Sammy Halbert & Jake Johnson Split Wins at AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Season Openers at Daytona Short Track

The long wait for the opening rounds of the 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines series is finally over and it did not fail to keep us on the edge of our seats as two seasoned veterans managed to keep the young kids in tow and take the wins on Thursday and Friday nights.

In Thursday night's season opener at Daytona Beach, Sammy Halbert took win on his #69 Van's Yamaha and led all comers right from the drop of the green flag. The Slammer was never headed throughout the just-over eight minute Grand National main and managed to take the win over 2nd-place finisher Brandon Robinson by just over 1.3 seconds. 2013 AMA Grand National Champion Brad Baker rounded out the podium just shy of 1.6 seconds in arrears of BRob44.

Although the track was rough and rutted (in what seems like a usual occurrence at Daytona since moving to the Speedway in 2010), but Halbert let that play into his advantage to take his first win in Grand National competition since the 2013 season.

In the shot above, Halbert gets some help from the #69 Fredericktown Yamaha/Van's Yamaha/Lucas Oil-sponsored Yamaha YZF450 team while rolling out for the rider intros portion of round 10 of the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines season at the Peoria TT on August 16.

While Halbert was checking out and hauling the mail, Bryan Smith on the #42 Crosley Brands/Howerton Motorsports-backed Kawasaki was ripping through the field after being forced to win his semi race and start in the 14th-place spot on the grid. Flyin' Bryan put in what was arguably the ride of the night to bring home a very solid 5th-place finish for him and the Indy-based team and earned the MotoBatt Hard Charger award (and some solid points) for his fine efforts. Smith finished just shy of 1.7 seconds in arrears of title rival Jared Mees.

Also of note, Peoria 11-Time winner Henry Wiles, riding for his new USC/Hart Racing team, was forced to use a provisional to start in the 19th-place slot on the grid and was able to bring his new Honda ride home in the 12th-place spot.

In last night's rout, 2-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson's return to Zanotti Racing was just what the doctor ordered for the personable former champ as he was able to get around early leader Halbert on the fourth lap and was gone on the #5 Zanotti Racing Honda CRF450R from that point on.

Stretching his lead to nearly 2.6 seconds over eventual 3rd-place finisher Halbert, JJ5 took advantage of the slick and smooth surface (in stark contrast to Thursday's track surface) and held the front position for the final 22 laps of the 25-lap National main. Johnson's team mate, Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. was able to get around Halbert as well towards the end of the race and finished in the runner-up spot, just over 1.8 seconds behind to make it a Zanotti Racing sweep.

Another provisional was used last night, this time by Bryan Smith on the #42 Howerton Motorsports Kawasaki after failing to make the cut in his semi earlier in the evening. Smith would have earned himself another Hard Charger Award for his valiant 8th-place finish, just ahead of defending AMA Grand National Champ Jared Mees on the #9 Rogers Racing Honda, but Brad Baker on the #6 Brothers Powersports Honda sliced his way through the field after a 17th-place start to earn a hard-fought 4th-place finish. JD Beach rounded out the top-5 for round 2 on his #95 Team 95 Yamaha.

In the shot above, Jake Johnson on the #5 Montgomeryville Cycle Center/JM9/Ramspur Winery-sponsored Honda CRF450R puts his team mate's for the day Jared Mees ride through the motions during the final qualifying session at round 10 of the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines season at the Peoria TT on August 16.

With two of the three Singles events in the rearview mirror, Halbert leaves Daytona with the points lead with 40 points and Johnson just three points behind. After 2-6 finishes on the #44 Kennedy Racing Honda, Brandon Robinson sits in the 3rd-place spot with 32 points, Baker in fourth with 31 points and Coolbeth, as a result of his 9-2 finishes for the season openers in fifth with 29 points. Mees and Smith are tied for sixth with 25 points apiece, which is a great start for the Michigan rivals and especially for Smith who has left Daytona the last couple of years with a huge deficit to make up for later in the season.

Thankfully we don't have too long to wait for round 3 as the riders and teams head to Austin, TX for the Circuit of the Americas round on Saturday, April 9 in just four short weeks, where the big boys and girls bring out the big hardware for the start of what can really be called the real season ahead alongside the Red Bull MotoGP COTA round.

A big congrats to Slammin' Sammy and JJ5 for their wins and to all of the competitors for a great double bill of racing the last two evenings. Good job had by (most) all and we're looking forward to the season to get into full swing in just 28 days!

You can get the full rundown of the races from the last couple of nights below thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track, who put on a good show for the fans in Daytona.

Sammy Halbert Wins Round One of Season-Opening AMA Pro Flat Track Race on the DAYTONA Flat Track

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Mar. 10, 2016) - Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Yamaha YZ450F) passed Jake Johnson (No. 5 Honda CRF450R) for the lead on lap 2 of the Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines 25-lap main event Thursday night at the DAYTONA Flat Track and never looked back for a convincing victory in the season-opening race of the 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track season. Halbert, who earlier in the evening set the GNC1 division's fastest qualifying time (18.638 seconds) on the quarter-mile course, steadily opened up his lead in the caution-free race. He also posted the fastest lap of the race (19.066 seconds) on lap 2 to take the Öhlins Fastest Lap Award, earned the McElroy Packaging Lucky 13 Award by leading the race at the completion of the 13th lap, and took the checkered flag a race-high 1.382 seconds ahead of runner-up Brandon Robinson (No. 5 Honda CRF450). Halbert saluted the large crowd in attendance with some celebratory "doughnuts" after the finish. "It's been way too long and we just got to keep it rolling," Halbert said. "The boys did a good job getting it hooked up. I am not a guy who usually does doughnuts or knows how but you just got to win Daytona and you learn how instantly. When you win Daytona it just comes naturally, and I am just so happy to get up here on top." Halbert's victory followed podium finishes on the DAYTONA Flat Track in three of the past four years and was his first victory on the GNC1 tour since 2013 on the Stockton Half-Mile in California.  The field spreads out coming out of turn four with eventual winner Sammy Halbert on the #69 Van's Yamaha YZF450 (center) ready to blast away from the rest. Photo courtesy of AMA Pro Flat Track by Dave Hoenig. Robinson, who started fifth on the front row just to the right of Halbert, moved up to second in the race's early laps but was never able to get close enough to attempt a winning pass. It's a great way to start the season," Robinson said. "It's exactly what we need. It shows how good we are this year and hopefully we can keep this momentum going." Brad Baker (No. 6 Honda CRF450R) finished third after starting in the same position and just on the other side of Halbert on the grid. "I feel really good," Baker said. "I have to tell you that it was a tough one tonight, you had to ride really tense with a lot of caution, but I am really happy to be on the podium. It's a good way to start out the year. It's a long season and consistency is the key for a championship, and you can never be disappointed with a podium. At DAYTONA this is probably one of my best finishes for the past couple of years." Three-time and reigning GNC1 Champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Honda CRF450R) finished fourth while 2014 and 2015 title runner-up Bryan Smith (No. 42 Kawasaki KX450F) completed the top five. Smith, who advanced to the main after winning his semi, improved eight positions after starting 14th to capture the MotoBatt Hard Charger Award. In the 16-lap GNC2 main event, Dalton Gauthier (No. 14A Yamaha YZ450F) slipped past Jesse Janisch (No. 32L Honda CRF450R) on lap 2 and raced to the victory. He opened up a race-high 1.3-second lead only to see the margin disappear when the race's second red-flag incident stopped the action on lap 10. Gauthier kept both his composure and the race lead on the restart and went on to take the victory by 0.714 of a second. "I knew how to get a start in front of these guys," Gauthier said. "I kept looking at the jumbotron and was seeing that I was pulling away from them and I knew that I was good. I looked back and I knew that I had enough ground to get the win." Last year's DAYTONA Flat Track round two race winner, Justin Jones (No. 19B Honda CRF450), finished second while Hayden Gillim (No. 69C Suzuki RM-Z450) snagged the final podium position in third. Michael Lainhart (No. 17B Honda CRF450R) earned the NERGIA Fast Moving Award by gaining 11 positions to finish 6th in the GNC2 Main. In preliminary race action, Halbert, Baker and Johnny Lewis won GNC1 heats and Smith and Stevie Bonsey split the GNC1 semis. Gauthier, Jones and Jamison Minor won GNC2 heats while Tyler Seguin and Tristan Avery were victorious in the semis. In the Super Hooligans exhibition race, Roland Sands (No. 10 Indian Scout) won in the first appearance of the series at the DAYTONA Flat Track. How to Watch:   FansChoice.tv is the official home for live streaming coverage of AMA Pro Flat Track events. The site also provides coverage of IMSA's development and single-make series, and NASCAR's touring and weekly series. Catch all the action at http://www.FansChoice.tv. About AMA Pro Flat Track:   AMA Pro Flat Track is the world's premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. For more information on AMA Pro Flat Track, please visit www.amaproracing.com/ft/, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or live stream the on-track action on FansChoice.tv.   About AMA Pro Racing: 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.

For additional information contact:   AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

Jake Johnson Wins Round Two of Season-Opening AMA Pro Flat Track Race on the DAYTONA Flat Track

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Mar. 12, 2016) - Jake Johnson (No. 5 Honda CRF450R) came out on top in a two-lap tussle with Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Yamaha YZ450F) in the opening stages of Friday night's Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines 25-lap main event at the DAYTONA Flat Track to score his first AMA Pro Flat Track race victory since his 2011 Grand National Championship season. Johnson led teammate Kenny Coolbeth Jr. (No. 2 Honda CRF450R) across the finish line by 1.851 seconds to give Zanotti Racing a one-two finish in the second and final main event of the season-opening AMA Pro Flat Track doubleheader on the quarter-mile DAYTONA track.  Jake Johnson on the #5 Zanotti Racing Honda CRF450 R ran down and passed early leader Sammy Halbert on the fourth lap to win his first AMA Grand National race since 2011 last night in Daytona Beach in round 2 of the 2016 season. Photo courtesy of AMA Pro Flat Track by Dave Hoenig. Johnson won in GNC1 for the first time since 2011's season-ending race on the Pomona Half-Mile in California, his fourth victory in that year's title-winning season. "It's been a while since I've won a race," Johnson said. "It's been since 2011 and oddly enough it was one of the last times that I rode for Zanotti. I kind of had a dry spell but we got back together and we did it again. It's awesome to go one-two with my teammate. It was nice enough of Kenny to let me have this one. He has had a couple of wins the last couple of years. But it hasn't sunk in yet for me, it almost feels like my first win. I want to thank everybody that's stuck behind me the last couple of years. It's good to win again." Coolbeth, who won round two at DAYTONA last year, was happy to share the podium with his teammate this time around in a Zanotti one-two finish. "I'm super proud," Coolbeth said. "Dave Zanotti puts his heart and soul into our program and it shows. He's a hell of a guy and he would do anything for us. It was a good race. I had to work for it. I got a terrible start and we should've been right there with Jake. He was probably on cruise control and determined." Halbert, who won Thursday night's opening round of the DAYTONA doubleheader, finished third and took an early season GNC1 championship lead with 40 points, three ahead of Johnson's 37 points. "I'm the only guy up here on the podium two days in a row, so stoked with that, and I've got to give it up to my whole team," Halbert said. "Jake and I had a good battle there for a minute. He passed me and I kind of gave it back to him a little bit and he really gave it back to me, so that was cool. I'm sure it made it exciting, I was just doing the best that I could in second there but Kenny was coming and I tried to hold him off but he got me." Halbert now rides with No. 69, the number his late brother Jethro Halbert raced in competition. Jethro Halbert, who passed away last August from injuries sustained in a 2014 accident at the Calistoga Half-Mile in California, was remembered by race fans and the AMA Pro Flat Track community in a beachside memorial service in Daytona Beach earlier this week. I really didn't know what to expect with the track today," Halbert said. "It was so different than yesterday. I didn't really have a game plan going in like I did last night, but I just did my best to channel my inner Jethro and get calm, and I was stoked to get the 69 up on the box again, so I'm really happy overall." In addition to the victory, Johnson swept the majority of the GNC1 main event partner bonus awards. He earned the Öhlins Fastest Lap Award when he made what proved to be the winning pass on Halbert on lap four with a time of 19.285 seconds. He remained up front and, on the 13th lap, took the McElroy Packaging Lucky 13 Award as the race leader at the halfway point. Thursday's third-place finisher Brad Baker (No. 6 Honda CRF450R) was fourth on Friday after advancing to the main from the third and final transfer spot in his semi. He started on the last row in 17th but went on to improve 13 positions to capture the MotoBatt Hard Charger Award. JD Beach (No. 95 Yamaha YZ450F), who posted the fastest GNC1 qualifying time on Friday afternoon, finished fifth in the main. In the 16-lap GNC2 main event, Dylan Morin (No. 26E Kawasaki KX450F) made the final by winning his semi and then charged from 14th on the grid to his first AMA Pro Flat Track victory. Riding a high line around the DAYTONA Flat Track, Morin passed Justin Jones (No. 19B Honda CRF450) on lap 11 for the lead and took the checkered flag with a 0.612 of a second margin of victory. His charge to the front saw him improve the most race positions to earn the NERGIA Fast Moving Award. "It's a dream come true to be standing here on the top of the box," Morin said. "This is my first win and I am freakin' pumped. I can't believe it right now, that semi was pretty rough, and getting up here from the last to win in the main, I just can't believe I did that." Jones earned runner-up honors for the second night in a row while Thursday night's winner Dalton Gauthier (No. 14A Yamaha YZ450F) also doubled up on GNC2 main podiums at DAYTONA with a third-place showing. In preliminary race action, Briar Bauman, Coolbeth and Johnson won GNC1 heats while Cory Texter and Jake Constantine split the GNC1 semis. Gauthier, Jones and Parker Norris won GNC2 heats while Andrew Luker joined Morin in taking the semi victories. Next up for AMA Pro Flat Track is round three at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) on Saturday, April 9, where the series will make its debut during the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas race weekend. How to Watch:   FansChoice.tv is the official home for live streaming coverage of AMA Pro Flat Track events. The site also provides coverage of IMSA's development and single-make series, and NASCAR's touring and weekly series. Catch all the action at http://www.FansChoice.tv. About AMA Pro Flat Track:   AMA Pro Flat Track is the world's premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. For more information on AMA Pro Flat Track, please visit www.amaproracing.com/ft/, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or live stream the on-track action on FansChoice.tv.   About AMA Pro Racing: 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.   For additional information contact:   AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com