Royal Enfield flat track racer

I am going to put this here as putting in the comment section is a waste of time.

 

U.S. flat tracking was huge in the eighties with Honda and Yamaha sending factory backed bike to battle Harley, then it went pfft, along with most U.S. motorcycle racing.

Well who ever is running it seems to be breathing life back into it , along with Indian/Polaris.

 

It will be interesting to seeif this old name now owned by a Indian Continent company makes waves in the production class.

 

https://www.rideapar...ontent=article3

Pardon my ignorance but what is flat track racing?  I know it is not the same as speedway, but don't know the differences.

Think of motor cycle racing on one half or larger horse racing tracks.

 

We have a mile horse track in the Minnesota Twin Cities  area and they have raced there.

I’d love to see a return of flat track in AMA racing. The races of old at places like Syracuse were incredible, even to this diehard car guy, with speeds around 140 mph if remembering correctly.

Duncan, I think Speedway used giant wheels on very-short tracks up to a quarter mile or so.

Bob, we ran into a former AMA flat track regular in Bishop, California about five years ago. He ran a small print shop we walked into for something or another, and prints of his past were everywhere. I can’t remember his name now but did then, he ran in the Chris Carr and Bubba Shobert days, and before and after.

Further to Duncan's enquiry, there's surprisingly little overlap between flat track and speedway racing, given that both are very similar on the surface. Speedway is very much a world to its own, while flat track racing saw all the greats of US road racing, with Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer and so on, and has a history going back to include names like Joe Leonard and Ralph Hepburn (to build the obligatory bridge to car racing ).

I’d love to see a return of flat track in AMA racing. The races of old at places like Syracuse were incredible, even to this diehard car guy, with speeds around 140 mph if remembering correctly.

 

E1, the American Flat Track series is still under the AMA Pro Racing banner.

 

Further to Duncan's enquiry, there's surprisingly little overlap between flat track and speedway racing, given that both are very similar on the surface. Speedway is very much a world to its own, while flat track racing saw all the greats of US road racing, with Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer and so on, and has a history going back to include names like Joe Leonard and Ralph Hepburn (to build the obligatory bridge to car racing  ).

 

Don't forget Paul Goldsmith and Joe Weatherly 

Here in Oz it is usually called long track. Using speedway bikes as well as sidecars adapted for the events.

Thanks Jim, a bit surprised to hear that — or maybe not being on ABC Sports for decades made it seem so.

The AMA in general seems to really be hurting. Sad as their marques are excellent examples of true bravery left in our sport.

Here in Oz it is usually called long track. Using speedway bikes as well as sidecars adapted for the events.

 

Long-track speedway and Flat track are still different animals, even on 1/2 mile ovals.

Thanks Jim, a bit surprised to hear that — or maybe not being on ABC Sports for decades made it seem so.

The AMA in general seems to really be hurting. Sad as their marques are excellent examples of true bravery left in our sport.

 

AMA Pro Racing still has flat track, hillclimb, motocross and ATV racing, it's just the road racing they lost after NASCAR took it over. MotoAmerica, run by former champ Wayne Rainey, is the successor and there are hopes he can get it back to its previous standing.

 

A shame really, as I consider the AMA Grand National Championship through the mid-1980s and the USAC National Championship of the late 1960s to have produced truly the most versatile racers of anywhere in the World. I don't say that as Americanism, though I'm sure some here will view it that way (as they are wont to do), but because there was nothing anything like them in Europe. Multiple disciplines counting for the same championship (in AMA, points were awarded for all types of racing, in USAC, dirt mile ovals, road courses, paved ovals and even the Pikes Peak hillclimb!)