With a rules change barring Indian’s championship-winning FTR750 and with 2024 champ Jared Mees’ retirement, the American Flat Track season-opening double-header in Daytona set the stage for what will surely be a thrilling 2025 season. Adding in American flavor this season is the reintroduction of Harley-Davidson’s XG750 to the series, with former AFT champ Briar Bauman and race-winner Brandon Robinson aboard the Harleys.
Dallas Daniels, who suffered a training accident last year that put him out of contention for the 2024 title, started the season with two wins in Daytona aboard a Yamaha. While Daniels’ dominance in Daytona is expected, his first victory was far from assured.
After lousy qualifying and practice sessions, Daniels had to fight hard in the first main event to catch up to Bauman, who had gained a comfortable cushion in the lead. But once Bauman ran into lapped traffic, Daniels closed the gap on his rival and surged into the lead.
The second event saw Daniels leading early on while Bauman, Henry Wiles, Sammy Halbert, and Davis Fisher battled behind him. Once again, the racers ran into lapped traffic, this time allowing Bauman to take the lead briefly. But Daniels quickly took it back and held on to the finish.
Without an Indian motorcycle on the track, the first two AFT races of the season saw a wide variety of makes in the top 10. Thursday’s race included six manufacturers in the top 10 (Yamaha, Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki, KTM, Honda, and Royal Enfield), and Suzuki would have been added to the list if Dan Bromley hadn’t crashed out, resulting in a bad laceration to his foot. Bromley was back in action for Friday’s main event, finishing 8th for a total of seven makes in the Top 10.
At the end of this double-header event, Daniels leads the standings with 46 points, followed by Bauman with 38, while Fisher and Wiles share 3rd with 30 points each. The next American Flat Track event will be the Yamaha Senoia Short Track on March 29 at Senoia Raceway in Georgia.
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 6, 2025) – The first Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, round of the post-Jared Mees era saw preseason Mission AFT SuperTwins title favorite Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) do what many expected and claim victory under the lights of the Flat Track at Daytona International Speedway in Thursday’s season-opening Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I.
How it was achieved, however, came as a genuine surprise.
In fact, it was anything but a day of domination for Daniels, despite the fact that he’d won three of the previous four Main Events at the venue. If anything, the Estenson Racing ace was relatively quiet throughout practice and qualifying, starting the Main Event from Row 2 after failing to qualify for the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.
Instead, the star of the show for all but the final minute of the Main Event was Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R), who appeared on the verge of guiding the Harley-Davidson XG750R to its maiden premier-class victory.
New to the bike but reunited with crew chief Dave Zanotti and mechanic Michelle Disalvo at Rick Ware Racing, Bauman was smooth and in control on a very tricky track. He put his name atop the charts during practice, qualifying, and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, before storming off into the lead at the start of the Main.
Daniels showed renewed signs of life as soon as the race that mattered most got underway, diving under front-row qualifiers Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke), Henry Wiles (No. 911 J&M Logging/Ray C’s Harley-Davidson Kawasaki Ninja 650), and Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) in rapid succession to move into second
However, even with clear air in front of him, Daniels didn’t appear to have the measure of Bauman, who stretched the gap out to over a second deep into the contest. That all changed as the two encountered lapped traffic, which allowed the Yamaha pilot to erase the distance and then execute a pass for the lead with just 35 seconds remaining on the clock.
A rare bobble on Bauman’s part then provided Daniels with the breathing space he needed to make it four wins in his last five tries in Daytona Beach.
The victory also marked Daniels first win since before the training accident that ended his title chances a season ago.
He said, “I hate that everybody has to hear my sob story again, ‘I broke my leg leading the championship (last year).’ I mean, it sucked. It sucked so bad. It sucked so bad for me, but even more for the team. It’s one of those things when you’re lying at home, and you wonder if you’ll ever be able to do it again. Even though I was on the podium those last three races, you still wonder.
“And then I show up here at Daytona – a place that I love and do well at usually – and I was just on the struggle bus all day long. No matter what changes we made, I just could not get comfortable. But my team… This win is because of the team. They just kept working and kept working. When I went out there for that warm-up lap, I knew I had something for them. But how impressive was Briar? The dude gets on a different bike that has never won, and he was the toughest competition. He’s going to be tough all year.”
Third place went to 40-year-old Wiles, who was brandishing the unfamiliar #911 instead of his usual #17, which was unavailable to him due to not competing last season. The time away didn’t steal any of his speed or aggression, a fact he proved convincingly while overcoming Fisher in an intense mid-race scrap for the final podium position.
Still, Fisher held on for a strong 4th-place debut on the KTM, while Robinson made it two XGs in the top five.
Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction/OTBR Yamaha MT-07), who finished as the runner-up in last year’s opener, came home 6th. Meanwhile, Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown Racing KTM 790 Duke), Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Progressive Insurance Honda Transalp), Max Whale (No. 18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650), and James Ott (No. 19 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07) finished 7th through 10th, respectively.
Those results meant that six different makes of equipment (Yamaha, Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki, KTM, Honda, and Royal Enfield) were represented in the top ten in the first race featuring the new all-production based ruleset. A seventh (Suzuki), clocked the second fastest time in practice before a promising event met a premature end for Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Suzuki GSX-8S), who was unable to compete after suffering a deep cut that required medical attention.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 7, 2025) – Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) opened his 2025 Grand National Championship campaign in perfect double-victory fashion by completing the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I & II sweep on Friday night. However, he was forced to do so in a manner that yet again promised an incredible Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, to come.
After stealing Thursday’s victory from Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R) despite struggling pretty much all day long, Daniels was more in his expected Mission AFT SuperTwins title favorite form throughout Friday’s program.
Daniels continued that trend by breaking free early in the Main Event while Bauman found himself caught up in a four-rider melee that also included Henry Wiles (No. 911 J&M Logging/Ray C’s Harley-Davidson Kawasaki Ninja 650), Sammy Halbert (No. 69 OnlyFans/Castrol Kawasaki Ninja 650), and Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke).
By the time Bauman established himself in 2nd, Daniels had a cushion of nearly 1.4 seconds at the front. But just when Bauman started to whittle away at that advantage, he was forced to play defense after Fisher came charging up in 3rd. That chase/defend accordion continued to play out in both directions, with Bauman freed up again when Wiles closed on Fisher from 4th.
But Bauman’s golden opportunity to give the XG750R its maiden premier-class win didn’t come until the leaders hit traffic – the exact situation that cost him Thursday’s win with their positioned swapped.
And in fact, the RWR star managed to momentarily grab the lead with just 20 seconds remaining on the clock. However, his Estenson Racing Yamaha-mounted rival countered in the very next turn and managed to hold his adversary at bay over the final two laps to prevent the reversal of fortunes.
Daniels said, “Man, I thought last night was the toughest I ever had to ride, but I think tonight beat that. I had a really good night going – won the heat race, won the (Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge). I was feeling really good. I got a really good start and was out front. But I could just feel the pressure coming in. I was keeping an eye out, and I knew he was getting closer and closer… It was just such a nailbiter. Briar rode a hell of a race, gave me a good battle, and it was super fun.”
Fisher came home in 3rd, equaling his ’24 podium total in the season’s opening week. Combined with his Thursday 4th, Daytona proved a seamless transition for Fisher who was expected to take more time to come to grips with his Rackley Racing KTM after spending the previous seven seasons on an Indian.
The experienced duo of Wiles and Halbert earned 4th and 5th, respectively, pushing down a handful of strong title contenders in the process. That list was headlined by Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R), who took 6th, and Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown Racing KTM 790 Duke), who finished 7th.
Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Suzuki GSX-8S) returned to action after suffering a laceration to his foot on Thursday and did so most impressively with an 8th-place result aboard his Suzuki.
Meanwhile, Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Progressive Insurance Honda Transalp) and Max Whale (No. 18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) made it a remarkable seven different manufacturers in the race’s top ten as the premier class’ new production-only ruleset shine in their debut.
Daniels has the early title advantage following Rounds 1 & 2 after grabbing the maximum of 46 points in Daytona. He’s followed by Bauman at 38 with Fisher and Wiles locked even in third at 30.
Next Up for American Flat Track
The 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season will resume in three weeks’ time with the Yamaha Senoia Short Track on Saturday, March 29 at Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia. Secure your tickets today.
For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night.
FOX Sports coverage of the Royal Enfield Short Track at Daytona I, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, March 15, at 12 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT), with the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA II set to air the following day, Sunday, March 16, at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT).
For more information, visit the Progressive AFT website.
