DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The 2024 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, resumes with this Father’s Day weekend’s Orange County Half-Mile in Middletown, New York, on Saturday, June 15.
The Grand National Championship made its triumphant return to Orange County Fair Speedway last season after being absent from the fabled venue for more than three decades. It proved worth the wait as Mission AFT SuperTwins legend Jared Mees (No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycle FTR750) made history, becoming the sport’s all-time winningest Half-Miler on that occasion with Briar Bauman (No. 3 Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790 Duke), Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), and Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) all in close contention for the checkered flag.
Those same four riders enter this weekend’s rematch under the spotlight, having combined for all six race wins in 2024. And for the first time this season, last year’s primary championship protagonists, Daniels and Mees, stand 1-2 in the points standings.
While Daniels holds down the top spot thanks to his trademark podium-caliber consistency, Mees has momentum on his side having garnered two wins in four podiums in his last four outings.
Robinson remains right there, only seven points back of Daniels and one off Mees, as he seeks his third win of the young season. Bauman, too, remains within single-race striking distance even while continuing the adaptation to his KTM-powered racebike that was overhauled in the offseason.
The torrid pace at the front has forced the remainder of a talent-laden field to raise their game in order to keep pace. They’ve responded well as a collective, with Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Corbin/OTBR Yamaha MT-07) earning a runner-up finish and Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750) and Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) each earning multiple top fives.
Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) was one of the standout performers in last year’s Orange County Half-Mile, posting the fastest time in qualifying, winning his heat, and then claiming victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Unfortunately, Lewis will be out of action this weekend as he recovers from injury. However, he’ll still be on site and managing the team as the skillful Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) steps in to substitute on the official Royal Enfield entry.
Another storyline to track is the progress of this year’s impressive crop of rookies – Max Whale (No. 18 Latus Motors Racing/Liqui Moly Harley-Davidson XG750R), Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Mission Foods/Zanotti Racing KTM 790 Duke), Declan Bender (No. 70 GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750), and Morgen Mischler (No. 13 Big Red Super Twins/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Transalp) – particularly after having some time to refocus and regroup.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Last season saw reigning Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER champion Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F) stand victorious at Orange County, flanked by challengers Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R) and Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) during that night’s podium ceremony.
The three return ranked in that same order and as the overwhelming favorites to battle up front once again this weekend.
Kopp is well on his way to completely rewriting the class record books and he’ll look to continue that trend this weekend. However, Saathoff and Drane have each shown the capacity to not only push the double defending class champion to the absolute limits, but come out on top on occasion.
Similar to the situation in the premier-class, the next group has been put on notice that they need to meet the standard of the top three in order to fight for victory. Riders such as Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), Tarren Santero (No. 75 Vinson Construction/P&M Motorcycles Honda CRF450R), Travis Petton IV (No. 82 ECG Racing/A.M Ortega KTM 450 SX-F), Logan Eisenhard (No. 66 Hannum’s Harley-Davidson KTM 450 SX-F), and Evan Renshaw (No. 265 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) have all either demonstrated the ability or potential to do exactly that, setting the stage for some thrilling scraps from this point forward.
There will be plenty to keep spectators entertained off the track as well, including numerous vendors, plenty of food and beverage options, live music, extensive motorcycle parking, and a fireworks display to cap things off at the end of the evening.
General Admission Grandstand tickets are just $50 (kids 12 and under $10) or $99 for the Family 4-Pack. Reserved Grandstand tickets ($60, all ages), Party Deck tickets ($355 for up to four individuals), and Indoor Suite Reservation tickets ($100 for one individual, $965 for up to eight individuals) offer premium viewing experiences for fans. The Pit Pass Upgrade grants access to the pit area for $50 (included free with Party Deck and Indoor Suite Reservation tickets). Drive-In Parking is available for motorcycles for $10 and cars for $30. Fans also have the option to purchase Multi-Day Camping Passes for $115 (no hook-up) and $255 (with hook-up).
Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/orange-county-half-mile-94110 to reserve your seats today.
Gates will open for fans at 3:00 p.m. ET (12:00 p.m. PT) with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT).
How to Watch American Flat Track Live
You can catch the livestream of all the weekend’s racing activities on FloRacing. Motorsports fans can subscribe to FloRacing to enjoy over 1,000 live motorsports events in 2024. FloSports is available by visiting https://flosports.link/aft or by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast.
FOX Sports coverage of the Orange County Half-Mile, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, June 23, at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT).
For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
