PHOENIX (May 3, 2018)– With the Texas Half-Mile done and dusted, the focus shifts to California for the Calistoga Half-Mile, where both Jake Johnson and Kolby Carlile look to take a win for Estenson Racing at round four of the American Flat Track Championship.
Although still a bit sore from the crash that ended his night early at Texas Motor Speedway, Jake Johnson is ready to roll this Saturday, May 5, at a track he feels comfortable on. Normally, a rider would want more recovery time on the couch, but “Jersey Jake” is eager to head to the West Coast and build on his progress with the Yamaha MT-07.
Johnson has had a lot of success at Calistoga Speedway. With the exception of last season, he has never missed a podium, and he took home a win in 2011. Add to that, the weather is looking prime for the clay Half-Mile, giving Johnson the feeling that this could be the round where it finally all comes together with him and his new machine.
AFT Singles Champion Kolby Carlile is also eager to get back at it. Although Carlile was short of the podium in Texas, he found the setup he was looking for on his all-new Yamaha YZ450F and set a blistering pace at the end of the race. Now that the series heads to another Half-Mile, Carlile feels confident that they have the winning package, and he is looking to build on last year’s third-place finish.
Jake Johnson – AFT Twins #5:
“Obviously a little sore this week, but I feel like, come Saturday, I should be as close to 100% as possible. I’m excited about Calistoga. It’s one of my favorite tracks. I won there back in 2011, and finished on the podium there a few more times. So I’ve always had pretty good finishes there.
“Last year I struggled a bit, but the track was a little bit different than normal last year. I think it was a little bit drier and I think we were there maybe at the hotter time of the year. Looking at the weather this weekend, it looks like it’s going to be pretty good and fairly cool. Hopefully it’s the old Calistoga – multiple lines, no groove, and we’re able to kind of get it on. I’m looking forward to that. It’s kind of the last half-mile for a little while and I’m looking redeem myself this weekend and come out with a good finish heading into all the Miles.”
Kolby Carlile – AFT Singles #1:
“I’m very excited for [Calistoga]. It’s another week of me being able to train and relax, now that we’ve got a bike setup that we know is going to work really good. It was kind of the first time on a big car track like this with our new 2018 Yamaha so it took us a little bit, but now I know that setup is good enough to win.”
The Calistoga Half-Mile is streamed live, Saturday, May 5, on FansChoice.TV sstarting with practice at 5:00 p.m. ET, followed by Opening Ceremonies at 8:30 p.m. ET, Heats at 9:00 p.m. ET and the Main Events at 11:35 p.m. ET. Catch the race on NBCSN, May 20 at 12:00 p.m. ET. For tickets and additional information about the event: http://www.americanflattrack.com/events/default/view/calistoga-half-mile-2018 .
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