13.03.2022
TEAMMATE MAX WHALE FINISHES RUNNER-UP AT VOLUSIA HALF-MILE SEASON OPENER
Round 1 - American Flat Track Championship
BARBERVILLE, Fla. – Seventeen-year-old Kody Kopp made a statement debut with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team on Friday as he delivered a career-first AFT Singles victory at Round 1 of the 2022 American Flat Track Championship. As his closest competitor in the Main Event, teammate Max Whale put up a hard fight to finish only 2.6 seconds behind, giving Red Bull KTM an impressive 1-2 podium sweep at the highly-anticipated Volusia Half-Mile.
With rainstorms blowing through the area all week, Thursday and Friday’s season-opening double-header was eventually condensed into one round, taking place later on Friday evening. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team was able to put in two solid sessions on-track during Wednesday’s test day but track conditions were wildly different at the start of Friday’s racing. For Kopp, the conditions didn’t seem to make a difference as he topped the final qualifying session and carried great momentum into Semi 2. Charging his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into the lead early on, the young rider never looked back as he raced his way to a 3.5 second victory in the semi.
In the Main Event, it was once again Kopp who commanded the early lead and he fought off early pressure from his teammate, Whale, through the first five laps. The Red Bull KTM duo worked their way to a sizeable gap over the rest of the field until a red flag came out, causing a pause in the action. Kopp and Whale returned to battle for a few laps after the re-start but Kopp wedged another gap late in the race to come away with an impressive flag-to-flag victory at Round 1.
Kody Kopp: “What an amazing start to the season! I just want to thank the whole Red Bull KTM Team for allowing me to get my first professional win. They’ve been working their butts off this entire off-season and it really showed at this first round. I feel really comfortable on the bike lately, these conditions really suited my style and I was able to get some decent starts, work my way to the front and put in my laps. I just want to thank everyone – my family, every sponsor and all that people who go unnoticed, it wouldn’t happen without you guys!”
Entering his sophomore season with the team, Max Whale posted a great Main Event result at Round 1. With track conditions changing immensely throughout the day, the Australian rider struggled earlier in the day but he quickly adapted himself and the bike, making big strides from the start of qualifying.
Finishing third in Semi 1, Whale placed his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION on the second row for the Main Event and he quickly charged into second behind his teammate. Whale pressured Kopp early on as they created a battle of their own out front and the multi-time championship contender used the re-start as an opportunity to reset his charge on the leader. In a fighting attempt at the win, Whale maintained a solid pace to finish only 2.6 seconds behind Kopp for second-place.
Max Whale: “It was a good start to the season. I’m super pumped from where we started the day – 16th in the first qualifying – and we didn’t stop working all day. We made improvements to the bike and then I made improvements to my riding style and that made a big difference for me. Hats off to my teammate Kody, he rode awesome. I’m super happy with how myself and the team worked all night and I’m ready for Round 2 in Texas!”
Next Race: Texas Half-Mile – Fort Worth, Texas – March 19, 2021
Round 1 Results – Volusia Half-Mile
AFT Singles Main Event
1. Kody Kopp, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
2. Max Whale, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
3. Dalton Gauthier, Honda
OTHER
10. Tanner Dean, KTM
13. James Ott, KTM
14. Ryan Wells, KTM
AFT Singles Point Standings (After Round 1)
1. Kody Kopp, 25 points
2. Max Whale, 20
3. Dalton Gauthier, 17
OTHER
10. Tanner Dean, 9
13. James Ott, 6
14. Ryan Wells, 5