| June 25, 2024
In an era that is commonly framed as the all-time great (Jared Mees) versus the crown prince (Dallas Daniels), with another potential legend working to reassert his claim (Briar Bauman), Brandon Robinson certainly has done well to escape their shadows.
By Chris Martin | Photography by Tim Lester
While perhaps not widely considered a preseason Grand National Championship contender on the order of his rivals, the Mission Roof Systems’ ace spent the opening half of the 2024 season reframing both perspectives and points standings.
Robinson’s most recent such feat was accomplished before a large partisan fanbase at Swedesboro, New Jersey’s Bridgeport Speedway, located just a relatively short trip across the Delaware River from Robinson’s boyhood home in Pennsylvania.
Brandon Robinson celebrates winning the SuperTwins main event in front of his home crowd at the Bridgeport Half-Mile.
Still, Robinson at first seemed like a prop in the latest chapter in the ongoing tale of Daniels’ rise to dirt track superstardom, even as he blasted out to an early lead. The Estenson Racing pilot botched the start, sending him spiraling down the order and causing immediate concern for the integrity of his hard-won Mission AFT SuperTwins championship lead.
Daniels quickly assuaged those worries, slashing up through the field in just a few quick circulations, arriving on the fight for second place by lap four.
Once past Rick Ware Racing’s Briar Bauman and Fairway Ford’s Jarod Vanderkooi, Daniels diced with title rival Mees for second as Robinson threatened to break free after opening an early advantage of seven-tenths-plus of a second in first.
Robinson (44) held off Dallas Daniels (32), an early leader, for the win.
But the fight for second spurred the duo forward and eventually placed Daniels on Robinson’s rear wheel, while a bruised Mees, still not quite 100 percent following a mountain bike spill a little over a week earlier, slowly faded from the pursuit.
Daniels’ momentum saw him swoop through on Robinson as the race hit its halfway point. He then fixed his eyes forward with a breakaway of his own seemingly within his grasp. However, a minor miscalculation in one turn gave Robinson the opportunity to strike, which he gladly accepted.
Jared Mees (1) had to fight Jarod Vanderkooi (20) and Daniels before finishing out the race in third.
From that point on, Daniels stalked, pressured, threatened, and even dove through, but he never could make a pass stick.
And so it was Robinson, by 0.086 of a second, who became the first rider in the premier class to claim a third win this season. That accomplishment also saw him step ahead of Mees to become Daniels’ nearest challenger in the championship hunt.
Robinson (center), Daniels (left) and Mees celebrate on the Bridgeport SuperTwins podium.
“It feels awesome to get a third win, especially at what would be my hometown race,” Robinson said. “Growing up an hour and a half from here and having so many friends and family here, it means a lot. I’ve never won at the races close to home. I’ve been close—second, third, fourth—but never sealed the deal. So, it feels cool to get the job done in front of everybody.
“And what an intense battle with Dallas. I felt like I clicked off some good laps early, and then I heard him coming. He showed a wheel on the outside a couple times and then threw a couple divebombs in, but nothing that was dirty. And I was just able to counter. We had a bike that was just working really good tonight. It was a dream night.”
Daniels had to be content with keeping his perfect season’s run of podiums alive, while also knowing that he opened his championship advantage on Mees and that the second half of the season arguably tilts more in his favor than it does for Robinson with a pair of TTs looming.
A fourth-place for two-time Grand National Champion Briar Bauman demonstrated that his raw talent keeps him relevant in the podium fight pretty much every weekend.
Mees managed to hold off Bauman to secure third and keep the gap to Daniels semi-manageable.
“Brandon [Robinson] was flying,” said Mees. “And Dallas has been on it all year long. We’ve been plugging away. We’ve been a little off our game I want to say the last couple weeks, but that was a step in the right direction.”
The SuperTwins Championship now stands at 170 points for Daniels, 156 for Robinson, and 151 for the reigning champ, Mees, who is angling to win a historic 10th Grand National Championship before he hangs up his helmet.
Rackley Racing’s Davis Fisher was elevated to fifth when a late-race issue forced Vanderkooi out of the contest.
The second half of the top 10 was headed by Memphis Shades/BCTRA’s Brandon Price in sixth and Indian-mounted Trevor Brunner in seventh for Zanotti Racing. Fellow rookie Declan Bender earned his best premier-class result yet on the GOMR Indian in eighth, while Fastrack Racing’s Bronson Bauman and Royal Enfield super-sub Dalton Gauthier rounded out the top 10.
Runner-up Tom Drane (59) leads Chase Saathoff (88) and Kopp early in the Singles main.
SINGLES
And the beat goes on, with Kody Kopp continuing to pump up the volume, adding to the record-shattering volume of victories and accolades he continues to reap, while powering toward a previously unreached third Parts Unlimited AFT Singles championship.
This one took a bit of an alternate shape, as it prominently featured a pair of riders desperate to turn the tide, in Estenson Racing’s Tom Drane and JPG Motorsports’ Chase Saathoff. The two added to their personal history of close-quarters combat with a hard-fought scrap over first with a second group consisting of Kopp, Turner Racing Honda’s Trent Lowe, and 1st Impressions’ James Ott in contention just behind.
Kody Kopp (1) gets around Trent Lowe en route to the Singles win.
But when it mattered the most, Kopp accessed that next level he seems to have, storming up and past Drane and Saathoff in the decisive moments of the race to claim a third consecutive victory.
The win saw him increase his career tally up to 20, severing a tie with Shayna Texter-Bauman atop the all-time order, while simultaneously moving him into a tie with her for most career half-mile wins at 11.
JPG Motorsports’ Chase Saathoff found himself in another bare-knuckle brawl with rival and fellow Singles title hopeful Tom Drane for the lead for the bulk of the race, at least until reigning champion Kody Kopp went by both to claim yet another victory.
Drane finished second, followed by Saathoff, Ott, and Lowe.
As a result, Kopp’s expanding championship lead now stands at 33 points, owning 183 points to Saathoff’s 150, followed by Drane at 147.
Kopp’s future is quite obviously in the Mission AFT SuperTwins class. In fact, a sneak peek of that future may be coming sooner than expected. Following his latest triumph, the Rick Ware Racing pilot closed out his podium interview with the following tease: “We’re excited for Lima next weekend. Maybe we’ll do double duty, who knows?”CN
Kopp (center), Drane (left) and Saathoff made up the Singles podium.
SUPERTWINS (Top 10)
- Brandon Robinson (Ind) 32 Laps
- Dallas Daniels (Yam) 0.086
- Jared Mees (Ind) 4.683
- Briar Bauman (KTM) 5.576
- Davis Fisher (Ind) 8.223
- Brandon Price (Yam) 9.549
- Trevor Brunner (Ind) 10.292
- Declan Bender (Ind) 10.293
- Bronson Bauman (KTM) 13.707
- Dalton Gauthier (RE) 13.981
SINGLES (Top 10)
- Kody Kopp (KTM) 26 Laps
- Tom Drane (Yam) 0.703
- Chase Saathoff (Hon) 0.955
- James Ott (Hus) 1.520
- Trent Lowe (Hon) 2.659
- Logan Eisenhard (KTM) 6.219
- Tyler Raggio (KTM) 7.528
- Hunter Bauer (KTM) 9.716
- Aidan RoosEvans (Yam) 10.928
- Tarren Santero (Hon) 11.012
American Flat Track SuperTwins C’ship Points Standings
- Dallas Daniels (170/2 wins)
- Brandon Robinson (156/3 wins)
- Jared Mees (151/2 wins)
- Briar Bauman (136/1 win)
- Brandon Price (100)
- Jarod Vanderkooi (99)
- Davis Fisher (93)
- Trevor Brunner (84)
- Dan Bromley (70)
- Bronson Bauman (62)
American Flat Track Singles C’ship Points Standing
- Kody Kopp (183/5 wins)
- Chase Saathoff (150/1 win)
- Tom Drane (147/2 wins)
- Trent Lowe (123)
- James Ott (102)
- Tarren Santero (87)
- Travis Petton (85)
- Dalton Gauthier (76)
- Logan Eisenhard (74)
- Tyler Raggio (74)