24.04.2022
Round 3 - American Flat Track Championship
ODESSA, Mo. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kody Kopp returned to the center of the podium at Round 3 of the American Flat Track Championship, where he edged out teammate Max Whale in a tight battle across the finish. With less-than-ideal weather conditions in Odessa, Missouri, both Red Bull KTM riders maintained their composure and came out on top of the podium with an impressive 1-2 sweep in the AFT Singles class.
In addition to consistent 20-40 mph winds over the weekend, riders were faced with rainfall at the start of race day on Saturday. With rain forecasted to hit again in the evening, the decision was made to condense the racing program to go from practice/qualifying straight into the Main Event, removing the Semis altogether.
Sitting pole for the Main Event, Kopp got off the line in fourth and he quickly made up two spots out of the first turn. He pressured the race leader for the first six laps before launching his KTM 450 SX-F into the lead just before the halfway point. Setting the fastest race-lap of any class all day, the young rider was able to pull a comfortable gap on the rest of the field early on but his teammate, Whale, came on strong in in the second half of racing. Despite a valiant late-race charge by Whale, Kopp was able to hold strong for a slim victory at Round 3.
Kody Kopp: “I’m feeling really comfortable on my motorcycle as of late. Hats off to my entire Red Bull KTM team. We put a ton of work in this offseason and I feel like we are showcasing exactly that. With the rushed program due to weather, I knew I had to make every session count. We had very clean racing in the Main Event and I couldn’t be happier to pull off my second win. Going to get back to work and start preparing for the double header in Kentucky next month!”
Whale, last round’s pole-sitter, earned a front-row start in the Main Event with third in qualifying and he powered his KTM 450 SX-F to a third-place spot off the line. Quickly slotting into second through turn one, Whale was passed early on by his teammate and he shuffled into third on the opening lap. It took a few laps for the Aussie to get back into a rhythm and that’s when he began his climb toward the front. Overtaking second halfway through the race, Whale put his head down and made a late-race charge to close the gap on his teammate in the final stretch. Despite a hard-fought effort, Whale came up just short as he crossed the line only 0.754 seconds away from his first win of the season.
Max Whale: “This round had a different vibe and it was really tough. We had some more rain so it was really hard to go from qualifying to the Main Event without kind of getting those pre-race jitters out in the Semi. I had a good enough qualifying time for a front row start in the main and the first lap is really what made me lose the race. I fought back hard in the last half of the race and ended up second but it was too little, too late.”
After three rounds, Kopp and Whale sit first and second overall, respectively, in the AFT Single Championship standings.
Next Race: Red Mile (Double Header) – Lexington, Kentucky – May 28-29, 2022
Round 3 Results – I-70 Half-Mile
AFT Singles Main Event
1. Kody Kopp, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
2. Max Whale, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
3. Morgen Mischler, Honda
OTHER
5. James Ott, KTM
12. Travis Petton IV, KTM
16. Ryan Wells, KTM
AFT Singles Point Standings (After Round 3)
1. Kody Kopp, 70 points
2. Max Whale, 57
3. Morgen Mischler, 56
OTHER
13. Ryan Wells, 18
15. Hunter Bauer, 12
16. Tanner Dean, 11