DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 17, 2015) - There was no shortage of drama when AMA Pro Flat Track kicked off its 2015 season last weekend with its doubleheader at DAYTONA Flat Track in Daytona Beach, Fla., March 12-13. It proved to be a thrilling couple days of nonstop motorcycle racing action between some of the world's most prominent riders that make up the elite Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines class.
After winning his heat race, but settling for fifth place in Thursday night's Dash for Cash, Salinas, Calif., product Stevie Bonsey earned his first DAYTONA Flat Track win following the night's main event aboard the only Suzuki in the field of 19 riders.
Riding a No. 80 Dodge Bros Suzuki, Bonsey was neck-and-neck with defending Grand National Champion Jared Mees for the majority of the night's Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines main event, which was sponsored by Bruce Rossmeyer's Daytona Harley-Davidson. There were moments during the race when the two tangled so closely that they touched tires on multiple occasions, putting the pressure on Bonsey to be mistake-free for the duration of the race.
Fortunately for Bonsey, he was just that, mistake-free, and was able to counter Mees' valiant attempts at swiping his lead at critical moments late in the race with impressive moves of his own. Unfortunately for Bonsey, he wouldn't find such luck in Round 2, as he finished 18th in Friday night's main event and now sits sixth in the AMA Pro Flat Track point standings.
"I was glued to Stevie's rear wheel and was just hoping for a mistake out of him," said Mees describing his Thursday night second-place finish. "He is a phenomenal rider and he didn't make one, so hats off to him."
Though he came close, Mees never passed Bonsey at any point during the race. The No. 1 Montgomeryville Cycle Center Honda rider was clearly being cautious as he knows that the AMA Pro Flat Track season is a marathon and not a sprint.
"In the end, I played it very safe," said Mees. "I maybe had one shot that I could have gotten in there to pass him but I was waiting for something a little cleaner so I held back. I have a great team behind me and it was nice to perform decently at Daytona, I usually don't come out of the gate so well here."
Like Bonsey, Mees followed up his impressive Thursday night finish with a lackluster 11th place finish in Friday's main event. Mees now sits fourth in the points.
Closing out the podium Thursday night was Kenny Coolbeth Jr. The No. 2 Zanotti Racing Honda rider proved once again that he is getting younger with age, as he followed up his third place finish Thursday night with a monster Friday night main event victory, winning by more than six seconds. The 38-year-old now sits atop the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track point standings heading into Round 3 at Springfield.
Brandon Robinson had one of the better weekends in AMA Pro Flat Track's season-opening doubleheader. The No. 44 T.J. Burnett Farms Honda pilot recorded fourth and second place finishes and currently sits second in points behind Coolbeth.
"I'm happy with second place but at the same time, I let that one slip away," Robinson said following his runner-up performance following Round 2 on Friday night. "Kenny (Coolbeth) went around me and there was nothing I could do with him. He was hooked up and rolling through the center way better than everyone. I know about halfway through the race once I started settling into second that he was going to beat me. I just tried my hardest to finish directly behind him and I'm glad I was able to do that."
Recording sixth and third place finishes last weekend was the No. 7 Fredericktown Yamaha rider Sammy Halbert. One of the more popular riders in the series today, Halbert is off to a fast start in 2015, and his effort to close out the podium on Friday should be a big momentum builder for the Graham, Wash., native.
"It felt good," said Halbert recalling his third place finish on Friday night. "That's what I wanted to do, was get up on that podium. Unfortunately I didn't do that well in the beginning of the race, I kind of worked my way backwards and then I found my groove and started picking riders off. I've got a great team behind me this year so it should be fun."
Halbert leaves Daytona sitting third in the points.
Robert Pearson was a rider that went under the radar all weekend, yet the No. 27 R&R Racing Yamaha pilot recorded impressive fifth and seventh place main event finishes and currently sits fifth in points. Pearson is coming off a season in which he qualified for all but three mains, and the Chillicothe, Ill., native will try to maintain his consistency when the series visits his home state next round.
Last season's DAYTONA Flat Track Round 1 winner, Briar Bauman, didn't have the same kind of luck this time around, but the Hart Racing Honda rider did manage to finish eighth and fifth, and left Daytona seventh in points.
Henry Wiles didn't kick off the season in Round 1 the way he had hoped. His 11th place Heat 3 performance followed by his fifth place Semi 1 finish disqualified him from competing in the season's first main event. However, Wiles rebounded tremendously on Friday with a Round 2 fourth place finish in the night's main event aboard his Zanotti Racing Honda. Wiles now sits eighth in points.
Notable riders who left Daytona on the outside of the top 10 in points include; Jeffrey Carver Jr., who leaves in 11th place in the standings, Jake Johnson, who leaves Daytona in 12th and Brad Baker, whose 12th and 14th place main event finishes leave him 13th in points.
Round 1 Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines Main Event Results
1. Stevie Bonsey/ Salinas, CA/ Suzuki RMZ 450
2. Jared Mees/ Clio, MI/ Honda CRF450R
3. Kenny Coolbeth, Jr./ Center Hill, FL/ Honda CRF450R
4. Brandon Robinson/ Oxford, PA/ Honda CRF450R
5. Robert Pearson/ Mossville, IL/ Yamaha YZ 450F
6. Sammy Halbert/ Graham, WA/ Yamaha YZ 450F
7. Jake Johnson/ Coatesville, PA/ Kawasaki KX450F
8. Briar Bauman/ Salinas, CA/ Honda CRF450R
9. Doug Lawrence/ Mississauga, ON/ Honda CRF450R
10. Jake Shoemaker/ Glenmoore, PA/ Honda CRF450R
11. JD Beach/ Philpot, KY/ Yamaha YZ 450F
12. Brad Baker/ Eatonville, WA/ Honda CRF450R
13. Mike Rush/ San Jose, CA/ Honda CRF450R
14. Jarod Vanderkooi/ Mt Gilead, OH/ Honda CRF450R
15. Chad Cose/ Fremont, CA/ Honda CRF450R
16. Bryan Smith/ Flint, MI/ Honda CRF450R
17. Michael Kirkness/ Wauchope, NSW/ Honda CRF450R
18. Scott Baker/ Dryad, WA/ Honda CRF450R
19. Jay Maloney/ Oakland, NJ/ Honda CRF450R
Round 2 Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines Main Event Results
1. Kenny Coolbeth, Jr./ Center Hill, FL/ Honda CRF450R
2. Brandon Robinson/ Oxford, PA/ Honda CRF450R
3. Sammy Halbert/ Graham, WA/ Yamaha YZ 450F
4. Henry Wiles/ Crystal, MI/ Honda CRF450R
5. Briar Bauman/ Salinas, CA/ Honda CRF450R
6. Jeffrey Carver Jr./ Godfrey, IL/ Kawasaki KX450F
7. Robert Pearson/ Mossville, IL/ Yamaha YZ 450F
8. Jake Constantine/ Selkirk, NY/ Honda CRF450R
9. Chad Cose/ Fremont, CA/ Honda CRF450R
10. Johnny Lewis/ Coatesville, PA/ Honda CRF450R
11. Jared Mees/ Clio, MI/ Honda CRF450R
12. JD Beach/ Philpot, KY/ Yamaha YZ 450F
13. Mike Rush/ San Jose, CA/ Honda CRF450R
14. Brad Baker/ Eatonville, WA/ Honda CRF450R
15. Cory Texter/ Willow Street, PA/ Honda CRF450R
16. Jarod Vanderkooi/ Mt Gilead, OH/ Honda CRF450R
17. Wyatt Maguire/ Mead, WA/ Honda CRF450R
18. Stevie Bonsey/ Salinas, CA/ Suzuki RMZ 450
19. Jake Johnson/ Coatesville, PA/ Kawasaki KX450F
Up next
The stars of the series will visit Springfield, Ill. for the first Springfield Mile scheduled for May 24, 2015. Fans can get their tickets at http://www.illinoismda.com/. The entire event can also be viewed LIVE at www.FansChoice.tv.
How to Watch:
FansChoice.tv will be the official home for live streaming coverage of AMA Pro Flat Track events in 2015. The site will also provide coverage of IMSA's development and single-make series, and NASCAR's touring and weekly series.
Round 1
Round 2
GNC1 Main Event Thursday
GNC 1 Main Event Friday
Pre-Race Show Thursday
Opening Ceremonies Thursday
Opening Ceremonies Friday
