25.07.2021

WHALE OVERTAKES AFT SINGLES POINTS LEAD WITH AN INTENSE VICTORY AT PORT ROYAL HALF-MILE

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2021 American Flat Track Championship
PORT ROYAL, Pa. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Max Whale claimed his third AFT Singles Main Event victory of the 2021 American Flat Track Championship season with a clutch performance at the Port Royal Half-Mile. Teammate Shayna Texter-Bauman also had a solid run in Pennsylvania, coming away with seventh overall in the AFT Singles Main Event. 
 
Both Red Bull KTM riders came out strong from the start, placing their KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION machines up front throughout practice and qualifying. It was Texter-Bauman highlighting the team’s efforts in qualifying with a season-best P2, while Whale came in for a close third. With Whale lined up in AFT Singles Semi 1 and Texter-Bauman in Semi 2, each rider laid down a nearly flawless performance to sweep their respective races and advance 1-2 into the Main Event. 
 
As the gate dropped for the AFT Singles Main Event, it was Whale who assumed the early lead with Texter close in tow on lap one. The duo battled up front together for the first few laps before getting shuffled around in the racing. Whale remained steady charging in the second-place position for a majority of the race and he set himself up for a late-charge heading into the final stretch. With six laps to go, Whale made his move into the lead but it wasn’t without contest as he held off a hard-charging second-place rider all the way through the checkers to clinch the victory by only 0.537 of a second.
 
Whale: “We struggled a bit on Friday’s test day but we came back Saturday morning and straight away from practice we were fastest, qualified third and went on to win the semi. I had a great start in the Main Event and ended up winning, which is a massive confidence boost since this is a super tough track. We now have 15 points in front of the lead so it was a huge week and a good track to get some serious points on. I can’t thank the whole team enough for all their efforts!”
 
As for Texter-Bauman, she had a great battle going up front early in the Main Event before getting shuffled back to seventh about halfway through. She rode strong for the remainder of the race to maintain a seventh-place finish, her second-best of the year since her incredible 1-1 sweep at the opening round double-header.
 
Texter-Bauman: “I’m very happy with where we finished and there are a lot of positives to take away from the weekend. To get back up front and win a heat race and start the Main Event in second place was awesome. I got a great jump in the main and was running second off turn two but the track really changed a lot from the semi to the main and I wasn’t prepared for it to be that different, so we struggled with grip. Overall, I’m very happy with how I did on this type of race track with these types of conditions and I’m looking to build off this setup and continue moving forward to get back up front.”
 
Next Race: New York Short Track I & II – Weedsport, New York – August 13-14, 2021
 
AFT Singles Main Event – Port Royal Half-Mile
1. Max Whale – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
2. Kody Kopp, Honda
3. Morgen Mischler, KTM
OTHER KTM
7. Shayna Texter-Bauman – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
12. James Ott, KTM
17. Hunter Bauer, KTM
 
AFT Singles Point Standings (After 8 Rounds)
1. Max Whale – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 151 points
2. Dallas Daniels, 136
3. Michael Rush, 122
4. Henry Wiles, 112
5. Morgen Mischler, 108
6. Shayna Texter-Bauman – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 91
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Images (5)

Red Bull KTM FACTORY RACING - PORT ROYAL HALF-MILE
1 817 x 1 281 © AMA Pro Racing
Red Bull KTM FACTORY RACING - PORT ROYAL HALF-MILE
2 048 x 1 365 © AMA Pro Racing
Red Bull KTM FACTORY RACING - PORT ROYAL HALF-MILE
2 048 x 1 365 © AMA Pro Racing
Red Bull KTM FACTORY RACING - PORT ROYAL HALF-MILE
2 048 x 1 365 © AMA Pro Racing
Red Bull KTM FACTORY RACING - PORT ROYAL HALF-MILE
2 048 x 1 365 © AMA Pro Racing

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