Aftermarket Moto Design 291 October AMD 291 October 2023 | Page 20

Sources : AMD , IDN , FT , Reuters , PSB , MPN , BDN , MCN , AP , Bloomberg , MSNW , Electrek , electricmotorcycles . news , RideApart . com , Motor1 . com , Cycle World , motorbikewriter . com

NEWS

BRIEFS

Dennis Chung ( Motorcycle . com ) reports that a 2024 Indian FTR X 100 % R Carbon has been confirmed by VIN Filings . A collaboration with eyewear maker 100 % - whose Barstow goggles feature in Indian ' s factory G & A offering - aside from some special edition livery , the FTR x 100 % isn ' t expected to be to be significantly different from the existing R Carbon model with its gold-colored Öhlins suspension , upgraded seat , special tank panels with Indian Script logo , silver and gold pinstriping , and various carbon fiber component upgrades compared to the standard FTR . EICMA , in Milan in November , may be the timing for the unveil .
More news about the 2023 Powersports Business Accelerate Conference ( November 5-7 at the Westin Galleria in Dallas , Texas ) with details of the agenda now published . A highlight this year will be Curtis Dubay , chief economist at the U . S . Chamber of Commerce , kickstarting day two with a discussion about the current US economy and what it may look like in 2024 and 2025 - inflation , the Fed , interest rates , and how these things will affect consumer spending on powersports products . Registrations are open .
Thirteen AMA No . 1 plates will be up for grabs in seven different classes at the 2023 AMA Amateur Road Race Grand Championship - October 19- 22 at Daytona International Speedway . Sanctioned by the AMA and operated by the American Superbike Racing Association ( ASRA ), four full days of road racing action will coincide with the ASRA team challenge series and ASRA sprint races . Outside of the national championships , other awards presented at the event include the Nicky Hayden AMA Road Race Horizon Award , the AMA Road Race Youth Award , the AMA Road Race Top Novice Award and the AMA Road Race Vet / Senior Award .
Total domestic household debt in USA rose by $ 16bn to reach $ 17.06tn in the second quarter of 2023 . Credit card balances saw brisk growth , rising by $ 45bn to a series high of $ 1.03tn . Other balances , which include retail credit cards and other consumer loans , and auto loans increased by $ 15bn and $ 20bn , respectively . Student loan balances fell by $ 35bn to reach $ 1.57tn , while mortgage balances were largely unchanged at $ 12.01tn .

Mees and Kopp Win 2023 AFT Championships

Following his win in the Springfield Mile I ( September 2 ), Jared Mees ( No . 1 Indian Motorcycle / Rogers Racing / SDI Racing FTR750 ) strengthened his case for consideration as the greatest AFT rider in history in finishing second - behind Briar Bauman ( No . 3 Parts Plus / Jacob Companies KTM 790 Duke ) - to secure a third consecutive and ninth total Grand National Championship in the ( September 3 ) seasonending Mission Springfield Mile II presented by Drag Specialties at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield , Illinois .
Mission SuperTwins presented by S & S Cycle Two-time champ Briar Bauman edged his great rival to the season ' s final checkered flag by 0.075 seconds - the pair having slipped free first from title challenger Dallas Daniels ( No . 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT ), and then Brandon Robinson ( No . 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750 ) - to settle into a two-rider duel for the contest ' s second half . The back-and-forth affair remained in question right up to that last charge to the stripe where Bauman earned his first-career Springfield Mile victory and Mees added to his legend . While the season belonged to Mees , Bauman ' s stunning finale served as an enticing sneak preview of what could be in store for the series in 2024 . Despite having been pitched up against multiple generations of dirt track titans over the past two decades - from Chris Carr to Kenny Coolbeth to Jake Johnson to Brad Baker to Bryan Smith to Bauman and now Daniels - Mees has stacked up a résumé that stands alongside any previously assembled in the 70-year history of the championship . The factory Indian superstar now boasts an incredible nine Grand National Championships ( 2009 , 2012 , 2014 , 2015 , 2017 , 2018 , 2021 , 2022 and 2023 ), equaling the great Scott Parker for most all-time . Mees said , " It ' s what you wake up for every day . It ' s what you train for . Hats off to Scottie Parker -that ' s the guy that keeps me going . He kept me going year after year , race after race . He ' s still the best in my book , and it ' s an honor to match something that he did ." The same way , a tenth victory would have been a fitting conclusion to Mees ' season , a 16th podium would have been a natural way to end Daniels ' remarkable sophomore campaign . Of course , the racing gods aren ' t often supporters of such contrivances , and thus Davis Fisher ( No . 67 Rackley Racing / Bob Lanphere ' s BMC Racing Indian FTR750 ) earned the last step on the podium by 0.024 seconds ahead of Daniels in fourth , with Robinson and Beach just behind in fifth and sixth , respectively . Fisher ' s second top three of the season allowed him to secure a spot in the championship top five ( 257 ) behind Mees ( 388 ), Daniels ( 372 ), Beach ( 301 ) and Bauman ( 299 ), and end the year as the top independent Indian . Daniels , meanwhile , completes 2023 with a five-win , 15-podium runner-up season , and now armed with plenty of motivation and hard-earned experience , heading into 2024 . Bronson Bauman ( No . 37 Fastrack Racing / 2 Wheelz KTM 790 Duke ) finished seventh , with Ben Lowe ( No . 25 Rackley Racing / Mission Foods Indian FTR750 ), Henry Wiles ( No . 17 BriggsAuto . com / Martin Trucking Indian FTR750 ), and Jarod Vanderkooi ( No . 20 JMC Motorsports / Fairway Ford Indian FTR750 ) completing the finale top ten . This meant a win and three riders in the top-10 in total for the KTM 790 Duke , with five Indian FTR750 riders and two on the Yamaha MT-07 .
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Even though Kody Kopp ( No . 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F ) locked up a repeat Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER crown a day early , the class did not lack for drama in its final outing of the year . Nine riders ran in contention for victory for the full ten laps and two minutes of the epic finale , running five wide and swapping positions all the while . As unpredictable as it was , throughout it all , the top three positions were dominated by the
2023 " usual suspects " - Kopp , Tom Drane ( No . 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F ) and Chase Saathoff ( No . 88 American Honda / Mission Foods CRF450R ). Drane took the white flag in the lead , with Kopp on his rear wheel . But before any Saturday flashbacks could fully materialize , Saathoff blew past Kopp and dove under his Aussie rival , entering Turn 3 for the final time . The Honda ace leapt out of Turn 4 with his maiden victory in his sights , but his ascension to Progressive AFT winner status was cruelly delayed once again when Drane powered ahead to steal the win at the line by 0.043 seconds . The victory was Drane ' s fourth of the season and more than enough to leapfrog his teammate and Sunday fourth-place finisher Trevor Brunner ( No . 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F ) for second position in the final standings . The near miss was Saathoff ' s ninth podium of the season and his sixth runner-up . Meanwhile , two-time champion Kopp finished third to round out his incredible eight-win season with an 11th podium . Morgen Mischler ( No . 13 American Honda / Mission Foods CRF450R ), Trent Lowe ( No . 48 American Honda / Mission Foods CRF450R ), Declan Bender ( No . 216 Killer Bee Racing / Luczak Racing KTM 450 SX-F ), and James Ott ( No . 19 1st Impressions Race Team / Husqvarna Racing FC450 ) finished fractions of a second back in fifth through eighth , respectively . Kopp ' s teammate , Max Whale ( No . 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX- F ), crossed the stripe as the final rider in the lead pack , registering a ninthplace result despite finishing only 0.637 seconds off the victory . The result was still stout enough to hold onto a championship top-five ranking , however , with an ultimate class order of Kopp ( 351 ), Drane ( 310 ), Brunner ( 305 ), Saathoff ( 291 ) and Whale ( 266 ). www . americanflattrack . com
20 AFTERMARKET MOTO DESIGN - OCTOBER 2023 www . AMDchampionship . com