It wasn’t Dallas Daniels’ first professional motorcycle racing debut, but it was his first as an AMA Horizon Award winner.

The Mattoon, Ill., resident won the 2018 Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award after winning three class championships at the 2018 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship.

Established in 1997, AMA Horizon Awards recognize riders who are about to move from the youth ranks into amateur racing and from the amateur ranks into AMA Pro Racing competition.

Because he had to wait until he turned 16 to begin competing in the American Flat Track Series, Daniels made his debut June 29 at the 2019 AFT Lima Half Mile event in Lima, Ohio. He competed in the Singles class aboard an Estenson Yamaha YZ450F.

Daniels’ on-track performance improved quickly during the afternoon. He was 14th fastest in the Singles Class’ only practice session, was fourth fastest in the afternoon’s second qualifying session and finished fourth in his heat race.

Heading into the evening portion of the event, Daniels said he didn’t have any experience racing at the Lima track.

“We struggled a little bit in practice, but made some changes that helped us place eighth overall in qualifying,” he said. “I have experience on these types of surfaces, but this track is all new to me. I think a realistic goal is just to make tonight’s main event and go from there.”

 

The team made some setup changes on the front suspension of Daniels’ Yamaha, which paid off in Daniels’ semi-final race. He got a good start, battled with the front runners and finished in third place, giving him a front-row starting spot for the Singles main event.

As the sun went down and the lights came on, Daniels got a poor start in the main, but kept his poise and finished 11th.

After the main event, Daniels said he was disappointed with how the race went for him, but was happy with how his debut unfolded overall.

“If my last five laps were like my first eight or nine laps, I think I could have done a little better,” he said. “I also had a big moment going into Turn 3 and almost lost it.”

Daniels’ talents aren’t limited to flat track. He also won the 2018 Nicky Hayden AMA Road Race Horizon Award and is competing for a second year in MotoAmerica’s Junior Cup. At the time of his Lima debut, Daniels was in second place in the Junior Cup standings, and said MotoAmerica would be his primary focus for the remainder of 2019.

Daniels is coached by 2004 AMA Flat Track Horizon Award winner Johnny Lewis, who was pleased with Daniels’ performance.

“It was a huge learning experience for him,” Lewis said. “I think his experience in MotoAmerica helped him stay calm all day long. This is one of the toughest tracks to race on.”

Daniels’ advice to other up-and-coming flat track racers is to not let the magnitude of a pro debut distract them.

“Don’t let the butterflies get to you,” he said. “They’re going to be there, but just focus on staying smooth.”