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Event Rewind: Mission Lima Half-Mile presented by Parts Unlimited & Indian Motorcycle Main Event Highlights

• Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle
• Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER

Progressive AFT Returns to Scenic West Virginia Motor Speedway

Progressive AFT is set to make its long-awaited return to West Virginia Motor Speedway this weekend. Read More

Bauman Back in Business 

Earlier this season, a victory for Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 790 Duke) in 2023 seemed both impossible and inevitable. 

And after winning last weekend’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge at Lima, Bauman admitted that he had felt overwhelmed at the ‘23 opener.  

Confirmation of an all-new effort backed by Rick Ware Racing and KTM – while hugely exciting for the series – came together just prior to the start season and faced daunting odds as a result. The two-time Grand National Champion was thrown into the deep end in Daytona, racing a bike he hadn’t even tested or had yet to be dyno’d. 

After doing so, he had a better understanding of exactly what he was up against. It wasn’t an easy reality to embrace for a rider who had grown accustomed to contending for championships to the point that second- and third-place finishes generally came as disappointments. 

At that early moment, Bauman even questioned if he’d manage to top a practice session or win a heat race all season long. 

Winning a Main Event this season? Impossible. 

Of course, that wasn’t the complete picture. Also factored in were the natural ability and determination of Bauman, the knowledge and work ethic of Dave Zanotti and Michelle Disalvo, the support and guidance of Rick Ware and Shayna Texter-Bauman, and the raw potential of the KTM 790 Duke platform. 

Winning a Main Event this season? Inevitable. 

Now just past the season’s halfway point, Bauman sits third in the points with four podiums on the bike, including last weekend’s historic victory that marked the first-ever win for a KTM twin in the premier class. 

While emotionally taxing, the experience has done much to provide Bauman with a renewed appreciation for the sport and exactly what it means and takes to compete at the highest level. 

It’ll only get more interesting from here. The team has made obvious developmental gains as of late, but the exact extent of those improvements is difficult to gauge considering both the long straights of the Miles and the pea-gravel cushion at Lima helped mask the bike’s weaker points. 

West Virginia Motor Speedway’s 5/8-mile clay oval should serve as a pretty decent measuring stick. 

The Decade to Come 

Much has been made this season of the intergenerational conflict being waged by multi-time Mission SuperTwins king Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750) and young points leader Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT). 

As the two have traded haymakers, the storyline has written itself: one of dirt track’s all-time greats defending his crown against an emergent superstar angling to someday put himself in that same conversation. 

If it sounds a little familiar, it’s because Progressive AFT has been wheels deep in that exact story for nearly five years now, only with Bauman cast in the ascendant role. 

There are actually three distinct generations now struggling for supremacy, considering Mees is 37 with two decades of premier-class experience under his belt, Bauman is about to turn 28 already with a decade at the top level, and Daniels just turned 20 and still in the early days of his Mission SuperTwins career. 

The sport is fortunate to be able to witness multiple generations of greatness competing on even terms for as long as it lasts. 

While Mees is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down, you don’t have to squint too hard to see a future in which Bauman vs Daniels is the rivalry that carries the sport into the 2030s. 

That being said, the two have rarely crossed wheels at the front of the pack.  

Daniels has finished either first or second on 13 occasions since joining the premier class in 2022. In six of those, Mees was the other rider who finished in the top two. Three times it was Estenson Racing teammate JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT). Twice it’s been Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750). And one other time it was Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750). 

Somehow – until this past weekend at Lima – it had yet to be Bauman. 

While the four-rider showdown at the DuQuoin Mile that also featured Mees and Robinson provided something of a preview of what was to come, the Lima Half-Mile finally delivered the goods on that front for the first time. 

It seems extraordinarily unlikely it’ll be the final time. 

New Experience 

The Parts Unlimited AFT Singles class has undergone a fascinating evolution in recent years. Originally designed as a feeder class in which to develop and showcase young and less experienced racers, it’s since taken on added significance. 

As the category emerged an increasingly attractive battleground for manufacturers, factory-backed teams became more likely to seek out established elite-caliber riders with which to chase race wins and championship rings. 

As a result, In 2018 and 2019, the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles top ten was largely dominated by riders with considerable prior premier-class experience, including the likes of Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Construction Yamaha YZ450F), Ryan Wells (No. 94 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650), Shayna Texter-Bauman (No. 52 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 450 SX-F), Mikey Rush, Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team/Husqvarna Racing FC450), and Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Wally Brown Racing/Haversack KTM 790 Duke). 

That trend peaked ahead of the 2020 season when 2018 Grand National Championship runner-up Henry Wiles (No. 17 BriggsAuto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750) was signed to compete in the class on American Honda-backed equipment. 

2020 was also the season Dallas Daniels stopped forward to kick off a new youth movement. 

With Daniels and his two class crowns off battling for the Mission SuperTwins title these days, his influence is still felt in a top ten now largely dominated by riders born this millennium who are still working their way up the ranks for the first time, including the likes of Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F), Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F), Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), and James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Team/Husqvarna Racing FC450). 

That rebalance was most evident at Lima, when 18-year-old defending class champion Kopp – in an effort to escape the pursuit of 17-year-old Drane – put Texter-Bauman, Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F), and Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) a lap down before taking the checkered flag. 

It was a humbling experience for three of the class’ most experienced and decorated riders.  

All three remain relevant – Gauthier is fourth in points with a win and four podiums this season, Mischler earned back-to-back podiums earlier this year himself, and Texter-Bauman has flashed the trademark speed that’s taken her to more wins than anyone in class’ history – but it’s been a tough go as of late. 

None of the three have finished any better than seventh in the most recent three rounds, and all three could use a big result this weekend in West Virginia. 

What better time to call upon all that hard-earned experience to come out all the stronger? 

Record Watch 

Kopp’s win at Lima marked his sixth-career Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Half-Mile victory. That actually elevated him ahead of Daniels to claim sole possession of second all-time. 

However, first place remains a goal for 2024 at the earliest. Even with this week’s announcement that the Black Hills Half-Mile has been added to the schedule, a sweep of HMs from here on out would “only” put Kopp at 10, still one short of Texter-Bauman’s record of 11. 

Continental Drift 

Briar Bauman’s win at Lima was extraordinary for a number of reasons. Among them was the fact that it not only marked his third win in the prestigious race at the Allen County Fairgrounds, but also the third different manufacturer he’s taken to victory there (Kawasaki, Indian Motorcycle, KTM). 

Winning the same race on three different makes is an extremely rare feat but not unique. In recent years, Bryan Smith did the same at both the Springfield Mile and Sacramento Mile (Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki, and Indian). 

And in fact – while it gets a bit murky with the framer aspect – Chris Carr is officially credited with wins on four different makes at the Peoria TT (Harley-Davidson, Rotax, Wood-Rotax, and ATK). 

Bauman did add an extra level of difficulty, however, by accomplishing it on bikes from three different continents… 

Broaden Your Horizons 

Congratulations go out to Evan Renshaw who was recently named the 29th winner of the Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award. 

The prestigious award “recognizes the amateur rider that displays the necessary ability and character to be impactful at the professional level.” 

And boy, does it ever. 

Including Renshaw – who has yet to compete at the pro level – 41% (12 of 29) of the Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award winners have earned at least one professional national championship (most coming in Progressive AFT but with a handful in other countries or two-wheeled disciplines). 

66% (19 of 29) have won national races at the professional level (a percentage set to improve once Chase Saathoff finally gets his maiden win). 

Nearly 80% (23 of 29) have gone on to claim at least one professional podium result. 

And more than a third (10 of 29 for 34%) have earned a Mission SuperTwins victory. And it would surprise absolutely no one if that number happens to shoot up over the next few years with Kody Kopp, Saathoff, and Trevor Brunner waiting in the wings. 

Finally, the last 11 Grand National Championships have been taken by past Horizon Award winners (Jared Mees, Briar Bauman, Bryan Smith, and Brad Baker), and this year’s championship chase is currently headed by another (Dallas Daniels). 

In other words, keep close tabs on Renshaw. 

The C-Tex Touch 

Renshaw also represents another victory for champion turned rider mentor and team manager Cory Texter. 

Texter has helped guide Renshaw’s development for some time, and the Horizon Award comes on the heels of another Texter protégé, Trent Lowe, earning the first two victories of his professional career this season. 

Meanwhile, Texter is also helping the 1st Impressions Husqvarna Racing team reach new levels. 

While Chad Cose was already a well proven commodity, Texter has overseen James Ott put himself back on the map in a big way. 

If you’ll recall, Ott burst onto the scene in 2019, slashing up through the pack to finish third in his Progressive AFT debut. He then spent the following 50 rounds attempting to get back on the box. 

Finally, in that 50th attempt, Ott finished second at this year’s Senoia Short Track. Seven races later, he earned a third-career Progressive AFT podium with a third place at Lima. 

But rather than act overjoyed in Ohio, Ott seemed slightly frustrated with the result. He’s no longer seeking just another podium. He’s now gunning for a maiden win and realistically so. 

The mental game was always an edge that Texter had in his arsenal. Passing that trait on to others seems to be another that he’s carried over into his new career.