There’s one last chance for victory in 2018, and Estenson Racing’s Jake Johnson and JD Beach are both gunning for that season-concluding American Flat Track win at the Meadowlands Mile this Saturday, October 6.
Especially Johnson, the series and team regular who is one of only five riders who have been able to beat AFT Twins Champion Jared Mees this season. Although it’s been a work in progress to get acquainted with two new bikes this season, Johnson has made progress on the oval track with the Estenson Racing Indian Scout FTR750, and he hopes to put in a good result to finish the season ranked in the top five in points.
With his MotoAmerica Supersport Championship secured in early September, Beach joined the team to finish out the last two AFT rounds of the season. But it’s not just a busman’s holiday for Beach. The champion roadracer with flat track roots is here for top results as well. With some time under his belt on the Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 last week in Minnesota, Beach is looking for improvement.
There’s also a bit of an equalizer at play in the final round. It’s a brand-new venue for the series, so there are a lot of unknowns and a lot of the riders will be extra-motivated to make a final impression as the season comes to a close.
Jake Johnson – AFT Twins #5:
“Even though I’m not a cushion guy, I kind of had the mindset coming into last weekend [Minnesota Mile] that I’m ready for some cushion. It didn’t really turn out that way, but this weekend, it’s kind of new for everybody. Nobody really knows what the surface is going to be like.
“Like I’ve said before, if you’re not first, you’re last, but we’ve got a good chance at finishing fifth. With all the ups and downs this season… to be able to finish the year in the top five is kind of the goal, I guess. We’ll see what we can do. I just want to try to finish out strong.”
JD Beach – AFT Twins #95:
“It’s supposed to be a pea-gravel track at the Meadowlands, so it’s going to be completely different again. I think we made some good headway with the bike in Minnesota, and we have a few new things to try for this weekend. So, I think it should be good. It’s going to be fun, but I hope we can improve on our results from last weekend.”
The Minnesota Mile is streamed live, Saturday, October, on FansChoice.TV starting with practice at 3:30 p.m. ET, followed by Opening Ceremonies at 6:15 p.m. ET, Heats at 6:30 p.m. ET and the Main Events at 8:50 p.m. ET.
Catch the race on NBCSN, October 21 at 42:00 p.m. ET. For tickets and additional information about the event: http://www.americanflattrack.com/events.
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