AFT Singles championship contenders, Rush and Daniels, once again factored heavily in the battle for the win aboard their Yamaha YZ450Fs. The two pulled off a number of daring and skillful maneuvers at the front as a six-rider pack waged an intense fight for victory.
Rush, who started from the front row after winning his Semi earlier, diced his way forward from fifth to ultimately take over the lead with just over three minutes remaining on the clock. He was momentarily dropped back to second two laps later but immediately launched a counter-attack to reclaim the position. The heated contest saw Rush finally relinquish control of the lead with just over a minute to go, ultimately accepting the checkered flag as the runner-up just 0.078 seconds off the win. Daniels claimed a hard-earned fourth a few bike lengths back, coming up just 0.277 seconds short of the podium himself.
Saturday’s slick track conditions presented challenges for the Mission SuperTwins duo, and the team continued to work on making improvements. In the Main Event, Beach managed to get one of his trademark blistering starts, slashing several positions up the order in the race’s opening stages. A minor incident saw him give back a couple of those places, and he ultimately finished a close ninth. Carlile was another spot back as he rounded out the premier class top 10.
Estenson Racing will now have several weeks to take what they learned this weekend and prepare for Yamaha’s home race, the Atlanta Super TT, on May 1, at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
