Tom Drane dominates Lima Half-Mile I triple-header

2025 American Flat Monitor

Lima Half-Mile I

Photos by Tim Lester

AFT Singles – Lima Half-Mile I

AFT Singles favorite and defending Lima Half-Mile winner Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), earned his first victory of the 2025 Progressive AFT season at this yr’s Lima Half-Mile I triple-header.

Regardless of boasting blistering velocity proper from the opening follow, Drane was compelled to battle for it over the course of three epic Essential Occasions.

The debut of Mission Triple Problem assured a night of drama and pleasure as the 2 courses squared off for supremacy.

It was the primary time your complete discipline would face an all-new format that featured three successive Essential Occasions – the primary a 10-lap dash, the second a 15-lapper that paid double factors, and a decisive 20-lap Essential to spherical out the night with triple the factors – the outcomes of which mixed to find out the night’s general winner. Promising on paper, the idea delivered in follow.

Singles Essential Occasion 1

The night’s first 10-lap dash was a two-rider affair from the beginning, with Trevor Brunner scoring the holeshot and Drane instantly placing him in his sights. The 2 jostled for place for a number of laps earlier than the Australian finally seized management and broke free on the entrance, successful by 1.67-seconds.

The battle for third was much more heated. Initially led by Chad Cose, he later gave strategy to the freight prepare that was Chase Saathoff, Tarren Santero, and Evan Renshaw.

Saathoff, who began eighth and completed third, and Renshaw, who began twelfth and completed fifth, not solely scored sturdy factors hauls towards their mixed tally however improved their possibilities by incomes higher beginning positions for Essential Occasion 2.

Singles Essential Occasion 1 Outcomes

Singles Essential Occasion 2

Saathoff’s improved beginning slot did certainly put him within the combine within the early going of Essential Occasion 2. However as soon as once more, the race progressively took form as a Drane vs. Brunner rematch.

This time round, nonetheless, the Turner Racing pilot had one thing for his Estenson Racing Yamaha-mounted rival.

As soon as in entrance, Brunner put up a fierce defence of the place, altering traces and refusing to shut the throttle when Drane slid up alongside and pushed him up close to the fence, the duo separated by 1.156s.

Saathoff stayed shut sufficient in third to look at the struggle in entrance of him, whereas Santero scooped up a second fourth on the night, with rookie sensation Kage Tadman rounding out Essential Occasion 2’s high 5.

Singles Essential Occasion 2 Outcomes

Singles Essential Occasion 3

Even a less-than-ideal begin wasn’t sufficient to forestall Drane from getting his revenge, each within the third and remaining Essential and the spherical’s general outcome.

The Aussie fell again to fifth firstly whereas Brunner and Saathoff locked horns for first. A fast pink flag resulted in a staggered restart, at which level Drane instantly pounced on Saathoff after which shortly dispatched Brunner as nicely.

Drane refused to relent, opening up a bonus of greater than 5 seconds en-route to the checkered flag.

All of Brunner’s onerous work was derailed when his Honda expired with lower than 5 laps to go. Regardless of a 2-1 run within the Essential Occasions 1 & 2, the triple factors paid out for Essential Occasion 3 price him dearly as he was finally shuffled all the way in which right down to sixth within the evening’s mixed outcomes.

Santero took full benefit of Brunner’s misfortune, out-dueling Saathoff to leap as much as second within the Essential and general.

In the meantime, Saathoff turned three thirds right into a mixed third. Subsequent in Essential Occasion 3 and the general order had been rising stars Renshaw and Tadman, putting fourth and fifth, respectively.

In the meantime, one other extremely touted rookie, Walker Porter, confirmed nicely in his professional debut. Porter recurrently pushed up close to the highest 5 and tallied finishes of 8-9-8 to complete seventh in his first try on the Progressive AFT degree.

Tom Drane

“It was actually good. We had been quick all day. I knew what I needed to do, and as soon as I received previous Trevor, I simply needed to put my head down and preserve going. It’s unlucky that he broke. Again residence, we do one thing related. We’ve received 5 warmth races. So for me, it was no drawback. I simply needed to chip away at it, after which trip that final one prefer it was the Essential due to the factors.  Thanks to my entire Estenson Racing Monster Power Yamaha crew. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be right here successful tonight. And I’m so grateful for them.”

Singles Essential Occasion 3 Outcomes

AFT Singles Standings – High 20

AFT SuperTwins – Lima Half-Mile I

Dallas Daniels claimed high honours on what proved to be an enormous evening for Estenson Racing in a historic Lima Half-Mile I, Spherical 6 of the 2025 Progressive American Flat Monitor season.

Daniels was in critical want of a victory on the Allen County Fairgrounds. Almost 4 months faraway from his final victory and having witnessed Mission AFT SuperTwins title rival Briar Bauman win the final three races in succession, the preseason Grand Nationwide Championship favorite got here into Lima, Ohio, determined to shift the momentum again in his favour.

SuperTwins Essential Occasion 1

The Mission AFT SuperTwins night opened in barn-burning style, with Bauman, Daniels, Brandon Robinson, and Dan Bromley working 4 huge at any time when they weren’t intersecting traces.

Nonetheless, that demonstration of managed chaos was dropped at an abrupt halt because of an early fall by Ben Lowe that introduced out the pink flag.

Daniels took full benefit of the race reset, sprinting away to gather a fast 23 factors towards his night’s mixed tally. He was adopted residence by Bauman, who snuck previous Robinson on the final lap.

Bromley picked up fourth forward of Max Whale (No. 18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650).

SuperTwins Essential Occasion 1 Outcomes

SuperTwins Essential Occasion 2

Classes discovered, Essential Occasion 2 was a contest of shifting traces and shifting methods. Whereas Daniels and Bauman tangled for the lead within the opening levels, Robinson concurrently shot previous each and appeared to make a break.

At that time, Essential Occasion 1 winner Daniels gave the impression to be greatest positioned to forestall that eventuality, whereas Bauman appeared to be doing every part in his energy simply to cling on in third.

However  actually, he was merely doing his homework. When Bauman lastly unleashed the road he labored out whereas out of the sight of Robinson and Daniels, he devoured up the hole and ran across the exterior of each of his opponents, grabbing the lead for good with six laps remaining.

Daniels took notes and dropped Robinson again to 3rd by the point they reached the checkered flag.

Bromley and Whale backed up their earlier fourths and fifths with an identical ends in Essential Occasion 2.

SuperTwins Essential Occasion 2 Outcomes

SuperTwins Essential Occasion 3

A lightning fast begin for Daniels meant valuable little when each Bauman and Robinson stormed previous in a single fell swoop. Whereas the three broke free from the pack virtually from the leap, Bauman continued that cost ahead, turning the competition right into a one-man present for a time.

Nonetheless, after Bauman teased a possible fourth consecutive premier-class victory by edging that benefit up close to a second, Daniels reeled him again in.

Simply when the Estenson Racing ace closed in for the strike with simply 5 of 20 laps remaining, Bauman’s machine appeared to undergo from a slipping clutch. That allowed Daniels to effortlessly blast previous and energy his strategy to a 3rd general victory in 2025.

With practically 5 seconds padding on Robinson, Bauman was practically in a position to nurse that benefit to the flag however as an alternative discovered himself tracked down and overhauled within the race’s remaining nook.

Nonetheless, Bauman’s earlier 2-1 outcomes had been sturdy sufficient to fend off Robinson within the general tally, holding onto second within the mixed order regardless of his final-lap disappointment in Essential Occasion 3.

Fourth-place within the race went to Declan Bender, who closed out a stirring debut with On the Field Racing by working down the on-form Bromley late in Essential Occasion 3.

Nonetheless, like Bauman, Bromley was rewarded for his constant performances with a fourth-place general end.

Against this, Bender’s general results of eighth didn’t mirror the sturdy impression he made in Essential Occasion 3, as his mixed tally nonetheless put behind fifth-placed Whale, sixth-placed Trent Lowe, and seventh-placed Davis Fisher.

Dallas Daniels

“The second and third Mains had been simply tremendous difficult for us. The observe was like nothing I’ve ever seen at Lima earlier than – tremendous disregarded and also you sort of needed to go in and bump the cushion.  I used to be matching Briar there for somewhat bit. I’m unsure if he had an issue or one thing, however I had a very good line in Turns 3 and 4. I needed to sort of go slower to go sooner, which has simply by no means been the case right here earlier than. So it took somewhat bit to adapt and, , Briar has been on all of it season. He’s received the final three races. He’s been kicking our butt. So it’s good to cease the bleeding.  It’s going to be a hell of a season battling with him and the remainder of these guys.”

SuperTwins Essential Occasion 3 Outcomes

AFT SuperTwins Standings – High 15

Subsequent Up:

The celebs of Progressive American Flat Monitor might be again in motion tomorrow for the Lima Half-Mile II.