FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive American Flat Track. Complete coverage of this Sunday’s SC2 Peoria TT presented by Backroads Saloon at the Peoria Motorcycle Club will kick off with the day’s first practice session at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT). Sign up now and catch every second of the year’s on-track action at http://flosports.link/2024aft.

FOX Sports coverage of the World Famous SC2 Peoria TT presented by Backroads Saloon, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, August 4, at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT).

Event Rewind: DuQuoin Mile Main Event Highlights

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

Bitter Pill

The landscape for the 2024 Grand National Championship has been irrevocably altered.

Prior to suffering a broken femur in a training accident, Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) had his sights trained firmly on this year’s Mission AFT SuperTwins crown.

Based on a number of factors (last year’s raw speed at the venue, this year’s overall form, home-crowd support, motivation to vindicate last season’s outcome, etc.), a strong argument can be made that Daniels would have been the favorite to win this weekend in Peoria.

And had he done so, he would have increased his championship advantage to – at minimum – 23 points, meaning he would have robbed reigning champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycle FTR750) of control over his own destiny in the process.

Considering Daniels’ ability to reel in podium after podium, that would have put him in a very strong position to also steal away the #1 plate.

But alas, that is now an alternate future that will go unexplored. This weekend was set up as potentially the most pivotal round on which the GNC hinged. Who would have guessed that fulcrum was actually located one week earlier?

It’s a devastating development for Daniels, who performed brilliantly this season. Fortunately for him (and less so for his rivals), he only just turned 21 and has many seasons ahead of him to chase after Mission AFT SuperTwins championship glory.

Life’s a Beach

The series’ massive loss of Daniels has been at least partially offset by the news that his place in Peoria would be taken by JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT).

Beach has made a case to be considered the greatest TT rider in the history of the sport. While lacking in sheer number of wins in comparison to both Henry Wiles and Chris Carr, Beach has racked up TT victories at an incredible rate across classes and a wide range of TT circuits.

Beach comes into Peoria having won eight of the series’ most recent ten TTs, including the last three in succession at Peoria. (Side note: Wiles, Carr, and Beach have accounted for an astonishing 30 Peoria TT wins between them).

However, he hasn’t been on the Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT yet this season, instead focusing his attention on the Tytlers Cycle BMW M RR Superbike.

It’s difficult to predict how that will impact his form this weekend. Almost anywhere else, it would be a given that he’d need to shake off a considerable amount of rust and expectations would be lowered as a result.

However, TTs are a different beast. There’s a long history of discipline specialists and paddock outsiders turning up and excelling at Peoria and elsewhere. And Beach is the ultimate expression of the TT maestro – a world-class dirt tracker and roadracer.

While he may suffer due to his time away from the series in certain sections of the track, the skills that separated Beach from the Progressive AFT pack – rushing into turns on the brakes, negotiating chicanes, etc. – are likely to be sharper than ever.

He’ll need to come out swinging as the field standing in the way – even minus Daniels – is stout. That defense will likely be spearheaded by Briar Bauman (No. 3 Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790 Duke).

Just last season, Bauman defeated Beach, Daniels, and Mees to win last season’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge at Peoria. He went on to finish as runner-up to Beach in the Main Event, just as he also did in 2022 and 2021.

Prior to that, Bauman beat Beach and the rest to stand atop the podium in 2019, and boasts six podiums among nine top fives all-time at the venue.

What the Point(s)?

Despite Daniels’ misfortune, this remains a huge race in terms of the championship fight.

While Mees is clearly the primary beneficiary of the rising star’s injury, he’s unlikely to be celebrating his good fortune. The champion has relished the challenge presented by Daniels’ rise and raised his game in the face of it.

But it’s impossible to ignore what this development has done for Mees’ attempt to claim a history-making tenth career Grand National Championship.

He’s back in the familiar role of title favorite. But be certain, while his chances have radically improved, the ‘24 championship will not simply be handed to him.

That 19-point deficit has been transformed into a de facto (and relatively slim) 11-point lead over Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) without the turn of a wheel.

And beyond Mees and Robinson, some new life has been breathed into Bauman’s championship hopes; he now eyes a 30-point gap – large, yes, but a far cry from 49 – with six races to go at some very favorable circuits, starting this weekend in Peoria.

Will this shift in championship perspective impact how Mees attacks the weekend? Rather than go for broke, might he instead be more mindful of the points?

TTs are tricky… Just last season, Daniels, Mees, Beach, and Bauman all crashed while running at, or near, the front of TTs. That said, too conservative of an approach might just play into the hands of Mees’ nearest rival…

Striking Distance

Robinson’s championship hopes position has gone from bordering on desperation to a more manageable (albeit still uphill) climb in the wake of Daniels’ injury. Prior to that training incident, the Mission Roof Systems pilot pretty much needed 1) some sort of raceday miscue – be it mechanical or mistake – on the Estenson rider’s part, and either 2a) a dose of the same for Mees or 2b) to outscore the champ by 11+ points straight up over the remaining six races on the schedule.

“2b” needs to be the game plan. Rather than hope for disaster for Mees this weekend, Robinson has to do everything he can to minimize whatever damage he might suffer so that he can strike back when competing on more level terms.

Fortunately for Robinson, he has worked hard to improve his TT form over the years and has reaped some significant benefits from those efforts.

The Pennsylvanian first raced at Peoria in 2009, where he failed to qualify for the Main. He lined up for his first Main Event at Peoria in 2014, ultimately finishing 18th. He steadily improved from there, logging successive 14th- (2015), 12th- (2016), and 11th-place (2017) finishes.

Robinson has since elevated his Peoria game to another level, finishing inside the top ten in each of his last three attempts (8th (2021), 7th (2022), and 10th (2023)).

Realistically, he needs to take another step this season to bolster his chances. A top five, especially if achieved in conjunction with a 1-2 from Beach and Bauman, would keep Robinson within striking distance for when the series returns to some venues better suited to his talents.

By Contrast…

Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750) has been a Peoria ace almost since stepping up to the premier class. Or at least as much as a Peoria ace one can claim to be without a podium finish on their record to point to as evidence.

After finishing 16th as a rookie, Vanderkooi has registered seven consecutive finishes of 7th or better here, including four top-fives with finishes of 4th, 5th, and 4th coming in his most recent three outings.

Those results are a mirror of Vanderkooi’s 2024 campaign in the sense that he’s earned eighth finishes of 7th or better this year – including a 4th and a 5th – yet still seeks his first podium of the season.

Perhaps VDK will take care of both in one fell swoop this weekend.

Now Serving: A New Winner

With ‘23 Peoria TT winner Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Mission Foods/Zanotti Racing KTM 790 Duke) and ‘22 and ‘21 winner Max Whale (No. 18 Latus Motors Racing/Liqui Moly Harley-Davidson XG750R) joining ‘19 winner Dallas Daniels in the premier class this season, this weekend’s Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER field is guaranteed to feature a new winner at the venue.

But it’s more than just that; whoever wins will become a first-time TT winner full stop.

Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F) and Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) certainly have the goods to do so this weekend. Not only have they combined to win eight of ten races this season (five for Kopp, three for Drane), they each appeared well on their way to victory at Peoria a year ago before red flags stripped them of hard-earned advantages.

Brunner took full advantage to snatch away the win, followed it up with another at Castle Rock, and then took his claim as the class’ most recent TT winner with him to the Mission AFT SuperTwins class.

Brunner, Whale, and Daniels all earned two wins in the discipline before moving on, one less than fellow premier-class pilot Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650).

Here’s how the class’ all-time TT rankings currently stack:

TT Career Wins List

• Jesse Janisch: 5
• JD Beach: 4
• Micahel Avila/Dominic Colindres/Hayden Gillim/Dalton Gauthier: 3

Fast Boys

Kopp and Drane may be this weekend’s co-favorites, but they are far from heavy favorites. There’s plenty of room for an upset, be it mild or shocking.

And while just about every young dirt tracker dreams of someday winning at Peoria, that’s even more true for those riders from Illinois. Two-race winner and second-ranked Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R), who hails from Hillsboro, Illinois, is the most high-profile of those in contention, and he’s shown solid speed at the track in his two prior attempts.

But he’s not alone. The list also includes Troy, Illinois’ Aiden RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust/ATV’s and More Yamaha YZ450F), who earned a fourth-place finish earlier this season, and kinda/sorta Tyler Raggio (No. 55 Raggio Racing/Sluggo Racing KTM 450 SX-F), who has earned five top tens already this season after coming into the year with none to his name. The kinda/sorta is in reference to the fact that, while originally from Lockeford, California, Raggio is now a resident of Effingham, Illinois.

Streak Semantics

Dallas Daniels has shown himself to be both incredibly quick and consistent, pulling together two of the most impressive podium streaks in the sport’s modern history in each of the past two seasons.

Last year’s 13-race streak was snapped at Peoria when he crashed with just over a lap remaining while running in second position. And this year’s 10-race streak will also end at Peoria.

Or will it? That’s a matter of semantics… Since he won’t participate this weekend and will be out of action for some time, should he be given the opportunity to pick up where he left off when he returns?

That’s still to be determined with a potential ‘*’ in the offing.

Podium Streak (2010-Present)

• Jared Mees: 14 (2023)
• Dallas Daniels: 13 (2023)
• Jared Mees: 11 (2018)
• Jared Mees (2017-2018)/Dallas Daniels (2024 - IN PROGRESS???): 10
• Jared Mees (2021)/Briar Bauman (2020)/Jared Mees (2016-2017): 9
• Jared Mees (2019-2020): 8
• Briar Bauman (2021)/Briar Bauman (2019)/Briar Bauman: (2019 – again): 7

TT Greats

The all-time TT wins list is dominated by both the King and Prince of Peoria, Henry Wiles and Chris Carr, who largely built up their career numbers at the PMC Race Park.

This weekend’s guest superstar, JD Beach – whose modern mastery across a variety of TT circuits lends him a defensible argument as the discipline’s GOAT – has a shot to move into a tie for third with Steve Eklund this weekend.

TT Career Wins List

• Henry Wiles: 19
• Chris Carr: 15
• Steve Eklund: 9
• Dick Mann/JD Beach: 8

Of note: Briar Bauman: 3, Jared Mees: 2, and Dallas Daniels: 1 (and winner of the series’ most recent TT)

Singles and Grand Slams

As noted above, whoever gets the win in this weekend’s Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Main Event will be celebrating their first career Progressive AFT TT victory.

There’s a good chance there will be even more to celebrate. For reasons explained above, this weekend’s pre-race favorites would seem to be Kody Kopp and Tom Drane. And should either of them live up to that advance hype, they will add a TT victory to their prior triumphs, which includes at least one each at a Mile, Half-Mile, and Short Track.

That would put them in the rather exclusive company of Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Grand Slam winners, which for now is a club of just three:

• Dalton Gauthier
• Max Whale
• Trevor Brunner

While still small, it’s a rapidly expanding list considering it sat at zero until Gauthier won his first Mile during the 2022 season. Whale and Brunner joined him last year (Brunner here in Peoria, in fact).

And with the Sturgis TT fast approaching, that club could conceivably hit five in just over two weeks’ time.