Tom Drane’s AFT Singles lead survives tough Budds Creek outing

2026 Progressive American Flat Track

Round Six – ThrottleFest, Budds Creek Half-Mile

Tom Drane endured his quietest AFT Singles outing of the 2026 season at the inaugural Budds Creek Half-Mile, but the Australian still left Maryland with control of the championship.

The reigning KICKER AFT Singles champion could do no better than fifth at ThrottleFest as Kage Tadman converted pole position into victory, Tarren Santero stormed back from a crash to finish second, and Chase Saathoff completed the podium.

Despite that result being Drane’s worst of the season so far, his earlier consistency means he still leads Tadman by 16 points, 111-95, with Saathoff and Trevor Brunner also close enough to keep the title fight lively heading toward Williams Grove.

In Mission AFT SuperTwins, Briar Bauman continued his surge with another commanding victory, trimming Kody Kopp’s championship advantage and dragging Dallas Daniels into a three-rider scrap at the top of the premier-class standings.

KICKER AFT Singles

It took three starts to make it happen, but Kage Tadman ultimately ripped into the lead from pole position and powered his way to his fourth-career KICKER AFT Singles victory.

The two prior starts were quickly nullified by early-race red flags – both times removing Chase Saathoff from the lead and erasing less-than-ideal launches for the otherwise on-form Tadman.

The second of those reds was thrown following a lowside crash on the part of Tarren Santero, a fall that sparked a chain reaction that also claimed Evan Kelleher and Logan Eisenhard.

Tadman finally nailed the third start and was further blessed with the added good fortune of teammate Walker Porter slotting into second behind him.

Saathoff, meanwhile, was fourth off the line, stashed behind both Turner Hondas and the cagey Trevor Brunner.

The race’s drama largely unfolded behind Tadman, who pulled clear at the front.

Saathoff fought his way by Brunner into third and then moved Porter out of the way to seize control of second with just over a minute remaining on the clock. He was then, however – and incredibly – overhauled by Santero, who somehow managed to slash his way up through the field after being forced to the back of the grid due to his earlier crash.

In fact, Santero nearly did the unthinkable, reeling in Tadman from multiple seconds back before at last crossing the stripe only 0.377-seconds off the victory.

A visibly frustrated Saathoff finished third, while Porter regrouped from being punted up the track to claim his second consecutive fourth-place finish.

The triumph marked Tadman’s first to come outside his home state and away from a Short Track venue.

Kage Tadman

“We came out of the trailer perfect. We haven’t really made many changes to the bike today, and we’ve been P1 all day. I can’t thank the team enough – the bike was perfect. The track was so sick too. This definitely feels good. I’m excited.”

Reigning champion Tom Drane (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) was unusually quiet en route to fifth.

He was followed by Jack Brucks, Ryder Reese, Brunner, Dylan Cunningham, and Jared Lowe, as they rounded out the back half of the top ten in that order.

Despite registering his worst result of the season, Drane still holds a sizable 16-point advantage over Tadman (111-95), with Saathoff and Brunner right there in third (94) and fourth (92), respectively.

KICKER AFT Singles  – Budds Creek Half-Mile Results

KICKER AFT Singles Standings

Mission AFT SuperTwins

The Main Event of the four-day event hosted by Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Maryland, was expected to be a showdown involving Bauman, reigning Grand National Champion Dallas Daniels, and Mission AFT SuperTwins points leader Kody Kopp.

And arguably it was, in a sense, albeit one effectively decided in the opening seconds of the race.

Bauman and Daniels went elbow-to-elbow as they disputed the holeshot. Bauman ultimately had the superior positioning aboard his Rick Ware Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R, which not only forced Daniels to accept second but resulted in him getting shuffled back to third by an opportunistic Chad Cose.

The Estenson Racing Yamaha ace would spend the next six minutes attempting to uncover a path back around Cose. And by the time he finally managed to do so, Bauman was more than three seconds clear at the front.

Bauman negotiated his way through heavy traffic over the final couple of laps, allowing Daniels to slash the deficit down to 2.208 seconds, but the outcome was never truly put in doubt.

After Daniels worked his way past and disappeared in second, Cose shifted his attention to Kopp, who was creeping up from fourth. Despite Kopp’s late push, the Californian held on to the spot by a nerve-wracking 0.210 seconds, securing Cose’s first premier-class podium in eight seasons.

Hunter Bauer and Aidan RoosEvans joined Kopp to put rookies fourth, fifth, and sixth. Meanwhile, Trent Lowe, Morgen Mischler, Cameron Smith, and Declan Bender closed out the top ten.

Bauman’s surge has shifted the Grand National Championship outlook, closing the margin separating the top three dramatically in recent weeks.

While Kopp continues to lead with 117 points, Daniels (110) and Bauman (108) are now both well within striking distance in second and third.

Briar Bauman

“There’s something about doing it with a crew you thoroughly enjoy doing it with… We just work at it. We weren’t the quickest all day. We were a bit off. But they turned that thing upside down. I’ll be upfront – we didn’t change a clicker on the motorcycle the last two Nationals except for gearing. And today we threw the toolbox at that thing, and we found it. I’m just proud of my whole Rick Ware Racing team.”

Mission AFT SuperTwins – Budds Creek Half-Mile Results

Mission AFT SuperTwins Standings

AFT ProSport 450

14-year-old Bayne Nantz became the fourth different rider to claim victory in AFT ProSport 450 action with a wire-to-wire win at Budds Creek.

The AFT ProSport 450 Main packed in significantly more excitement than that brief summary may suggest. Nantz was hounded early by Camlin Durelle, who didn’t even plan to enter the qualifying Road to AFT class in Friday’s AMA-sanctioned Mission Foods CTR Showcase Event, and only finished 11th when he did.

But Durelle found his form on Saturday, looking like an early contender for the win before making contact with Nantz’s rear-end. That incident sent him up the track and down the order.

Loic Nadeau, Adam Costan-Wood, and Brody Hanson picked up the chase in Durelle’s absence, transforming the race into a tight four-way scrap for the win.

Silver Dollar winner Costan-Wood dove under Nadeau for second and then attempted to displace Nantz on the final lap with the same maneuver – a plot that came up 0.163 seconds short of success at the checkered flag.

Bayne Nantz

“The track changed a lot since the heat. It got a lot more moisture. When I first got on it (for the Main), it was a totally different track. It was tricky at first, but I got it down towards the end.”

Nadeau held on to earn a close third, while Hanson and Matéo Racine came home fourth and fifth, respectively.

AFT ProSport 450 Budds Creek Half-Mile Results

Next Up

Progressive American Flat Track will leave Mechanicsville, Maryland, and go directly to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, for the Appalachian Harley-Davidson Williams Grove Half-Mile at Williams Grove Speedway on Saturday, May 23.

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