SHAYNA TEXTER FIGHTS BACK TO CLAIM A PODIUM FINISH AT THE BLACK HILLS HALF-MILE

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Just two days after competing in Sturgis for Round 11, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team returned to action on Tuesday with the Black Hills Half-Mile in Rapid City, South Dakota for Round 12 of the 2019 American Flat Track Championship. Shayna Texter rebounded from a tough outcome on Sunday to place her Red Bull KTM on the second step of the podium in the AFT Singles Class, while her teammate, Dan Bromley, finished sixth to collect valuable points in the championship chase, where he now sits only 10 points back in the overall standings.

Additionally, KTM-mounted rider, Morgen Mischler, rounded out the AFT Singles podium with an impressive third-place finish aboard the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION.

Texter, who is known for acing the short track courses, had a good start to the day as she qualified ninth overall in the class. She went on to claim the holeshot in AFT Singles Heat 3 aboard her KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION as she led all five laps of the heat race. In the semi, she got off the line in about fourth but she quickly passed her way into the lead by lap two. From there, she maintained control of the race to earn the win in the semi and a great start position for the Main Event. In the main, Texter got off to a decent start in seventh, where she worked her way up to fourth early on. While battling for a podium spot, the third-place rider broke down in front of Texter, which cost her a bit of time against the leaders but allowed her to move into third around the halfway point. She was able to close the gap and negotiate a position inside the lead battle and from there, it was a back-and-forth fight all the way to the checkers, with Texter finishing 0.062 behind the race-winner.

Shayna Texter: “The last few laps were pretty physically-challenging with Chad [Cose], I battled hard! We were bumping elbows and rubbing the wall, just fighting for the win. On the last lap, I got a little bit spun up out of turn four and I lost the drive coming down the front stretch and that was just enough for him to get the win. Overall, I’m happy, but disappointed at the same time, because I really wanted that win.”

For Bromley, Tuesday’s result wasn’t his best finish of the season but the Pennsylvania native did what he needed to do in order to fight for a second-straight title. Qualifying seventh on the day, Bromley lined up in AFT Singles Heat 1. He began outside the top-five on the opening lap and he got shuffled back to ultimately finish eighth, claiming the final transfer into the Main Event. In the semi, he rounded the opening lap in ninth. He worked his way up as far as fifth but he once again got shuffled back to finish eighth. Bromley was able to overcome his 16th place start in the Main Event, as he powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into a top-10 position by lap two. He quickly began picking his way through the field, where he reached a top-five position by lap three. He continued to push his way into fourth but he soon lost all his momentum when contact with another rider caused him to hit the wall and drop a couple positions to sixth. He battled back up to fourth later in the race and ultimately fought his way to a sixth-place finish.

Dan Bromley: “The Rapid City Half-Mile was a struggle for me. We started the day off good, qualifying in the top-10 every practice session but in the heat and semi I was struggling with some traction issues. In the Main Event, I felt like I was constantly having to battle for position rather than being able to battle for the lead but we were able to work our way to the front to finish sixth and get some much-needed points towards the championship.”  

Next Race: August 10, 2019 – Sacramento Mile – Sacramento, California

AFT Singles Main Event

1. Chad Cose, SUZ

2. Shayna Texter, KTM

3. Morgen Mischler, KTM
OTHER KTM

6. Dan Bromley, KTM

13. Tristan Avery, KTM

16. Kayden Downing, KTM

AFT Singles Point Standings

1. Dalton Gauthier, 191 points

2. Dan Bromley, 181

3. Mikey Rush, 173

OTHER KTM

6. Shayna Texter, 128

8. Morgen Mischler, 107