This motorcycle racer used to watch videos of the Peoria TTs. Now he's a three-time champ
BARTONVILLE — Life’s a beach.
JD Beach won his third successive Mission SuperTwins Main Event as part of the 76th edition of the 2023 SC2 Peoria TT Grand Nationals on Sunday. The Philpot, Kentucky, native remains 11 consecutive victories behind the record-setting 14 in a row by Henry Wiles but seems to have mastered the dirt track at Peoria Motorcycle Club Race Park.
He credits watching videos when he was young of 13-time Peoria TTs champion Chris Carr as part of his admiration for PMC.
“This is a track that I’ve loved since I was a kid,” Beach said, “so it’s a track that I’ve always loved. … It’s a physical track. It’s a hard track. You have to fight every single lap. That’s how I train at home and I’m always fighting.
“I’ve been lucky enough now to win (at) this place three times and I can’t believe that Wiles won it 14 times in a row. That’s just crazy.”
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After winning his heat, Beach then grabbed his second victory of the 18-race season thanks to a restart and a green-white-checkered finish. He edged out runner-up Briar Bauman and third-place finisher Jared Mees, who now leads the 2023 AFT SuperTwins Point Standings by one point over fifth-place Dallas Daniels, 296-295.
Beach knew Bauman would make a move on him following the restart. Daniels had slid into an air fence on Turn Four, putting the race into caution.
“I spun it up and won,” said Beach, who rides a Yamaha MT-07. “(Bauman) came up the inside and almost got me, so I knew he was going to be close. … It was all about trying to be smooth but ride as hard as I could.”
Four races remain in the season, culminating with the Springfield Mile as part of a Labor Day weekend doubleheader at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Next week, the racers descend on Black Hills Speedway for The City of Sturgis Black Hills Half-Mile.
One final TT race is on the schedule for Aug. 12 in Castle Rock, Wash.
“We’ll go back to work,” Beach said, “because I know the guys aren’t going to be easy next (race).”
Wiles finished sixth for the second year in a row. The race is scheduled to be shown on FS1 as part of a one-hour tape delay show at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 6.
Trevor Brunner wins Peoria TT AFT Singles
Trevor Brunner got in the win column for the first time in 2023, capturing the Peoria TT Parts Unlimited American Flat Track Singles Main Event. He outdistanced himself from Estenson Racing teammate Tom Drane and points leader Kody Kopp to end a 13-race drought.
The Aurora, Ind.-native sits 40 points behind Kopp, 273-233 with four races to go.
“Peoria’s basically the most iconic track on this American Flat Track circuit you’re ever going to ride,” said Brunner, who had finished second in two of his last three races. “… It’s set inside this little valley. All the fans are out watching on the hills. It’s really kind of nostalgic.”
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Two restarts really helped Brunner’s confidence.
“I kept getting more and more excited,” he said, “because I’ve been getting great starts all day, so every time we got stopped and had a restart, I was like, ‘Here’s my chance.’
“I kept moving up, moving up, moving up every restart.”
Brunner's approach to the race changed with the weather. Following the rain overnight Friday into Saturday to the heat on Sunday, the 20-year-old adjusted his style from the morning heats to the afternoon main event.
He credited PMC for taking such great care of the track.
"Earlier on in the day, when the track had a lot of grip in it, you really got to ride aggressive," Brunner said. "Almost really on top of the bike, riding more towards the front forks, really being aggressive with the throttle.
"As it shifted into being a little bit more dry and getting that groove on it towards the end of the day, you really had to start making smaller movements on the bike, not putting as much input into it and really just being smooth with your throttle hand. It kind of went from one extreme to another."
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria TT winner JD Beach wins third in a row at Peoria Motorcycle Club
