American Flat Track: More from the Volusia Half-Mile Season Finale – Roadracing World Magazine

KODY KOPP RED BULL KTM ENDS AMERICAN FLAT TRACK SEASON WITH TWO PODIUMS

Round 15 – American Flat Track Championship

BARBERVILLE, FL – Crowned the 2022 AFT Singles Champion in Round 15, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cody Kopp capped off the season with a stellar performance at the Volusia Half-Mile Finale in Barberville, Florida. Kopp took the win in the penultimate round on Friday before finishing second in the season finale on Saturday. His teammate Max Weil finished in the top five twice on the weekend.

Starting from the front row of the table in Semi 1, Kopp finished fourth. He tried to compete for a place on the podium, but remained there throughout the race, finishing fourth. He also led all four laps of the Dash for Cash, taking the win. When it came time for the Main Event, Kopp lined up on the second row and the 17-year-old quickly moved up to second. He soon took the lead and dominated the rest of the race on his KTM 450 SX-F, leading the remaining 24 laps.

In Saturday’s finale, Kopp started second in Semi 2. He then briefly dropped to third before regaining the position before the checkered flag flew. Kop started on the front row of the grid in the Main Event and immediately took second place. He then passed the leader and led until the final lap despite two red flags and restarts. Kopp was put to the test on the second restart, but in the final race of the season he finished second and finished on the podium.

Cody Kopp: “Since the championship was already over, it was easier for me to reach the maximum limit again and finish the season on a high note. We didn’t get off to the best start in qualifying on either day, but it was great to end a three-month streak without a podium and it was nice to get our seventh national win of the year on Friday. A double podium is not the best way to end this year. Just want to give it to my team! These guys have been putting in a lot of effort all year and it’s great to bring them their first championship – and for me too. I am very happy to be number one next year.”

Wale had a great start to the penultimate round, finishing third in qualifying – just 0.088 seconds behind the top qualifier. In Semi 1 he started third and quickly moved up to second within a couple of laps. He then drove a steady race and finished second. Keith also competed in the Dash for Cash, placing third. In the AFT singles main event, he finished fifth after the start. Despite challenging his rivals on several occasions, he was unable to gain position at the half-mile mark. When the checkers were flying, he was fifth.

On Saturday, Wale quickly took second place in Semi 2. He held the spot for most of the race, but ended up finishing just behind his teammate to complete the podium. Keith started in fifth place in the Main Event. The course proved to be difficult to pass and he stayed put throughout the race.

Max Keith: “The last two rounds of the AFT series have been good. We had some good sessions in qualifying and in practice, but very difficult once the night came. The first night, I got fifth place and I had to fight for it. Then the second night I showed a very good pace early in the day. I had a pretty good half; finished the third fight with Cody [Kopp] for the second. In the Main Event, we started in second place and finished fifth again. Super difficult track to pass, but we were right there with the leaders. Thank you so much for a great season.”

Rounds 16 & 17 Results – Volusia Half-Mile Doubleheader Finals

AFT Singles Main Event (Round of 16)

1. Cody Kopp, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

2. Trent Lowe, Honda

3. Dalton Gauthier, Honda

OTHERS

5. Max Weil, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

8. James Ott, KTM

12. Hunter Bauer, KTM

14. Damon Rome, KTM

15. Logan McGrane, KTM

AFT Singles Main Event (Round 17)

1. Dalton Gauthier, Honda

2. Cody Cope, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

3. Morgan Mishler, Honda

OTHERS

5. Max Weil, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

6. James Ott, KTM

16. Hunter Bauer, KTM

17. Logan McGrane, KTM

2022 AFT singles standings

1. Cody Kopp, 318 points

2. Dalton Gauthier, 255

3. Morgen Mishler, 250

OTHERS

5. Max Weil, 234

8. James Ott, 135

10. Hunter Bauer, 101 years old

14. Travis Petton IV, 65

23. Damon Rome, 23

26. Logan McGrane, 19

More from Harley-Davidson’s press release:

HARLEY-DAVIDSON JESSE JANISH WINS PRODUCTION TWINS FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP

Seventh win of the season secures American Flat Track title at Volusia Double Header

MILWAUKEE, WI (October 17, 2022) – Vance & Hines Racing driver Jesse Janisch raced the Harley-Davidson® XG750R in the Mission Production Twins National Championship presented by Vance & Hines during the final weekend of competition in the 2022 Progressive American Flat Track Series. On Friday, Janisch won his seventh race of the season at Volusia Speedway Park’s half-mile in Barberville, Fla., and took a 21-point lead into Saturday night’s season finale. His eighth place finish in that final race secured the championship.

Harley-Davidson also won the Mission Production Twins Manufacturer’s Championship as the Harley riders scored 365 points for the season, 10 points ahead of the Yamaha riders. Janisz led his class with seven wins and added six other podiums on the season. Billy Ross (Roof Systems Racing) and Michael Rush (Hellipower Racing/Las Vegas Harley-Davidson) won the Mission Production Twins race on their Harley-Davidson XG750R motorcycles.

“I am very happy to win this title for Vance & Hines and Harley-Davidson,” said Janisch. “Vance & Hines worked so hard on the flat course and my Harley-Davidson was fast right off the truck in the first race. I don’t think we even started making adjustments to the bike until mid-season. That goes to my mechanic Josh Sutter, crew chief Steve Polk and team manager Craig Koontz.”

Janish has been battling with Mission Production Twins reigning champion Corey Thaxter for most of the season, and Janish held a 9-point lead heading into the final two races at Volusia Speedway. His win on Saturday and Texter’s 6th place aboard his Yamaha meant Janisz only needed to finish 15th or higher in the final race to secure the title. Texter won the final race, but Janisch finished the championship with 320 points, 7 points ahead of Texter.

“When you work for Vance & Hines, you expect to win races and championships. There are no excuses. I started this season with that mindset,” Janish said. “There are some tracks in this series that are difficult for me and I always tried to stay in the points. The turnaround on the West Coast with wins in Castle Rock and Sacramento was the strength of our season.”

Janish began racing at the age of 4 at local tracks in central Wisconsin and became an AMA Pro racer in 2003 at the age of 16. He has raced in virtually every sport, and in 2018 and 2019 he finished in the top 10 in points in the US Flat Track Singles class. Last season, however, the 35-year-old from Palm Coast, Fla., was without a ride until he was called up by Vance & Hines to fill in for injured driver Dalton Gauthier in the final six races of the season. Janisz finished in the top four five times, including a win at Charlotte, results that earned him a full-time seat at Vance & Hines for 2022, and he followed that path all the way to the championship.