MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (September 7, 2019) – Briar Bauman (No. 14 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) seized back the momentum with a timely victory in Saturday night’s Williams Grove Half-Mile presented by Appalachian Harley-Davidson in Mechanicsburg, Pa.

 

Bauman’s fifth win of the 2019 American Flat Track season earned him a bit of breathing space in the AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines championship hunt as time is running out for multi-time defending champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) in his bid to make it three straight.

 

Bauman and Mees clashed in an early-lap dogfight that teased a race-long showdown between the two title contenders. However, Bauman was simply too strong for Mees on this night, powering away from his rival just six laps into the 25-lap Main.

 

Bauman couldn’t exhale quite that early, however. Rookie revelation Brandon Price (No. 192 Roof Systems of Dallas TX/DPC Racing Indian FTR750) rolled by the champ and set his sights on Bauman for the lead on lap 7.

 

Price pushed Bauman to the checkered flag, collecting his maiden premier-class podium finish just 0.878 seconds off the win.

 

Mees was knocked off the podium entirely when Davis Fisher (No. 67 Bob Lanphere Beaverton Motorcycles/Dick Wall 60 Indian FTR750) made his way into third. Mees attempted a last-corner maneuver to steal back the position -- and some critical points in the process -- but came up just short.

 

As a result, Bauman extended his title advantage to 35 points (305-270) and is well poised to clinch his first AFT Twins championship a round early at the Indian Motorcycle Minnesota Mile presented by Law Tigers on September 21.

 

“The success tonight comes from the team,” Bauman said. “They’ve done everything for me, and the bike has been so good. I was nervous in the pits earlier, and they got my spirits up. Bronson has been struggling, but he came up to me and said, ‘dude, you’re the baddest guy here -- just go out and get it.’

 

“I have such a good support group. My family has been at all the rounds and all the fans and my friends… I come to the racetrack to see my family and I race while I’m here. I can’t thank everyone enough for being here.”

 

Robert Pearson (No. 27 R/J Performance/Hite Trucking Indian FTR750) rounded out the top five.

 

Roof Systems AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys

 

Dalton Gauthier (No. 122 D&D Cycles/Gobert Smash Husqvarna FC450) registered a second-consecutive Roof Systems AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys victory to expand his championship advantage in title fight crunch time.

 

Gauthier and reigning champion Dan Bromley (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) went back and forth over the race’s opening half, throwing big moves as they tussled for the lead. Gauthier ultimately outlasted the spirited effort of Bromley to shake free on lap 7 and never looked back.

 

Bromley had other worries beyond Gauthier’s class-leading fourth victory. He was first dropped to third by a confident Morgen Mischler (No. 69 Waters Autobody Racing/D&D Powersports KTM 450 SX-F) and then lost out in a last-lap battle with charging Englishman Oliver Brindley (No. 24 Roof Systems of Dallas/FX Solutions Yamaha YZ450F) for the final spot on the podium.

 

As a result, Gauthier now leads Bromley by 15 points (266-251) with two races left to decide this year’s champion. Third-ranked Mikey Rush (No. 15 RMR Honda/Red Riders Rewards Honda CRF450R) kept his title hopes alive (230 points) with another top-five result in fifth.

 

After the race, home-state hero Gauthier said, “Dan was running it on the inside of me pretty much every turn in those first couple of laps, and I’d dive right back inside on him and make it happen. I kind of outsmarted him, I think. He’s making it tough to win this championship, but I think we’ve got the upper hand right now. My riding has been awesome lately. I’ve just been having fun, and that’s the main thing for me to be fast and smooth.”

 

AFT Production Twins

 

Rock-steady Ryan Varnes (No. 68 Varnes Racing/RoyBuilt Kawasaki Ninja 650) registered a virtual wire-to-wire victory in the 15-lap AFT Production Twins Main event to make his once quiet championship bid a whole lot louder.

 

Varnes sprinted away to the holeshot with polesitter Dalton Gauthier (No. 122 Black Hills Harley-Davidson XG750R Rev X) in tight formation. Gauthier dove up the inside of Varnes entering Turn 3 on lap 2. Varnes immediately countered, squaring Gauthier back up and retaking the lead a short straight later.

 

Varnes continually solidified his advantage from there; he never offered the talented Gauthier a second opportunity for a strike and managed to break his challenge over the race’s final five laps.

 

Title leader Cory Texter (No. 65 G&G Racing/Holeshot Powersports Yamaha MT-07) closed down on Gauthier late, but simply ran out of laps. He finished 0.412 back of Gauthier in third to complete an all-Pennsylvania podium.

 

Varnes’ second win of the season catapults him into second in the championship standings and pulls him to within 16 points of Texter (165-149) with two rounds remaining.

 

After the race, Varnes said, “In the semi, I couldn’t really hold the corners and we made a last-minute change before the Main Event hoping that it would help, and it definitely did.

 

“I’m just stoked to do it in Williams Grove and PA. It was only like an hour-and-a-half to get here today and I was able to sleep in my own bed last night, so that was pretty cool. It’s great to see all my family and friends out here too and do this in front of them. It’s awesome.”

 

Kolby Carlile (No. 136 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) is now ranked third at 140 points after slashing past both James Rispoli (No. 71 Black Hills Harley-Davidson XG750R Rev X) and Kevin Stollings (No. 999 Roof Systems/Motion Pro Kawasaki Ninja 650) in the waning laps to finish fourth in Williams Grove.

 

Catch the feature broadcast of the Williams Grove Half-Mile presented by Appalachian Harley-Davidson on NBCSN with flag-to-flag coverage of the Main Events, enhanced by exclusive features and cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage. The broadcast will debut on Saturday, September 21, at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT and will re-air on Tuesday, September 24, at 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT.

 

Next Up:

American Flat Track will next travel to Minneapolis, Minn., for the penultimate round of the 2019 season, the Indian Motorcycle Minnesota Mile presented by Law Tigers, at Canterbury Park on September 21. FansChoice.tv will live stream the entire day’s activities once practice starts at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT. Tickets are on sale now at tickets.americanflattrack.com.

 

For more information on American Flat Track visit www.americanflattrack.com.

 

To get the latest American Flat Track clothing and merchandise visit www.americanflattracker.com.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (September 6, 2019) – American Flat Track returns to the Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. for another exciting running of the Williams Grove Half-Mile presented by Appalachian Harley-Davidson tomorrow, September 7. On-track action begins at 1:30 pm ET (10:30 am PT) .

 

FansChoice.tv live-streaming schedule for the Williams Grove Half-Mile presented by Appalachian Harley-Davidson on Saturday, September 7 at Williams Grove Speedway:

 

1:30 pm ET: Practice

 

2:35 pm ET: AFT Production Twins Qualifying 1

2:57 pm ET: Roof Systems AFT Singles pres. by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys Qualifying 1

 

3:20 pm ET: AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines Qualifying 1

 

3:30 pm ET: AFT Production Twins Qualifying 2

 

3:52 pm ET: Roof Systems AFT Singles Qualifying 2

 

4:15 pm ET: AFT Twins Qualifying 2

 

4:55 pm ET: Roof Systems AFT Singles Heats

 

5:30 pm ET: Opening Ceremonies

 

5:40 pm ET: AFT Production Twins Semis

 

6:10 pm ET: Roof Systems AFT Singles Semis 

 

6:30 pm ET: AFT Twins Semis

 

7:30 pm ET: AFT Production Twins Main

 

8:20 pm ET: Roof Systems AFT Singles Main

 

8:50 pm ET: AFT Twins Main

 

Click to here to watch live: www.fanschoice.tv

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (September 3, 2019) – American Flat Track will immediately follow up its titanic Springfield tripleheader with a stop at another of the sport’s hotbeds. This weekend the series arrives at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., for the Williams Grove Half-Mile presented by Appalachian Harley-Davidson on Saturday, September 7.

 

Based in one of the world’s most fertile grounds when it comes to producing elite dirt track talent, there will be no shortage of hometrack favorites to root for this weekend. All three classes are loaded with frontrunners who consider Williams Grove to be their home round. This fact is sure to produce a particularly strong performance in front of fans, friends and family, and could potentially see a tip in the balance in any one of the title fights.

 

Reigning AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines Champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) drew to within striking distance of title leader Briar Bauman (No. 14 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) with his double victory in Springfield. Mees will not be lacking for motivation to keep the pressure this weekend at a venue that’s less than an hour’s drive from where he was born and raised.

 

Meanwhile, both of the leading contenders for the Roof Systems AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys title -- points leader Dalton Gauthier (No. 122 D&D Cycles/Gobert Smash Husqvarna FC450) and defending class champ Dan Bromley (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) -- are native Pennsylvanians.

 

Like Mees in 2017, Bromley got to experience clinching a championship with the home crowd cheering him on here a year ago. But this time around, he finds himself chasing Gauthier, who holds a narrow 5-point advantage heading into Round 16 of 18.

 

It’s a similar story in the AFT Production Twins championship fight. It’s led by local ace Cory Texter (No. 65 G&G Racing/Holeshot Powersports Yamaha MT-07), who leads Kolby Carlile (No. 136 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07), who hails from just a few hours north of Williams Grove in New York state and yet another Pennsyvanian in Ryan Varnes (No. 68 Varnes Racing/RoyBuilt Kawasaki Ninja 650).

 

Also included among the staggering number of podium-contending riders hungry to do well at home this weekend are Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Kennedy Racing/Armbruster Racing Indian FTR750), Jake Johnson (No. 5 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) and Brandon Price (No. 192 Roof Systems of Dallas TX, DPC Racing Indiant FTR750) in AFT Twins, Shayna Texter (No. 52 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing SX-F 450) and Cameron Smith (No. 44 Basciani Foods/Hyatt Racing Honda CRF450R) in AFT Singles and Jordan Harris (No. 17 RRCF Racing/Iowa City Brake Kawasaki Ninja 650) in AFT Production Twins.

 

There will be plenty to keep fans entertained beyond the two-wheeled action. The “hometown heroes” theme extends beyond the racing, as it will be First Responder's Night at Williams Grove Speedway, honoring the bravery and sacrifice of local police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics. Additionally, the Colt Wilbur Band will be performing its blend of real country music, bluegrass, southern rock, and the blues.

 

Tickets for the Williams Grove Half-Mile presented by Appalachian Harley-Davidson are on sale now at tickets.americanflattrack.com. Advance General Admission tickets start at just $29, and kids 12 and under are free in the General Admission areas with the purchase of one adult ticket.

 

Military/First Responder tickets are $20 with GovX registration. Spectators who would like to take in the action from a private, premium-viewing area can purchase a VIP Experience pass, which includes complimentary food and beverage, along with a commemorative race program souvenir. 

 

For fans watching remotely, FansChoice.tv will provide live coverage of the Williams Grove Half-Mile starting with the day’s first practice session at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 p.m. PT. Opening Ceremonies are slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m PT. The rider autograph session/open paddock period will start at 6:40 p.m. ET/3:450 p.m PT, followed by the Main Event program at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

 

Catch the feature broadcast of the Williams Grove Half-Mile on NBCSN with flag-to-flag coverage of the Main Events, enhanced by exclusive features and cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage. The broadcast will debut on Saturday, September 21, at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT and will re-air on Tuesday, September 24, at 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT.

 

For more information on American Flat Track visit www.americanflattrack.com.

 

To get the latest American Flat Track clothing and merchandise visit www.americanflattracker.com.