CHICO, Calif. — California native Briar Bauman (No. 3 Super.com/RWR Harley-Davidson XG750R) completed the Golden State double-double with a victorious performance in the CRESCO CAT Rentals Silver Dollar Short Track, Round 5 of the 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.
For the second consecutive season, Bauman backed up his Mission AFT SuperTwins win at Ventura Raceway with another at Silver Dollar Speedway to sweep the series’ West Coast swing.
Saturday evening’s masterclass in Chico, California, was a certified competition crusher. The two-time Grand National Champion made quick work of reigning champ Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) and points leader Kody Kopp (No. 12 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) before proceeding to set sail at the front.
For the third consecutive race, Kopp did what he could to cling on in second. He even managed to mount something of a charge at mid-distance, bringing a near-two-second gap back down to just over a second. However, Bauman put in a final push to break it open late en route to a 2.614-second margin of victory.
After earning the 36th premier-class win of his decorated career, Bauman said, “Last week, I knew that we were ready. And now these guys know that we are ready. I’m fired up. It’s so hard to lead on these types of racetracks. I’ve never looked back that much in my life. But Kody is so witty, and his dad is so good, and Dave Z(anotti) is so good, I knew they were going to find something. So I kept looking, but I finally found something that was good enough to get us to the win. I’m super excited for the team.”
Meanwhile, Kopp’s fellow rookie, Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust Advisors Harley-Davidson XG750R), came through in a big way for Harley as well as the championship aspirations of Bauman and Kopp. Despite being subjected to intense pressure from directly behind, RoosEvans held strong to finish ahead of Daniels while putting the finishing touches on a Harley-Davidson XG750R sweep of the podium.
The champ had to work hard to even will himself in a position to fight for the box. He found himself in a perilous position early with multiple riders nipping at his heels for fifth in the early going. And even after he settled in, Daniels couldn’t manage to find a way past RoosEvans, finishing off the podium for the first time in ten races.
The Estenson Yamaha ace was fortunate to stay ahead of a charging Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke). Fisher raced up from the back row, having burned his provisional start after encountering mechanical issues in both his heat and the LCQ.
It took five races, but defending KICKER AFT Singles champion Tom Drane (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) finally became the first repeat winner of the ‘26 season.
That achievement was very much in doubt, however, up until the final minute of the contest. The Australian was hounded and harried deep into the race by archrival Chase Saathoff (No. 88 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), who rode like a pilot desperate to claim a first victory of the year.
With the leaders’ bikes bucking as they pressed hard to break free at the front, Saathoff repeatedly threatened to execute a high-low pass on Drane. But rather than risk striking too soon, Saathoff looked to stay patient and bide his time.
However, that strategy ultimately backfired when his preferred line went away from him late, allowing Drane to make his escape.
“That was a really good race,” Drane said. “I knew I had to get out there and get a really good start. Once I did that, I put my head down. Chase was definitely pressuring me, working the high-side on me, but I was able to get the job done. I couldn’t have done it without my Estenson Racing Monster Energy Yamaha team – they gave me a great bike today.”
Drane and Saathoff were joined at the front during the race’s opening stages by young Walker Porter (No. 10 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), who continued to flash podium speed.
He’s yet to fully cash in on that pace, however. The Turner Racing Honda sophomore was overhauled by title hopeful Trevor Brunner (No. 21 KMA Racing/March Equipment Yamaha YZ450F) with just a handful of laps remaining to steal away the final spot on the box.
Porter did manage to narrowly fend off Tarren Santero (No. 75 Roof Systems/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R) to post a new career-best professional finish of fourth.
Progressive American Flat Track fans got another peek into the future in Saturday night’s AFT ProSport 450 showdown. Twelve of the sport’s most promising amateurs earned an opportunity to showcase their skills alongside the world’s elite professional motorcycle dirt trackers by way of Friday’s AMA-sanctioned Mission Foods CTR Showcase Event at Silver Dollar Speedway.
And two of those twelve stepped forward to deliver a jaw-dropping show in Saturday’s Main Event. Adam Costan-Wood (No. 88 Turner Racing Honda CRF450R) and Jett Katarzy (No. 17 1st Impressions Husqvarna FC450) expanded the rivalry of Turner Racing and 1st Impressions Racing to include the AFT ProSport 450 class, battling back and forth throughout the 12-lap event.
Ventura winner Katarzy made what he hoped would prove the race’s decisive pass with three laps remaining before a minor mistake allowed Coston-Wood to power back past.
Katarzy put his head down to reel his rival back in and threw in a last-gasp, last-corner strike that Coston-Wood rebuffed by a miniscule 0.053-second margin at the stripe.
Colt Shafer (No. 45 Colton Shafer Racing Husqvarna FC 450) claimed third after coming out on top of his own duel with Christian Knox (No. 69 Knox Racing KTM 450 SX-F), while Braxton Ragan (No. 84 UnSettled Racing Honda CRF450R) completed the top five.
