Australian Tom Drane finished his 2026 Progressive American Flat Track campaign with a pair of podiums at Springfield, combining another strong performance in Mission AFT SuperTwins with the conclusion of his record-breaking KICKER AFT Singles championship season.
Drane entered the Caterpillar Springfield Mile II double-header with the KICKER AFT Singles championship already secured, but his weekend involved more than defending his class title.
The Estenson Racing rider also contested the Mission AFT SuperTwins category as a wildcard aboard an Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07, allowing him to measure himself against the premier-class regulars.
That opportunity nearly resulted in a remarkable SuperTwins victory.
Davis Fisher took the win in Sunday’s Springfield Mile II, but only just held off Drane in a dramatic finish. The pair battled back and forth for the lead through the second half of the race, with Fisher knowing he needed to keep Drane behind him entering Turn 3 on the final lap.
He managed to do exactly that, with Fisher taking the chequered flag just 0.009 seconds ahead of the Australian.
It was Drane’s second SuperTwins podium of the Springfield double-header after another strong performance on Saturday, underlining the speed he has shown when stepping up to the premier class.
Fisher was full of praise for the Australian after the race, saying, “Tom (Drane) put up a heck of a fight. I just can’t thank the whole Rackley team enough for just chugging away at this and putting the KTM on the top of the box. My long-time sponsor Bob Lanphere from Beaverton Motorcycles made the trip here, and he told me, ‘I’m here to watch you win the Mile.’ And we did that.
“It’s pretty cool going into the offseason on top. I get to look at the scoreboard all year long, just like I did after Charlotte. It’s been a while since I got a win. It was long overdue, and it feels so great.”
Trent Lowe finished third, just 0.057 seconds behind Fisher, while Grand National Championship winner Dallas Daniels took fourth after a late charge through the field.
Kody Kopp finished fifth, which was enough to secure second in the championship behind Daniels, while Briar Bauman was forced out with an apparent mechanical issue with just over four minutes remaining.
For Drane, the SuperTwins result was an impressive way to cap a weekend in which he had already established himself as the dominant rider in KICKER AFT Singles.
On Saturday, Drane claimed victory in the opening Springfield Mile, taking his ninth win of the season and setting a new single-season wins record in the class.
The Australian made a late pass on Kage Tadman through Turn 3 before using the low line through Turn 4 to secure the victory by just 0.037 seconds over Chase Saathoff.
Drane then returned on Sunday for the final KICKER AFT Singles Main Event of the season, where he again found himself at the front of an incredibly close battle.
Twelve riders remained locked together for almost the entire race, swapping the lead repeatedly as they approached the final lap.
Drane was holding the lead when a late incident involving Logan Eisenhard and Jordan Beaulac brought out the red flag.
Eisenhard was sucked up the track and collected Beaulac, with both riders ending up in the air fence. The race was stopped before the chequered flag could fall, with the result determined from the riders’ positions when the red flag was displayed.
Chase Saathoff was awarded the victory after taking the white flag just ahead of Kage Tadman and Drane. Tadman was credited with second and Drane with third.
“It still feels great to win. I’m super grateful, and I do feel we would have had a chance at the line. I can’t thank the whole team enough; it’s been a great year. I’m very blessed to be up here right now, even though it was by a technicality… it happens,” Saathoff said.
While the final result brought Drane’s seven-race Mile winning streak to an end, it did little to diminish what was a remarkable championship campaign.
The Estenson Racing Yamaha rider finished the KICKER AFT Singles season with 303 points, 46 clear of Saathoff on 257, with Tadman third on 226.
Drane’s nine victories established a new single-season wins record and came alongside his second consecutive KICKER AFT Singles championship.
His Springfield weekend also offered a glimpse of what could lie ahead, with Drane showing he has the pace to challenge the established Mission AFT SuperTwins riders when given the opportunity.
The 2026 season therefore ended with the Australian having stood on the podium in both classes at Springfield, while adding another championship and a new wins record to his growing American Flat Track resume.
