The BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. Flat Track program from Royal Enfield continued at the Port Royal Half-Mile, where Jaycee Jones took the win. The brand continued support at the Port Royal Speedway with the Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield team, where Cameron Smith finished in the top ten. Read more in the press release below.
The 2022 season of Royal Enfield’s groundbreaking BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. Flat Track program reached its halfway point at the Port Royal Half-Mile, where the full grid of 15 women returned to the track. Jaycee Jones took another victory with newcomer Zaria Martens hot on her tail and Jillian Deschenes rounding out the BTR Flat Track podium.
Port Royal Speedway in Pennsylvania was also the site of Cameron Smith’s second and final fill-in ride with the Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield team. Smith was looking to repeat his Production Twins podium performance from the Weedsport round but would ultimately settle for a top-ten finish.
BUILD. TRAIN. RACE.
The previous BTR Flat Track round (Laconia Short Track, June 12) was short a few riders, namely round-one winner Jillian Deschenes and Nean Kiskela. Both racers tested positive for Covid and were forced to stay home. For the Port Royal Half-Mile, however, all racers were healthy and ready to race. Deschenes, in particular, was ready to fight for another win against title rival Jaycee Jones and rookie star Zaria Martens.
The battle royal was somewhat spoiled after an incident in the Semi in which Deschenes and Jones both got sideways at the start. The contact resulted in Deschenes going down. Stephanie Pietz was able to slide through the wreckage, but Kiskela wasn’t as fortunate, getting tangled with Deschenes and sheering off a footpeg in the process.
All the ladies were able to grid up for the Main, with Deschenes relegated to the third row after a DNF in the Semi. It was an uphill battle for the BTR veteran, especially against Jones, who won at Port Royal in 2021, and was scorching fast all day. Jones’ quickest lap time in the Main was a 27.9, putting her just outside qualifying times for the Production Twins class.
In the main, Jones led from flag to flag, with 18-year-old Martens relentless in her pursuit. Martens would collect another podium finish ahead of Deschenes, who worked her way up from the third row to third place overall.
“I came into this weekend with a lot of nerves after having missed the last round due to Covid,” explained Jillian Deschenes. “After the incident off the start in the Semi I felt hungrier than ever for the podium. Starting from the third row in the Main, I didn’t feel the same pressure I usually do when starting on the front row, but I was motivated to work as close to the front as possible and was thrilled to come away with a third-place finish. That was one of the most fun BTR races I’ve had to date.”
The BTR women will reconvene at the Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, South Dakota, on August 6 for the fourth full-grid round of the season.
Royal Enfield BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. Flat Track
Laconia Short Track Results
1. Jaycee Jones (#33)
2. Zaria Martens (#08)
3. Jillian Deschenes (#31)
4. Makenna Hiatt (#81)
5. Stephanie Pietz (#57)
6. Alex Bumpus McDonald (#2)
7. Erin Ferris (#909)
8. Malary Lee (#6)
9. Lanakila MacNaughton (#88)
10. Anna Serena (#800)
11. Kaiela Hobart (#46)
12. Nean Kiskela (#27)
13. Gabrielle Hughes (#327)
14. Nia Reese (#15)
15. Moriah Hummer (#7)
PRODUCTION TWINS
Cameron Smith had a breakthrough ride and a near win at Weedsport Speedway in New York two weeks prior and was looking to back up his performance at the New York Short Track with a win at the Port Royal Half-Mile. Although he ran into hard luck at his home race in Pennsylvania, Smith, who was filling in for the injured Johnny Lewis, kept plugging away and ultimately carded a ninth-place finish on the Royal Enfield Twins FT motorcycle.
Smith suffered a broken chain earlier in the day and qualified 12th on the grid for the Production Twins Main. The Moto Anatomy X team was under the direction of Lewis, who made the transition from rider to Team Manager for the Port Royal round. The team made some geometry changes to the Twins FT for the Main, and while it took Smith a few laps to acclimate, he quickly began working his way through the pack. He was mid-pack and building momentum when a mechanical issue struck, but he was still able to take the checkered flag in ninth for the night.
After sitting out two rounds due to suffering a knee injury at the Laconia Short Track, Lewis is on the mend and plans to make his return to racing the American Flat Track series at the Peoria TT, July 30.
Visit the Progressive American Flat Track website for detailed results.
