2019 SHNC Round 4: AFT Perris Half-Mile

Welcome back for another episode of your favorite Hooligan racing show! The Super Hooligans are back for Round 4 of the 2019 SHNC races, presented by ProgressiveMC and proudly powered by Indian Motorcycles, held in partnership with American Flat Track at the Perris Auto Speedway (or the PAS! As the locals call it) for some pulse-raising action.

Built-in 1996 alongside the Perris Reservoir and Lake Perris State Rec Area, the track usually sees another breed of speed machines grace its clay, the SCRA Sprint Cars. From the grandstands, you almost feel like you’re looking down on a gritty Thunderdome, in the way that the rusted support posts lean inward and fence the track in to protect its spectators from car parts and other mayhem-spawned shrapnel.

Filmed by Preston Burroughs, Music by Andy Schmidt, Edited by Joseph Hitzelberger and images by MR.Pixelhead

The Hooligans were all buzzing in the pits ahead of the free practice rounds. Their crews dialed in their bikes, swapping out everything from chain rings and cogs, to batteries and handlebars, prepping their setups for the ruckus to ensue.
 
They all lined up in the staging area outside the track in their separate assigned groups and awaited their turn at the new clay of the PAS track, whose blue grooves shined brightly in the light of the high noon sun.

Once the first group was waved on by the AFT officials, they sped down the ramp and let loose for 5 practice laps each per group. The Hooligans attacked the track and opened their machines up in the front and back straights of the oval, all testing the several foot wide groove and wrestling their bikes as the clay chunked out divots from beneath their rear wheels in each of the turns. Group after group got their taste of the speed and texture of the track, some racers maneuvering their heavy street bikes atop all its imperfections expertly.

Looking to repeat his success from round 3 in Austin, Joe Kopp logged the best practice time of 22.993 on his Latus Motors Harley Davidson followed by Andy DiBrino on the Rottweiler prepped KTM 790 Duke with 23.057 and a 23.382 clocked by Kevin Anderson on the S&S Indian FTR 1200. As some pulled away clearly more comfortable on the bigger track, leaving the rest to fight their individual battles or pick their way through the rest of the group.
 
The Hooligans returned from practice pumped over how much damn fun it was to rip on the half-mile clay track while others went straight to modifying their gearing.
 
Although the threat of rain loomed on the horizon with occasional gusts of wind and large, high altitude clouds making for a picturesque backdrop above Perris, the sun kept breaking through assuring the races would not be interrupted. There was still work to do and the Hooligans were more than ready to do it. Onto qualifying." Pro AFT Singles racer Dalton Gautier's Mechanic Robby-Bobby McLendon was first out pushing the RSD prepped Harley Davidson 1200 “Pickle Tracker” to the front of the field putting some heaters down as the track developed over the first few laps, but it was the Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys backed Indian FTR 1200 pilot AJ Kirkpatrick putting in a last lap hard charge eclipsing Robby-Bobby to secure the best time of the session. The #100 of Stewart Armas had what it took to hold off Suicide Machine Co’s Aaron Guardado finishing 3rd and 4th respectively. Randy Bereman made his return to racing after a horrendous get off at Rd 1 of the Super Hooligan National Championship in Portland OR resulting in a broken Tib Fib. Randy was tentative all week waiting to be cleared by his Doctor and got the final nod on Thursday that he was good to go. Randy raced Perris Short Track on Friday to be sure felling was good and he could put that mending left leg down at speeds in the triple digits. To no one’s surprise except maybe his own Randy went out and snagged the 5th best time of the session on his J & P Cycles backed Indian Scout.

Qualifying session number 2 saw Super Hooligan newcomer Kevin Anderson aboard a beautifully S&S prepared Indian FTR 1200 charging hard at the beginning laps toping the fast charts, but it was Jimmy “Hillsack” Hill taking a page out of his RSD Indian FTR 1200 teammate AJ Kirkpatrick waiting to the last lap to uncork the Motul backed ride and rocket to a best time of 22.992. Anderson was able to hang on to the second fastest time, but not without pressure from the youngest Hooligan in the field, 15-year-old David Kohlstaedt, Kohlstaedt muscled his big HD XL 1200 to the 3rd fastest time of the session. Also making his return to Super Hooligan racing was the other bum legged Bereman. Tyler Bereman destroyed his right foot freeriding in Australia last Summer and has been sidelined ever since. Tyler has been taking full advantage of the state-of-the-art sports medicine and rehab facility his main sponsor Red Bull offers and has made tremendous efforts to get back where he left off. Just like his pops Tyler told the pain to take a back seat, put his head down and secured himself the 4th fastest time of the session ahead of the quick and steady #44 Robert Bush.

Even though he was on a new ride for this round, current points leader Joe Kopp set the fastest lap of all 4 sessions with a 22.638. Joe’s strategy of positioning himself at the back of the field as to have a clear track paid off as Kopp kept the defending SHNC champ Andy DiBrino at bay. DiBrino on a relatively new ride himself worked all week literally up to moments before the 3rd and final qualifying session to put his #1 plated KTM 790 Duke a mere .200 of a second off Kopp’s best time. Behind DiBrino the “International Play Boy” Frankie Garcia running the #808 in honor of surf legend Sunny Garcia was able to get his Vance & Hines, Scrambler Ducati to the 4th best time with the #611 of Nick Nefroney and #114 Chris McDougal rounding out the top 5.
 
Semis were broken up into 3 sessions with the top 5 from each transferring to the main. The Dunlop, Indian FTR 1200 ride of the #47 Jordan Graham had the quickest reaction off the line in the first semi and led the first lap until Smokin Joe Kopp found a way past and never looked back. The Wu-Tang financial ride of Robby Bobby McLendon was working well as he was able to keep his Sportster 1200 in front of AJ Kirkpatrick with the final transfer spot going to the #9 of Chris Wiggins.

Tualatin Oregon’s own Andy DiBrino proved his qualifying speed wasn’t a fluke as he powered the Rottweiler prepped KTM 790 Duke to the one spot. Frankie Garcia was able to capitalize on a late race mistake from the Vanilla Cycles, Super Hooligan newcomer Kevin Anderson for the second position, Kevin was able to right the ship holding on to third while “The Cornstar” Jordan Baber had enough in the tank to fend off Dirt Bike Kid Tyler Bereman for the final two transfer spots to the main.
 
A jumped start at the beginning of Semi number three pushed the very talented big vape cloud blowing #611 Nick Nefroney and his brand-new Motorcycle Tire Center ride to the back 40 giving an advantage to the Shift MX sponsored Jimmy “Hillsack” Hill. Hillsack snatched the holeshot and the win holding off the young gun #29 David Kohlstaedt who secured 2nd. Tony Alves almost didn’t make the semi after high siding his Big Bear Choppers Harley Davidson in qualifying but he didn’t seem fazed as he rode smooth for 3rd while the #44 of Robert Bush and the #72 of Hartman finished the field respectively.

As the top 15 of the night rolled to the line, the packed Perris Speedway was electric. American Flat Track fans all excited to see who had the guts to leave it on longest and throw it in deepest. The rider intros finished while the starting light cycled from red to yellow finally to green. Seven Harley Davidsons, five Indians, one KTM, one Ducati, and one Triumph all roared off the start. DiBrino had the reaction time of a gunfighter bolting off the line earning himself an extra $300 from the K&N Holeshot award. Kopp had a terrible start, but by turn 4 had already rolled around Frankie Garcia, Hillsack and Jordan Graham and attached himself to DiBrino’s rear fender in the second spot. Hillsack had a huge moment right in front of Jordan Graham allowing Garcia to sit comfortably at the moment in 3rd. By lap 3 a big gap had developed between Kopp, Garcia, Hillsack, and Graham and in turn four Kopp, impatient to check out found the fast way around the outside of DiBrino at the same time Hillsack snuck underneath Garcia. The top three started to pull away. Halfway through the main event Kevin Anderson was able to get the drive off turn 4 on his FTR 1200 drag racing and beating the 800cc Ducati Scrambler of Frankie Garcia to the first turn taking over the fourth position and sending the #808 of Garcia to 5th with the #16 of Tony Alves all over him. By lap 8 DiBrino began picking up on where Kopp was weak leaving it on a little longer down the straights showing Kopp a wheel and keeping him honest, meanwhile the International Playboy Garcia was outgunned again as he was eaten up by a hungry Tony Alves. As the white flag came out, DiBrino gave everything he had looking for a way around the very fast #3 of Joe Kopp but to no avail, Smokin Joe Kopp would celebrate his 50th birthday and 4th win in a row on top of the box at the Perris Auto Speedway. Andy DiBrino has much to be proud of as he rode the wheels off a bike that looked pretty much touch and go all the way till the start of qualifying. Jimmy “Hillsack” Hill who had a DNS at the last round in Austin made up a bunch of points and gained a ton of confidence locking down the 3rd spot of the podium.

Results:
 
1   #3     Joe Kopp
2   #1     Andy Dibrino
3   #88   Jimmy Hill
4   #6     Kevin Anderson
5   #16   Tony Alves
6   #808 Frankie Garcia
7   #47   Jordan Graham
8   #27   Jordan Baber
9   #29   David Kohlstaedt
10 #69   Robby-Bobby McLendon
11 #12   AJ Kirkpatrick
12 #653 Tyler Bereman
13 #44   Robert Bush
14 #9     Chris Wiggins
15 #72   Paul Hartman


CLICK HERE for Full 2019 SHNC rankings.

AFT Perris Half-Mile! Partnering with the AFT for round 4 on the legendary Half-Mile in Perris, CA.

EVENT INFO:

5:45pm Opening Cremonies
7:40pm AFT Production Twins Main (15 Laps)
8:00pm Super Hooligans Main 1 (10 Laps)
8:20pm AFT Singles Main 1 (15 Laps)
8:40pm AFT Twins Main 1 (25 Laps)

Click here for the complete schedule