FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive American Flat Track. Complete coverage of Sunday’s Arrowhead Brass Sturgis TT presented by Rick Ware Racing & The CAT Rental Store in the streets of Downtown Sturgis will kick off with the day’s first practice session at 2:00 p.m. ET (12:00 p.m. PT). Sign up now and catch every second of the year’s on-track action at http://flosports.link/2024aft.

The Arrowhead Brass Sturgis TT presented by Rick Ware Racing & The CAT Rental Store pre-race show will air on FS2 on Saturday, August 17, at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT), immediately followed by the Sturgis TT broadcast on FOX at 2:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT). The complete two-hour pre-race and race package will then re-air on FS1 later that evening, starting at 9:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. PT).

Event Rewind: Black Hills Half-Mile Main Event Highlights

• Mission AFT SuperTwins
• Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER

The March to History Continues

While reigning Mission AFT SuperTwins champ Jared Mees (No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycle FTR750) was denied a fifth Black Hills Half-Mile win due to the heroics of Estenson Racing substitute rider JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), he still managed to outscore every opponent still in title contention.

The march to an unprecedented tenth Grand National Championship continued apace, as Mees not only moved into first place in the championship for the first time all year, he also stripped every potential challenger to his crown of control over their own destiny with four runners-up on Mees’ part strong enough to seal the deal from this point forward.

In fact, just six riders retain even a mathematical shot. Among them, Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) remains out indefinitely with a broken femur, and three others – Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750), Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), and Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Sody Ent/OTBR Yamaha MT-07) trail by more than 80 points and are likely to be eliminated this weekend.

While much of the focus has concerned exactly what second-ranked Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) would need to do to catch Mees, perhaps it’s time to instead consider what Mees needs to do in order to wrap this one up early.

With a 17-point advantage now in hand, Mees need only increase that to 25 and secure the tiebreaker prior to the Lake Ozark Short Track season finale. Those necessary eight points could be earned with a third-career Springfield Mile sweep (and in the process, upping Mees’ all-time tally to ten wins in the storied event).

But to put that possibility in play, it would also require that he not give any points back to Robinson this weekend. That can be accomplished any number of ways, whether it’s done via 1st vs 2nd, 18th vs 19th, or even DNS vs. DNS.

Squint just a little bit and you can see history on the horizon from here.

Speaking of History…

With his Black Hills Half-Mile triumph, Beach moved that much closer to finally achieving his childhood goal – a goal few racers dare to even dream as possible.

The term “Grand Slam” is used in the sport to denote when a rider has won in every discipline of the Grand National Championship. Of course, despite retaining direct ties to the past, the series has evolved over its long history, including the disciplines it comprises.

From its origins as a season-long championship in 1954 up until 1985, the GNC included both flat track and roadracing. And during that era, a Grand Slam required a victory in a Mile, Half-Mile, TT, Short Track*, and Roadrace.

Throughout the entirety of that span, only three riders accomplished that tall order: Dick Mann, Kenny Roberts, and Bubba Shobert.

Shortly thereafter, a fourth rider joined that list when Doug Chandler added an AMA Superbike victory to his résumé in 1989. This came after he had previously won across all four flat track disciplines and after roadracing had been severed from the Grand National Championship and set up as a completely independent series (which is why if you check the media guide, you’ll see zero GNC roadrace victories credited to Chandler’s name despite his blossoming into a multi-time championship-winning roadracer).

No rider has done so since. The late, great Nicky Hayden famously came within a Mile win (and within inches of doing that) after earlier professing the exact same desire that Beach later would.

Since the separation of flat track and roadracing, the terms “AMA (i.e. old-school) Grand Slam” and “Flat Track (i.e. modern) Grand Slam” have been used to differentiate between the aforementioned five-win Grand Slam and the four-win variety now used to describe when a rider earns premier-class victories in all four remaining Progressive American Flat Track disciplines.

The term “Grand Slam” as used today should not be considered improper nor disrespectful to the four legends who did it in a previous era. In fact, today’s definition is a more accurate measure of all-around Grand National Championship excellence in its current form – the form in which it has existed for nearly four decades – more than half of its long history.

And even though there is no denying that the level of difficulty has been lowered in achieving one as a result, it is not as if Grand Slams are simply given way. Since 1954, only twenty riders have ever completed it – fewer than the number of riders who have actually earned the Grand National Championship, in fact.

Frankly, it would be unfair to demand today’s riders to do so the old way in order to lay claim to a Grand Slam.

Whereas in the past, there was a clear pathway that connected dirt track to national level roadracing to the Grand Prix World Championships, all three series have since gone in divergent directions. And as a result, each series largely maintains its own pipeline. Riders are systemically encouraged to specialize and funnel one way or the other before they get good enough to start winning races at the top level in any of them.

Regardless, the use of the term “Grand Slam” in its modern form is not only true in spirit to its original meaning, it also had the added benefit of bringing it into closer alignment of the term’s common usage, which both describes a four-run homerun in baseball and, as defined by Merriam-Webster, “...the winning of all four of the most significant championships in a particular sport in the same year – used especially in tennis and golf.”

Another upside tied to keeping the term alive in the sport is that it serves as a regular reminder of the four riders who achieved the AMA Grand Slam. If not for it, it would likely be retired from use and gradually forgotten, as it’s possible it will never be achieved again.

Well, other than by JD Beach.

Even though Beach dreams of earning a place on the same pedestal as Mann, Roberts, Shobert, and Chandler, what he is one Mile win removed from is vastly more difficult than it was in the past, not only for the reasons already listed, but also due to the lack of opportunities as a result of the separation of the series.

If and when Beach gets that Mile win, it should not just grant him entry into that exclusive club, it also merits recognition as a singular achievement.

As it happens, there are two opportunities fast approaching with the Springfield Mile I & II scheduled for August 31 and September 1. There also happen to be two weeks separating it from MotoAmerica rounds both before and after.

Hmmm…

*Short Tracks weren’t introduced to the GNC until 1961. Three-time Grand National Champion Joe Leonard won a Mile, Half-Mile, TT, and Roadrace in the ‘50s and is therefore counted among history’s twenty Grand Slammers.

Bragging Rights

Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F) is still looking like a mighty strong bet to claim a record-breaking third Parts Unlimited AFT Singles crown this season.

And that’s why we’ve shifted our attention to the battle for most victories on the season, where his lead has been placed in considerably greater jeopardy.

At the season’s halfway point, Kopp looked to have separated himself from his would-be challengers, claiming five of eight wins while on pace for a record tally of ten on the year.

But just four races later, the fight for those bragging rights is very much on.

Kopp remains in the lead, still with five, but now Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) has four and Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R) three.

And if you peer ahead, the next three races are a TT and two Miles. Drane has three career Mile wins to his name and his roadracing roots could prove him an unstoppable force with pavement in play this weekend.

Meanwhile, Saathoff comes in as the series’ most recent winner in both the TT and Mile disciplines.

Of course, Kopp seems to relish these sorts of challenges. He’s also in with another shot at history, needing just a win this weekend to join Dalton Gauthier, Max Whale, and Trevor Brunner as the only riders to complete the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Grand Slam.

But then again, the same is true for Drane.

Origin Story

Arguably no motorsport series is so directly linked and aware of its lineage as Progressive American Flat Track. Grainy footage of contests waged by the heroes of yore displays action that’s immediately recognizable and of close resemblance to what transpires on dirt tracks across the nation to this day.

Rather than dusty and tired, this connection has proven a source of near-timeless strength; it turns out athletes tightroping the fine edge of traction while running inches apart at triple-digit speeds in a confined battlespace is perpetually in style.

But to what extent is a championship subjected by its history? No matter how glorious it may be, the series can’t risk losing touch with the enthusiasts and manufacturers whose continued interest ensures its ongoing sustainability.

So ,it’s best not to rest on its laurels and continually seek ways to create broader appeal among manufacturers and fans alike.

Toward those ends, the sport has considered previously unexplored possibilities to make that achievable. As good fortune had it, there was one right there to jump on: what the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) has dubbed the “Dual Adventure” category – which includes models from the likes of BMW, Harley-Davidson, Honda, KTM, Suzuki, Triumph, Yamaha, and more.

And even better fortune, the category is one of the true shining stars of the modern-day motorcycle sales landscape. A contender for the fastest growing sector in the two-wheeled market, dual adventure bikes represent among the most popular and important models for multiple manufacturers and also happen to boast a burgeoning group of hard-core enthusiasts.

Further amping up their attractiveness, the big-bore adventure bikes have lacked for avenues to compete outside of dealer showrooms, especially with Dakar – while alluringly exotic – distant both in terms of locale and in time, long since relegated to smaller-displacement motorcycles.

Testing 1-2-3

At first blush, the exercise felt surprising and audacious. But upon deeper examination, it revealed itself to land somewhere between obvious and genius.

Among the many benefits associated with having a Series Director who is only a handful of years removed from winning a Grand National Championship himself, having access to an elite rider for top-secret test duty is not an insignificant one.

In January of ‘23, Progressive AFT tested a bone-stock Pan America for a day at the Blackmore Ranch in South California. There Bryan Smith, the 2016 Grand National Champion turned series exec, put the bike through its paces to get a sense of how the bike might handle a TT circuit.

He found it racier than expected. Following that positive initial evaluation, Smith tested other makes of adventure bikes in Daytona in March and then back at Blackmore Ranch again in May. The results were most promising.

Given the green light, the AFT AdventureTrackers class was designed to be as close to stock street bikes as is feasible, featuring stock bodywork, engines, frames, swingarms, fuel tanks, and more. This has the benefit of not only keeping costs constrained, but emphasizing the connection with the showroom models the manufacturers are eager to market.

The class promises to serve as a showcase featuring unexpected bikes demonstrating unexpected capabilities, particularly when unlocked by some of the most skilled pilots on the planet. ‘My bike can do WHAT? My bike can do THAT?’

But it’s not as if these bikes are out of their depth in this arena, where adventure is the name of the game, and the machines are designed to conquer any environment.

GOATT

Who’s the greatest TT rider of all-time?

It’s an interesting question. Measured by sheer wins, no one can touch Henry Wiles or Chris Carr.

Career TT Wins

• Henry Wiles: 19
• Chris Carr: 15
• Steve Eklund: 9
• Dick Mann/JD Beach: 8
• Gary Scott: 7
• Joe Leonard/Bart Markel/Ricky Graham: 6
• Eddie Mulder/Alex Jorgensen/Jake Johnson: 5
• Etc.

However, the respective claims of Wiles and Carr have largely been built upon their status as Peoria TT royalty.

By another measure – wins at the most TT circuits – only Steve Eklund can match JD Beach’s career tally of five. Wiles has wins at three TT venues (Peoria, Castle Rock, and Springfield), while Carr has wins at Peoria and Castle Rock, neither ranking inside the top five in the category.

Wins at the Most TT Circuits

• Steve Eklund/JD Beach: 5
• Dick Mann/Ricky Graham/Eddie Mulder/Jake Johnson: 4
• Etc.

With a win this weekend, Beach would equal Eklund for third all-time in total TT wins at nine, and claim sole possession of TT wins at the most venues at six (Wild Horse, Buffalo Chip, Atlanta, Peoria, Castle Rock, and Sturgis), edging ahead of Elkund’s mark of five (Hinsdale, Houston, Gardena, Peoria, and Pontiac).

Plus, if Beach felt the need to strengthen his argument any further, he could also point to his four Parts Unlimited AFT Singles TT wins (which includes two earned at yet another venue (Springfield).

By the Numbers: Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER

Bragging Rights Pt. II

We already covered how Kody Kopp, Tom Drane, and Chase Saathoff stack up in terms of race wins this season. But to further underline how close the match-up has been everywhere but the championship standings, here’s a list of the riders who have stood atop the order in the class this season in Main Events, Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenges, heats races, and combined qualifying:

Main Event Wins

• Kody Kopp: 5
• Tom Drane: 4
• Chase Saathoff: 3

Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenge Wins

• Chase Saathoff: 5
• Kody Kopp: 3
• Tom Drane: 2
• Dalton Gauthier/Justin Jones: 1

Heat Race Wins

• Tom Drane: 9
• Kody Kopp 6
• Chase Saathoff: 5
• Dalton Gauthier/Evan Renshaw/Justin Jones/Trent Lowe: 1

Combined Qualifying Fastest Laps

• Kody Kopp: 5
• Tom Drane: 4
• Chase Saathoff: 3

It seems a bit wild that combined qualifying times – which one would assume would be the least connected to Main Event results – happen to be identical to the Main Event wins list. And yet here we are.