The California vibes were intense at Ventura Raceway, host of round four of the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season. A backdrop that melded mountains with ocean, detailed by palm trees and surfers, offered wandering eyes from the well-stocked grandstands plenty of distractions.
By Chris Martin | Photography by Tim Lester
But the spectators in attendance were instead transfixed by what transpired on the dirt of the beachside circuit, where another of California’s prized natural resources—motorcycle racing acumen—grabbed the spotlight.
Recent Progressive AFT history has been largely dominated by the riders produced by Midwestern and Eastern flat track hotbeds, primarily Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, along with the occasional Pacific Northwesterner.
Even California’s brightest star of the modern era, Briar Bauman, is commonly considered a Pennsylvanian after having happily made the state his home for several years. However, the two-time Grand National Champion is a native of Salinas, California. He reminded the gleeful crowd of that by scaling the Ventura Raceway fences to celebrate with the partisan home-state fans for a second consecutive season.
The triumph also furthered the Rick Ware Racing star’s dismantling of the preseason narrative that confidently predicted an Estenson Racing/Yamaha/Dallas Daniels Championship runaway in the premier Mission AFT SuperTwins class this season.
While Daniels doubled at the season opener, he did so only by the skin of his teeth, as Bauman took a wrecking ball to expectations with a pair of near-wins in his debut aboard the once-maligned Harley-Davidson XG750R. The third swing hit even harder when Bauman raced up from row three to win at Yamaha’s home track in Senoia, Georgia, and deliver Harley’s production-based race bike its first-ever win after more than eight seasons.
At Ventura Raceway, Bauman toppled that preseason framework completely, again coming from seemingly nowhere to dominate the main event and snatch away the early-season points lead.
How Bauman earned his back-to-back triumphs also threatens to rob Daniels of any pre-race ease moving forward. The Estenson Racing superstar was strong throughout the day, clocking the fastest times in every practice and qualifying session before marching to a heat race victory.
Bauman, meanwhile, re-enacted his Senoia struggles, qualifying ninth fastest before earning a starting slot on row two, lined up directly behind polesitter Daniels.
But Bauman turned it up when it mattered, storming past his rival early and proceeded to control the race from that point forward, his mastery unfazed even by a red flag and subsequent restart.
Daniels instead found himself forced to contend with Fastrack Racing’s Jarod VanDerKooi just to minimize the damage done on a day that earlier looked like a potential win. Daniels and VanDerKooi employed intersecting lines to routinely swap second, with Daniels squaring VDK up any time he lurched ahead.
That technique allowed him to hold down a runner-up result by just under two-tenths of a margin over VanDerKooi, who said, “That’s everything I had. That was a dogfight for sure. I’m just happy to come away with a podium. It’s great for the team. [Fastrack team owners] Arney and Amy [Wick], they bust their ass.”
Mission Roof Systems’ Brandon Robinson lurked just behind in fourth, ready to scoop up the pieces in the event those intersecting lines led to a collision.
Besides Bauman’s impressive return to championship contention, the event did much to highlight the quantum leap in competitive parity that has resulted from the shift to an all production-based ruleset.
Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson’s Dan Bromley not only put the Suzuki GSX-8S in the top five in the main event, he did so after having qualified second, won his heat race, and powered to the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory.
He was followed home by Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield’s Max Whale, who enjoyed his best ride since mounting the RE Twins FT. Indeed, the Australian ran as high as third before being shuffled down just outside the top five.
Rackley Racing KTM’s Davis Fisher weaved his way up to seventh after starting from the back row due to a heat race crash. Behind him were G&G Racing Yamaha’s James Ott, American Honda/Tuner Racing’s Trent Lowe, and Schaeffer Motorsport’s Logan McGrane to complete the top 10.
Following four rounds, it’s starting to feel safe proclaiming this emerging championship fight more than mere illusion, especially after Bauman leapt ahead of Daniels in the standings, 84-81.
Bauman said, “Yeah, it was great. I mean, it wasn’t a great night. It ended great, but it was so bad in the beginning. We were struggling. I’m kind of talking to Dave [Zanotti] and Michelle [Disalvo]. ‘I don’t know what to do. We’re way off Dallas and everyone else, so we need to figure this out.’
“Luckily, when you have a great team like Rick Ware Racing/Latus Motors, I don’t have to think quite as hard as maybe some do, but we do work together in the whole process. It’s good to have some people to bounce ideas off and try to figure it out. I’m very fortunate to have them. They make me look good most of the time. I just get to ride the bike.”
Regarding the evolving title battle, he added, “We’re still putting one foot in front of the other, and Dallas has an incredible motorcycle and he’s an incredible racer. He’s got an insane team, and right now I think he’s going to win this championship. He’s heir to the throne, but I have worn the crown a few times, and I’m going to do my job and try to get it back.”
AFT SINGLES
Impressive as he was, Bauman wasn’t even the Salinas native who turned the most heads on Saturday night. That honor was stolen away in advance by rookie phenom Kage Tadman, who made an epic professional debut in AFT Singles action.
The 17-year-old Californian set his sights on merely making the main event in his first attempt. He overshot those hopes in the most vivid way imaginable.
Tadman stunned with his speed and style all day, thrashing his way around a high line aboard his Old Oak Ranch/Roof Systems-backed KTM 450 SX-F that no one could replicate. The entire time, he appeared on the verge of crashing. But he never did, not while qualifying fastest, not while running away with his heat, not while dominating the 1st Impressions Challenge, and not while going (nearly) wire-to-wire en route to claiming a maiden Progressive AFT victory.
Tadman, however, came into the weekend with significant amateur credentials, including multiple National titles and an AMA Youth Rider of the Year Award, but none of that prepared the paddock for the performance he was set to deliver, especially in a class that had hardened into a pretty solid status quo at the top.
The 17-year-old said, “It all starts in practice. I felt good in practice. I knew there were a few things we needed to work on to get a little bit quicker. After practice, qualifying rolled around and we did super well there, and then heats, dash, and especially the main. This is a dream night. I would never have thought this could have happened on my rookie debut.”
Senoia ST winner Chase Saathoff did well to keep him honest. His more predictable low line positioned him well if that big mistake were to come, but Tadman never gave him that opportunity.
The result was, however, the Rick Ware Racing pilot’s third straight finish ahead of primary rival Tom Drane, who saw his record-breaking podium streak of nine come to an end with a fourth-place finish. Despite that uncharacteristic performance and Saathoff’s building momentum, the Estenson Racing rider still holds the championship lead by a scant two-point margin (68-66).
Drane’s podium hopes were undone by another home state hero in Tarren Santero, who put the Mission Roof Systems’ Honda CRF450R third to claim the second top three of his career.
Fifth went to American Honda/Turner Racing’s Trevor Brunner, who ranks third in the points but still seeks to put in a ride that signals his return to full-fledged AFT Singles championship contention. CN
2025 American Flat Track Round 4 Results
SuperTwins (Top 10)
- Briar Bauman (H-D) 33 Laps
- Dallas Daniels (Yam) 0.881
- Jarod VanDerKooi (KTM) 1.074
- Brandon Robinson (H-D) 1.297
- Dan Bromley (Suz) 2.783
- Max Whale (KTM) 4.076
- Davis Fisher (KTM) 6.591
- James Ott (Yam) 7.429
- Trent Lowe (Hon) 10.141
- Logan McGrane (KTM) 11.060
Singles (Top 10)
- Kage Tadman (KTM) 26 Laps
- Chase Saathoff (Hon) 0.977
- Tarren Santero (Hon) 1.834
- Tom Drane (Yam) 4.600
- Trevor Brunner (Hon) 5.792
- Jared Lowe (Hon) 5.926
- Aidan RoosEvans (Yam) 7.296
- Justin Anselmi (Yam) 9.472
- Evan Renshaw (Hus) 9.836
- Reece Pottorf (Hon) 10.914
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