Jesse Janisch (No. 132 Roof Systems Dallas TX/Öhlins Yamaha YZ450F) not only furthered his claim as the preeminent TT master of American Flat Track’s Roof Systems AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys class in Saturday night’s Springfield TT, he seized the AFT Singles championship lead straight-up in the process.

Janisch appeared to be facing an uphill climb to keep his perfect 2019 TT win streak alive heading into the 15-lap Main Event at the Illinois State Fairgrounds due to the impressive pace of scrub-jumping two-wheeled legend Ryan Sipes (No. 264 Red Bull/Leatt/KTM 450 SX-F).

And in fact, Sipes stole the holeshot from pole and threatened to pull an immediate gap. However, the ISDE superstar threw away a likely victory on lap 3, allowing the rear end to get around on him mid-corner and he fell to the dirt.

Janisch gladly picked up the reins and registered a series of flawless laps at the front. The result wasn’t without any addition drama through, as a hard-charging Mikey Rush (No. 15 RMR Honda/Red Riders Rewards Honda CRF450R) kept him honest all the way to the checkered flag.

Earlier, Rush worked overtime to find a way past last year’s Springfield TT winner (and reigning class champ) Dan Bromley (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F). Once through, he slashed into Janisch’s advantage but failed to get close enough for even a Hail Mary attempt on the final lap.

The win was Janisch’s third in three TTs this season and his fourth TT win in a row dating back to last year’s Peoria TT.

His big night was made even more monumental due to the misfortune of title rival Dalton Gauthier (No. 122 D&D Cycles/Gobert Smash Husqvarna FC450). Gauthier entered the event as the AFT Singles’ points leader, but was unable to advance past the heat races after being assessed a 10-second penalty for twice jumping the start. As a result, Janisch now leads Gauthier 111-96 following 6 of 18 rounds. Additionally, Rush and Bromley have also moved into striking distance with 91 and 90 points, respectively.

“Getting the win was absolutely awesome,” Janisch said. “It was unfortunate for Ryan, I think he definitely had some speed on us today, but I’m certainly going to take it. The Roof Systems of Dallas, Texas team has been awesome this year; I think my results speak volume for how great the team has been and how much they’ve propelled me forward.”

Runner-up Rush said, “I had a fun time doing that race, but I wish it was a few laps longer, for sure. It took my awhile to get by Dan. We had a nice, clean race. When I got by him, I put my head down and tried to put in smooth laps and hit my marks. I realized I was catching (Janisch), but I knew I was going to run out of laps. But I kept charging and charging. My team works their tails off for me. I’ll continue to keep chipping forward, and hopefully I’ll get that win soon.”

Third-place Bromley said, “I was over-riding a little bit. I tried pushing in the corners and got on the gas a little too soon and it would upset the bike a little bit and I’d pretty much lose my drives. Jesse and Mikey rode one heck of a race.”

Spanish flat track star Ferran Cardús (No. 377 Bullet Strong Racing/Vanilla Cycles Honda CRF450) got the better of a hyper-aggressive Chad Cose (No. 49 Parkinson Brothers Racing/Ritchie Reynolds Racing Honda CRF450R) in a tight duel for fourth.

Meanwhile, Cole Zabala (No. 51 RMR/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Honda CRF450R) picked up sixth ahead of Max Whale (No. 18 Weirbach Racing Kawasaki KX450F), Andrew Luker (No. 11 Keeran Racing/Baker Racing Kawasaki KX450F), Michael Inderbitzin (No. 54 Pacific Tub & Tile/Mark Strock CRF450R), and Ben Lowe (No. 20 Roof Systems/Bruce Lowe Excavating Honda CRF450R) who rounded out the top ten.

2016 class champ Ryan Wells (No. 94 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) fought his way back from an early crash to finish 11th, one position ahead of Sipes.

Be sure to catch the feature broadcast of the Springfield TT on NBCSN with flag-to-flag coverage of the Main Event, enhanced by exclusive features and cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage. The broadcast will debut on Saturday, June 1, at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT and will re-air on Tuesday, June 4, at 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT.

Next Up:

American Flat Track will conclude its Memorial Day weekend with the famed Springfield Mile I on Sunday. Live coverage will be available at FansChoice.tv starting at 10:00 a.m. ET/7:00 a.m. PT. Tickets for the Springfield Mile I are on sale now and can be purchased at https://www.springfieldmile.org/Tabs/Events/EventList.aspx.

(Story and photo from AmericanFlatTrack.com)