Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, will complete a run of four races in less than two weeks with one of its most iconic events: the World Famous Peoria TT on Saturday, August 16, at the Peoria Motorcycle Club in Peoria, Illinois.
The Masters of Peoria
This year marks the 78th edition of the fabled race, one that fans reliably flock to in droves to watch from the hillsides of its spectacular natural amphitheater, as well as one that aspiring dirt trackers from all over the world dream of someday winning.
Despite its long history, the winners list remains shockingly exclusive, as each victory has been jealously guarded by an elite cadre of Peoria TT masters.
In its most recent 38 runnings, there have been just nine different winners. At the top of that list, of course, stands 14-time race winner “King” Henry Wiles, followed closely by Chris Carr, who earned the moniker “The Prince of Peoria” by conquering the prestigious event 13 times.
The most recent certified master of the Peoria TT is JD Beach, who won three straight from 2021-2023.
This trend is not a recent development, not even in a relative sense. Joe Leonard claimed seven wins here from 1954-1961, Bart Markel took six from 1960-1968, and Dick Mann racked up five between 1959-1972.
In fact, this tendency towards the emergence of Peoria dominators pre-dates the Grand National Championship’s initiation as a season-long affair in 1954, as Roger Soderstrom claimed five straight Peoria TT wins from 1949-1953.
Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R) is on the cusp of earning his Peoria TT master’s degree. He owns two wins in the race (2019 and 2024) and has finished on the podium every year since the Mission AFT SuperTwins class brought the big bikes back to the track in 2017.
And the Rick Ware Racing hero may actually need to earn that distinction with a third-career Peoria TT victory this weekend if he hopes to secure a third premier-class title in 2025. More on that in a bit.
If Only
And yet, all of the above does not necessarily make Bauman the slam-dunk favorite to win this weekend.
Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) has everything necessary to be a Peoria TT master himself – everything minus the consistent record of results at the venue to back the claim up.
Hailing from nearby Mattoon, Illinois, Daniels was that quintessential kid who daydreamed of Peoria TT glory as he rose up through the ranks. And he got it – in a big way – when he crushed a stacked AFT Singles field in 2019 to score his maiden Progressive AFT victory as a 16-year-old rookie.
Armed with both sublime flat track and road racing skills, Daniels is a proven TT superstar – talents once again put to good use in last Friday’s Jackpine Gypsies Super TT. However, his relationship with the Peoria TT since that initial breakthrough has been decidedly mixed.
If you’ll recall, Daniels returned to the venue in 2021 (there was no Grand National Championship round at Peoria in 2020 due to the global pandemic) with sky high expectations. Instead, the visit turned out to be a nightmare, marred by two huge crashes in the Main Event, resulting in a 16-place finish.
His first attempt in the premier class in 2022 went significantly better – a respectable third. However, despite being the fastest rider throughout qualifying, he suffered from a poor start in the Main that likely prevented him from challenging for the win.
And then In 2023, Daniels crashed out of second place with just over a lap remaining, handing the championship lead over to Jared Mees in the process.
And 2024 was the worst of all… He didn’t even make it to Peoria. Daniels suffered an accident in training while prepping for the TT, which effectively ended his title campaign after having previously built up an imposing championship advantage.
Of all of the visits, however, this one might be the most critical in the Estenson Racing star’s lifelong quest to win the Grand National Championship.
Here’s What’s on the Line
Four races remain to determine this season’s Mission AFT SuperTwins title – this weekend’s Peoria TT, the Springfield Mile I & II, and the Lake Ozark Short Track finale – while just seven points separate Bauman from Daniels at the top of the championship order.
Consider the following:
Daniels’ didn’t just win at the season’s only prior Mile in DuQuoin, he looked to hold a rather significant speed advantage over Bauman while doing so. In fact, come Springfield, Bauman may need to be concerned about more than just Daniels alone. Another Yamaha podium lockout like the one that took place in DuQuoin that could prove catastrophic to his title ambitions.
Springfield I & II Advantage: Daniels
The subsequent Lake Ozark ST finale will mark the season’s ninth Short Track. While Daniels doubled at the DAYTONA ST opener, Bauman will head into the season’s finale race having beaten Daniels at six consecutive Short Tracks (with five wins in those six).
Lake Ozark Short Track Advantage: Bauman
Imagine the very real scenario in which Daniels and Bauman go 1-2 twice at Springfield and 2-1 at Lake Ozark. If that were to happen, setting aside this weekend’s results at Peoria, Bauman will have accumulated 304 points to Daniels 301.
If you factor a Bauman/Daniels Peoria TT 1-2 into that equation, Bauman wins 327-320.
Now if you instead factor in a Daniels/Bauman Peoria TT 1-2, Daniels wins 324-323.
Yeah, this weekend is big.
And Here’s Who Could Make Things Even More Interesting
Of course, the title rivals are not the only riders on track. Others can still play the spoiler, the same way James Ott (No. 19 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07) and Declan Bender (No. 70 Memphis Shades/Luczak Racing Yamaha MT-07) did in DuQuoin.
And this weekend we have the “King” of all spoilers in attendance: Henry Wiles (No. 911 DL Racing/HYMMC Yamaha MT-07).
Despite being both a part-time racer and shouldering double-duty at Sturgis, Wiles scooped up podiums at the Jackpine Gypsies Super TT in both Mission AFT SuperTwins and AFT AdventureTrackers™.
And the 19-time TT winner didn’t just do that, he also looked awfully competitive with Daniels and Bauman while doing so, at least for stretches. Now just imagine how strong he might be in his return to the venue where he built his legend.
Another rider to keep a close eye on is Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown Racing KTM 790 Duke), who has long, albeit somewhat quietly, stood as a very good Peoria TT rider.
“Quiet” only because he has yet to podium at the track since joining the premier class in 2015. However, ‘15 is also the only year of his Mission AFT SuperTwins career in which he finished worse than seventh in the Peoria TT, finishing inside the top five on five occasions with three runs to fourths.
While VDK faces an uphill climb in the attempt to finish the season ranked third in the championship, he does have an opportunity to make serious inroads with a big weekend in Peoria.
VanDerKooi should have an advantage here over third-ranked Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) and fourth-ranked Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke). That said, it’s worth noting that Robinson has steadily improved at Peoria over the years to the point that he finished fifth at the track a season ago, and Fisher was on it at this past week’s Super TT before equipment failure cost him a shot at a podium.
And finally, don’t rule out top-three efforts from Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Suzuki GSX-8S) and Max Whale (No. 18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650), a pair of riders who have stood on the top of the podium in Peoria before while competing in other classes.
AFT Singles Presented by KICKER
Two years ago, Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) appeared to be well on his way to cruising to a Peoria TT victory.
However, a late-race red flag forced a restart, at which point he got shuffled down to second by then-teammate Trevor Brunner (No. 21 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R).
Consequently, Drane is still seeking his first TT win – something of an upset considering his roadracing bonafides.
The Australian now ranks third all-time with 15 career AFT Singles victories. Adding that TT win this weekend would leave him just three wins shy of Shayna Texter-Bauman for second on that list while making him just the sixth rider in history to hit the AFT Singles Grand Slam.
It would also prove a huge step towards his first class crown, as we’ll explain momentarily.
Saathoff Still (Barely) In Control of His Own Destiny
Chase Saathoff (No. 88 RWR/Parts Plus Honda CRF450R) is one of the five riders to have won a Mile, Half-Mile, TT, and Short Track in AFT Singles action. Saathoff’s first TT triumph, of course, came here in his home state one year ago.
He added a second TT win this past Friday at the Jackpine Gypsies Super TT. There Saathoff was given a little bit of championship help by his fellow Illinois native, Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust/ATV’s and More Yamaha YZ450F), who kept Drane at bay in third.
As a result, Saathoff moved to within 16 points of Drane in the title chase (230-214) – a critical margin with four races to go.
The gap is near enough that if Saathoff were to go on a tear and win from here out, he would be the 2025 AFT Singles Champion, even if Drane managed to finish second in all of those races (in that case, producing a tie at 306 with Saathoff getting the nod via tiebreaker with seven hypothetical wins to Drane’s four).
While demanding that Saathoff win five races in a row to close out the ‘25 season is a mighty big ask (only Dallas Daniels’ six-race win streak in 2020 is longer in class history), it may prove necessary considering Drane’s consistent excellence.
From the end of the ‘24 season to the early stages of the ‘25 campaign, the Estenson Racing pilot assembled the longest podium streak in class history, which finally concluded at nine when he finished fourth at the Ventura Short Track.
He’s since gone on to stack up the second longest such streak ever, which now stands at eight at counting.
That said, Saathoff has been similarly strong week-in and week-out, as he’s actively working a historically significant seven-race podium streak of his own.
The X Factor
Of course, another rather significant variable has been added to that championship equation this weekend in the form of reigning triple AFT Singles champion Kody Kopp (No. 1 Bob Lanphere/KTM/Fastrack Racing KTM 450 SX-F).
Kopp is a late addition to this weekend’s entry list, and his presence will most certainly be felt. While he’s spent the bulk of his 2025 season focused on his roadracing aspirations, Kopp did make a guest appearance at the DAYTONA Short Track double opener and promptly swept both races.
While he’s accomplished just about everything one can do in the class – Kopp boasts more titles and race wins than any other rider in AFT Singles history for starters – he has yet to win the Peoria TT. He’s come close, however, finishing on the podium and mere fractions of a second behind the winner in each of his last two attempts.
But even if he’s just trying to take care of some unfinished business, that business could have massive championship implications for Drane and Saathoff. Kopp poses both a threat and an opportunity to the title fighters – a rider with the potential to steal vital points away from them, their opponent, or both, depending on the order in which they cross the stripe.
Brunner and Company
Other than the aforementioned Brunner, no other rider is in even mathematical contention for the ‘25 title. As for Brunner – his chances are effectively mathematical and mathematical only, as he trails Drane by a massive 54-point margin.
But he (and the rest of the crew) can still play a role in determining who wins. As we mentioned before, Brunner has proven he can beat the likes of Drane and Saathoff in Peoria, and he’s got little to prevent him from going for broke this weekend.
The same is true for RoosEvans – fresh off his maiden Progressive AFT podium – who would love to add another in front of his home fans.
Meanwhile, Tarren Santero (No. 75 Mission Roof Systems Honda CRF450R), Evan Renshaw (No. 65 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), and Jared Lowe (No. 63 Big R/Little Debbie Racing Honda CRF450R) finished fourth through sixth, here a year ago.
And up-and-comers Kage Tadman (No. 288 Roof Systems/Old Oak Ranch KTM 450 SX-F), Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Hannum’s HD/Pfanders Racing KTM 450 SX-F), and Evan Kelleher (No. 31 Schaeffer’s Motorsports KTM 450 SX-F) are capable of springing an upset at any moment.
Amped for a Day of Racing Theatrics at the Amphitheater
There will be plenty beyond just the race action for fans to enjoy throughout the day on Saturday, including numerous vendors, expansive food and beverage options, and dedicated motorcycle parking.
General Admission Grandstand tickets are just $30 (kids 12 and under free with a paid adult General Admission ticket).
For $125 (all ages), fans can purchase a VIP ticket, which includes admission to the Turn 1 VIP lounge – located in an air conditioned building that overlooks the entire track – food and beverage, a swag bag, and VIP parking.
Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/peoriamotorcycleclub/events/2025-peoria-tt-129191 to secure your tickets today.
Gates will open at 9:00 a.m. ET/6:00 a.m. PT with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT.
How to Watch
- FloRacing
For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Motorsports fans can subscribe to FloRacing to enjoy over 1,000 live motorsports events in 2025. FloSports is available by visiting https://flosports.link/aft or by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast.
- FS1
FOX Sports coverage of the 78th World Famous Peoria TT, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, August 30, at 10:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. PT).
For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.