The 2021 AFT title ended with more drama than anyone ordered, and with the established stars adding to their tally of titles.
First, Friday's schedule was brought forward from an evening racing to an early afternoon start in an effort to out-run an incoming band of rain, but it wasn't enough and Friday was eventually postponed, until Saturday.
When it got going, AFT Singles served up the battle between Max Whale and 2020 AFT Singles champ, Dallas Daniels. Whale won a tight race with Kody Kopp, the second time he's pipped the youngster, but Daniels raced in conservative style knowing a mid-pack finish was enough to confirm his title, crossing the line in sixth place, 3.4s back from Whale. Estenson Racing's talented teenager was overcome with emotion, unable to complete his interview with trackside reporter Kristin Beat.
Final standings
1. Daniels 281pts
2. Whale 273
3. Mischler 223
4. Rush 203
5. Brunner 202
Production Twins was the only class sewn heading into the Charlotte finale, with (Sideburn 46 cover star) Cory Texter backing up his 2019 Production Twins championship with a second career title. His fifth place finish was only the third time he'd finished out of the podium positions all season, during which he scored a commanding seven wins. The second closest in the wins total was Dallas Daniels who won three of the four Production Twins races he competed in, and came second in the other. That prompts the question, where does Daniels go next?
Jesse Janisch continued his impressive stand-in role for the injured Dalton Gauthier, on the Vance & Hines XG750R to take his first win in the class.
Final standings
1. Texter 313pts
2. Cose 228
3. Bromley 224
4. B Lowe 204
5. Gauthier 175
A run of four straight wins put Jared Mees four points ahead of Briar Bauman going into the last round of the Mission SuperTwins class. Bauman won his semi, that Mees was also in. Then Mees struck back by winning the Mission Dash for Cash. In the main an early red flag, when Yamaha rider Kolby Carlile crashed, added to the tension. After the restart Bauman was leading until tricky track conditions seemed to lead to him going off line, then clipping the haybales at high speed. His FTR750 ricocheted back into the track, where Sammy Halbert T-boned it and was flung high into the air in a violent crash. Encouragingly, he checked himself out of hospital the next day, battered and broken, in time to attend AFT's end of season banquet.
Bauman restarted on his spare bike but was too injured to finish the race, in essence conceding the title. Mees came in second, after first time race winner, Davis FIsher.
Final standings
1. Mees 312
2. Briar Bauman 297
3. Robinson 250
4. Vanderkooi 242
5. Beach 221
All photos: AFT
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