PEORIA, Ill. — Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, will complete a run of four races in less than two weeks with one of its most iconic events: the World Famous Peoria TT on Saturday, August 16, at the Peoria Motorcycle Club.
This year marks the 78th edition of the fabled race, one that fans reliably flock to in droves to watch from the hillsides of its spectacular natural amphitheater, as well as one that aspiring dirt trackers from all over the world dream of someday winning.
Despite its long history, the winners list remains shockingly exclusive, as each victory has been jealously guarded by an elite cadre of Peoria TT masters.
In its most recent 38 runnings, there have been just nine different winners. At the top of that list, of course, stands 14-time race winner “King” Henry Wiles, followed closely by Chris Carr, who earned the moniker “The Prince of Peoria” by conquering the prestigious event 13 times.
The most recent certified master of the Peoria TT is JD Beach, who won three straight from 2021-2023.
This trend is not a recent development, not even in a relative sense. Joe Leonard claimed seven wins here from 1954-1961, Bart Markel took six from 1960-1968, and Dick Mann racked up five between 1959-1972.
In fact, this tendency towards the emergence of Peoria dominators pre-dates the Grand National Championship’s initiation as a season-long affair in 1954, as Roger Soderstrom claimed five straight Peoria TT wins from 1949-1953.
Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R) is on the cusp of earning his Peoria TT master’s degree. He owns two wins in the race (2019 and 2024) and has finished on the podium every year since the Mission AFT SuperTwins class brought the big bikes back to the track in 2017.
And the Rick Ware Racing hero may actually need to earn that distinction with a third-career Peoria TT victory this weekend if he hopes to secure a third premier-class title in 2025. More on that in a bit.
Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) has everything necessary to be a Peoria TT master himself – everything minus the consistent record of results at the venue to back the claim up.
Hailing from nearby Mattoon, Illinois, Daniels was that quintessential kid who daydreamed of Peoria TT glory as he rose up through the ranks. And he got it – in a big way – when he crushed a stacked AFT Singles field in 2019 to score his maiden Progressive AFT victory as a 16-year-old rookie.
Armed with both sublime flat track and road racing skills, Daniels is a proven TT superstar – talents once again put to good use in last Friday’s Jackpine Gypsies Super TT. However, his relationship with the Peoria TT since that initial breakthrough has been decidedly mixed.
Daniels returned to the venue in 2021 (there was no Grand National Championship round at Peoria in 2020 due to the global pandemic) with sky high expectations. Instead, the visit turned out to be a nightmare, marred by two huge crashes in the Main Event, resulting in a 16-place finish.
His first attempt in the premier class in 2022 went significantly better – a respectable third. However, despite being the fastest rider throughout qualifying, he suffered from a poor start in the Main that likely prevented him from challenging for the win.
And then In 2023, Daniels crashed out of second place with just over a lap remaining, handing the championship lead over to Jared Mees in the process.
And 2024 was the worst of all… He didn’t even make it to Peoria. Daniels suffered an accident in training while prepping for the TT, which effectively ended his title campaign after having previously built up an imposing championship advantage.
Of all of the visits, however, this one might be the most critical in the Estenson Racing star’s lifelong quest to win the Grand National Championship.
Four races remain to determine this season’s Mission AFT SuperTwins title – this weekend’s Peoria TT, the Springfield Mile I & II, and the Lake Ozark Short Track finale – while just seven points separate Bauman from Daniels at the top of the championship order.
Of course, the title rivals are not the only riders on track. Others can still play the spoiler, the same way James Ott (No. 19 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07) and Declan Bender (No. 70 Memphis Shades/Luczak Racing Yamaha MT-07) did in DuQuoin.
And this weekend we have the “King” of all spoilers in attendance: Henry Wiles (No. 911 DL Racing/HYMMC Yamaha MT-07).
Despite being both a part-time racer and shouldering double-duty at Sturgis, Wiles scooped up podiums at the Jackpine Gypsies Super TT in both Mission AFT SuperTwins and AFT AdventureTrackers™.
And the 19-time TT winner didn’t just do that, he also looked awfully competitive with Daniels and Bauman while doing so, at least for stretches. Now just imagine how strong he might be in his return to the venue where he built his legend.
Another rider to keep a close eye on is Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown Racing KTM 790 Duke), who has long, albeit somewhat quietly, stood as a very good Peoria TT rider.
“Quiet” only because he has yet to podium at the track since joining the premier class in 2015. However, ‘15 is also the only year of his Mission AFT SuperTwins career in which he finished worse than seventh in the Peoria TT, finishing inside the top five on five occasions with three runs to fourths.
While VDK faces an uphill climb in the attempt to finish the season ranked third in the championship, he does have an opportunity to make serious inroads with a big weekend in Peoria.
VanDerKooi should have an advantage here over third-ranked Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) and fourth-ranked Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke). That said, it’s worth noting that Robinson has steadily improved at Peoria over the years to the point that he finished fifth at the track a season ago, and Fisher was on it at this past week’s Super TT before equipment failure cost him a shot at a podium.
And finally, don’t rule out top-three efforts from Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Suzuki GSX-8S) and Max Whale (No. 18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650), a pair of riders who have stood on the top of the podium in Peoria before while competing in other classes.
