After narrowly losing the American Flat Track championship in 2023, Dallas Daniels hopes to dethrone Indian Motorcycle’s Jared Mees for the 2024 AFT title by resigning with the Estenson Yamaha team. Daniels will have to race for the Misson SuperTwins championship aboard a Yamaha MT-07 without former teammate JD Beach, who will instead be competing in the MotoAmerica roadracing series next season. The Estenson squad also resigned Tom Drane to race for the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles championship. More info in the press release below.
Estenson Racing is pleased to announce the return of Dallas Daniels and Tom Drane for the 2024 Progressive American Flat Track season. The two phenoms will spearhead the team’s title campaign in the series, with Daniels leading the way in the Mission SuperTwins Championship aboard the Yamaha MT-07 and Drane looking to take the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER crown aboard the Yamaha YZ450F.
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On the heels of a stellar rookie season in the premier class, Daniels came out swinging in 2023. The fast rider from Illinois fired the first shot by sweeping the season opener at the Daytona Short Track doubleheader and led the points standings for most of the season aboard his Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07. It was a landmark year for Daniels, who completed a dirt track grand slam (a career win in all four Grand National Championship track disciplines – Short Track, Half-Mile, Mile, and TT) in just his second year in the premier class.
It was an exciting season, with the title chase going down to the wire and the 20-year-old ultimately finishing the year runner-up with five wins and a total of 15 podiums in 18 rounds. Daniels heads into his sixth season with the team looking to add a Grand National Championship to his already impressive resume of back-to-back Parts Unlimited AFT Singles titles and multiple victories aboard the MT-07 and YZ450F.
Related: Progressive AFT Finale Springfield Mile I and II Results: Mees Makes it Nine!
Drane returns for his second season with the team and looks to build on his standout rookie season in the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Championship. With a new team, new bike, and new tracks, the Australian hit his stride before the halfway mark of the season, quickly climbing his way up the points standings and finishing the year in the runner-up spot with a total of four wins and 10 podiums. The 17-year-old looks to build on that progress in 2024, battle for top honors, and return the number-one plate to the Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F.
Tommy Hayden – Estenson Racing Team Manager
“2024 will be a change for us with a two-rider team, but we feel that a more concentrated effort will allow us to make another step forward in performance next season. As a team, we had a lot to be proud of this past season, but to come so close to a SuperTwins Championship and not get it done definitely stung and has motivated us to come back even stronger next year. With the way Dallas performed this past season in just his second year as a SuperTwins rider and the way Tom improved over the course of his first full year in AFT, I believe we are in a good position to fight for the championship in both classes in 24′.
“As excited as we are about next year, it is also difficult not to be continuing with JD and Trevor. I have a tremendous amount of respect for both of these guys and nothing but good things to say about them. They are both true professionals on- and off- the track, and I will genuinely miss working with them. With JD in particular, he started with our program from the beginning. Although there were many bumps in the road along the way with the development, he always gave us his best effort, performed like a champion, and won some big races for us and Yamaha. I would like to thank both of them for everything they gave the team and wish them the best in their future endeavors.”
Dallas Daniels – Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“I’m very excited to be back with the Estenson Racing team for 2024. I’ve been with them every year since I turned pro, and I’m looking forward to continuing to build on our relationship and to keep learning. I’m very happy with this team and super happy that they are having me back. We learned so much last year. So even though the year didn’t end exactly how we wanted, finishing second in the championship, we had a lot of success and are going to apply all of that to next year. I’m looking forward to fighting for more race wins and trying to get that championship.”
Tom Drane – Estenson Racing AFT Singles
I’m really excited to be returning with Estenson Racing after such a good first year. It was great to have my first full season traveling the championship, getting to know everyone, finding a lot of different setups, and learning from the team. We were able to improve all year, which was really good. At the end of the season, we started to really come on strong and were able to win races. I feel really comfortable on the bike, and we’re looking to continue that stretch through next year.”
