The 3/8-mile clay track at Weedsport Speedway presented challenges for Estenson Racing’s Twins team and its newly developed dirt tracker at round nine of the American Flat Track AFT Twins Championship, the New York Short Track. Jake Johnson crossed the line 15th, while teammates Roger Hayden and Kolby Carlile just missed the transfer spot into the Main Event.
Johnson led the way for the team all day, but across the board, all three members of the team were struggling on the slick track. Hayden and Carlile both put in a solid effort in their respective Semi races, but they were unable to transfer to the Main Event.
The two-time Grand National Champion was able to finish sixth in his Semi to get that transfer spot, but that still gave him a less-than-ideal starting position on the third row of the grid. With cooler temperatures and some track prep before the AFT Twins Main Event, Johnson was hoping that would play into his favor. Unfortunately, the track was still not ideal for Johnson and his machine and, no matter what he tried, 15th was the best result for the day.
There’s a two-week break before heading to Sturgis, South Dakota, for the Buffalo Chip TT on Sunday, August 4, and the Estenson Racing team looks to put in the hours and continue making forward progress.
Jake Johnson – AFT Twins #5:
“The day was going okay. We were a little off pace all day. Going out for the main event, I knew it was going to be tough starting on the third row. They went out and watered the track right before we went out. I thought that was going to help us, but it made the track greasy and just made it bad for me. I tried what I could, but nothing I tried worked. I’m looking forward to the next one, the Buffalo Chip TT. I think we should be good there. We’ve got some work to do in this time off. Hopefully we’ll get something figured out.”
Roger Hayden – AFT Twins #95:
“I struggled all day with trying to get the bike to hook up. Actually, the Semi was when I felt the best, but we still missed the Main by one spot. I tried to pass the guy on the last lap to get in, but I just couldn’t get the bike to stop. I’m a little disappointed, but I feel like I learned a lot on how to ride really slick tracks. That’s just something I don’t have a lot of time on. It was a difficult day, but the team worked hard. We threw a bunch of stuff at it, but we’ve just got to try to get better for the next one.”
Kolby Carlile – AFT Twins #136:
“It was cool being home in New York. I can’t give a big enough shout-out to my mechanic and crew chief. They worked really hard today, it’s just a new bike that needs more development. On the TT’s, we can get by, and on some of these tracks it’s just tougher for us. If you look in the main event, there were 12 Indians, two Harleys, one Yamaha and one Kawasaki. So there’s proof in the pudding right there. We’re making headway, but it’s just tough. We’ll put our heads down and keep moving forward.”