Fisher ends drought; Hillsboro's Saathoff grabs Singles' checkered
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With the points race secured on Saturday, Sunday’s American Flat Track Springfield Mile II SuperTwins race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds was simply riders racing to win.
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For Davis Fisher, it was a chance to gain momentum for his 2027 campaign.
Fisher put his KTM 790 Duke motorcycle past Australia’s Tom Drane by just 0.009 seconds to win the season finale, his first win since 2021.
“We had seven podiums this year, (but winning) feels great,” Fisher, of Warren, Oregon, said. “Going into Springfield, the team worked as hard as they could. They knew what we had and said, ‘It’s up to you.’
“How we finished (Saturday, fourth place), it was kind of hard on me, but coming on top in the last race of the season, feels pretty good carrying it into next season.”
Fisher’s fourth-place finish in the standings is his best in his SuperTwins’ career.
“It was a little bit of a spell, like about four races in where we kind of had to gather our stuff and keep working hard,” Fisher said. “We had some parts that weren’t totally reliable and we found them and ever since then, I don’t know if we broke. The team worked non-stop to compete up front every single weekend.”
The adrenaline was still pumping after the nail-biting win.
“I know (Drane and third-place finisher Trent Lowe) have strong horses underneath them, and I knew it was going to be a fight to the finish line,” Fisher said. “I don’t know if I’ve tucked that far (low) before; I made sure there was no wind hitting my body. I crossed the finish line, looked over, he was right there and honestly didn’t know who got it. I looked to the infield, and fans were pointing at me giving me the thumbs up and I started celebrating from there.”
Not only will he head into 2027 with added confidence, but he will also do so as a first-time dad. After the podium ceremony, he invited his wife, Makenna, up for a photo. Fisher bent down and kissed her belly. Makenna is 21 weeks pregnant.
“Having her here and we’re going in the offseason (with a due date of) Jan. 13,” Fisher said. “He’s going to make his entrance into this world and we’re so excited.”
Drane beat Lowe for second by 0.048 seconds.
“It’s an awesome track, I always love coming here; it’s always a battle,” Drane said. “I really enjoy it.
“I didn’t have (a strategy), I just wanted to lead the race. I just wanted to get to the front because I knew if I had that, I had a 50/50 chance of leading at the line and winning. All I did was every lap just try to be in the lead.”
Drane felt he made a mistake that cost him the win on the final lap of the 25-lap race.
“I spun up a little off (turn) two on the last lap and Davis was just a little bit too far ahead where I couldn’t draft past him,” Drane said. “Maybe if that was a little different, I might’ve got past him. I’m still happy with the result.”
Mattoon's Dallas Daniels won Saturday's Springfield Mile I and claimed the points championship over Briar Bauman. Daniels finished fourth Sunday while Bauman was 16th.
Hillsboro’s Saathoff takes Singles’ win
A win’s a win. Just ask Hillsboro’s Chase Saathoff.
With the white flag already waving in the AFT Singles race, a last lap two-motorcycle wreck on the second turn gave Saathoff the default win when the race was stopped. Officially, he beat Kage Tadman by 0.038 seconds and Drane by 0.039.
“The tight racing here is always very, very, very (close),” Saathoff said. “I didn’t really have a strategy; I just tried to lead across the checkered flag. That’s it. No strategy, I weigh a little more than the rest of these guys here, so I definitely put myself in the right place at the right time.”
Winning Springfield, an hour from home, is extra special for Saathoff.
“I’ve been coming up here since I was 10 or 11,” said the 20-year-old Saathoff. “I would say this is one of my most special wins. The amount of friends and family that I have at this track today is insane. There was a whole crowd of my T-shirts up there, which is really cool, and it creates an opportunity for a lot of people who can’t make it to (most races), they can come to this one. I’ve always wanted to win this one and I did it today.”
The way he won didn’t sour Saathoff’s celebration.
“Realistically, if we would’ve (finished the half-lap), I think it would’ve been very close,” Saathoff said. “I think I had a really good chance of winning it: I led that lap around and I was really fast in the corners today. I had a feeling I was going to do good.
“Technicality is still a win. It’s not my first one: that’s actually how I got my first win was on a technicality when it rained out during the race. This is my second one. I’ll take them; I’ll count them. I’m here.”
Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, [email protected], Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Fisher ends drought; Hillsboro's Saathoff grabs Singles' checkered