DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Progressive American Flat Track season is only days away with the opener set to kick off with an epic Daytona Bike Week doubleheader. The 18-round fight featuring elite motorcycle dirt track racers vying for the historic championship will begin March 10-11 with the Mission Volusia Half-Mile I & II at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville.
The upcoming season will provide the latest chapter in what’s already established as one of the all-time great rivalries in the sport. Over the past three seasons, former mentor Jared Mees on his No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750 and protégé Briar Bauman on the No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750 have waged a titanic battle for supremacy that couldn’t possibly be any more evenly matched.
Since 2017, reigning Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Champion Mees has collected 932 points, 20 victories, and one championship. Bauman has collected 932 points, 14 victories, and two championships. Already among the most talented, accomplished, and determined riders in recent memory, their rivalry fuels them both to ever greater heights.
That’s not to suggest the emergence of additional championship threats is out of the question. For long stretches of each of the past three seasons, Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) has looked every bit the equal of Mees and Bauman, and he has the potential to put an entire season together at that level. Robinson’s Mission Roof Systems teammate Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), meanwhile, has another year of seasoning and experience on the Indian FTR750 under his belt. Last year, Vanderkooi notched up four runner-up results in his quest for a maiden Mission SuperTwins victory.
The Estenson Racing Yamaha effort is expected to be more formidable than ever. JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) took a big step forward a year ago, starting with his runner-up result in the season opener at Volusia and ending with a fifth-placed championship ranking. With a leveled playing field working in his favor, Beach has all the tools necessary to crash the party.
That same reasoning extends to Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) as well. Bauman is only a couple seasons removed from finishing third in the Grand National Championship and will be well motivated to put Harley-Davidson back up front.
Adding considerable excitement to this year’s Mission SuperTwins class is the addition of two riders who already rank as among the most decorated and popular riders in the sport. Shayna Texter-Bauman (No. 52 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) – the all-time winningest rider in Parts Unlimited AFT Singles history – and Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) – that same class’ only back-to-back champion – are set to graduate to premier-class duty in equally high-profile fashion this season.
This season marks the swansong season for the Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines category before it merges with Mission SuperTwins in 2023. That fact only increases its relevance this season, as it’ll serve as a preview for the premier-class production-based ruleset moving forward.
And those rules will be tested on track with the exciting introduction of the Mission Production Twins Challenge, in which the top four finishers in the Mission Production Twins main event gain entry into the Mission SuperTwins main as well.
Even without that tie to the premier class, the Mission Production Twins championship offers an abundance of intrigue. Persistent class power and defending champion Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Mission Foods Yamaha MT-07) will put the No. 1 plate on the line as he looks to continue to rack up race wins along the way. Texter is long past his underdog days with the 2019 and 2021 championships on his résumé and last year’s season-long domination still fresh in his opponents’ collective memory.
He’ll face a multi-brand challenge right from the start with proven Mission Production Twins race winners representing three makes other than his own, including Chad Cose (No. 49 DPC Racing/Voodoo Ranger Harley-Davidson XG750R), Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield Twins FT), Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R), Ryan Varnes (No. 68 Schaeffer’s Motorsports/Rausch Fuel & Oil KTM 890 Duke) and Kolby Carlile (No. 36 KC36 Las Vegas Harley-Davidson XG750R).
With the Daniels and Texter-Bauman having graduated to Mission SuperTwins, this year’s Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER promises to be a wide-open affair.
Two-time championship runner-up Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) will do everything in his power to prevent that from happening; his 2021 form suggests the Australian could be tough for the competition to deal with if he continues on his current trajectory.
Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Kody Kopp (No. 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE), is on an equally steep trajectory and comes armed with equal equipment.