Estenson Racing’s JD Beach stood on top of the Progressive American Flat Track Mission SuperTwins podium in yesterday’s 74th running of the Peoria TT in Peoria, Illinois. His teammate Kolby Carlile made improvements to finish seventh. After the rain delay, it was an uncharacteristic day for the AFT Singles squad in the thrice red-flagged Main Event. Mikey Rush finished eighth in the drama-filled race. Dallas Daniels was on top form early but unfortunately had a big crash after the first restart and was unable to finish the race.
Beach showed strength straight away as the fastest qualifier in the Mission SuperTwins class and then backed that up with a comfortable win in his Semi to give him pole position for the Main Event. The proceedings at the iconic TT track in Thunder Valley were delayed with afternoon rain, but the track crew went to work to get the races in, and the order was changed to start with the premier class. After the lights went out, Beach quickly moved into the lead and built a gap up front. As the race wore on, the defending champion closed back in, but Beach kept cool under pressure to lead every lap en route to his fourth career win in the premier class.
Carlile struggled to find his comfort zone earlier in the day, which gave him a less than ideal starting position for both the Semi and Main Event. He and the team kept working, and they made some changes for the final race of the day. Starting from the back row, the “Flying Tomato” worked his way forward and battled for sixth, coming just shy in the end in seventh.
On the AFT Singles side of the tent, Rush also struggled to find his comfort zone, but he and his crew kept making progress, and he had a solid Semi result in the top five. With all of the drama and multiple restarts in the Main Event, the Californian rode a smart race to finish inside of the top 10 in eighth.
The day started out well for Daniels. The defending champion was on pace for a top result and won his Semi. He then fired the first shot in the Main Event and grabbed the holeshot. On Lap 2, he landed sideways off of the infamous jump and gathered it back up, but went off track into the wet grass and went down. He rejoined a lap down and kept pushing to try and salvage some points. Before the halfway mark, the red flag was drawn with a downed rider, and they lined up for a staggered restart with Daniels at the back. He got a good start and made his way to midpack but unfortunately had a big crash on the front straight on the first lap and was unable to restart. He went to the local hospital for evaluation and was cleared. The Illinois rider is going to seek further evaluation after the weekend, and an update will follow.
Next up for the Estenson Racing squad is an action-packed Labor Day weekend in Springfield, Illinois. The AFT Singles team will battle Friday night at the Progressive American Flat Track Springfield Short Track doubleheader on September 3. Then the Mission SuperTwins team will head over to the legendary Springfield Mile for the doubleheader on September 4-5.
Estenson Racing Team Manager
“We had a day of highs and lows here at the Peoria TT. JD had a spectacular day in the SuperTwins class. He set the pace right from the first session and rode strong and consistent all day. He qualified first, won his Semi, and led every lap of the Main Event. So, I’m really proud of him; what he did today was really good for the team. Kolby struggled a little bit most of the day, but in the Main Event, he definitely put it together and was charging through the field and had a pretty good ride.
“The day started out well for the Singles team. Dallas was right on pace and was fast all day and won his Semi. In the Main Event, he pulled the holeshot, and it looked like it was going to be a good battle. Unfortunately, he just made a little mistake and went off the track and went down. He was able to rejoin and then had a big crash on the front straightaway after the restart. We’re glad he’s okay, but he’s definitely feeling beat up after that get-off. We’re going to get him checked out after the weekend. Mikey had a little bit better race than he had the last few races, so, all in all, it was a positive day.”
Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“Today was a great day! The Peoria TT has been a track that I’ve dreamed of winning a Grand National race at since I was a little kid, and I finally did it! The bike worked great all day, and the team did an amazing job of staying on top of the changing track conditions. With the rain and everything else that was going on, it was just a crazy day. So to leave here with some good points, be the fastest qualifier, and win the Semi and Main Event, I’m just over the moon.
“It also feels great to finally win what I feel like is a real flat track race. It wasn’t a Super TT or a one-off race; there’s just so much history here. While Peoria is a TT track, it’s a totally different animal; it’s basically a Half-Mile with a jump in it. Plus, to have Briar (Bauman) breathing down my neck the whole race and still lead every lap was just awesome.”
Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“I struggled a bit finding the setup earlier in the day, but we were able to end the day strong. It seems like we’ve had that going on lately. We changed the setup for the Main Event, and I felt much better. We started at the back of the grid, and it took me a few laps to put it together, and we started rolling from there. I kept pushing and pushing and got up to seventh, almost made it to sixth place right at the line. I wish we could have positioned myself a little closer to the front for the Main Events and the Semis, but we’re just going to keep building and get better each weekend.”
Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“It was another rough day at Peoria. Considering all the rain we got, the track crew did a good job getting the racetrack good enough to ride, but the track was challenging with all the holes and ruts and bumps after the rain. It was pretty sketchy, so I tried to get through as safely as I could and score as many points as possible. I think all of the restarts in the Main Event kind of hurt me a little bit. A couple of them were good, and I moved forward, but the last one kind of did me in. I lost a few spots, and we only had a few laps to go. We’re going to keep pushing forward and move on to the Springfield Short Track. I really like riding that track, and we did pretty well last year there.”
Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“I had a few nasty get-offs in the Main, and the second one really threw me down. I’m feeling pretty beat up, but thankfully it’s nothing serious. We’re going to get checked out after the weekend and work on getting back to 100% for Springfield. I want to say sorry to the team. I felt like we had the speed to win, but we will come back stronger.”
