Courtesy of AMA PRO Racing
Photo courtesy of AMA Pro Racing/Dave Hoenig
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Rodney Spencer Jr. Earns First AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles Victory
PEORIA, Ill. (August 11, 2013) – It was inevitable. Winn, Michigan’s Henry Wiles (Don’s Kawasaki/Honda) came all the way back from the third row (13th position) to come away with his ninth consecutive Peoria TT victory in Round 7 of AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles. Wiles, who suffered a bike malfunction in his heat race, had to do it the hard way as he was forced to contend in a semifinal, which he would go onto win, in order to qualify for the main event. However, terrible starting position proved not to be an issue at all for Wiles, as he quickly began passing riders with ease right from the get-go.
By lap six, Wiles had already managed to climb to third position and looked like a heat-seeking missile locked on to the top spot. Though it had already been unanimously predetermined, the forgone conclusion of Wiles making the pass for first was made official on lap nine when he ripped the lead from Eatonville, Washington’s Brad Baker (Specialty Fabrication Incorporation/KTM) and went on to increase his lead for the remainder of the race until eventually claiming victory by 3.317 seconds over Baker. “This is my track, at least for another year,” said Wiles following the win. “These guys are awesome to compete against and I knew it was going to be a good show. I knew I wasn’t done after having to start from the back. Ultimately I have to thank the Lord. The only thing I wanted to do today was ride like a champion. I did all I could do. I’m so thankful and I’m so appreciative of my friends and family that came out here to support me. I’m glad I could just come out here and show my friends and sponsors what I’ve been doing all summer. All the time and effort I put into this sport couldn’t be more worth it. I wanted everyone to see how much I love this sport.” Wiles’ near decade-long domination of PMC Race Park is undeniably one of the more significant feats in the history of the sport. Baker continued to remain the most consistent rider on the circuit thus far in 2013 with a strong second place finish. Philpot, Kentucky native and typical GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing competitor JD Beach (Burnett Farms Racing/Honda) made his way to the dirt this weekend and earned an impressive third place finish in the Grand National Expert Singles main event. San Jose, California’s Shaun Russell and Salinas, California’s Briar Bauman (Rod Lake Racing/Honda) rounded out the top five, respectively.
2013 AMA Pro Grand National Expert Singles Champion – Brad Baker Though he didn’t claim victory at PMC Race Park this weekend, Brad Baker’s second place finish was all he needed to claim the coveted 2013 AMA Pro Grand National Expert Singles Championship as this was the final Expert Singles event listed on the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles schedule. Baker’s season on his 450cc machine consisted of three second-place finishes and one fifth place finish. Baker topped Wiles by a mere two points to earn the title.
AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles In a very intense AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles main event that consisted of a couple very impressive come-from-behind efforts, Salinas, California’s Rodney Spencer Jr. (Mack Daddy Racing/Honda) started from fourth position and came away with the win in his first ever AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles victory. “The bike was working great all day going into the main event,” said Spencer. “Once I got out front, I knew I had to make some moves to maintain the lead and I was just ready for that checkered flag to come out. I have to give a huge thanks to George Mack, if it wasn’t for him, none of this would be possible. I also have to thank all of my family, my girlfriend for supporting me so much while I’m on the road, and my sponsors. Those are the people who make all of this possible for me. I have to thank everyone for coming out too, this has been a great crowd all day.” Spencer took advantage of Warrington, Pennsylvania’s Dan Bromley’s (Bromley Brothers/KTM) colossal mistake on lap four that led to Bromley surrendering his short-lived lead after crashing while going over the jump. It looked as if Bromley would be unable to continue racing until he got back up and returned to the tail end of the staggered restart. With hopes of just staying competitive in the race, Bromley did more than that, as he would go on to finish second and give Spencer a run for his money on the final lap. Though Bromley’s unforeseeable comeback to finish second mounted on a KTM in the Honda-dominated field may have gotten the most attention, Spencer’s stellar victory shouldn’t be overlooked. Spencer, who boosted himself to third in the current AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles point standings after the win, earned the coveted checkered flag in a match that consisted of several prominent young riders. Young gun Justin Jones (RLJ Racing/Honda) closed out the podium with a very impressive third place finish as Snohomish, Washington’s Jacob Lehmann (Vince & Dinise/Honda) and Bonney Lake, Michigan’s Hunter Taylor (Hunter MFG/Honda) rounded out the top five, respectively.
Next Up
AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles heads to the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Ind. for Round 8. For tickets and information regarding the Indy Mile, please visit http://www.familyevents.com/event/264.
About AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles is a national motorcycle racing series in North America and is considered one of the oldest forms of motorcycle racing. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, the Series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track racing in the world. The 2013 schedule consists of rounds on the country’s finest flat track courses. For more information on AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles, please visit www.amaproracing.com/ft.
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AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.
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