Today, Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. announced the rider lineup for its supported Estenson Racing team in the 2024 Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) National Championship series.
That announcement included the fact that Estenson Racing was downsizing from two riders in each AFT class, SuperTwins and Singles, to a single rider in each class. And Estenson’s only SuperTwins rider next season will be 2023 title runner-up Dallas Daniels, leaving race-winning veteran JD Beach without a ride.
Beach won the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2008, the AMA Pro Supersport East Championship in 2010, and the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship in 2015 and 2018, before switching to flat track racing full-time with Estenson Racing in 2020.
In his relatively short Pro flat track career, 32-year-old Beach has won 12 AFT SuperTwins races and he’s finished in the top three in the Championship point standings twice in the past two seasons.
At the end of 2023, Beach was recruited to fill-in for injured Cameron Petersen on the Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha MotoAmerica Superbike, and the Kentucky resident claimed three podium finishes in seven starts, including a race win (the second of his career) in the season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
Now, the fan favorite is looking to switch back to road racing full-time in 2024.
“Right now, my plans for next year aren’t quite done yet,” said Beach. “I’ve known for a while now the Estenson team was going to be going in a different direction [in 2024] and I wasn’t going to be included with that. So, right now I’m trying to put together a deal to race a Superbike in MotoAmerica, but it’s not done yet. Hopefully, it will be soon, but it’s not done.
“I grew up racing dirt track, and I’ve always loved that sport since I was a kid. But the last few years being away from road racing I’ve definitely missed it, and I’ve had the itch to be back because I feel like I have some unfinished business there. And at the end of this year there was a little bit of talk about me going road racing and a few options, but nothing’s really been set in stone yet. I was definitely torn on what I wanted to do, but with the decision Estenson made it kind of made my choice a bit easier.”
Beach tested a Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR Superbike during a track day event earlier this month at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but the Tytlers Cycle Racing team has not yet announced its 2024 racing plans.
