AMA Pro Flat Track Reviews Daytona Short Track I & II Wins by Stevie Bonsey & Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. in Season-Openers to Grand National Championship Series, Races Now Available for Viewing on VOD

California's Stevie Bonsey started off the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season with a bang by taking his first win in just over three seasons at the Daytona Short Track I round on March 12. The Salinas resident, another great product of the area that has brought us so many great racers in the likes of Ricky Graham, Doug Chandler and Bonsey to name just a few, had last scored a victory in AMA Grand National competition at the Tucson Half-Mile in early October 2011. His win at Daytona makes it three notches on his belt in the premier two wheeled racing series in the world (Cailistoga Half-Mile was the Bonsai man's first win in July 2010.)

In the shot above, Bonsey puts his #80 Mack Daddy Racing/Alpinestars/Confused Clothing-sponsored Honda CRF450R through it's paces during qualifying at the Springfield Short Track at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Multipurpose Arena during the final running of a Grand National event at the great little facility on September 15, 2012.

Bonsey's great romp on Thursday of Bike Week should be a great shot in the arm for him after spending the last two seasons running for the Zanotti Racing team, and jumping back on board with the Dodge Brothers Racing team with which he won his first National with at Calistogo just over four and-a-half years ago. It's great to see a great competitor and another of the nice guys in The Rolling Thunder Show get another win and start the season off so strong. Go get 'em man!

And Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. started off the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season the same way he did last year by winning the Daytona Short Track II event on Friday, March 13. Coolbeth, who apparently some with his former factory team had thought after the 2013 season could be done with winning, joined up with the powerhouse Zanotti Racing team last year and promptly won four races on the season, again showing his dominance in the sport in which he had won three Grand National Twins Championships and a Singles Series Championship during his reign over The Rolling Thunder Show from 2006-2008. Coolbeth showed 'em all at the little short track at Daytona International Speedway that he may be one of the oldest guys on the circuit, but he definitely is not done winning by any means as of yet. Great job man in putting the Zanotti Racing team back on top of the box, again!

In the shot above, Coolbeth wrestles with his #2 Chaplin Kawasaki/Spectro Oils/Wiseco-sponsored Kawasaki KX450F during one of the qualifying rounds at the Springfield Short Track over the Labor Day weekend on September 3, 2011.

Seeing two former team mates take the first two wins of the season made for a great start to the new season ahead, and with both men obviously rejuvenated and ready to keep on winning in their careers is a great shot to the best two wheeled racing series in the world and it's legion of fans.

As we sit through the long break in the series' calendar until the Springfield Mile I in late May, you can check out all of the action and what happened below thanks to AMA Pro Racing and the videos that are available from the season-openers.

Cycle News has a great write-up on the kick off to the new season that you can check out here thanks to Shan Moore.

A big shout out to Stevie and Kenny for their great rides at Daytona, both extremely worthy riders, champions and people and great to see them both get the season started off so strong!

Bonsey, Coolbeth draw first blood in Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines competition at DAYTONA Flat Track

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 17, 2015) - There was no shortage of drama when AMA Pro Flat Track kicked off its 2015 season last weekend with its doubleheader at DAYTONA Flat Track in Daytona Beach, Fla., March 12-13. It proved to be a thrilling couple days of nonstop motorcycle racing action between some of the world's most prominent riders that make up the elite Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines class.   After winning his heat race, but settling for fifth place in Thursday night's Dash for Cash, Salinas, Calif., product Stevie Bonsey earned his first DAYTONA Flat Track win following the night's main event aboard the only Suzuki in the field of 19 riders.   Riding a No. 80 Dodge Bros Suzuki, Bonsey was neck-and-neck with defending Grand National Champion Jared Mees for the majority of the night's Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines main event, which was sponsored by Bruce Rossmeyer's Daytona Harley-Davidson. There were moments during the race when the two tangled so closely that they touched tires on multiple occasions, putting the pressure on Bonsey to be mistake-free for the duration of the race.   Fortunately for Bonsey, he was just that, mistake-free, and was able to counter Mees' valiant attempts at swiping his lead at critical moments late in the race with impressive moves of his own. Unfortunately for Bonsey, he wouldn't find such luck in Round 2, as he finished 18th in Friday night's main event and now sits sixth in the AMA Pro Flat Track point standings.   "I was glued to Stevie's rear wheel and was just hoping for a mistake out of him," said Mees describing his Thursday night second-place finish. "He is a phenomenal rider and he didn't make one, so hats off to him."   Though he came close, Mees never passed Bonsey at any point during the race. The No. 1 Montgomeryville Cycle Center Honda rider was clearly being cautious as he knows that the AMA Pro Flat Track season is a marathon and not a sprint.   "In the end, I played it very safe," said Mees. "I maybe had one shot that I could have gotten in there to pass him but I was waiting for something a little cleaner so I held back. I have a great team behind me and it was nice to perform decently at Daytona, I usually don't come out of the gate so well here."   Like Bonsey, Mees followed up his impressive Thursday night finish with a lackluster 11th place finish in Friday's main event. Mees now sits fourth in the points.   Closing out the podium Thursday night was Kenny Coolbeth Jr. The No. 2 Zanotti Racing Honda rider proved once again that he is getting younger with age, as he followed up his third place finish Thursday night with a monster Friday night main event victory, winning by more than six seconds. The 38-year-old now sits atop the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track point standings heading into Round 3 at Springfield.   Brandon Robinson had one of the better weekends in AMA Pro Flat Track's season-opening doubleheader. The No. 44 T.J. Burnett Farms Honda pilot recorded fourth and second place finishes and currently sits second in points behind Coolbeth.   "I'm happy with second place but at the same time, I let that one slip away," Robinson said following his runner-up performance following Round 2 on Friday night. "Kenny (Coolbeth) went around me and there was nothing I could do with him. He was hooked up and rolling through the center way better than everyone. I know about halfway through the race once I started settling into second that he was going to beat me. I just tried my hardest to finish directly behind him and I'm glad I was able to do that."   Recording sixth and third place finishes last weekend was the No. 7 Fredericktown Yamaha rider Sammy Halbert. One of the more popular riders in the series today, Halbert is off to a fast start in 2015, and his effort to close out the podium on Friday should be a big momentum builder for the Graham, Wash., native.   "It felt good," said Halbert recalling his third place finish on Friday night. "That's what I wanted to do, was get up on that podium. Unfortunately I didn't do that well in the beginning of the race, I kind of worked my way backwards and then I found my groove and started picking riders off. I've got a great team behind me this year so it should be fun."   Halbert leaves Daytona sitting third in the points.   Robert Pearson was a rider that went under the radar all weekend, yet the No. 27 R&R Racing Yamaha pilot recorded impressive fifth and seventh place main event finishes and currently sits fifth in points. Pearson is coming off a season in which he qualified for all but three mains, and the Chillicothe, Ill., native will try to maintain his consistency when the series visits his home state next round.   Last season's DAYTONA Flat Track Round 1 winner, Briar Bauman, didn't have the same kind of luck this time around, but the Hart Racing Honda rider did manage to finish eighth and fifth, and left Daytona seventh in points.   Henry Wiles didn't kick off the season in Round 1 the way he had hoped. His 11th place Heat 3 performance followed by his fifth place Semi 1 finish disqualified him from competing in the season's first main event. However, Wiles rebounded tremendously on Friday with a Round 2 fourth place finish in the night's main event aboard his Zanotti Racing Honda. Wiles now sits eighth in points.   Notable riders who left Daytona on the outside of the top 10 in points include; Jeffrey Carver Jr., who leaves in 11th place in the  standings, Jake Johnson, who leaves Daytona in 12th and Brad Baker, whose 12th and 14th place main event finishes leave him 13th in points.   Round 1 Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines Main Event Results   1. Stevie Bonsey/ Salinas, CA/ Suzuki RMZ 450 2. Jared Mees/ Clio, MI/ Honda CRF450R 3. Kenny Coolbeth, Jr./ Center Hill, FL/ Honda CRF450R 4. Brandon Robinson/ Oxford, PA/ Honda CRF450R 5. Robert Pearson/ Mossville, IL/ Yamaha YZ 450F 6. Sammy Halbert/ Graham, WA/ Yamaha YZ 450F 7. Jake Johnson/ Coatesville, PA/ Kawasaki KX450F 8. Briar Bauman/ Salinas, CA/ Honda CRF450R 9.  Doug Lawrence/ Mississauga, ON/ Honda CRF450R 10. Jake Shoemaker/ Glenmoore, PA/ Honda CRF450R 11. JD Beach/ Philpot, KY/ Yamaha YZ 450F 12. Brad Baker/ Eatonville, WA/ Honda CRF450R 13. Mike Rush/ San Jose, CA/ Honda CRF450R 14. Jarod Vanderkooi/ Mt Gilead, OH/ Honda CRF450R 15. Chad Cose/ Fremont, CA/ Honda CRF450R 16. Bryan Smith/ Flint, MI/ Honda CRF450R 17. Michael Kirkness/ Wauchope, NSW/ Honda CRF450R 18. Scott Baker/ Dryad, WA/ Honda CRF450R 19. Jay Maloney/ Oakland, NJ/ Honda CRF450R   Round 2 Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines Main Event Results   1. Kenny Coolbeth, Jr./ Center Hill, FL/ Honda CRF450R 2. Brandon Robinson/ Oxford, PA/ Honda CRF450R 3. Sammy Halbert/ Graham, WA/ Yamaha YZ 450F 4. Henry Wiles/ Crystal, MI/ Honda CRF450R 5. Briar Bauman/ Salinas, CA/ Honda CRF450R 6. Jeffrey Carver Jr./ Godfrey, IL/ Kawasaki KX450F 7. Robert Pearson/ Mossville, IL/ Yamaha YZ 450F 8. Jake Constantine/ Selkirk, NY/ Honda CRF450R 9. Chad Cose/ Fremont, CA/ Honda CRF450R 10. Johnny Lewis/ Coatesville, PA/ Honda CRF450R 11. Jared Mees/ Clio, MI/ Honda CRF450R 12. JD Beach/ Philpot, KY/ Yamaha YZ 450F 13. Mike Rush/ San Jose, CA/ Honda CRF450R 14. Brad Baker/ Eatonville, WA/ Honda CRF450R 15. Cory Texter/ Willow Street, PA/ Honda CRF450R 16. Jarod Vanderkooi/ Mt Gilead, OH/ Honda CRF450R 17. Wyatt Maguire/ Mead, WA/ Honda CRF450R 18. Stevie Bonsey/ Salinas, CA/ Suzuki RMZ 450 19. Jake Johnson/ Coatesville, PA/ Kawasaki KX450F   Up next The stars of the series will visit Springfield, Ill. for the first Springfield Mile scheduled for May 24, 2015. Fans can get their tickets at http://www.illinoismda.com/. The entire event can also be viewed LIVE at www.FansChoice.tv.   How to Watch:   FansChoice.tv will be the official home for live streaming coverage of AMA Pro Flat Track events in 2015. The site will also provide coverage of IMSA's development and single-make series, and NASCAR's touring and weekly series.

Round 1 Round 2    GNC1 Main Event Thursday GNC 1 Main Event Friday Pre-Race Show Thursday Opening Ceremonies Thursday Opening Ceremonies Friday

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.

AMA Pro Flat Track Round 1 from DAYTONA Flat Track now available for VOD viewing at FansChoice.tv

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.  (March 18, 2015) - The 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track season got off to a wildly successful start with the season-opening doubleheader at DAYTONA Flat Track. The best dirt track riders in the world come together at the "World Center of Racing" to battle it out Thursday for Round 1, and now fans can relive the action at FansChoice.tv.

 

DAYTONA Flat Track I Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines Main Event Thursday Night

 

DAYTONA Flat Track I - GNC2 Main Thursday

DAYTONA Flat Track I - Harley-Davidson GNC1  presented by Vance & Hines and GNC2 Heat Races Thursday

DAYTONA Flat Track I - Harley-Davidson GNC1  presented by Vance & Hines Semis and GNC2 LCQ

DAYTONA Flat Track I - Opening Ceremonies Thursday

 

DAYTONA Flat Track I - Pre-Race Show Thursday

 

Other videos, including heat races and opening ceremonies, can be seen at AMA Pro Racing's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/AMAProVids/videos

 

Every round of the upcoming 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track season will be available live, in high definition and free of charge for fans to watch online at www.FansChoice.tv.

AMA Pro Flat Track Round 2 from DAYTONA Flat Track now available for VOD viewing at FansChoice.tv

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.  (March 19, 2015) - After a successful opening night at DAYTONA Flat Track on Thursday, the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track season continued the next night. The best dirt track riders in the world came together at the "World Center of Racing" to battle it out Friday for Round 2, and now fans can relive the action at FansChoice.tv.   DAYTONA Flat Track II - Harley-Davidson GNC1 Presented by Vance & Hines Main Event Friday   DAYTONA Flat Track II - GNC2 Main Friday DAYTONA Flat Track II - Harley-Davidson GNC1 Presented by Vance & Hines and Semis and Dash for Cash and GNC2 Heats and LCQ Friday 2015 DAYTONA Flat Track II - Harley-Davidson GNC1 Presented by Vance and Hines Press Conference Friday DAYTONA Flat Track II - Opening Ceremonies Friday   DAYTONA Flat Track II - Pre-Race Show Friday   Other videos, including all the action from Round 1, can be seen at AMA Pro Racing's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/AMAProVids/videos   Every round of the upcoming 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track season will be available live, in high definition and free of charge for fans to watch online at www.FansChoice.tv.

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.