Round five of the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season takes place on May 3 at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California.
This is a press release from AFT…
Daytona Beach, FL (April 29, 2025) – An intriguing 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, picks right back up this weekend with the second annual Silver Dollar Short Track at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California, on Saturday, May 3.
Last year’s inaugural visit introduced the world’s greatest motorcycle dirt track racers to one of the West Coast’s most iconic auto racing dirt track facilities. A formative venue for a multitude of four-wheeled superstars, including the track’s current co-owners Kyle Larson and Brad Sweet (along with business partner Colby Copeland), Silver Dollar Speedway added another dimension to its proud history in 2024 by playing host to a triumphant performance from 10-time Grand National Champion Jared Mees.
SUPERTWINS
Daniels vs Bauman
With Mees now retired, many predicted that Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) would assume the vacated Mission AFT SuperTwins throne. Many still do.
However, after four rounds, the series doesn’t just feature a heated title fight, it also has a new championship leader.
That honor, of course, belongs to Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R), who took the Harley-Davidson XG750R to its second-ever premier-class victory one race after delivering its first.
Bauman took the two wins from the third and second row, respectively, a fact that will undoubtedly create at least a small amount of doubt for Daniels whenever he lines up for a Main Event, no matter how perfectly the day has transpired to that point.
The flipside, however, is that Bauman needs to continue making strides on the Harley so as to avoid putting himself and the Rick Ware Racing team in the position where they are forced to make significant set-up gambles come race time.
While their pre-race adjustments have paid off handsomely as of late, the most difficult aspect of defeating Daniels in a season-long championship battle is not beating him on any single given evening but somehow matching (and exceeding) his unrelenting excellence – a rare trait that has seen the Estenson Racing superstar collect 17 podiums in succession.
Daniels may carry just an extra bit of motivation into this weekend as well; not only did he just lose the points lead, he also returns to a track where he came up just one corner short of beating Mees for victory.
On the Fastrack
While Daniels and Bauman have been a constant presence on the podium this season, they have been joined on the box by a different rider on each occasion.
Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown Racing KTM 790 Duke) became the latest to make a podium appearance, joining Henry Wiles (No. 911 J&M Logging/Ray C’s Harley-Davidson Kawasaki Ninja 650), Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R), and Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke).
In doing so, he also sidled up next to Robinson and Fisher in the points race, forming a powerful second group of contenders working hard to keep Bauman and Daniels in sight.
Beyond just getting his campaign properly on track, the third-place finish represents a significant milestone for VDK and Fastrack Racing. One race after giving the squad its first-ever top five since being established as an independent race team following a long association with Latus Motors, VanDerKooi earned the squad’s first premier-class podium.
It was also VanDerKooi’s first finish this season as the top KTM, as he finally got the better of Fisher, who has immediately taken to the Rackley Racing KTM 790 Duke.
Who’s Next?
Who might be the next rider to step up to the podium this season? There is no shortage of contenders in a young season that has already boasted an impressive depth of color in terms of bikes and riders making their presence felt near the front.
Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Suzuki GSX-8S) has shown huge potential on the Suzuki this season—potential that has never been more obvious than it was this past weekend at Ventura Raceway. There Bromley won a heat race, won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and battled to a top-five result. A podium is not beyond his reach.
Max Whale (No. 18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) finally looked at home on the Royal Enfield, running in a podium position in the early going this past weekend before getting shuffled down just outside the top five. The race provided a much-needed confidence injection along with front-running experience that should continue to pay dividends moving forward.
Meanwhile, Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Progressive Insurance Honda Transalp) strung together his fourth top 10 in four attempts, while James Ott (No. 19 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07) continues to look increasingly racey.
One other name to track is Logan McGrane (No. 14 Schaefer’s Motorsport KTM 790 Duke), who not only earned his first-career Progressive American Flat Track top 10 this past weekend but actually gave Bauman fits in their heat race and ran in third position for the opening four laps of the Main Event.
SINGLES
Power Dynamics in Flux as AFT Singles Arrive in Chico
Daytona Beach, FL (April 30, 2025) – The AFT Singles presented by Kicker class arrives at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California, this Saturday, May 3, for the Silver Dollar Short Track, Round 5 of the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, with a renewed sense of unpredictability.
This past weekend’s Ventura Short Track not only saw the category’s first winner not named Kody Kopp (No. 1 Bob Lanphere/KTM/Fastrack Racing KTM 450 SX-F), Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) or Chase Saathoff (No. 88 RWR/Parts Plus Honda CRF450R) in more than 23 months, that winner was a rider making his professional debut.
Encore! Encore!
Kage Tadman (No. 228 Old Oak Ranch/Roof Systems KTM 450 SX-F) became just the fourth rider in AFT Singles history to win in his maiden attempt. Of those who did it before him, only future Grand National Champion Brad Baker finished better than 10th in his follow-up performance, finishing second in his next attempt.
Tadman’s performance this weekend will be of keen interest to the paddock and the sport’s fans at large after he thoroughly outshined a talent-laden grid at Ventura Raceway. The 17-year-old Salinas, California, native was clearly more comfortable with a tricky surface than his new adversaries, both willing and able to exploit a higher line and push in a way no one else could.
Just how much of that was down to his innate talent (which, as a six-time Amateur National Grand Champion is no doubt considerable) and how much was due to a familiar track perfectly suited to his skill set remains undetermined. This weekend in Chico will shed a great deal more light on that.
Championship Focus
While Tadman stole the spotlight last weekend, Saathoff and Drane continued to jockey for championship positioning.
Saathoff continued his recent roll, bettering his Australian rival for the third consecutive race after failing to do so in the previous six races dating back to last season. Despite the shift, Drane continues to lead in the title fight, albeit by just two points (68-66) as they resume their fight at Silver Dollar Speedway.
Speaking of 2024, the Silver Dollar Short Track was one of two critical races that saw Drane come out the worst of an incident involving Saathoff that ultimately cost him the #1 plate. That, combined with his rival’s momentum, the end of his record-setting nine-race podium streak, and a winless 2025 campaign to date, likely has Drane plenty motivated despite his position atop the standings.
Incidentally, the Estenson Racing ace has not gone more than four races without a victory since the opening six races of his first full Progressive AFT season in 2023.
Re-establishing the Established Order
While Tadman was the one to finally succeed in toppling the pecking order – for one weekend at least – there have been hints that others are ready to join the party at the front.
Last weekend, fellow Californian Tarren Santero (No. 75 Mission Roof Systems Honda CRF450R) joined Tadman in success – both by finishing on the podium and ahead of Drane. The third-place result was much needed after Santero struggled to find his footing in the opening three races of a ‘25 campaign saddled by lofty expectations.
Senoia ST podium finisher Evan Renshaw (No. 65 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) and fellow class sophomore Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Hannum’s HD/Pfanders Racing KTM 450 SX-F) have the requisite talent to push for wins as well.
Meanwhile, it seems only a matter of time before Trevor Brunner (No. 21 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) strikes considering he’s won races in all four of his previous seasons in the class.
There’s More…
If nothing else, Tadman reminded the dirt track world that anything can happen on any given weekend in AFT Singles competition.
Among the other riders to track this weekend include Jared Lowe (No. 63 Big R/Little Debbie Racing Honda CRF450R), who was consistently strong this past weekend en route to an eventual sixth, and Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust/ATV’s and More Yamaha YZ450F), who not only featured near the top of the leaderboards at Ventura but whose four-wheeled background has served him well at iconic auto racing venues in the past.
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