad I knew my pace was going to be faster. I kind of rode behind him waiting for him to make a mistake. I just started trying to go around him on the outside. I was making it work, I don't know how. It didn't seem like that was a good move to make all night. If you made it then you were going to get passed on the low side. The low side was so hooked up. He saw that I was going high and thought the high line was faster. That was all it took for me because my bike was working real good down low. That was, for sure, my favorite Springfield Short Track. I really earned it, but I missed out on a few laps there for lap money."                             It took 20 laps for Henry Wiles to make his move but he got around early leader Brad Baker to score his 6th win at the final Grand National at the Springfield Short Track on the #17 Don's Kawasaki.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.     "I led about 20 laps of it. In the beginning I could hear them a little bit, but I could feel when I knocked off a good lap," said Baker. "I kind of gained my distance, but there on lap 20, I definitely felt the heat. I knew the bottom was starting to go away and I wasn't getting as good of lap times. Henry gave me a wheel on the outside. I thought I better swap up my lines and chase the moisture a little bit. The first time I did that going into one, I hooked a hole. It sent me almost straight off the race track.  That's when Henry and Jake got by me. Luckily I got right back by Jake, but Henry already had his rhythm going. It's a shame that I had twenty and didn't do the last five. I've had two second place finishes and four thirds, a couple fourths and fifths. I've been doing good, I just need to get that number 1 spot, it's the last one left."   Almost unnoticed, current AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track Championship points leader Jared Mees (Montgomeryville Cycle / Rogers Racing) clawed his way into the final podium position on lap 22. The strong finish was plenty for Mees to win the 2012 AMA Pro Grand National Singles Championship over Sammy Halbert (Fredericktown Yamaha), 121 to 103.    "I didn't get the greatest start. As the track slickened off, my motorcycle was just better and better. We just kept picking them off. I think if I got just a little more aggressive at the end, I probably could have peeled out a second. I played it a little on the safe side," said Mees. "The singles title was really rewarding to me. I do a lot of my own preparation work. I prepare the bikes during the week. In the off season I build the motors, degree the cams and everything. My buddy Craig Pickett here taught me how to build them. It's pretty rewarding to both of us to win a number 1 plate, right out of my own two car garage. My friend Brent (Armbruster) works endless hours on the twins and helps me on the day of the race with the singles. We have to keep pushing towards the overall now."  While Mees' night got better and better his main challenger, Sammy Halbert's went from bad to worse. In Halbert's heat race he went from competing for a spot in the dash to a trip to the semis with one little mistake. His night went even further sour when he jumped the start in his semi and could not work his way from row four into the main. Halbert did use his provisional to start the National, but could only salvage a 14th place finish.   Defending Grand National Champion Jake Johnson appeared to be the rider to beat all night after posting fast qualifying time and winning heat one. A close third in the Dash for Cash behind the young lions, Bauman and Baker and a quick start in the National looked to have Johnson positioned for his first win of 2012.  "The race was exciting, that's for sure. There was a lot going on. I thought we had a pretty good shot, but so did six other guys," said Johnson. "I was up front early, in second and third, then Henry made a move on Brad. He took the lead and I got up into second. Going into three on the next lap Brad came back underneath me and I kind of ran wide. That was kind of the beginning of the end for me, it opened the door up. I think Jared ended up getting back by too. He was stuck to the bottom pretty good. I got a little impatient and was trying to make it work on the outside and that let Briar through. It was just kind of chaos on the last few laps for me. I guess it could have been worse. On a short track, I guess I could have ended up on the ground or something. It wasn't what we wanted, but we will take it. For the most part it was a pretty clean race. There were some mistakes and some forced mistakes. There was definitely some bumping and banging, but you had to."   Saddlemen Rookie of the Year leader Briar Bauman was all over Baker early on, but a few trips off the fast line pushed him back to fifth before passing Johnson on lap 24 to regain fourth. "I think I had something for Henry, but I just made some mistakes that I shouldn't have. In that class (Expert) you can't make mistakes," said Bauman. "Being up there and getting a chance to run with those guys and getting to actually race with them was getting to me a little bit. I made mistakes, I got a little too western.  It was my best GNC finish and winning the dash was cool," added Bauman. "We tried something new on the bike for the dash. We did that and came out of turn two in the lead. I didn't even know what to do, I was excited. Brad beat me in the heat race and in the dash he came in second to me. I was basically racing with Brad the whole night. It's kind of cool. We kind of grew up together riding. Now here we are racing at this level."  JD Beach (USC Kawasaki), Jeffrey Carver (Carver's BBQ / Twigg Cycles), Rob Pearson (RPR / Peoria Motorcycle Club), Brandon Robinson (Action Motorsports) and Matt Weidman (DFW Honda) rounded out the top ten.   Bonneville Performance's Mikey Martin claimed the night's MotoBatt "Hard Charger" Award by advancing five positions to finish in 13th place.   GNC Race Results Current GNC Combined Points Standings   1 Henry Wiles 26 Laps 1 Jared Mees 243 2 Brad Baker 0.94 2 Jake Johnson 231 3 Jared Mees 1.18 3 Sammy Halbert 220 4 Briar Bauman 1.315 4 Bryan Smith 172 5 Jake Johnson 1.712 5 Brad Baker 144 6 JD Beach 1.842 6 Henry Wiles 140 7 Jeffrey Carver Jr. 2.147 7 Jeffrey Carver Jr. 126 8 Robert Pearson 3.85 8 Matt Weidman 114 9 Brandon Robinson 4.08 9 Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. 113 10 Matt Weidman 4.218 10 Brandon Robinson 98 11 Kayl Kolkman 6.363 12 Bryan Smith 7.257 13 Michael Martin 10.435 14 Sammy Halbert 11.162 15 Chad Cose 11.204 16 Jake Mataya 11.408 17 Jethro Halbert 11.868 18 Cory Texter 12.406 19 Ion Stear 24 Laps   Sunoco "Go the Distance" Award Update   Jeffrey Carver Jr. - 381.08 Jared Mees - 371.3 Jake Johnson - 363.14 Bryan Smith 356.39   Saddlemen "Rookie of the Year" Update   Briar Bauman - 94 Mikey Martin - 26 Mikey Avila - 20

Photos from Springfield Short Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Expert Singles Main Event Henry Wiles on Springfield Short Track Springfield Short Track Heat Races, Semi Races and LCQ Santa Rosa Mile September 30, 2012 Event Info

Bromley Scores First Career AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Win in Action Packed Main Event

AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles   With 55 riders on hand, the ultra competitive AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles class was going to be sending 23 riders home after the mid-afternoon timed practice. It turned out there would be less than half a second separating fast time, Wyatt Maguire (Kirkland Racing) and first non-qualifier Haden Avery (O'Neal MX).   Two heats and a Last Chance Qualifier whittled the field down to 18 for the 16-lap main. Dan Bromley (Bromley Brothers / KTM Racing) surprised even himself when he got the hole shot and claimed the lead over Jason Isennock (Highs Dairy Stores).  When I got here, I just wanted to qualify for the main event," said Bromley. "When I qualified, I just wanted to run a solid heat race. I didn't have the best starting spot in the main but I had faith in my KTM. I could feel the riders around me on the final laps and I knew I had to be perfect. Thankfully I crossed the line first and I'm so happy to get this win."                             Dan Bromley on the #54L Bromley Brothers KTM took his first-ever win in the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Championship at the final Grand National at the Springfield Short Track on September 15.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.     The former Horizon Award winner's first ever AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Main Event win didn't come without its trials. Just past the half way point Ryan Wells (5 Star Steel & Fabrication), who was running mid-pack, fell hard in turn one. The red flag came out and a single file restart was in order with just seven laps remaining.  Wells, who had been second in the points coming in, took a ride back to the pits and did not restart. Ironically one lap earlier points leader Stephen Vanderkuur had left the race.  Bromley was up to the task, holding the point into turn one, but he had a new challenger as Wyatt Maguire made a big move past Isennock, when Isennock clipped Bromley's rear wheel. Will Cato (Bob Weirbach Racing) also moved up and despite all Maguire's efforts the top three positions were set.   Isennock held on to fourth over Jake Shoemaker (Montgomeryville Cycle Center / Bob Weirbach Racing). By way of his fifth place finish Shoemaker takes over the points lead going into the Springfield Mile on Sunday.   Pro Singles Race Results Current Pro Singles Point Standings   1 Dan Bromley 16 Laps 1 Stephen Vanderkuur 151 2 Wyatt Maguire 0.183 2 Jason Isennock 150 3 William Cato 0.613 3 Jake Shoemaker 149 4 Jason Isennock 1.162 4 Ryan Wells 132 5 Jake Shoemaker 1.573 5 Dominic Colindres 118 6 Dustin Cassidy 1.742 6 Gerit Callies 107 7 Justin Reed 2.194 7 Shayna Texter 105 8 Cole Anderson 2.59 8 Wyatt Maguire 99 9 Dominic Colindres 2.926 9 Jake Cunningham 95 10 Kinji Eto 3.218 10 Zakk Palmer 78 11 Jake Cunningham 3.516 12 Zack Cassidy 3.811 13 Nick Mataya 3.874 14 Rodney Spencer Jr. 4.04 15 Jay Maloney 5.206 16 Joseph Bromley 6.974 17 Ryan Wells 9 Laps 18 Stephen Vanderkuur 8 Laps Sunoco "Go the Distance" Award Update   Jason Isennock - 252.14 Jake Shoemaker - 249.97 Wyatt Maguire - 241.06 Stephen Vanderkuur - 230.58

Photos from Springfield Short Track Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Main Event Santa Rosa Mile September 30, 2012 Event Info | Tickets

Next Up   The stars of AMA Pro Flat Track head to the West Coast for the Santa Rosa Mile September 30th, 2012. For tickets and information, please visit http://santarosamile.com/.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.    For additional information contact: AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com