The Battle for the 2015 AMA Grand National Championship All Comes Down to the Season Finale at the Las Vegas Short Track This Friday, November 20

The final event of the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines series that everyone has been waiting for over the course of the last two months of inactivity is almost upon us, as the stars of The Rolling Thunder Show get set to duke it out in the season finale event at the Las Vegas Short Track, inside the tight confines of the Orleans Arena to determine who the 2015 AMA Grand National Champion will be this Friday, November 20.

With the title down to the three remaining survivors of the rough and tumble season, defending champion Jared Mees will do his best to stave off the charges of rivals Bryan Smith and Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. to determine who will get to wear that elusive #1 plate for the 2016 season, and with just 20 points separating the three (Mees 188 points, Smith 181 points, Coolbeth 168 points) you can be sure that the battle royale will not only involve the three main men in the chase for the 2015 crown, but the rest of the competitors as well once the riders hit the surface inside the Orleans Arena come Friday afternoon (practice begins 6PM ET/3 PM PT).

In the shot above, riders vie for position coming out of turn 2 during the National main event at round 9 of the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines series at the Peoria TT on August 16.

In the mix of this dirt-slinging fray are Rob Pearson on the #27 R&R Racing/Country Saloon/Clipper Ind.-sponsored Yamaha YZ450F, Jake Cunningham on the #94K Best Exteriors/Arai Helmets/Motion Pro-backed Yamaha, JD Beach on the #95 Yamaha USA/Victory Circle Graphics/Team 95-sponsored Yamaha, and reigning AMA Grand National Champion Jared Mees on the #1 Montgomeryville Cycle Center/Rogers Racing/National Cycle-backed Honda CRF450R.

Everything that can be said has been said up to this point heading into the final round of the season where riders will take to the track in just over 48 hours of this writing, and if you don't have your bets in and your rider picked to make it happen for you, the time is almost up.

Check out the full press release below from AMA Pro Flat Track to get up to date on the happenings for Friday night. The colored links throughout will take you to the schedule of events for Friday's finale shoot out and to the results page for the Las Vegas event, and FansChoice.TV is the place to go to catch all of the action online. May the best man win!

A huge shout out to all of the riders, teams and sponsors for this year, and the best of luck to everyone this Friday night. Good luck and go get 'em!

AMA Pro Flat Track visits Las Vegas for the Flat Track Season Finale on Friday night, Nov. 20

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 18, 2015) - The battle for the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines championship will end in Las Vegas this Friday night, Nov. 20, on a purpose-built short track inside the dome of the Orleans Arena.

 

Defending champion Jared Mees has put together another monster year and he'll enter the season's final round with a seven point advantage over Bryan Smith and a 20 point edge over Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. in the standings.

 

The rivalry between Mees and Smith this season has been nothing short of fascinating, and the two will duke it out one final time on a track that neither have competed on before. The event format has been specifically tuned to provide a full night of compelling racing on the purpose-built short track, including six GNC1 heat races and a B Main prior to the night's 25-lap main event.

 

Mees will ride the No. 1 Montgomeryville Cycle Center Honda CRF450R in Las Vegas and Smith will pilot the No. 42 Crosley Radio Kawasaki KX450F. Smith, a Mile specialist, will be giving it all he's got in a attempt to claim his first-career Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines championship. If Mees is able to hold off Smith and win the championship, it will be his third title in the premier class in the last four years.

 

Coolbeth is the only other rider besides Mees and Smith in the Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines field who has a chance at winning the 2015 championship. Despite being 20 points behind down, he will have an outside chance to win it all on Friday aboard the No. 2 Zanotti Racing Honda CRF450R if the night doesn't play out in favor of Mees or Smith.

 

Aside from the championship fight between the trio of contenders, one of the most intriguing storylines entering the weekend is the return of Brad Baker. Baker was injured during the Black Hills Half-Mile in August and the 2012 GNC1 champion hasn't raced in AMA Pro Flat Track competition in over three months. Baker will ride the No. 6 Brothers Powersports Honda CRF450R on Friday night and again on Saturday during the Superprestigio of the Americas presented by Yamaha.

 

Filling in for Baker during the last four rounds has been Jake Johnson, and the two-time champion has performed very well. Johnson has recorded back-to-back third-place finishes and he'll look to roll some of his momentum into this weekend when he takes to the track aboard the No. 5 Honda CRF450R in Vegas.

 

Sammy Halbert has put together another strong season and he'll enter Vegas sitting fourth in the GNC1 point standings. Prior to last round at Delaware, the Graham, Wash., native hadn't finished outside the top ten in any main event so far this season. Look for the No. 69 Fredericktown Yamaha YZ 450F pilot to maintain consistency in the final races of the season.

Opening ceremonies for Friday's night's AMA Pro Flat Track Season Finale will take place at 7:30 p.m. PT (10:30 p.m. ET), followed by a full slate of races leading up to the Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines championship-deciding 25-lap Main Event at 10:00 p.m. PT (1:00 a.m. ET). All of the action will be live streamed free of charge and in high definition on FansChoice.tv at http://www.fanschoice.tv/watch-live/ama/flat-track.

 

GNC2

 

It has been a year to remember for Davis Fisher. The 17-year-old clinched the GNC2 championship at the penultimate round of the 2015 season with his victory at the Roar on the Shore in Delmar, Del. The second-year competitor entered the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track season as the odds-on favorite to claim the GNC2 championship after coming up one point shy of the title a year ago, and he'll sport the No. 1 plate in Vegas on his Parkinson Brothers Racing Honda CRF450R this Friday for the final event of the season.

 

Although the GNC2 championship is locked up, the next three riders in the standings are all within three points of each other in the standings. Second-place rider Bronson Bauman has 145 points to his credit, Dan Bromley sits in third with 144, and Jamison Minor comes into Last Vegas fourth in the points with 143. The trio of riders have each had outstanding seasons. Bauman has accounted for one victory and four podiums in 2015, and he'll ride the No. 30Z Rod Lake Honda CRF450R in Vegas.

 

Bromley's consecutive runner-up finishes at Indianapolis and Black Hills, combined with his six top-five finishes have him well within striking distance of closing out the year with a runner-up result in the championship. He will ride the No. 54A Bromley Brothers KTM 450SX-F on Friday. Minor, who has qualified for every main event so far in 2015, will be competing for the second spot in the final GNC2 point standings on Friday aboard the No. 27U Roy Built Honda CRF450R in Vegas.

 

The 20-lap GNC2 main event is slated to begin at 9:30 p.m. PT (12:30 a.m. ET). Fans that can't make it to Las Vegas are invited to follow along with all of the live streaming action by logging on to FansChoice.tv at http://www.fanschoice.tv/watch-live/ama/flat-track.

 

Superprestigio of the Americas presented by Yamaha

In addition to watching the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track championship wrap up, flat track fans are in for a double dose of racing action this weekend in Las Vegas. On Saturday night, the Superprestigio of the Americas presented by Yamaha will bring together leading motorcycle racers from various motorcycle-racing disciplines from around the world to compete head-to-head with the stars of AMA Pro Flat Track.

In addition to live streaming on FansChoice.tv, the Superprestigio of the Americas presented by Yamaha will be aired on NBCSN on Sunday, November 29, at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT).

 

For tickets and additional information on this weekend's flat track spectacular in Las Vegas, please go to www.superprestigio.com or call toll free 1-844-722-6453.

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.

Henry Wiles Scores 11th-Straight Win at AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Round 10 at the Peoria TT

Henry Wiles made another mark in the history books yesterday by taking his 11th-straight win at the Peoria TT in round 10 of the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines Series. Although things didn't go completely his way throughout the day (Wiles qualifying effort of just over .2 second behind fast qualifier Jared Mees was pretty much his only missive), The Hammer did what he had to do the rest of the day to round out another golden day in Thunder Valley by winning the Dash and taking the win in the National main by just over 1.3 seconds over defending champ Mees.

Above, Wiles on the #17 Zanotti Racing/Motion Pro/Bell Helmets-sponsored Honda CRF450R got the jump on the field on the first lap and led all going into turn 1. From that point on, Mees never got closer then .054 seconds (lap 16 of the 25-lap main) and Wiles was able to stretch his lead through traffic to 1.342 seconds at the end of the day.

Also hot on Wiles' heels is Briar Bauman #14 (see more below), Mees #1 and Sammy Halbert #69 on his Fredericktown Yamaha/Van's Yamaha/Kibblewhite-sponsored YZ450F. Halbert (repping his late brother Jethro's National #69 instead of his usual #7) ended the day in 9th-place, still keeping a stranglehold on the 3rd-place spot in the championship and keeping his string of top-10s on the season intact. Also behind these riders is Jake Johnson #5 (also more below) and partially in the shot Mick Kirkness on the #87 Goeken Racing/Chisum Racing/Ipone Oil-sponsored Yamaha. Kirkness finished the day in 7th-place, the last rider to be lapped by the lead finishing duo of Wiles and Mees.

2010-2011 AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson returned to action for the first time since the Daytona doubleheader season-opening rounds, compliments of a ride on one of Mees' spare Montgomeryville Cycle Center Honda's. Johnson qualified 8th out of the 25 GNC1/Experts on hand, but made a rare mistake during his heat and dropped the bike and was forced to ride the semi in order to make the main.

Johnson got a slow start in the semi on the #5 Montgomerville Cycle Center/JM9/Ramspur Winery-backed Honda, but within a couple of laps had taken off to go on to take the win to punch his card to the National. Starting on the back row, Johnson got an incredible start and was in the top-7 by the time the field hit turn 1 in Thunder Valley (see shot above.) He went on to finish in the 6th-place spot, the last rider on the lead lap and will surely end up being the MotoBatt Hard Charger for the event.

JD Beach, fresh off clinching the MotoAmerica SuperSport title in Indianapolis the weekend before, came ready to race with his #95 Yamaha USA/Victory Circle Graphics/Team 95-backed Yamaha YZ450F and was on fire throughout the day running in the top-5. The part time dirt tracker brought it home in 4th-place. Above he battles with local boy Rob Pearson on the #27 R&R Racing/Country Saloon/Clipper Industries-backed Yamaha, defending champ Jared Mees on the #1 Montgomeryville Cycle Center/Rogers Racing/SDI-sponsored Honda and Jake Cunningham on the #94K Best Exteriors/Arai Helmets/Motion Pro-sponsored Yamaha during their heat race.

Briar Bauman extended his strong season run of top-5 finishes with another 5th-place on the #14 Rod Lake Racing/Drew-Massa Transportation/Arai-backed Honda. Bauman qualified 4th on the day and also brought home a 3rd-place finish in the Dash thanks to his solid 2nd-place run in his heat, and continues his move towards the top-5 in points. His 5th-place at Peoria was his fourth top-5 of the year, and his third top-5 in the last six races (Lima & Black Hills 3rd-place.)

Chad Cose has had some tough mechanical luck this year with the Myers Motorsports team Kawasakis, but not for lack of trying. With the Myers team getting ready for the next Twins round in Charlotte on August 29, Cose was at the ready in Thunder Valley on the #49 ERT/Rod Lake/Nazzissi Racing-sponsored Honda. Qualifying 10th out of the 25 GNC1 riders who took a timed lap, The Cali Kid fought hard for his 3rd-place finish in his heat, which put him in the Dash (with only two heats running on the day, the top-3 from each heat went to the Dash for Cash bonus race.) Finishing in 6th-place, the likeable Californian readied himself for the main, and ready he was, fighting it out throughout the day to bring home a very solid 8th-place finish, for his second top-10 on the year (9th-place Daytona II.)

 

The surprise and breakout performance of the day went to rookie Dominic Collindres on the #66Y Babe Demay/Memphis Shades/Yamaha-sponsored YZ450F. The former winner in the Pro Singles class in 2012 while riding for the Weirbach Racing team, Collindres, in only his third GNC1 event, won his heat over defending champ Mees (above battling it out again in the Dash) and then nailing down 4th-place in the Dash. In the main, the Californian had a clear advantage over 4th-place finisher Beach to get his very first podium spot in his young but bright career. A great show by this fine young man after earlier in the season being the first to put the new Yamaha FZ07 twin in a main at Lima. Great job!

Mees did all he could all day long to try and keep Wiles within striking distance, but after 25-laps not even the tough-as-nails Michigan resident could haul in his fellow Michigan man. Mees was fast qualifier on the day on the #1 Montgomeryville Cycle Center Honda, and tried his best to catch not only Collindres in their heat, but Wiles in the main. He was able to leave Peoria with some solace, however, as he extended his lead in the championship to 29 points over Bryan Smith (11th on the day) 156-127 points with five rounds remaining on the season.

In the end, it was all Henry on the #17 Zanotti Racing Honda, winning what could very likely be the last Singles Series race at the fabled facility, what with the talk of the Twins taking over completely for next season. Wiles moved into the all-time TT win list with his 16th win on a TT course (Chris Carr still lies in 2nd with 15 wins) and will need two more wins to equal Carr's overall win total of 13 on Cameron Lane in Peoria.

You can view the full results here thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track, and a big thanks goes to my traveling companion and host Larry Lawrence for this article in Cycle News about yesterday's romp in the Valley.

The series now takes a weekend break before heading to Charlotte, NC on August 29 for another new event on the 2015 series calendar.

Henry Wiles makes history with 11th straight Peoria TT victory

PEORIA, Ill. (Aug. 16, 2015) - Henry Wiles did exactly what everyone expected him to do on Sunday, Aug. 16 at the Peoria Motorcycle Club, and his 1.342-second win over Jared Mees stamped his name in the AMA Pro Flat Track record books, forever.   Wiles' 11th straight Peoria TT main event victory extends his consecutive win record at the Midwest venue, and his win also gave him 16 TT (Tourist Trophy) victories, the most by any rider to ever compete in the Grand National Championship.   Like he has done numerous times over the last decade, Wiles took the holeshot on lap one of the main event. However, unlike many Peoria TTs in the past, this one had to be earned. Wiles was shadowed by a hard charging Mees for the entire race. The two stars quickly gapped the field by more than 10 seconds, began lapping riders on Lap 12 and eventually lapped all but four of 16 other competitors in the race.   Mees, aboard the No. 1 Montgomeryville Cycle Center Honda, gave Wiles a good run, and even qualified faster than him earlier in the day, but when it came down to it, Wiles was just too fast.   Wiles' victory propelled him to eighth in the Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines point standings, while Mees' second-place finish helped him extend his lead in the standings to 29 points over Bryan Smith, who finished 11th in the race aboard his No. 42 Crosley Radio Kawasaki.   Closing out the podium for his best finish of 2015 was Dominic Colindres, and the No. 66Y Babe Demay Yamaha pilot let everyone know he was on top of his game early on when he took the Heat 1 victory over Mees and the rest of the field.   Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was J.D. Beach's fourth-place finish in the Peoria TT main event. The 2015 Moto America Supersport champion made the most of his rare appearance in the flat track world on Sunday, and he looked sharp all day aboard the No. 95 Yamaha USA machine.   No. 14 Rod Lake Racing Honda rider, Briar Bauman, earned his second-consecutive top-five finish on Sunday with an impressive fifth-place finish.   Riding the backup bike of Jared Mees, Jake Johnson piloted the No. 5 Montgomeryville Cycle Center Honda to a sixth-place finish on Sunday in his first AMA Pro Flat Track race since the Daytona opener in March.   Sammy Halbert, sporting the No. 69 Vans Yamaha machine in honor of his late brother, Jethro Halbert, finished ninth on Sunday.   GNC2   In the GNC2 main event, Jesse Janisch earned a thrilling .038-second victory over second-place finisher and current points leader Davis Fisher. Janisch, piloting the No. 32L 34 Racing Honda, started from third on the grid and battled with Fisher on every lap. The two were neck-and-neck heading into the final turn and it looked as if either one could have claimed the victory at the end.   Fisher's runner-up effort aboard the No. 67M Parkinson Brothers Racing Honda keeps him sitting comfortably in the GNC2 points lead over Dan Bromley, while Janisch's win boosts him to 19th in the standings. Finishing third to close out the podium was No. 30Z Rod Lake Racing pilot Bronson Bauman. It was Bauman's second podium appearance in the last three rounds and he currently sits fourth in the points.   No. 19B RLJ Honda rider Justin Jones and No. 69C Bell Helmets Suzuki pilot Hayden Gillim rounded out the top five finishers, respectively. Like Beach, Gillim is a road racer with extensive flat track roots, and the two put together impressive performances for not having competed in AMA Pro Flat Track this season. Bromley, who sits second in the points behind Fisher, rode his No. 54A Bromley Brothers KTM to a sixth-place finish while Jamison Minor, who currently sits third in the standings, finished 12th in the main event.   Up Next   The stars of AMA Pro Flat Track head to Charlotte, N.C., for the Don Tilley Memorial Charlotte Half-Mile on Aug. 29 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. For tickets and information regarding the event, fans are encourage to visit http://www.charlottehalfmile.com/.  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

Film Crew for 'On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter' to Film at AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Round 3 at the Springfield Mile I on May 25

With one of the biggest racing weekends of the year fast approaching at the Springfield Mile I this Sunday, May 25, it was announced today that fans, teams, sponsors and riders will all be a part of the filming as a crew is scheduled to be on hand for The Rolling Thunder Show's Twins Series debut for the season that will be working on the follow up to the iconic 1971 movie, 'On Any Sunday.'

It was announced today by AMA Pro Flat Track that round 3 of the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship this weekend at the Illinois State Fairgrounds will see members of Dana Brown's Red Bull Media House to continue filming the next series of events as part of the follow up to the movie that defined a generation of flat track racers and fans.

If being at the house of speed at the mile oval in Springfield and seeing the greatest racing series on two wheels go at it isn't enough to get you out of the house or get you away from the family barbeque over the Memorial Day weekend, then possibly being a part of what could be history in the film-making with the production of 'On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter' may help you break free.

In the shot above from the Springfield Mile I at round 10 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship on August 31, riders go at it in heat race #2 to get their share of the action over the course of the Labor Day weekend.

(Front-to-back) Dan Ingram on the #31 Brush-Eaken Racing/Dick Ford-sponsored Kawasaki leads the action as Doug Lawrence on the #73 R&J Racing/CVC Communication Agency-backed Harley-Davidson XR-750 appears to be lurking over Dapper Dan's shoulder.

Keeping it close and tight are Mikey Rush on the #54 Snedeker Racing/Machete Energy-backed XR-750, Jake Cunningham on the #94K Arai Helmets/Motion Pro-sponsored Kawasaki, Joshua Koch on his #68 self-sponsored XR, Shawn Baer on his #32 Baer Racing Products/KB5-sponsored Kawasaki, Shaun Russell on the #28 self/Lloyd Brothers Motorsports-backed Aprilia and Mick Kirkness on the #87 Waters Autobody/KTM North America-backed KTM 990.

So if you are looking for another reason other then to see the best racing on the planet (as my friend Dan Jacobsen would say), then maybe getting yourself to the track to be a part of motorcycle racing film history will help persuade you. And if that's not enough to get you to Springfield, then you probably don't have a pulse and belong at home on the couch or sweating yourself out from a hot and smoking grille over the long, holiday weekend.

Check out the press release below to see all of the details thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track as we get ready to really kick the season off this Sunday in what will undoubtedly be another great day at the races. Let's go filming AND racing!

"On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter" to Film at Springfield Mile This Weekend 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 20, 2014) - For many people involved in or familiar with the sport of motorcycle racing, the 1971 film "On Any Sunday" ignited passion across the globe as it became one of the most iconic motorsports films ever produced.     On April 19, 2013, Red Bull Media House, in association with Freeride Entertainment, began production on its follow up called, "On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter" at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas.   This coming weekend, Director Dana Brown will film parts of the highly anticipated documentary at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill. when the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship riders take to the track during Round 3.   In 1971, director Bruce Brown's "On Any Sunday" changed the way the world viewed motorcycle racing. Now, more than 40 years later, Bruce's son, Dana Brown, is eager to give the same kind of insider look at motorcycle racing by sharing the heartfelt stories and passions of real-life riders.       " 'On Any Sunday' was a masterful film that captured the thrills and excitement of motorcycle riding back in the day and I can't wait to see the modern day take when it comes out this Fall," said Dan Johnsen, Director of AMA Pro Flat Track. "The movie is still a personal favorite of mine and I'm thrilled that Dana Brown has selected our series to be a part of the new documentary." This news adds even more excitement to an already action-packed planned weekend at the Illinois State Fairgrounds this weekend. The riders of AMA Pro Flat Track will take to the track for the legendary Springfield Mile on May 25, 2014. For tickets and more information regarding the event, please visit http://www.illinoismda.com/ or call 217-753-8866 or 888-468-1622.  "On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter" Official Teaser Link:      How to Watch    FansChoice.tv will be the official home for live streaming coverage of AMA Pro Flat Track and AMA Pro Road Racing events in 2014. The site will also provide coverage of IMSA's development and single-make series, and NASCAR's touring and weekly series.   About AMA Pro Flat Track   AMA Pro Flat Track is a national motorcycle racing series in North America and is considered one of the oldest forms of motorcycle racing. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, the Series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track racing in the world. The 2014 schedule consists of 16 rounds on the country's finest flat track courses. For more information on AMA Pro Flat Track, please visit www.amaproracing.com/ft.   About On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter   In 1971, Bruce Brown's "On Any Sunday" opened in theatres and wrote its place in motorcycle history. It also transcended the sport to reach a wide audience through a cast of engaging characters and variety of heartfelt stories. Now Red Bull Media House, in association with Freeride Entertainment have teamed up with Bruce Brown's son and acclaimed filmmaker Dana Brown to continue this family tradition with "On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter". A lot has happened in the past 40 years, but the passion for riding is timeless and continues today. More info at OnAnySundayFilm.com.

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

AMA Pro Flat Track Round 3 Review as Halbert, Baker and Wiles Go 1-2-3 at Stockton Half-Mile, Maguire Gets First-Ever Win in J&P Cycles Pro Singles Series

Sammy Halbert had a grin on his face last Saturday as big as the one in the shot above after taking the win at round 3 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season at the Stockton Half-Mile.  Halbert, in his return to the track after off-season injuries and surgery, led 10 laps in the 25-lap National main to card his first win of the season on his #7 South East H-D XR750.

Sammy talks about that win here after leading Brad Baker and Henry Wiles home to the podium at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds event.

In the shot above, Sammy and his team roll out his #7 South East H-D XR750 at the Springfield Mile I on May 27, round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, while talking with Johnny Lewis and a the Scott Powersports team.

With his win last Saturday, Sammy vaulted himself into the 9th-place spot in the overall championship standings for the season after missing both of the season-opening rounds at Daytona on March 14-15.

Brad 'The Bullet' Baker, the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year, finished just over .9 seconds behind Sammy after a spirited battle in the National main last Saturday at Stockton for his third 2nd-place finish of the still-young 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season.  Riding the Dodge Brothers Racing XR750, Baker led 15 laps in the 25-lap main to take the extra point for most laps led on the evening, and now sits just seven points behind series leader Brandon Robinson heading to the Springfield Mile I Memorial Day Weekend round.

Brad talks about his run at Stockton here and his battle with fellow Washington State resident Sammy during the main.

In the shot above from round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship, The Bullet rolls out for the final qualifying session at the Indy Mile on the #12 Dodge Brothers/Atherton Family-backed XR on August 18.

Henry Wiles on the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Ramspur Winery-backed XR750 took the final spot on the podium last Saturday with his first ride on the Brent Armbruster-prepped mount, and the first time that the LBM team has fielded an XR750 in Twins Series competition in the last several seasons, at least.  With his 3rd-place finish at Stockton, Hammerin' Hank moved into the 3rd-place spot in the overall standings for the 2013 season after the series first three rounds.

Henry talks about his run in the 25-lap National main here.

In the shot above from round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Springfield Mile I round on May 27, the LBM team goes to work on the steering damper on the team's #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Ramspur Winery-sponsored Italian 'L twin, which has been the team's staple the last several seasons.  Dave Lloyd, the team's co-owner, stated a couple of weeks ago that they were making the XR750 available to 'go where the money is' for this season, especially on the half-mile venues that encompass five rounds of the series calendar this year.

Dave Hoenig, the official photographer for AMA Pro Flat Track, and the owner/operator of Flat Trak Fotos.com, filed this race report with Cycle News in this week's issue on the Stockton Half-Mile.

Cory Texter, National #65 filed this report with Next Moto Champion Magazine in his new job as flat track editor for the magazine.

Defending 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Champion Jared Mees had an off-night in the National main at Stockton, and had the save of the night in almost-crashing out during the final.

Full results for round 3 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season are here.

Wyatt Maguire on the #18M Pro1RacingHead.com/Shortblock Charlies-sponsored Honda CRF450R chases Jake Cunningham on the #94L Arai Helmets/Certainted Products-backed Yamaha YZ450F during the final AMA Pro Singles Championship Series qualifying session at the Springfield Short Track on September 15, in round 12 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Pro Singles Championship Series. 

Maguire won his first-ever event last Saturday in round 3 of the 2013 AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles Championship Series season at the Stockton Half-Mile, leading Shayna Texter and Daytona Short Track winner Kyle Johnson home on the podium.  Check out what he had to say after winning his cherry-breaking series win here.

You can check out the full press release below thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track, as we get geared up for round 4 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season as the stars of The Rolling Thunder Show head to the Springfield Mile I event on May 26.

Halbert, Maguire Shine at Inaugural Stockton-Half Mile

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 14, 2013) - For the first time in 2013, the fire breathing twin cylinder beasts of the AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Championship made their way onto the race track.  The Championship visited the brand new 99 Speedway located in Stockton, California at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds.  The new venue proved to be very racy as multiple lines afforded three and four wide racing all night long.

 

The twenty-five lap Grand National Main Event saw many lead changes as Washington neighbors Brad Baker and Sammy Halbert thrilled the crowd with their "no holds barred" battle.  "They had just watered the track which was great to see," said the South East Harley-Davidson backed Halbert. " They took some initiative to prep the track before we went out there for the main event so we could put on a better show.  I bumped into him (Baker) one time and I was right beside him a couple times coming down the front straightaway.  I was kind of going off the edge of the track and spinning my tire. I was fighting for that last piece of real estate.  I think it made a great show for the fans to show that kind of aggression for the lead."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In his first return to the track after off-season injuries and surgery, Sammy Halbert on the #7 South East H-D XR750 pulled off the win at round 3 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season at the Stockton Half-Mile on May 11.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.

 

 

"It feels good.  You can't complain about second as it's always a good finish," said Baker (Dodge Brothers Racing).  "It has been pretty consistent with me right now. I've had three races and had three seconds. It is just a trend of leading about 20 laps and getting it taken away from me with about five to go.  Sammy rode an awesome race.  We had a good battle the whole time," added Baker.  "We were close at the beginning.  I felt myself gap him a little bit and I started feeling him there a little bit at the end."

 

After leading the first two laps, Halbert gave way to Baker, but continued to challenge as they raced back and forth.  "Brad came by me and I know he was hungry for a win. I thought to myself, 'Let's see if I can steal another one from him.'  He was right there and I didn't want to be the guy who gave him that first win so I had to dig deep," said Halbert.  "I was getting tired and he was starting to pull away and I started thinking about that big Harley-Davidson contingency and I was like, 'I want that money.  Let's go!  I got on the gas, found a line on the outside there in turn three and four and made it happen. It took me a while to get around Brad," said Halbert.

 

"He studied me the whole time and tested some things.  He found something there on the last five laps and made it happen," said Baker.  "It's pretty cool. He got to take it from me. It's just a Washington deal.  I think it is cool that we get to race like that.  I am hoping that when I finally get that first win that maybe Sammy will be there battling with me.  I've had three seconds and am doing well in the points.  It is a big goal of mine to stay consistent."

 

Halbert was able to finally secure the lead for good on lap twenty and pulled to nearly a one second lead on the last lap.  That was the largest lead of the race.  The win marked Halbert's return to racing action for the first time since suffering a knee injury over the winter that required surgery.  That was a pretty good way to come back to racing. It's been a while," said Halbert.  "I haven't ridden a bike much.  I've just been training and doing a lot of exercising. I've been really focused lately and working hard.  I think it's paying off.  I got the holeshot, which was awesome."

 

The leaders had gapped what turned into a great race over third.  Jake Johnson (Zanotti Racing/Harley-Davidson), Rob Pearson (Weirbach Racing/Harley-Davidson), Henry Wiles (Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Harley-Davidson) and Mikey Martin (Bonneville Performance/Triumph) were in tight formation until Johnson and Wiles were able to pull a small lead over Pearson.  Wiles was able to nail down the last podium spot on lap 22.  "It was just that there were so many things that were kind of new. It was a bike that had never even hit the track before today," said Wiles.  "That is how new everything was.  To end up finishing third was a great night.  You can't shake a stick at that.  I think we might have been able to run the pace of those guys up front.  I didn't even get in front of Jake until the five to go.  Fourth even would have been a good night for us.  Getting on the box makes it that much more for the team and everybody involved."

 

Johnson was able to hold on to fourth over Pearson, while AMA Pro Racing Grand National point leader Brandon Robinson (TJ Burnett/USC Kawasaki) clawed his way up to sixth.  Harley-Davidson Motor Company's Kenny Coolbeth came all the way from last to a finish in a solid seventh place on his Harley-Davidson.  Doug Lawrence (R&J Racing/Harley-Davidson), fast qualifier Jeffrey Carver Jr. (Kiesow Racing/Harley-Davidson) and Martin rounded out the top ten.

 

The New 99 Speedway (a recently constructed 3/8 mile clay oval) sits inside the big mile oval at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds.  Because the track uses no part of the mile, there are virtually no barriers around the racing surface.  This played a big part in turning what potentially would have been a catastrophe into simply a very bad night of racing for defending Grand National Champion Jared Mees (Rogers Racing/Harley-Davidson) when he slid off the groove early on.  "I got an ok start then I was coming into turn three and Wiles ran around on the outside," said Mees.  "He got a little bit of a bike length on me and right as I was coming up underneath him, he spun it sideways bad, and when it came back in line I was right there. It was almost the hardest high side.  I don't know how I didn't crash.  If there would have been a wall there I would have been done.  I went out on the mile straightaway and came back in. I was pretty shaken up about it really.  That was really like having my life flash before my eyes kind of thing. It was really disappointing because we really felt like we were on a good roll.  You just have pick yourself up and keep going forward."

 

Brandon Robinson continues to lead the AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Championship points race, but Brad Baker is just seven back with Henry Wiles and Jake Johnson within ten points of the lead.

AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles

 

Crowd favorite Shayna Texter (Crosley Radio, Howerton Motorsports/Honda CRF450R) dove to the bottom of turn two on the first lap of the sixteen lap AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles main event and took the lead from Rodney Spencer Jr. (GP Sports, 831 Pinnit/Honda CRF450R), but yet another Washington hot shoe, Wyatt Maguire (Kirkland Racing, Pro1racingheads.com/Honda CRF450R) made quick work of both and took off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wyatt Maguire took the #18M Kirkland Racing Honda CRF450R to his first-ever win in the AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles Championship Series at the Stockton Half-Mile on Saturday, May 11.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.

 

 

With Maguire pulling to nearly a five second lead, all eyes were focused on the scramble that was going on just behind Texter. Spencer Jr., Bronson Bauman (Rod Lake, RGR, Hooper Motorsports/Honda CRF450R), Kyle Johnson (DAO Apparel, X-Trim/Kawasaki KX450F), Cole Frederickson (AXO Sport/Honda CRF450R) and Hunter Taylor (Hunter Manufacturing) were all trying to occupy the same real estate.

 

Maguire's smooth ride propelled him to his first win in the Pro Singles class.  "I won my first AMA Pro Singles race. It feels pretty good," said Maguire.  "It was definitely tough getting through the field but we ended up changing gears and it helped a lot.  It feels incredible to pull off my first ever victory here in Stockton.  I need to thank my family and all of my sponsors, without them I would never have the opportunity to experience something like this." 

 

Kyle Johnson backed up his Daytona win with another podium appearance, passing Spencer Jr. on lap 11 and leading the large swarm to the finish line.  Johnson and Maguire are co-leaders in the AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles point standings.  Frederickson, Taylor, Bauman, Ryan Kearns (Stockton Moto/Honda CRF450R), Ryan Wells (Waters Auto Body/Honda CRF450R) and defending series champion Stephen Vanderkuur (Parkinson Brothers Racing/Honda CRF450R) filled out the top ten.

 

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