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.

2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Rookie of the Year Briar Bauman Heads Back to School, But Not Before Having Some Fun with Some Friends & Family

Briar Bauman works on getting the #10Z Rod Lake Racing/Browns Cycle/Russo Construction/Arai-sponsored Honda CRF450R dialed in for round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Springfield Short Track on September 15, in preparation for the evening's 25-lap National main held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Multipurpose Arena.

The 2012 Rookie of the Year headed to Daytona last month with his new team, the Babe DeMay Yamaha/Memphis Shades squad, and suffered from a serious case of the sophomore blues in rounds 1 & 2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season.  But like all champions in the making, he will surely shrug it off by the time round 3 hits the half-mile confines in Stockton, CA. come May 11, and with his new team and soon-to-be-new stable of Yamaha twins will be working his way back to the top before we all know it.

Bauman got a chance to spend some down-time with some of his flat tracking friends after Daytona, and talks about it in his latest update below.

Check it out, thanks to Tyler Porter/Fight for Dirt Track.com and the Babe DeMay Yamaha/Memphis Shades team!


Press release courtesy of Tyler Porter/Fight for Dirt Track.com and Briar Bauman, the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year.

Briar Bauman update

April 3, 2013

For Briar Bauman, rider for the Babe DeMay Motorsports/Yamaha Motor Company/Memphis Shades racing team, it has been a relaxing couple of weeks since leaving sunny Daytona Beach, Florida.  While many local racing seasons have not taken off yet, the young Californian has been able to spend a little time relaxing after some tough luck in the opening two rounds of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship presented by J&P Cycles.

 

Though he is a fierce competitor on the track, he is just like any teenager who enjoys time with his friends.  The only difference is most of his friends are some of the fastest motorcycle racers in the world!  In his own words, here is what Briar has been up to:

 

“I was ready to get away from the moon-like track in Daytona after the luck I had there this year.  Instead of heading straight home to California, I was able to head North up the East Coast to spend some time with the Texter’s, Cory and Shayna, two-time Grand National Champion Jake Johnson and his wife Jodi, as well as former Daytona Short Track winner and current Factory Triumph rider Johnny Lewis and his wife Alysha. 

 

"Though we are all racers, we were able to do a lot of things that kept my mind off of the two wheel game.  They took me Go-Karting, where they cheated with all of their local knowledge of the track and we shredded a knobby or two on a couple of their local motocross tracks.

 

"The biggest thing for me was getting to experience real snow for the first time!  It was funny, after the tough winter that they have had, they were not too excited, and I was outside running around in it, just loving it!  All good things have to come to an end though, and as with any job, you can’t be on vacation all year long, so it was time to head home to California.”

 

Once back in his home state with his family, Briar got back to work quickly, catching up on all of the school work that he missed while away at the track and on the East Coast. 

 

“It was great to be home and to top it all off, my younger brother Bronson had the van loaded up when I got there so we could head to the local motocross track to show off our air wheelies and panic revs.  It’s always a great day when you get to spend time at the motocross track goofing off with your little brother,” stated Briar.

 

Two wheels and things that go fast aren’t Briar’s only hobby though, as the very next day the family spent time getting their fishing boat ready for some time getting their lines wet on the water.  “While it was great being out on the water with my family and best friend Austin, I pretty much proved to everybody that I was there only for moral support and maybe to help with the dip net here and there.  They caught twice the fish that I did!  The main thing though was just being able to relax and talk about things other than racing for a change; it really helped put things in perspective.  I am just about caught up with all of my school work now and last weekend I enjoyed an amazing Easter holiday with my family.  I’m getting really close to graduating High School and man that cannot come soon enough!”

 

Being at home in his warmer climate, Briar is back on the pedals, doing his favorite type of training, cycling, both on the road and off.  You can be rest assured that he and his brother Bronson are beating up some mini bikes around their house also.

 

Briar is getting geared up for round 3 of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Presented By J&P Cycles in nearby Stockton California on May 11^th as the entire Babe DeMay Motorsports squad works at a feverish pace to put the final touches on their new Yamaha twin-based equipment so the team can begin testing with Briar to make sure they have a race winning combination for round 3 of the series, but the first round for the twin cylindered machines. 

 

Look for more updates as the team wraps up the final preparations on the bikes and they start the testing process! 

Along with Yamaha Motor Company and Memphis Shades, Babe DeMay Racing would like to thank the following sponsors who have come on board to make the 2013 season possible:

(In alphabetical order) Barnett Clutches, Big Gun Exhausts, CJ signs, Cometic Gaskets, Comp Cams, CV4, Falicon Cranks, G2 Ergonomics, K&N Filters, Millennium Technologies, Motion Pro Cables and Tools, MSD Ignition, Saddlemen Seats and Luggage, Silkolene Lubricants, Wiseco Pistons, Works Connection and Xceldyne.

Briar Bauman would like to thank the following personal sponsors for their support during the 2013 season: 

(In alphabetical order) Arai Helmets, DC10, Drew Massa Transportation, Eks Brand Goggles, Fly Racing, Gene and Gail Cummings, Rod Lake Racing, Russo Construction and Specialty Fabrications Incorporated.

 

 

2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year Briar Bauman Talks Daytona Short Track II

Briar Bauman on the #10Z Rod Lake Racing/Russo Construction/Browns Cycle/Arai-sponsored Honda CRF450R during final qualifying at round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship at the Springfield Short Track on September 15, good enough for 5th-fastest on the night out of the 48 riders who took a timed qualifying lap.

Bauman would go on to his best finish of the season later in the evening (4th-place) and just missing the podium by .135 seconds.  He would finish the season ranked as the 12th-place rider in the overall standings and capture the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year Award at the season-ending banquet ceremonies held in Pomona.

After being one of the most-traveled riders in his freshman campaign in The Rolling Thunder Show (riding Kawasakis, Hondas and Suzukis), Double B announced over the off-season that he was signing to ride for the Yamaha-backed Babe DeMay Memphis Shades team. 

The team made it's debut at rounds one and two of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season at the Daytona Short Track last week, and had a rough go of it for Bauman's start to his sophomore season.  But you can be sure that not only will last year's Rookie of the Year turn it around, so will the team headed-up by one of the long-standing and hardest working tuners in the business.

You can check out their press release below, and be sure to keep an eye on the new team when they head to the next round of the series at the Stockton Half-Mile in May!


Press release courtesy of Briar Bauman/Babe DeMay Racing and Tyler Porter/Fight For Dirt Track.com

Rossville, TN. -- March 20, 2013 -- On the white limestone track just outside of turn 1 at the world famous Daytona International Speedway, fortunes can be made or broken in the blink of an eye.  A track surface that changes quicker than any other that riders see during the entire AMA Pro Flat Track Presented by J&P Cycles series gives riders a challenge throughout the day.

 

Team mechanic Clayton Shambaugh worked into the very early morning hours to get Briar’s Yamaha YZF450’s ready to do battle once again.  Briar suited up to take on the “un-timed” practice session and using a similar set up to what he had on Thursday night, finished a very strong and respectable 8^th place, just a quarter of a second off of the pole sitter’s time.   In the first qualifying session Briar was even stronger, finishing 6^th overall, and now just 0.140 seconds off of the pole time! “The bike felt great," said Briar.  “All of my laps were consistent and I knew right away that our set up was good for the day.”

 

As qualifying goes on in Daytona, the track gets much faster, and in the last session, which is where the best times will come from, Briar slipped just a bit to the 10^th starting spot, but still good enough for a front row starting spot in the heat race.   Briar lined up in heat number 1 and unlike the previous night, rocketed off the line and battled with very seasoned Daytona veteran’s Brad Baker, Bryan Smith and last year’s winner, Johnny Lewis to secure the 3^rd spot at the checker, sending him straight into the main event without having to ride a Semi Final race.

 

After the race Briar explained, “I was so excited to be right there, you know? Right with the best guys.  I knew we had the speed, I just needed to put it all together for the main event”

 

In the main event, the fortunes would turn against Briar, as he was shuffled to the outside of the track where there is no traction at all.  It took several laps for Briar to get back down on the tiny groove that had developed on the quarter mile short track and by then, the field had spread out.  Once back on the racing line, Briar picked up his lap times and was running similar times to the leaders, but it was too little too late.

 

Ending the Daytona trip with a DNF one night and a 14^th place finish on the other is obviously not where Briar or the team want to be or what they are capable of.  “It was a tough week,” Briar explained.  “We had a great day of testing, both days at the track the bike was excellent, but I just had some slip ups out there racing, things I can learn from though.  I can’t wait to get back home, out West, and ride the new Yamaha twins on some familiar dirt!”

 

The series next moves on to the West Coast on May 11^th at the brand new Stockton Half-Mile where the new Babe DeMay tuned Yamaha twin cylindered machine will make its racing debut.  This is a home town race for Briar too, as he is based just 2 hours from the event.

 

Along with Yamaha Motor Company and Memphis Shades, Babe DeMay Racing would like to thank the following sponsors who have come on board to make the 2013 season possible:

(In alphabetical order) Barnett Clutches, Big Gun Exhausts, CJ signs, Cometic Gaskets, Comp Cams, CV4, Falicon Cranks, G2 Ergonomics, K&N Filters, Millennium Technologies, Motion Pro Cables and Tools, MSD Ignition, Saddlemen Seats and Luggage, Silkolene Lubricants, Wiseco Pistons, Works Connection and Xceldyne.

Briar Bauman would like to thank the following personal sponsors for their support during the 2013 season:

(In alphabetical order) Arai Helmets, DC10, Drew Massa Transportation, Eks Brand Goggles, Fly Racing, Gene and Gail Cummings, Rod Lake Racing, Russo Construction and Specialty Fabrications Incorporated.

 

 

AMA Pro Flat Track News & Updates Heading Into the Season-Opening Rounds at Daytona on March 14-15

Former 2008 AMA Pro Flat Track Rookie of the Year Matt Weidman spilled the beans on Facebook earlier this week that he would be campaigning the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track J&P Cycles Grand National Championship Twins Series events on the Scott Powersports Kawasaki again, after having campaigned the 650R-based mounts throughout the second half of the 2012 season.

Weidman, who took over the seat on the Scott Powersports team midway through the 2012 year after initial rider Johnny Lewis left the team after round 6 of the season at the Hagerstown Speedway, is listed as an early entry for rounds 1-2 at the Daytona Short Track next week on his DFW Honda/SNIP-sponsored Honda, and is expected to resume his spot in the Scott Powersports saddle at round 3 that is still a TBA on the schedule on May 4 (although I have heard this round may not happen.  Should that be the case, Mighty Matt's first time riding the Scott Kawi this year should happen on May 11 at the Stockton Mile.)

In the shot above from round 13 of the 2012 season at the Springfield Mile II, Matt stands in line during rider intros, along with the help of his Mom, Rachel and Dad, Guy, who were on-hand to help him out at the Illiniois State Fairgrounds rain-delayed event.  Team owner and stalwart, Mike Scott, was not able to be at the track due to scheduling problems, so Matt's parents gladly came out of 'retirement' to help the New York resident out on the day with set-up on the #20 Scott Powersports/Saddlemen/Fiorio Investments/SNIP-sponsored Kawi.  It was great seeing them back at the track helping him out as they always bring a big lending hand and another pair of big smiles to Matt's efforts.  Matt also did a nice job of rocking former National #20's leathers, Johnny 'Show Time' Murphree, but is slated to wear a nice new set for the upcoming year.  Check it out below.

You can check out a picture of Matt in his new Scott Powersports leathers here from Matt's Facebook page, and we wish the hard charger and Daytona 2012 round 2-winner the best of luck, again, for the upcoming season!

Briar Bauman, the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year, will be making a big change to his 2013 campaign in the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season as he will be riding for one of the long-time tuners and supporters of the series this year.

After riding for the USC Racing/Hart Racing and Rod Lake Racing teams in his rookie campaign in the 2012 season, Bauman has been slated to ride for the Memphis Shades Yamaha team, helmed by none other then former factory Yamaha and Harley-Davidson tuner and wrench to the stars, Babe DeMay, with factory backing from the Yamaha Motor Company.  Bauman will be tasked with riding the new Yamaha Tenere, which will make it's debut this season in the Twins Series events.

The California resident will also be switching numbers for his 2013 season, and bolting on the #14 plate to his machines, following in the footsteps of Jake Johnson (who wore the #14 up until the 2010 season when he switched to the #5) and Hank Scott, who in this old timer's eyes made that number pretty darn famous from the '74 season until his retirement at the end of the '88 season.

In this shot from round 12 of the 2012 season, Bauman puts the #10Z Rod Lake Racing/Browns Cycle/Arai/Gene & Gail Cummings-backed Honda CRF450R through it's paces during the final practice session of the final Springfield Short Track on September 15.

Thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track for this link to the official press release about Double-B #14 hooking up with one of the long-time supporters and campaigners of the series, the legendary Babe DeMay.

A pair of Bonneville Peformance Triumph/Wiseco/Safety Kleen/Eddie Atkins-sponsored Triumphs sit at the ready for 2011 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Champion Mikey Martin #91 at round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season on May 27. 

Martin and the team, in their first year together, finished in the 20th-place spot in the overall standings of the 2012 season, and showed some real promise throughout the second-half of the year after making their first National main event together at the Sacramento Mile in late July, and making four more mains (Indy, Knoxville, Santa Rosa, Tucson) to round out the year.

The California Kid with the big afro haircut and the Bonneville Performance Triumph team announced the other day that they would be pairing-up with the just-announced team of Latus Motors Triumph (with rider Johnny Lewis and former Grand National Champion Joe Kopp heading up the team) for the upcoming Twins Series events for the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season.  And they will be bringing new sponsorship on-board in the form of the U.S. Marines.

You can read more about this great news for the Bonneville Performance team and rider Mikey Martin here, again thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track.

After riding for the the Werner-Springsteen Racing/Monster Energy/Cometic/Barnett-sponsored Kawasaki team in the 2012 season, Brandon Robinson #44 has hooked up with the T.J. Burnett Farms/USC Racing/James Hart Racing/Arai-sponsored Kawasaki team for the upcoming season, as was announced in November.

The team got off to a fantastic start to the season yesterday at round 1 of the 2013 Steve Nace Racing AMA All-Star event at Oglethorpe Speedway outside Savannah, GA. with BRob44 taking home the wins in both the Expert Singles and Expert Twins events over other AMA Pro Flat Track headliners Jake Johnson, Rob Pearson, JD Beach, Henry Wiles, Kenny Coolbeth and a big handful of others.

The former Expert Twins Champion tears it up in the shot above aboard the #44 Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki at round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season at the Allen County Fairgrounds-hosted Lima Half-Mile on June 30, during one of the final practice and qualifying sessions of the day.

Great job guys, what a way to start the first big race of the season, congrats!

You can see the full event results here thanks to Chew & Mia, The Fans in the Stands from FlatTrack.com.


The Steve Nace Racing 2013 AMA All Star National Flat Track Series by Golden Tyre heads to Volusia Speedway Park tomorrow in Barberville, FL. before rounds 1-2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season kick-off on Thursday, March 14-15 at the Daytona International Speedway-hosted short track.

Kerr Graphix Releases 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Twins Series Review Video

Round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season roars into action as heat one blasts off the line at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, OH. 

Leading the pack off the line is Sammy Halbert on his #7 South East H-D/The South Ass/Mo Vaughn Transport/LZ Racing-sponsored XR750.  Slammin' Sammy would go on to finish 2nd in the 8-lap race to qualify for the National behind heat-winner Jeffrey Carver, Jr. on the #23 Kiesow Racing/Hall's Cycles/Eddie Adkins/Sponseller-backed XR, with charging Briar Bauman (and eventual 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year) on the #10Z Rod Lake Racing/USC Racing/Burnett Farms/Hart Racing-sponsored Kawasaki 650R rounding out the top-3.  Don Taylor on the #53 Deeley H-D/Parts Canada/Clares H-D/Taylor Mechanical-backed XR (partially obscured behind Halbert #7) rounding out the top-4 with a direct transfer to the 25-lap National main.

Kayl Kolkman on the #98 Wieblers H-D/Roy's Taco House/Don Camlin/Glens Autobody-sponsored XR would end up 6th in the heat, but would qualify for the National main later via one of the semi races.

Also pictured is Dustin Crow on the #61 Greg Crow Racing/Salina H-D/Peoria Motorcycle Club/Arai-sponsored XR, Adam Carpinello on the #58 Pilot Racing/BYB Racing/Weiss Racing/Moroney's H-D-backed XR and Bradley Hazel on the #41 Pete Allen/RJ1 Engines/Pure Attitude Active Wear/Silkolene-sponsored XR.

One of the regular photographers that follows the midwest Nationals, Ken Kerr from Kerr Graphix has released his year-end review video of his work from the Twins Series events this past season.  While we are now just over 70 days away from the season-opening rounds in Daytona, this is a great time to keep and stay geared up for the season ahead with Ken's year-end wrap-up.  Check it out below!

A big thanks to Ken Kerr/Kerr Graphix for this great compilation video from the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship Twins Series.  Ken does a heckuva job covering the majority of the midwest Nationals, and offers photos, rider cards and posters through his website.

Please take the time to check out his vast catalog here:

http://www.kerrgraphix.com/#/page/home/

In this shot taken at Lima, I give Ken a hand with the quilt his wife put together out of some his event t-shirts from over the years.  Later in the evening one of Ken's photos that he had mounted on canvas was raffled off for the Aid to Injured Riders fund.  Photo courtesy of Larry Lawrence/The Rider Files.com.

AMA Flat Track: Bell Helmets Video Celebrates Henry Wiles' 8th-Straight Peoria TT Win

Round 9 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season saw The Rolling Thunder Show head to the oldest venue on the series' calendar and the longest-continuing event that the series has visited over the years and decades.

The Peoria TT is a must-see event on anyone's bucket list (as mentioned many-a-time by Cycle News' and The Rider Files.com's Larry Lawrence) that will leave you gasping for air and wanting much more once the day's events are over.  A lot of flat track mixed in with a little bit of tourist trophy that sees a right hand turn with a jump thrown into the mix, the amphitheater setting in the hills outside of Peoria, Illinois is a perfect fit for friends, family and those wanting to get a hit to help feed their adrenaline fix.

This year's event was run in hurry-up mode by the great folks from the Blue Crew of AMA Pro Flat Track due to the incoming rain showers that hit just after the 25-lap National main was over, but no one left without getting their share of racing as the whole program was run without a hitch and everyone was able to enjoy the racing that they had come to see before Mother Nature ran it's course.

In first lap action in the shot above, Henry Wiles grabs the lead that he would never relinquish in winning his record-tying 8th-straight event at the heralded track.  Getting the jump on the #17 Don's Kawasaki/DPC Racing/Nick Nazzisi/Schiller's Tree Svc-sponsored Kawasaki KX450F, The Hammer went on to lead all 25-laps to tie The Prince of Peoria, Chris Carr for the most wins in-a-row, stretching back to his very first win on a Mack Daddy Racing Honda in August 2004.

Getting 'Jiggy Dog' on the outside is JD Beach on the #95 USC Racing/Red Bull/Bell Helmets/Alpinestars-backed Kawasaki.  The now part-time flat tracker and full time road racer took home a strong 4th-place finish in his weekend off from the Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Daytona SportBike Series, his best-ever finish at Peoria.

Just behind Wiles is the man we all now know as the 2012 AMA Grand National Champion, Jared Mees on the #9 Montgomeryville Cycle/National Cycle/Lucas Oil/Rogers Racing-backed Honda CRF450R.  Jammin' Jared fought the good fight to keep Henry honest but came up just over 6.6 seconds short to finish the day in the runner-up spot.

Sammy Halbert on the #7 The South Ass/Fredericktown Yamaha/GYTR/Van's Yamaha-sponsored YZ450F looks to be making an inside move on the soon-to-be champ, but faded on the day to bring it home for a solid 5th-place finish.

Just outside of Slammin' Sammy is 2-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson on the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Southland Pro Suspension/Arai-backed Honda.  Jersey Jake would round out the podium at the end of the day with a hard-earned 3rd-place spot, just over 1.3 seconds behind the man who would wrestle the #1 plate from his grasp by the end of the season.

And last but certainly not least, Flyin' Bryan Smith looks to be working the outside line on his #42 Oasis Homes/Moroney's FastHog.com/RHC/Villa Esparza-sponsored Honda just outside Jake's right shoulder.  Smith would hang on to finish in the 9th-place spot.

The Dash for Cash entrants for the day at round 9 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season are lined up and ready to go for the four-lap run for the money and the extra points that everyone knows helps to make a season's championship should you be able to capitalize on finishing in the 1-2 spots in one of the three heat races for the day.

These six men did just that and put on a show for the crowded house at Peoria that kept everyone in attendance on their feet.  JD Beach #95, AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year winner Briar Bauman on the #10Z Rod Lake Racing/USC Racing/Burnett Farms/Hart Racing-sponsored Honda, Sammy Halbert #7, Jake Johnson #1, Jared Mees #9 and Henry Wiles #17 get ready to let 'er rip for the fans.

Halbert would take the valuable five points for the win, with Mees, Wiles, Johnson, Beach and Bauman rounding out the finishing order.  Bauman would also bring it home in the 8th-place spot in the National main.

Bell Helmets has done a super job of putting together a video of the exploits at the Peoria TT on August 12, to showcase the great action on the day, Henry Wiles' 8th-straight win and the stellar racing showcased at this great event.  Hang on and let 'er rip and check it out!


A big thanks to Bell Helmets for this great video that helps to not only celebrate Hammerin' Hank's 8th-straight win at the Peoria TT but also highlights this great event that has been taking place at the Peoria Motorcycle Club for over six decades:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWzMbz3Dc1g&feature=plcp

Also, thanks to Bell for highlighting some of Stu's Shots' work with one of our archive shots of The Prince of Peoria, Chris Carr, at the 1:37 mark of the video (insert shameless self-plug here.......), and you can also see that shot here from our story about Chris calling it a career at last season's Pomona Half-Mile from October 2011:

http://stusshots.blogspot.com/2011/10/ama-flat-track-7-time-grand-national.html

AMA Flat Track: Looking Back at the Final Springfield Short Track National

Round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season saw the series head to the Illinois State Fairgrounds Multipurpose Arena for the final Springfield Short Track National on September 15, and although the final outcome was as almost to be expected in terms of who would win, the rest of the results showed that there is a big handful of competitors in the series that are almost ready to step in and take over in the future. 

With Henry Wiles taking his 6th victory in-a-row in the late summer running of the 450 Singles Series class at the little track, The Hammer tied former 7-Time AMA Grand National Champion for overall short track wins (9) but also added to his long list of wins on the State Capital fairgrounds (10, including four TT wins.)  Wiles had to work for this one, though, but in the end even recovered from an almost get-off earlier in the evening to secure his place in Grand National Singles Championship history.

In the shot above, after the re-start due to the red flag caused when Mikey Rush #54 crashed out of two, Wiles took back over on the #17 Don's Kawasaki/DPC Racing/Nick Nazzisi/Schiller's Tree Svc-sponsored KX450F in heat race three to take the win over Jared Mees on the #9 Montgomeryville Cycle/National Cycle/Lucas Oil/Rogers Racing-backed Honda CRF450R and Jeffrey Carver, Jr. on the #23 Carver's BBQ/Twigg Cycles/Leo Welch/Kiesow-sponsored Yamaha YZ450F, and Bryan Smith #42 who got around Sammy Halbert on the #7 The South Ass/Fredericktown Yamaha/GYTR/Van's Yamaha to secure 4th spot, while Sammy was forced to race his semi and then take a provisional to make the main with an eventual 14th-place overall finish.  Carver brought it home in 7th-place in the National for another solid effort for the Alton, IL. resident and '10 AMA Pro Singles Champion.

Although he looks pretty dejected on the podium after coming home in 2nd-place, '09 AMA Pro Singles Champion and '11 AMA Pro Flat Track Rookie of the Year Brad 'The Bullet' Baker let everyone know at the Springfield Short Track that he is knocking on the door to take his first National main in the near future.  The Bullet led 20 of 25 laps until Hammerin' Hank got around him with a close inside pass during the National, to win by just over .9 seconds.  Baker's time is coming and it's not far off after his great performance last Saturday night.

After Henry's celebration for his 6th-win at Springfield, it was Jared Mees' turn to take the top spot on the box after he clinched the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Singles Series Championship after his 3rd-place finish in the National.  Mees adds to his '09 and '11 AMA Pro Flat Track Twins Series Championships and still holds a solid lead in the overall point standings over Jake Johnson and Sammy Halbert.

2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year contender Briar Bauman again showed why he began the season as the one to watch this year after his 2011 year-ending string of top runs.  Bauman took the #10Z Rod Lake Racing/USC Racing/Burnett Farms/Hart Racing-backed Honda to a 4th-place finish in the main and won his first-ever Dash for Cash event at the Springfield Short Track.  He also is one to keep an eye on in the not-too-distant future.

Jake Johnson again showed why he still carries the #1 on his Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Southland Pro Suspension/Arai-sponsored Honda in winning his heat (the 2nd fastest of the evening), coming home in 3rd in the Dash behind Bauman and Baker, and ahead of title rival Mees, and surviving a hard-fought race in the main with Mees and the rest of the field to card a 5th-place finish.

Jared Mees gets some chat time in with Howerton Motorsports master builder Rick Howerton during a break in the on-track action at the short track.  Mees talked with Rick about his set-up on the #9 Montgomeryville Cycle Honda (which he prepares himself throughout the year) and even tried talking the man behind the Howerton Kawasaki Twins Series rocket into building him a Twins ride for the 2013 season.  Howerton admits he barely has time to put into his mile effort with Bryan Smith as things are now while also trying to run his racing exhaust manufacturing business on Indy's west side, so the chances of that happening (unfortunately) are slim.  But Mees wasn't ready to give up in trying to talk Howerton into it.

Baker shows the form that kept him nearly-perfect at the Springfield Short Track all night long during the final qualifying session on his #12 Brothers Powersports/D&D Exhaust/Schenk Racing Enterprise/Boughner Racing Suspension-backed Honda.  Baker qualified 2nd, was 2nd in the Dash and brought it home in 2nd-place in the main for a string of deuces on the evening.


Thanks to Larry Lawrence and Cycle News for this great write-up on last weekend's action at the final Springfield Short Track National for the foreseeable future:

http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20120918?#pg63

Here's the complete results of round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Short Track, thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track:

http://results.amaproracing.com/live/results/pdfresults/ft/2012/F1261/default.aspx

AMA Flat Track: Henry Wiles Adds to His Legend at Springfield and Takes 6th-Win at Final National Short Track

Round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season gets ready to kick-off it's final Singles Series event of the year at the Springfield Short Track, as well as the final National for the foreseeable future on the Illinois State Fairgrounds Arena. 

Henry Wiles again rode like the true champion he is and took the #17 Don's Kawasaki KX450F to his 6th win in-a-row at Springfield, making it 11 wins he has bagged in his career at the little track.  Coming off the line in fourth place, it looked like early leader Brad Baker on the #12 Brothers Powersports Honda CRF450R was finally going to bag his first National main event as an Expert, but Hammerin' Hank had other ideas as he worked his way around Briar Bauman #10Z on the Rod Lake Racing USC Honda and 2-Time and defending Grand National Champion Jake Johnson on the #1 Zanotti Racing Honda, and then grabbed the lead from Brad 'The Bullet' Baker with less then five laps to go to sail to another win. 

Johnson ended up in 5th-place when Mees worked his way around after a heavy battle on the #9 Rogers Racing Honda to score a 3rd-place finish, which was enough to take the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Singles Championship.  Briar Bauman brought it home in 4th, with JD Beach on the #95 USC Kawasaki taking a hard-earned 6th-place.

The overall points were shaken up some when Sammy Halbert was forced to take a provisional and only carded a 14th-place, to slip 12 points behind 2nd-place man Johnson, as Mees still holds an 11 point lead over Jake.

The series heads across the fairgrounds for tomorrow's Springfield Mile II event.

You can check out Larry Lawrence's take on the action at Springfield here at Cycle News.com:

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/flat-track/2012/09/15/wiles-scores-at-springfield-short-track/

And here is the link to AMA Pro Flat Track's official event results:

http://results.amaproracing.com/live/results/pdfresults/ft/2012/F1261/default.aspx

AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Series winner Dan Bromley gets the interview treatment on the podium after the Springfield Short Track from AMA Pro Flat Track announcer Barry Boone.  Bromley took his #54A Bromley Brothers KTM Racing-sponsored KTM 450SX-F to the front at the start and led all 16-laps in the Pro Singles final inside the Multipurpose Arena on the Illinois State Fairgrounds.  It was Bromley's first-ever win in the series in his first year of having his Pro license and he helped KTM to garner their second win in the series this season after injured rider Gerit Callies had claimed his win earlier in the season.  Wyatt Maguire and William Cato flank Bromley on the podium for their 2nd and 3rd-place runs on the night.

Mees Takes AMA Pro Grand National Singles Championship; Wiles Takes Short Track Win at Springfield Short Track

Springfield, Ill (September 15, 2012) - Saturday's AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil was an exciting kick-off to an intense weekend filled with action-packed racing. Henry Wiles (Don's Kawasaki/Kawasaki) took the checkered flag by almost a full second and gave the crowd at the Illinois State Fairgrounds everything they could have asked for. It was Wiles' third win of the year and second here in Springfield. The win boosts Wiles to a second place finish in the GNC Expert Singles point standings behind Jared Mees (Montgomeryville Racing/Honda).

"It was back and forth and just an awesome race," said Henry Wiles. "I stayed low the entire time waiting for Brad (Baker) to go wide and when he did I just pulled the trigger and it paid off. It's been a phenomenal year and I want to give a shout out to my team and all of my sponsors. I'm glad I could go out there and ride for you guys."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Henry Wiles #17 worked his way from fourth off of the start around early leader Brad Baker, Jake Johnson #1 and Jared Mees #9 to take his 6th-win in-a-row at the final Springfield Short Track on Saturday, September 15.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.

 

Brad Baker (Brothers Powersports/Honda) got the holeshot off the pole and led for the first 19 laps but surrendered his lead on lap 20 when he went a little too wide off of turn 2 as Wiles slid underneath him and never looked back. Once Wiles gained the lead, he was in total control the rest of the way as he beat second place finisher Baker by a total of .940 seconds.

The night was capped off by the crowning of Jared Mees as he is this year's GNC Expert Singles champion.  "This isn't the biggest accomplishment that I'm aiming for this year, but it's definitely a big one," said Mees. "I have to pat myself on the back for this, I worked really hard on the singles this year and this is a big victory for me and my whole team. It was only a six-race season, but it was a lot of fun."

Mees rounded out the podium for an impressive third place finish. Briar Bauman (Rod Lake Racing/ Honda) and Jake Johnson (Zanotti Racing/Honda) rounded out the top five, respectively.

AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles

It was all Dan Bromley (Bromley Brothers/KTM) tonight as he claimed the holeshot on lap one and never let up. Bromley looked sharper than he has all season and made a name for himself in tonight's intense showdown as he claimed his first career AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Main Event victory.

"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."

It wasn't easy for Bromley, as he was forced to surrender his enormous lead on lap nine after Ryan Wells (Five Star Steel & Fabrication/Honda) bit the dust and forced the red flags to fly and call for a staggered start. However, Bromley wasn't fazed as he claimed the holeshot for the second time tonight. For the remaining five laps, Bromley was forced to make quick decisions and critical moves in order to fend off Wyatt Maguire (Kirkland Racing/Yamaha) who tried everything to steal the lead.

Maguire's efforts weren't good enough, as Bromley slammed the throttle just a little bit harder on the final turn to fend him off by a slim margin.

William Cato (Bob Weirbach Race Team/Honda) finished closed out the podium with an impressive third place finish. Jason Isennock (High Dairy Stores/Honda) and Joe Shoemaker (Montgomeryville Cycle Center/Honda) rounded out the top 5 finishers, respectively. 

 

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

AMA Pro Flat Track Heads to Round 6 at Hagerstown Half-Mile on July 7

Round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season gets ready to roll for the 25-lap National main as riders ready themselves to battle for the win at the 29th Annual Ohio National Championship held at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima.

On the front row (from left), Bryan Smith on the #42 Moroney's H-D/FastHog.com/American H-D/Doc's H-D-sponsored XR750 (eventual 8th-place finish), Sammy Halbert on his #7 South East H-D/The South Ass/Mo Vaughn Transport/LZ Racing-backed XR750 (winner), 2-Time and defending Jake Johnson on the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing/Arai-sponsored XR750 (eventual 3rd-place finish and best-ever Lima result), Johnny Lewis on the #10 Scott Powersports/Saddlemen Seats/Wallace Trucking/AXO-backed Kawasaki 650R-based parallel twin (5th-place finish), Henry Wiles on the #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Foremost Insurance Group/Ramspur Winery-sponsored Ducati 'L' twin (2nd-place finish), and Jeffrey Carver, Jr. on the #23 Kiesow Racing/Hall's Cycle/Eddie Adkins/Sponseller-backed XR750 (6th-place finish.)

Also seen in this shot on row 2:  Rob Pearson on the #27 Memphis Shades/Yamaha/Wiseco/K&N-sponsored XR750 (7th-place finish), Briar Bauman on the #10Z Rod Lake Racing/USC Racing/Burnett Farms/Hart Racing-backed Kawasaki 650R-based parallel twin, Brad Baker on the #12 Columbia Avionics/Mark Cheza/K&K Motorcycle Supply/D&D Exhaust-sponsored XR750 (17th-place finish after suffering a broken swingarm pivot bolt), and points leader Jared Mees on the #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D/Saddlemen/National Cycle-sponsored XR750 (4th-place finish.)

The series now heads to the Hagerstown Half-Mile National in Maryland for round 6 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season for the 31st Annual Hub City Classic with the top four in the overall championship seperated by just 16 points.  With Mees leading the series (93 points), Johnson making his usual late-season run early in the year in the 2nd spot just 11 markers back, Daytona round one winner Lewis slotted in the 3rd spot (81 points) and Lima-winner Slammin' Sammy in the 4th spot (77 points) and Lima fast-qualifier and Daytona round two winner Matt Weidman (who crashed out with a broken collarbone and severely bruised right foot and will now miss 4-8 weeks of the season) tied with Lima runner-up Hammerin' Hank Wiles for the 5th spot (64 points each.) 

Thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track for the official press release below on the happening's coming up on Saturday July 7 in Hagerstown!

AMA Pro Flat Track Headed for the "Hub City" Classic at Hagerstown Half-Mile

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

As the summer of 2012 heats up, so does the AMA Pro Flat Track action in the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil and AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles. The "Hub City" Classic is approaching as the series heads to Hagerstown, MD and the red clay of the Hagerstown Speedway. The July 7th event will be the 31st AMA Pro Grand National Championship race on the normally smooth, banked half-mile; a big change from last week's "grip it and rip it" cushion half-mile. Always a big fan favorite, it will be the only appearance on the East Coast for the throaty GNC Twins in 2012. The Rolling Thunder Show, literally and figuratively, rolled into Lima, OH last week and the National was filled with bar-to-bar racing and a little MMA blended in. Sammy Halbert (South East Harley-Davidson) and Henry Wiles (Lloyd Brothers Motorsports / Foremost Insurance) battled down to the wire with the win going to Halbert. Neither the "Slammer" (Halbert) nor the "Hammer" (Wiles) have won a national main event at Hagerstown, but Halbert has been on the podium twice, scoring a second- and third- place finish in the 2008 and 2009 editions. Wiles' best finish has been an eighth, earned in 2010, but this weekend will be his first attempt on his potent Ducati. There are only two active riders with Hagerstown wins. Kenny Coolbeth (Harley-Davidson Motor Company) has taken home victory three times (2007, 2008 and 2011) and defending Grand National Champion Jake Johnson (Zanotti Racing / Schaeffer's Harley-Davidson) has one to his credit (2009). Unfortunately, Coolbeth has joined the inactive riders after suffering a broken leg in an on-track incident at Lima. Another favorite that will be sitting out is early season points leader Matt Weidman (Greg Crow Racing / White's Harley-Davidson), who was also injured in Lima. Johnny Lewis is still looking for his first "Big Bike" win aboard his Scott Powersports Kawasaki, but Lewis has been knocking on the door and it appears only a matter of time until he charges through. Lewis finished second at Hagerstown last year behind Coolbeth. Current points leader Jared Mees has been on the Hagerstown podium three times, all third place finishes (2007, 2010 and 2011). The Rogers Racing / Blue Springs Harley-Davidson backed Mees is a proven groove track rider and although he is still looking for his first win this season, he still holds an 11 point lead after five races. Johnson's title defense got off to a slow start and he is also still looking for his first win of the year, but his consistency has pushed him into second in the points over Lewis, with Halbert moving up to fourth, 16 points off the lead.  Bryan Smith (Moroney's Harley-Davidson) is another top-10 rider with some success at Hagerstown. He finished second in 2007. Chris Carr #4 leads the pack into turn one during heat race one action at the Hagertown Half-Mile, round 10 of the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Yve Assad/The Fast and Dirty.com. The big oval has produced a few first time winners in Rusty Rogers (1992), Kevin Varnes (1995) and Nicky Hayden (1999), all of which won their first GNC main events in Maryland. Could this be the year for Brad Baker (Columbia Avionics), Briar Bauman (Rod Lake Racing / USC Kawasaki) or Jeffery Carver (Kiesow Racing / Hall's Cycles), who are all having solid years while looking for that elusive first win? The always competitive AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles division will also be in action as points leader Gerit Callies (Fun Mart Cycles) tries to fend off the fast closing Ryan Wells (Weirbach Racing).  Callies' two wins make him the only repeat winner in AMA Pro Flat Track, but inconsistency has plagued the South Dakotan. Sitting third in the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles points is Jason Isennock (Highs Dairy Store).  Isennock is from nearby Timonium, MD and is undoubtedly looking forward to racing so close to home. The 2011 Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles winner at Hagerstown, Mikey Martin, has moved on to the Grand National Expert ranks, leaving fellow podium finishers Callies (2nd) and third-place Adam Bushman (Midwest CNC) to repeat their efforts in 2012.

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