BERT's HISTORY BLOG

ALL GRAND NATIONAL RESULTS

October 30, 2024/b>

https://www.americanflattrack.com/events/132895/view/347651/results/

A VACUUM AT THE TOP

September 8, 2024
Next weekend, Jared Mees will hang up his steel shoe and retire from the sport.
How dominant has he been during the AFT era (2017-present)?

57 wins in 134 events (42.5% average)
106 podiums in 134 events (79.1% average)

57 wins Jared Mees
24 wins Briar Bauman
12 wins Brandon Robinsons
10 wins Dallas Daniels
1 win Bronson Bauman/Davis Fisher/Jarod Vanderkooi.

106 podiums Jared Mees
70 podiums Briar Bauman
34 podiums Dallas Daniels
31 podiums Brandon Robinson
13 podiums Jarod Vanderkooi
9 podiums Bronson Bauman
7 podiums Davis Fisher
5 podiums Brandon Price
1 podium Dalton Gauthier

RIDERS TO WIN BOTH NATIONALS IN ONE WEEKEND

September 2, 2024

Barberville, FL HM

7/17-7/18/2020 Jared Mees

6/27-6/28/2008 Joe Kopp

3/9-3/11/2023 Dallas Daniels
10/15-10/16/2020 Brandon Robinson
3/10-3/11/2011 Sammy Halbert

3/5-3/6/2008 Jake Johnson
3/10-3/11/1989 Steve Aseltine (GNC & 600 National)

8/15-8/17/1969 Dick Mann

6/23-6/25/1978 Steve Eklund

2/3-2/4/1978 Steve Eklund

8/21-8/22/2020 Briar Bauman

9/11-9/12/1954 Joe Leonard

9/11-9/12/2020 Briar Bauman

9/25-9/26/2020 Briar Bauman

8/29/1954 Joe Leonard
9/16/1951 Jimmy Phillips
9/10/1950 Roger Soderstrom

8/2-8/5/1998 Chris Carr
8/7-8/10/1994 Chris Carr

9/11-9/12/2021 Jared Mees

5/5-5/6/1984 Bubba Shobert

9/1-9/1/2024 Jared Mees
9/5-9/6/2021 Jared Mees
8/31-9/2/2019 Jared Mees
8/31-9/1/2013 Brandon Robinson
9/1-9/2/2001 Chris Carr
8/31-9/1/1996 Davey Camlin

None

None

7/17-7/18/1993 Ricky Graham

9/6/1937 Tommy Hays

9/25-9/26/2020 Jared Mees

SPRINGFIELD RAIN-OUTS

September 1, 2024

The first attempted run of the Springfield Mile on Memorial Day weekend was 1984, when an attempt to re-run the May 20 rain-out met a similar fate.
The first planned run on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends was 1985, and was scheduled to run on that weekend every year until 2020.
The Springfield TT was added to Memorial Day weekend from 2001-2012.
The Springfield ST was added to the Labor Day weekend from 2000-2012.
From 2017-2021, the Springfield ST & TT were AFT-Singles-only Nationals.
From 2020 on, there are no plans for any Nationals in Springfield during Memorial Day weekend.

As for the often-talked about 'Springfield rain outs':

Memorial Day weekend:

►1984 [The May 27, 1984 Mile - rescheduled from May 20 - rains out. It runs July 22, 1984.]
►1989 [The Sunday Mile rains out on both Sunday and Monday. It is not rescheduled for Labor Day.]
►1993 [The Sunday Mile rains out, but runs on Monday.]
►1994 [The Sunday Mile rains out on both Sunday and Monday. It is not rescheduled for Labor Day.]
►1996 [The Sunday Mile rains out on both Sunday and Monday. It is runs on Saturday of Labor Day weekend.]
►1997 [The Sunday Mile rains out on both Sunday and Monday. It is rescheduled for Saturday but runs on Monday of Labor Day weekend.]
►1998 [The Sunday Mile rains out, but runs on Monday.]
►2000 [The Sunday Mile rains out, but runs on Monday.]
►2001 [The Saturday TT rains out, but runs on Monday.]
►2003 [The Saturday TT rains out, but runs on Monday.]
►2004 [The Sunday Mile rains out, but runs on Monday.]
►2007 [The Saturday TT rains out, but runs on Monday.]
►2008 [The Sunday Mile rains out on both Sunday and Monday. It is rescheduled for Saturday but runs on Monday of Labor Day weekend.]
►2011 [The Saturday TT rains out, but runs on Monday.]
►2013 [The Sunday Mile rains out on both Sunday and Monday. It is runs on Saturday of Labor Day weekend.]
►2018 [The Sunday Mile rains out, but runs on Monday.]
►2019 [The Sunday Mile rains out on both Sunday and Monday. It is runs on Saturday of Labor Day weekend.]
►2020 [No miles were scheduled for Memorial Day weekend.]
►2021 [No miles were scheduled for Memorial Day weekend.]
►2022 [No miles were scheduled for Memorial Day weekend.]
►2023 [No miles were scheduled for Memorial Day weekend.]
►2024 [No miles were scheduled for Memorial Day weekend.]

►1994 [The Sunday Mile rains out but runs on Monday.]
►1997 [The Saturday Mile (rescheduled from Memorial Day weekend) rains out but runs on Monday.]
►2008 [The Saturday Mile (rescheduled from Memorial Day weekend) rains out but runs on Monday.]
►2009 [The Saturday ST rains out but runs on Monday.]
►2019 [The Sunday Mile rains out but runs on Monday.]
►2021 [The Saturday Mile rains out but runs on Monday.]
►2022 [The Saturday Mile rains out after the AFT Singles final. The Sunday Mile and Monday option are both rained out.]
╠2024 [The Saturday Mile rains out but runs Sunday (yes, Sunday) after the Sunday Mile.]

WHAT IF...

July 4, 2024

What if the current AFT SuperTwins and AFT Singles were each split into three divisions.
The top division - Expert - would be the top 15% of each field.
The middle division - Junior - would be the next 25% of each field.
The bottom division - Novice - would be the last 60% of each field.
Based on 2023 final points:

AFT EXPERTS (14)

1 Jared Mees
3 Briar Bauman
12 Kody Kopp
13 Morgen Mischler
18 Max Whale
21 Trevor Brunner
32 Dallas Daniels
44 Brandon Robinson
48 Trent Lowe
59 Tom Drane
67 Davis Fisher
79 Dalton Gauthier
88 Chase Saathoff
95 J.D. Beach

10 Johnny Lewis
11 Andrew Luker
17 Henry Wiles
19 James Ott
20 Jarod Vanderkooi
24 Hunter Bauer
25 Ben Lowe
26 Aidan RoosEvans
34 Cam Smith
36 Kolby Carlile
37 Bronson Bauman
49 Chad Cose
51 Cole Zabala
52 Shayna Texter-Bauman
61 Kasey Sciscoe
62 Dan Bromley
63 Jared Lowe
75 Tarrern Santero
82 Travis Petton IV
91 Justin Jones
109 Billy Ross
151 Cole Frederickson
166 Logan Eisenhard
216 Declan Bender

14 Damon Ream
15 Mikey Rush
16 Garrett Wilson
22 Mitch Harvat
28 Gary Ketchum
33 Jesse Janisch
38 Tanner Dean
42 Jeremiah Duffy
45 Shelby Miller
46 Andy DiBrino
47 Michael Hill
50 Jimmy McAllister
53 Blake Steinwagner
55 Tyler Raggio
56 Jordan Jean
60 Nick Armstrong
66 Logan McGrane
69 Sammy Halbert
71 Pat Buchanan
76 David Wiggin
77 Jordan Harris
90 Brandon Newman
92 Brandon Price
94 Ryan Wells
96 Cody Johncox
98 Kayl Kolkman
99 Kevin Stollings
106 Reece Pottorf
107 Wyatt Vaughan
111 Gary Birtwhislte
112 Aidan Brown
116 Dave Pouliot
117 Landen Smith
121 Jacob Cascio
122 Ashton Yates
132 Bronson Pearce
133 Clarke Morian
140 Blake Ash
149 Treygan Birdsong
155 Olin Kissler
157 Ian Wolfe
160 Austin Helmholz
169 Hayden Gillim
174 Ray Handy
176 Jake Walter
186 Jacob Vanderkooi
194 Dominic Cameron
195 Clayton Williams
223 Jeffrey Lowery
233 Christian Spurgeon
264 Ryan Sipes
270 Jess Reynolds
274 Scooter Vernon
275 Ryan Hiatt
317 Gerard Bailo
341 Ervin Krajcovic
377 Ferran Cardus

LIMA HALF MILE LAP RECORDS

une 30, 2024

Last night at the AFT LIma Half Mile, Dallas Daniels set the fastest lap of the night at 25.293 (lap 2 of the SuperTwins final).
How does that compare to previous fastest laps at Lima?

Historian Bob Herrick went through his Cycle News collection and reports the following:

The Track Record at Lima prior to GNC competition starting in 1984 was by Expert 23L DeWayne Howton of Dawson Springs, KY on a H-D XR750 on 8/23/78 with a 24.987.
This record held until 1984 when at the first GNC event on 6/30/84 Scott Parker ran a 24.994 on a H-D XR750.
This record held through 1993.
In 1994 & 1995, Scratch Heats were run. 
New track records are highlighted in bold:

08/23/1978  DeWayne Howton  H-D  XR750 24.987 
06/30/1984  Scott Parker  H-D  XR750 24.994 
06/29/1985  Ted Boody  HON  XR750 25.834 
06/28/1986  Steve Morehead  H-D  XR750 25.773 
06/27/1987  Steve Morehead  H-D  XR750 25.666 
06/25/1988  Scott Parker  H-D  XR750 25.740 
06/24/1989  Scott Parker  H-D  XR750 25.537 
06/30/1990  Steve Morehead  H-D  XR750 25.601 
06/29/1991  Steve Morehead  H-D  XR750 26.093 
06/27/1992  Kevin Atherton  H-D XR750 26.157 
06/26/1993  Ricky Graham  HON RS750  25.496 

The AMA stopped running one-lap qualifying in 1994.

Fastest indivdual lap times at each Lima National 2006-2024:
6/24/2006 George Roeder II H-D XR750 25.365
6/30/2007 Bryan Smith H-D XR750 24.875
6/28/2008 George Roeder II H-D XR750 25.627
6/27/2009 Sammy Halbert H-D XR750 25.843
6/26/2010 Henry Wiles H-D XR750 25.670
6/25/2011 Bryan Smith Kawasaki EX650 25.798
6/30/2012 Matt Weidman H-D XR750 26.689
2013 (no race)
6/28/2014 Sammy Halbert H-D XR750 25.522
6/28/2015 Brad Baker H-D XR750 25.464
6/25/2016 Sammy Halbert H-D XR750 25.914
6/24/2017 Brad Baker Indian FTR750 25.573
6/30/2018 Jefferey Carver Indian FTR750 25.421
6/29/2019 Brandon Price Indian FTR750 25.475
2020 (no race)
6/26/2021 Brandon Robinson Indian FTR750 25.452
6/25/2022 Brandon Robinson Indian FTR750 25.557
6/24/2023 Tom Drane Yamaha YZ450F 25.711
6/29/2024 Dallas Daniels Yamaha MT-07 25.293

ROOKIE SUCCESSES OVER THE YEARS

March 4, 2024

1969:

1969 Rookie Winners: Mark Brelsford, Jim Rice
1969 Rookie Podiums: Mark Brelsford, Ron Pierce, Jim Rice
Future Winners: Tom Rockwood, Dave Sehl
Future Podium Finishers: Larry Darr, Dave Smith

1970 Rookie Winners: David Aldana
1970 Rookie Podiums: David Aldana, Don Castro, Don Emde, Keith Mashburn
Future winners: Don Castro, Kel Carruthers, Don Emde, Dave Hansen
Future Podium Finishers: Charlie Chapple, Billy Eves, Frank Gillespie, Hurley Wilvert

1971 Rookie Winners: Robert E. Lee
1971 Rookie Podiums: Rex Beauchamp, John Hateley
Future Winners: Rex Beauchamp, Gary Fisher, John Hateley, Chuck Joyner, Paul Smart
Future Podium Finishers: Cliff Carr, Terry Dorsch, Ray Hempsted, Steve McLaughlin, Doug Sehl

1972 Rookie Winners: Mike Gerald, Kenny Roberts, Gary Scott
1972 Rookie Podiums: Darryl Hurst, Mike Kidd, Kenny Roberts, Gary Scott
Future Winners: Mike Kidd, Randy Skiver
Future Podium Finishers: Ron Moore, Billy Schaeffer, Randy Scott

1973 Rookie Winners: Scott Brelsford
1973 Rookie Podiums: Steve Baker, Scott Brelsford, Jim Evans
Future Winners: Steve Baker
Future Podium Finishers: Mike Caves, Steve Droste, Tom Horton

1974 Rookie Winners: Rick Hocking, Hank Scott
1974 Rookie Podiums: Hank Scott
Future Winners: Billy Labrie, Steve Morehead
Future Podium Finishers: Charlie Brown, Randy Cleek, Scott Drake, John Gennai

1975 Rookie Winners: Greg Sassaman, Jay Springsteen
1975 Rookie Podiums: Skip Aksland, Steve Freeman, Bubba Rush, Jay Springsteen
Future winners: Skip Aksland, Alex Jorgensen, Bubba Rush
Future Podium Finishers: Bruce Hanlon, Guy McClure

1976 Rookie Winners: Ted Boody, Steve Eklund, Terry Poovey
1976 Rookie Podiums: Ted Boody, Steve Eklund
Future Winners: Brad Hurst, Dale Singleton
Future Podium Finishers: Steve Gulledge

1977 Rookie Winners: Garth Brow
1977 Rookie Podiums: Garth Brow
Future Winners: Mike Baldwin, Wes Cooley, Mickey Fay, Randy Goss, Scott Pearson, Rich Schlachter
Future Podium Finishers:

1978 Rookie Winners:
1978 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Ricky Graham
Future Podiums Eddie Lawson, Lance Jones

1979 Rookie Winners: Scott Parker
1979 Rookie Podiums: Scott Parker
Future Winners: Ronnie Jones, Wayne Rainey
Future Podium Finishers:

1980 Rookie Winners:
1980 Rookie Podiums: Freddie Spencer
Future Winners: Bubba Shobert, Freddie Spencer
Future Podium Finishers: Tim Mertens

1981 Rookie Winners: Jim Filice
1981 Rookie Podiums: Jim Filice
Future Winners: Doug Brauneck, Rich King
Future Podium Finishers: Rodney Farris

1982 Rookie Winners:
1982 Rookie Podiums: Steve Wise
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers: Davey Durelle, Fred Merkel

1983 Rookie Winners: Doug Chandler
1983 Rookie Podiums: Doug Chandler, Randy Green T.J. Houghton, Dan Ingram
Future Winners: Chris Evans, Dan Ingram
Future Podium Finishers: Pete Hames

1984 Rookie Winners:
1984 Rookie Podiums: Randy Renfrow
Future Winners: Will Davis
Future Podium Finishers:

1985 Rookie Winners:
1985 Rookie Podiums: Chris Carr
Future Winners: Chris Carr, Geo Roeder II
Future Podium Finishers: Don Estep

1986 Rookie Winners:
1986 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Rusty Rogers
Future Podium Finishers: Aaron Hill

1987 Rookie Winners:
1987 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Steve Aseltine
Future Podium Finishers: Ted Taylor

1988 Rookie Winners:
1988 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Kevin Atherton, Willie McCoy
Future Podium Finishers:

1989 Rookie Winners:
1979 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Davey Camlin
Future Podium Finishers:

1990 Rookie Winners:
1990 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Larry Pegram, Andy Tresser
Future Podium Finishers: Mike Hale, Dan Stanley

1991 Rookie Winners:
1991 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Steve Beattie, Jason Fletcher
Future Podium Finishers:

1992 Rookie Winners:
1992 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Georgie Price IV
Future Podium Finishers:

1993 Rookie Winners:
1993 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Joe Kopp, Brett Landes, Kevin Varnes
Future Podium Finishers:

1994 Rookie Winners:
1994 Rookie Podiums: Kenny Coolbeth
Future Winners: Kenny Coolbeth, Mike Hacker
Future Podium Finishers:

1995 Rookie Winners:
1995 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers:

1996 Rookie Winners:
1996 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Tommy Hayden, J.R. Schnabel
Future Podium Finishers: Shaun Russell

1997 Rookie Winners:
1997 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Johnny Murphree
Future Podium Finishers:

1998 Rookie Winners:
1998 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Bryan Bigelow, Chris Hart
Future Podium Finishers:

1999 Rookie Winners: Nicky Hayden
1999 Rookie Podiums: Toby Jorgensen
Future Winners: Garth Bastian
Future Podium Finishers:

2000 Rookie Winners:
2000 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Ricky Winsett
Future Podium Finishers:

2001 Rookie Winners:
2001 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Dominic Beaulac, Bryan Smith
Future Podium Finishers: Roger Hayden

2002 Rookie Winners: Jake Johnson
2002 Rookie Podiums: Jake Johnson
Future Winners: Henry Wiles
Future Podium Finishers:

2003 Rookie Winners:
2003 Rookie Podiums: Rob Pearson
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers:

2004 Rookie Winners:
2004 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Jared Mees
Future Podium Finishers: Jethro Halbert

2005 Rookie Winners:
2005 Rookie Podiums: Nick Cummings
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers:

2006 Rookie Winners:
2006 Rookie Podiums: Sammy Halbert
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers: Jimmy Wood

2007 Rookie Winners: Mikey Rush
2007 Rookie Podiums: Mikey Rush
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers:

2008 Rookie Winners:
2008 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Johnny Lewis, Matt Weidman
Future Podium Finishers: Chad Cose, Cory Texter

2009 Rookie Winners:
2009 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Stevie Bonsey, Brandon Robinson
Future Podium Finishers:

2010 Rookie Winners:
2010 Rookie Podiums: J.D. Beach
Future Winners: J.D. Beach
Future Podium Finishers:

2011 Rookie Winners:
2011 Rookie Podiums: Brad Baker, Jeffrey Carver
Future Winners: Brad Baker, Jeffrey Carver
Future Podium Finishers:

2012 Rookie Winners:
2012 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Briar Bauman
Future Podium Finishers:

2013 Rookie Winners:
2013 Rookie Podiums: Jake Shoemaker
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers:

2014 Rookie Winners:
2014 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers:

2015 Rookie Winners:
2015 Rookie Podiums: Dominic Colindres
Future Winners: Jarod Vanderkooi
Future Podium Finishers:

2016 Rookie Winners:
2016 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners: Bronson Bauman, Davis Fisher
Future Podium Finishers:

2017 Rookie Winners:
2017 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers:

2018 Rookie Winners:
2018 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers:

2019 Rookie Winners:
2019 Rookie Podiums: Brandon Price
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers:

2020 Rookie Winners:
2020 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers:

2021 Rookie Winners:
2021 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers: James Rispoli

2022 Rookie Winners: Dallas Daniels
2022 Rookie Podiums: Dallas Daniels
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers:

2023 Rookie Winners:
2023 Rookie Podiums:
Future Winners:
Future Podium Finishers:

FIRST-TIME WINS/ PODIUMS OVER THE YEARS

March 3, 2024

1969: 6 first-time winners, 9 first-time podium finishers
1970: 3 first-time winners, 12 first-time podium finishers
1971: 6 first-time winners, 7 first-time podium finishers
1972: 7 first-time winners, 10 first-time podium finishers
1973: 8 first-time winners, 13 first-time podium finishers
1974: 6 first-time winners, 9 first-time podium finishers

1975: 3 first-time winners, 11 first-time podium finishers
1976: 6 first-time winners, 10 first-time podium finishers
1977: 2 first-time winners, 5 first-time podium finishers
1978: 5 first-time winners, 5 first-time podium finishers
1979: 4 first-time winners, 8 first-time podium finishers

1980: 7 first-time winners, 11 first-time podium finishers
1981: 4 first-time winners, 6 first-time podium finishers
1982: 2 first-time winners, 6 first-time podium finishers
1983: 3 first-time winners, 10 first-time podium finishers
1984: 0 first-time winners, 7 first-time podium finishers

1985: 2 first-time winners, 3 first-time podium finishers
1986: 1 first-time winners, 0 first-time podium finishers
1987: 0 first-time winners, 1 first-time podium finishers
1988: 1 first-time winners, 0 first-time podium finishers
1989: 2 first-time winners, 2 first-time podium finishers

1990: 0 first-time winners, 1 first-time podium finishers
1991: 2 first-time winners, 5 first-time podium finishers
1992: 1 first-time winners, 1 first-time podium finishers
1993: 0 first-time winners, 4 first-time podium finishers
1994: 1 first-time winners, 5 first-time podium finishers

1995: 4 first-time winners, 5 first-time podium finishers
1996: 1 first-time winners, 2 first-time podium finishers
1997: 1 first-time winners, 0 first-time podium finishers
1998: 1 first-time winners, 0 first-time podium finishers
1999: 1 first-time winners, 3 first-time podium finishers

2000: 1 first-time winners, 2 first-time podium finishers
2001: 3 first-time winners, 2 first-time podium finishers
2002: 6 first-time winners, 5 first-time podium finishers
2003: 1 first-time winners, 3 first-time podium finishers
2004: 1 first-time winners, 1 first-time podium finishers

2005: 1 first-time winners, 2 first-time podium finishers
2006: 2 first-time winners, 2 first-time podium finishers
2007: 2 first-time winners, 2 first-time podium finishers
2008: 0 first-time winners, 0 first-time podium finishers
2009: 0 first-time winners, 0 first-time podium finishers

2010: 1 first-time winners, 3 first-time podium finishers
2011: 1 first-time winners, 4 first-time podium finishers
2012: 2 first-time winners, 1 first-time podium finishers
2013: 3 first-time winners, 1 first-time podium finishers
2014: 1 first-time winners, 1 first-time podium finishers

2015: 0 first-time winners, 1 first-time podium finishers
2016: 0 first-time winners, 1 first-time podium finishers
2017: 0 first-time winners, 0 first-time podium finishers
2018: 0 first-time winners, 4 first-time podium finishers
2019: 2 first-time winners, 1 first-time podium finishers

2020: 0 first-time winners, 1 first-time podium finishers
2021: 0 first-time winners, 2 first-time podium finishers
2022: 3 first-time winners, 2 first-time podium finishers
2023: 0 first-time winners, 4 first-time podium finishers

Notice that 1986 is the first time that only a single first-time podium finishers occurs.
Novices went to 500cc in 1984.
The best 1984 Novices would have been rookie experts in 1986.
Coincidence?

AMA/AFT NATIONAL RIDER TURNOUT 2009-2023

March 2, 2024

TOTAL RIDERS:

2009: 246 total riders [Expert & Pro Singles]
2010: 252 total riders [Expert & Pro Singles]
2011: 254 total riders [Expert & Pro Singles]
2012: 239 total riders [Expert & Pro Singles]
2013: 291 total riders [Expert & Pro Singles]
2014: 217 total riders [Expert & Pro Singles]
2015: 223 total riders [GNC1 & GNC2]
2016: 216 total riders [GNC1 & GNC2]
2017: 181 total riders [AFT Twins & AFT Singles]
2018: 180 total riders [AFT Twins & AFT Singles]
2019: 142 total riders [AFT TWins, AFT Production Twins, & AFT Singles]
2020: 79 total riders [AFT SuperTwins, AFT Production Twins, & AFT Singles]
2021: 90 total riders [AFT SuperTwins, AFT Production Twins, & AFT Singles]
2022: 92 total riders [AFT SuperTwins, AFT Production Twins, & AFT Singles]
2023: 95 total riders [AFT SuperTwins & AFT Singles]

2009: 123 Expert riders
2010: 110 Expert riders
2011: 112 Expert riders
2012: 91 Expert riders
2013: 81 Expert riders
2014: 88 Expert riders
2015: 85 GNC1 riders
2016: 85 GNC1 riders

2009: 103 Expert Singles riders
2010: 102 Expert singles riders
2011: 97 Expert singles riders
2012: 83 Expert singles riders
2013: 54 Expert singles riders
2014: 57 Expert singles riders
2015: 61 GNC1 singles riders
2016: 64 GNC1 singles riders

2009: 89 Expert twins riders
2010: 88 Expert twins riders
2011: 91 Expert twins riders
2012: 71 Expert twins riders
2013: 68 Expert twins riders
2014: 77 Expert twins riders
2015: 72 GNC1 Twins riders
2016: 76 GNC1 Twins riders
2017: 72 AFT Twins riders
2018: 71 AFT Twins riders
2019: 41 AFT Twins riders
2020: 21 AFT SuperTwins riders
2021: 20 AFT SuperTwins riders
2022: 20 AFT SuperTwins riders
2023: 40 AFT SuperTwins riders

2009: 123 Pro Singles riders
2010: 142 Pro Singles riders
2011: 149 Pro Singles riders
2012: 154 Pro Singles riders
2013: 125 Pro Singles riders
2014: 134 Pro Singles riders
2015: 130 GNC2 singles riders
2016: 118 GNC2 singles riders
2017: 115 AFT Singles riders
2018: 116 AFT Singes riders
2019: 100 AFT Singles riders
2020: 45 AFT Singles riders
2021: 51 AFT Singles riders
2022: 45 AFT Singles riders
2022: 60 AFT Singles riders

2013: 18 Basic Twins riders
2014: 33 Basic Twins riders
2015: 49 GNC2 twins riders
2016: 52 GNC2 twins riders
2017: n/a
2018: n/a
2019: 41 AFT Production Twins riders
2020: 31 AFT Production Twins riders
2021: 34 AFT Production Twins riders
2022: 35 AFT Production Twins riders
2023: n/a

WHY AREN'T THERE MORE PRO RACERS NOW?

December 18, 2023

One obvious reason is that there aren't enough races from coast to coast.
And I don't just mean AFT events.
Back in the day, there were hundreds of AMA Pro Racing flat track events at the local and Regional level.
Most racers never went to a Grand National.
Below is a list of AMA Pro, Regional, and Grand National flat track events from the June 1982 AM Magazine:

June 2 Hinsdale IL ST Pro $1,500
June 4 Charlestown IN ST Regional
June 4 Clackamas WA TT Pro $1,500
June 5 Louisville KY HM GNC
June 5 Carrollton OH HM Pro $4,000
June 6 Elkhorn WI HM Pro $1,500
June 9 Hinsdale IL ST Pro $1,500
June 11 Harrington DE HM Pro Nov/Jr only $2,000
June 11 Clackamas WA TT Pro $1,500
June 12 Harrington DE HM GNC
June 13 Peoria IL TT Pro $1,500
June 16 Hinsdale IL ST Pro $1,500
June 17 Bellfontaine OH HM Pro $3,000
June 18 Clackamas WA TT Pro $1,500
June 19 Dayton OH HM Regional
June 20 Marysville OH HM Pro $3,000
June 20 Henry IL HM Pro $1,500
June 23 Hinsdale IL ST Pro $1,500
June 25 Granite City IL HM Regional
June 26 Lima OH HM GNC
June 26 Troy OH HM Pro $2,000
June 26 New Berlin IL ST Pro $1,500
June 27 Greenville OH HM Pro $2,500
June 27 Pecatonica IL HM Pro $1,500
June 30 Hinsdale IL ST Pro $1,500

May 2 San Jose CA M GNC
May 2 Gardena CA HM Pro $2,400
May 2 Lucasville OH HM Pro $2,600
May 8 Gardena CA HM GNC
May 15 Granite City IL HM Pro $2,400
May 16 Springfield IL M GNC
May 16 Gardena CA HM Pro $1,600
May 21 Clackamas WA TT Pro $1,500
May 23 Middletown NY HM Regional
May 23 Henry IL HM Pro $2,100
May 28 Clackamas WA TT Pro $1,500
May 28 Zanesville OH HM Pro $2,800
May 30 Hagerstown MD HM Regional
May 30 Marshfield WI HM Pro $2,000
May 31 York PA HM Regional

PAST NATIONAL WINNERS INVOLVED IN THE SPORT AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL

December 16, 2023

I recently wondered aloud how many former Grand National winners are still involved in the sport.

Former Grand National Champions Not Racing but at the AFT Events:

Kenny Coolbeth (Turner Racing team)
Joe Kopp (Kody Kopp team)
Chris Carr (AFT official)
Bryan Smith (AFT official)
Jake Johnson (Zanotti Racing team)
Brad Baker (assisting several AFT racers)

Bryan Bigelow Turner Racing team)
Steve Morehead (AFT official)
Tommy Hayden (Estenson Racing team)
Kevin Varnes (crew chief for Jordan Harris)

ADOPTED FIRST NAMES

October 31, 2023

My history colleagues (which now includes Dennis Burkman from California), were pondering how many racers used 'adopted' first names.
Some of these may have begun as a "nickname", but we have tried to separate the "nicknames" from "adopted first names".
Common first name replacements are omitted from the following list.
(Steve for Stephen, Mike for Michael, Dave for David, etc.).

Edward "Skip" Aksland
Steve "Pee Wee" Anthony
Delbert "Chubby" Armour
Charlie "Brett Barkman
James "J.D." Beach
Joseph "Rusty" Bradley
Dennis "Blackie" Bruce
Duane "Moon" Buchanan
Lewis "Sonny" Burres
Wilfred "Frenchy" Castonaguay
Raoul "Woodsie" Castonaguay
Russell "Dusty" Coppage
Cyril "Babe" DeMay
Gaylord "Geezer" Emick
David "Ed" Fisher
Barry "Mike" Gerald
John "Pee Wee" Gleason
Donald "Randy" Goss
James "Steve" Gulledge
Clifford "Corky" Keener
Hershal "Dwayne" Keeter
Carl "Frenchie" LeBlanc
John "Jean" Lysight
William "Ginger" Malloy
Emery "Red" McKeen
James "Steve" Morehead
Richard "Dickie" Newell
Joel "Jody" Nicholas
Lyle "Sonny" Nutter
David "Scott" Parker
J.C. "Babe" Robertson
James "J.R." Rawls
George "Geo" Roeder II
Willard "Corky" Root
David "Bubba" Rush
David "Swede" Savage
Glen "J.R." Schnabel
Roland "Shorty" Seabourne
Don "Bubba" Shobert
Colon "Buzz" Simmons
Jim "Scott" Stump
John "Jack" Texter
Gordon "Skip" Van Leeuwen
John "Jack" Warren
Clarence "Punk" Wells

JD BEACH WINS NJMP SUPERBIKE

September 25, 2023

JD Beach won the NJMP MotoAmerican Superbike race this past weekend.
It was his second career Superbike victory, four years after winning at VIR.
So it is time for an updated list of racers who have won a premier flat track race and a premier road race event in the same year:

Here is the list of others, in somewhat chronological order:

JD Beach 2019, 2023
Nicky Hayden 2002
Doug Chandler, 1989
Bubba Shobert 1984, 1987, 1988
Kenny Roberts 1974, 1975, 1976, 1980
Gene Romero 1974
Mark Brelsford 1971
David Aldana 1970
Fred Nix 1969
Ralph White 1965
Dick Mann 1964, 1970, 1971
Roger Reiman 1964
Gary Nixon 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967
Carroll Resweber 1961, 1962
Brad Andres 1955, 1956
Joe Leonard 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1961
Paul Goldsmith 1953
Dick Klamfoth 1951
Ed Kretz Sr. 1938

2023 THOUGHTS

September 5, 2023
The 2023 season has come to a close.

I thought the re-introduction of the LCQ was perhaps the biggest positive change, as it gave the mid-pack riders a chance to claim a "win" during the season.

I liked the fewer weekends off during the season - 2023 ran 18 rounds over 25½ weeks, compared to 16 rounds over 31½ weeks in 2022.

Rider counts went up slightly, but it will take a while to correct the "exclusivity" path that Michael Lock put the sport on from 2017-2021.

►2020: 79 total racers. 21 SuperTwins. 45 Singles. 31 Production Twins.
►2021: 90 total racers. 20 SuperTwins. 51 Singles. 34 Production Twins.
►2022: 92 total racers. 20 SuperTwins. 45 Singles. 35 Production Twins.
►2023: 95 total racers. 40 SuperTwins. 60 Singles.

►9 were 25-laps
►1 was 24-laps
►1 was 26-laps
►2 were shortened to 20 laps due track and/or visibility concerns (OKC)
►1 was shortened to 17 laps due to tire wear concerns (Sacramento Mile)

►7 were 25 laps
►1 was 23-laps
►2 were 26-laps
►1 was 28-laps
►2 were 29-laps
►3 were 31-laps
►3 were 32-laps

CLOSEST POINT CHASES ENTERING FINALE ROUND/WEEKEND

September 4, 2023
How often has a close point chase entered the final round/weekend of the Grand National Championship?

4 point difference

2021: Jares Mees over Briar Bauman. [Mess wins title by 15 after Bauman crashes].
1991: Scott Parker over Chris Carr [Parker wins title in a tie-breaker].
1982: Ricky Graham over Jay Springsteen [Graham wins title by 2].
1980: Randy Goss over Hank Scott [Goss wins title by 1].

2016: Bryan Smith over Jared Mees [Smith wins title by 5].
1998: Scott Parker over Chris Carr [Parker wins title by 2].

2023: Jared Mees over Dallas Daniels [Mees wins the title by 16]
2009: Sammy Halbert over Jared Mees [Halbert wins unofficial title by 1 over Joe Kopp; 3 over Mees].
1978: Jay Springsteen over Steve Eklund [Springsteen wins title by 5].

2006: Kenny Coolbeth & Chris Carr. [Coolbeth wins title by 22 when Carr suffers a DNF].
1981: Mike Kidd & Gary Scott [Kidd wins title by 5].

AMA FUEL TANK HISTORY

July 28, 2023

From Bill Milburn:

"Up until 1965, the OEM's were having a contest to see who could come up with the biggest fuel tank on a race bike.
Triumph had a six gallon tank, with an extra two gallons stored in the seat.
Harley-Davidson countered with a fiberglass six gallon tank, then a 7.8 gallon tank, and finally the nine gallon tank of 1964.

In 1965, the AMA restricted maximum gas tank capacity to 6 gallons and introduced mandatory pit stops (where fuel must be added) for road races over 100 miles in length.

Seat tanks were outlawed in the 1970 rule book.
Mandatory pit stops were removed from the 1970 rule book.
Gas tank capacity increased to 6.2 gallons in 1970."

LEATHERS HISTORY

July 13, 2023

Someone recently asked about the history of the leather racing suit.

Don Emde provides the following:

"This requires kind of a long answer. Way back in the days of board track racing and the dirt track racing in those years saw leather pants and boots in use, but just fabric jerseys.

In the 1930s, when Class C racing got going, not much changed in dirt track racing. But when there was racing on pavement, like at Daytona and the paved Oakland track, riders started using leather jackets.

My dad [Floyd Emde] raced the 1941 Oakland 200 on a paved oval track and I know he wore a leather jacket. Not sure if it was a rule or not. After WWII, Floyd also wore a leather jacket at Daytona.

Fast Forward to the 1950s. This was the era of two-piece leathers - top and bottom - with silk racing vests worn over the jackets.

Into the 1960s, in the West, there was a lady named Clarice Amberg and she worked for Ernie Pico. I believe they were the first to start making leathers that zipped together and they custom made them for riders, with color panels.

I don't know exactly when D's leathers got started back East, but she was making them for riders, and this was also when Bates Leathers in Long Beach had a whole catalog of colorful jackets and pants, plus they had a department where riders could go get measurements taken and team leathers were made - I had many outfits made by them there. Clarice Amberg stayed in the business for some years as ABC Leathers.

When road racing got big, there were some international riders coming over with one-piece suits from Lewis Leathers of England.

That takes us into the 1970s.

I don't know who was first, but my brother, Bob, had black pants and jacket in 1963, and a red-and-black zipped outfit in 1964 made by Clarice."

"Wanda & Ernie Pico [Pico Leathers] gave me my start, and Clarice [ABC Leathers] was a big help to me, too. I am forever grateful to them.

I think Clarice worked for Ernie in the beginning [at Pico Leathers] before she started out on her own business [as ABC Leathers]. The thing I do know is that Pico Leathers were the first to offer leathers in color.

Clarice left Pico Leathers and started ABC Leathers.

I never worked for Wanda Pico or Clarice. We didn't have money to buy leathers, but I knew how to sew, so I made my husband a set of leathers. When Bart Markel and Neil Keen saw my work, they suggested that I go to California and meet Wanda, which I did. She helped me get started in my own business.

Corky Keener was my third customer and he told me to make sure I put a logo on them. I hadn't thought about any of that, and he said 'we have ABC Leathers, and now we have D's!'. He even drew up the logo for me."

"According to Jim Wray, he commissioned Bates to make their first pair of racing leathers. Jim can be seen wearing them at the first Ascot National, wearing #4X [July 25, 1959]. Jim gave the leathers to Chris Agajanian. Pictures of them can be seen in the Ascot apparel catalog."

"The April 1965 issue of CYCLE Magazine shows five flat trackers wearing colored leathers on the cover."
►Sportsman #3 Jim Hunter is shown in action wearing blue leathers with white sleeves, and a white stripe down the outside of the pants.
►Amateur #22Y Dan Haaby is wearing his white leathers with red sleeves and a red stripe down the outside of the pants.
►Expert #7 Sammy Tanner in his red leathers (with a white BSA logo on the right chest) with white sleeves and a white stripe down the outside of the pants.
►Expert #4 Bart Markel is wearing red leathers with black sleeves and a black stripe down the outside of the pants. Each black sleeve has two horizontal red bands on the upper arm.
►Expert #94 George Roeder is wearing black leathers with red sleeves and a red stripe down the outside of the pants. Each red sleeve has two horizontal black bands on the upper arm. George and Bart's leathers are identical, except the colors are reversed.

The caption inside the cover reads:

"COLORED LEATHERS have put real flash into AMA racing. #3 is Jim Hunter, 1964 California Scrambles Champion. #22 is Dan Haaby, 1964's top Amateur. #7 is Sammy Tanner, to California flattracker. #4 is Bart Markel of Flint, Michigan, half-mile start. #94 is George Roeder of Monroeville, Ohio, dirt track ace."

"Sammy Tanner was the first to break away. Back in 1958 or 1959...he changed from all black to an all white racing outfit."

"The era of the colored racing jerseys started around 1959 and is still a good idea if someone would really define a racing jersey. Is the jersey a special piece of material of bright colors to better see the rider and his number? Or is it a T-shirt, an undershirt, an ex-GI underwear issue, a billboard for sponsors, or an old tablecloth that a buddy dared him to wear?"

"A couple of firms in Southern California took the bull by the horns and started producing various colored leathers for the riders. Who would dare be the first to appear in them and be called a clown?"

"Bates Mfg. and Ernie Pico were the first to really pioneer the idea [of colored leathers] and put it to use."

Article IX (Dirt Track and Speedway Racing), makes no mention of helmets, leathers, or any other apparel.

Article X (Short Track Races) states: "Sec. 11. The rider must be fitted with A.M.A. approved type boots, or leggings, leather pants, gloves, crash helmet, and non-breakable goggles." [Page 35].

Article XI (TT Races) states: "Sec. 18. Riders must wear suitable leather crash helmets, both in practice and during the racing." [Page 40].

Article XII (Road Races) states: "Sec. 13. Riders must wear approved helmets, both in practice and during the racing." [Page 43].

Article VII (General Rules for All Competition): "Sec. 31. No rider shall be permitted to compete in any type of competition unless properly attired. Where speed is the determining factor, leather riding pants must be worn, together with leather shirt or leather jacket and at least 8" boots or shoes must be worn. Only helmets approved by the A.M.A. and non-breakable goggles must be used in events where speed is a determining factor." [Page 22].

HAS ANYONE LED THE CHAMPIONSHIP ALL SEASON?

May 20, 2023

Has anyone won the opening round, and then held the point lead all the way to the end of the season?

Only 12 times has the eventual overall points winner started the season with a victory.
Only three times has the point lead never changed hands:

1955 Brad Andres. Lost point lead round 3.
1957. Joe Leonard. Led all 8 rounds. Missed the last 3 rounds due to injury. Finished on the podium at all 5 races he competed at!
1964. Roger Reiman. Lost point lead at round 2.
1967. Gary Nixon. Lost point lead at round 10.
1968. Gary Nixon. Lost point lead at round 2.
1971. Dick Mann. Lost point lead round 2.
1992. Chris Carr. Lost point lead at round 5.
1998. Scott Parker won opening 3 rounds; lost point lead at round 12.
2003. Chris Carr led all 17 rounds.
2017. Jared Mees. Lost point lead at round 5.
2018. Jared Mees. Lost point lead at round 2 when he DNQ for Woodstock GA ST.
2019. Briar Bauman. Led all 20 rounds.

MAX WHALE COMPLETES SINGLES SLAM

April, 2, 2023

By winning the Arizona TT, Max Whale joins Dalton Gauthier as the only riders to win an AFT Singles or Pro Singles National in all four disciplines (ST, TT, HM, M).

DALLAS DANIELS JOINS MORE CLUBS

March 12, 2023

Dallas Daniels won both rounds of the season opener at Daytona Flat Track.

Riders who have won both Nationals in Daytona:

Dallas Daniels 2023 - Daytona Flat Track - AFT
Brandon Robinson 2020 - Daytona Flat Track - AFT
Sammy Halbert 2011 - Daytona Flat Track - AMA GNC
Jake Johnson 2008 - Municipal Stadium - AMA GNC
Chris Carr 1994 - Municipal Stadium - AMA 600 and AMA GNC
Steve Aseltine 1989 - Municipal Stadium - AMA 600 and AMA GNC

Dallas Daniels 2023 - Daytona Flat Track ST & ST - AFT
Sammy Halbert 2011 - Daytona Flat Track ST & ST - AMA GNC
Jake Johnson 2008 - Municipal Stadium ST & ST - AMA GNC
Steve Eklund 1978 - Houston Astrodome TT & ST - AMA GNC

Dallas Daniels 2022 (2 wins) - 2023 (2 wins)
Jay Springsteen 1975 (2 wins) - 1976 (7 wins)
Jim Rice 1969 (3 wins) - 1970 (6 wins)
Brad Andres 1955 (5 wins) - 1956 (2 wins)

DALLAS DANIELS JOINS CLUB

March 10, 2023

Dallas Daniels won the season opener at Daytona Flat Track.
He won two races as a rookie in 2022.
This makes him the first rider since Jake Johnson in 2003 to win a National as a rookie, and then win another National in his second year in the premier class.

Who all have completed this feat?

Dallas Daniels, 2022-2023 (2 wins & 1 win [so far])
Jake Johnson, 2002-2003 (1 win & 1 win)
Nicky Hayden, 1999-2000 (1 win & 1 win)
Doug Chandler, 1983-1984 (1 win & 1 win)
Scott Parker, 1979-1980 (2 wins & 1 win)
Garth Brow 1977-1978 (1 win & 3 wins)
Ted Boody, 1976-1977 (1 win & 2 wins)
Steve Eklund, 1976-1977 (3 wins & 1 win)
Jay Springsteen, 1975-1976 (2 wins & 7 wins)
Hank Scott, 1974-1975 (1 win & 1 win)
Kenny Roberts, 1972-1973 (1 win & 3 wins)
Mark Brelsford, 1969-1970 (1 win & 1 win)
Jim Rice, 1969-1970 (3 wins & 6 wins)
Brad Andres, 1955-1956 (5 wins & 2 wins)
Everett Brashear, 1952-1953 (1 win & 3 wins)
Joe Weatherly, 1948-1949 (1 win & 1 win)

2023 AFT PURSE

February 12, 2023
AFT announced their payout plans for the 2023 season today.
Each event will have a $5,000 Mission Foods Challenge in AFT SuperTwins and a $2,500 Al Lamb Dallas Honda Dash For Cash in AFT Singles.
Total Single Event payout: $63,300 ($50,800 AFT SuperTwins + $12,500 AFT Singles).
Total Double Header Event payout: $48,553 each day ($38,813 SuperTwins + $9,740 AFT Singles). $97,106 total both days.

AFT SuperTwins Final, Single Event ($40,000):

1. $7,500
2. $5,000
3. $3,500
4. $2,600
5. $2,400
6. $2,200
7. $2,000
8. $1,800
9. $1,600
10. $1,450
11. $1,350
12. $1,250
13. $1,150
14. $1,080
15. $1,060
16. $1,040
17. $1,020
18. $1,000
19. $1,000

7th thru 18th: $300. 19th & 20th: $200

1. $1,700
2. $1,100
3. $850
4. $700
5. $580
6. $480
7. $430
8. $410
9. $390
10. $380
11. $370
12. $360
13. $350
14. $340
15. $330
16. $320
17. $310
18. $300
19. $300

1. $5,625.00
2. $3,750.00
3. $2,625.00
4. $1,950.00
5. $1,800.00
6. $1,650.00
7. $1,500.00
8. $1,350.00
9. $1,200.00
10. $1,087.50
11. $1,012.50
12. $937.50
13. $625.50
14. $510.00
15. $795.00
16. $780.00
17. $765.00
18. $750.00
19. $750.00

7th-18th: $225 each; 19th-20th: $150 each

1. $1,275.00
2. $825.00
3. $367.50
4. $525.00
5. $435.00
6. $360.00
7. $322.50
8. $307.50
9. $292.50
10. $285.00
11. $277.50
12. $280.00
13. $262.50
14. $255.00
15. $247.50
16. $240.00
17. $232.50
18. $225.00
19. $225.00

ENTRY PRO LEVEL DIRT TRACK ENGINE DISPLACEMENTS OVER THE YEARS

January 23, 2023

1933-1958: 500cc OHV or 750cc side valve on all tracks.
1959-1962: 250cc on short track; 500cc OHV or 750cc side valve brakeless on half mile, mile, and TT.
1963: 250cc on short track, half mile, and mile; 500cc OHV or 750cc side valve on TT.
1964-1972: 250cc on short track, half mile, mile, and TT.
1973-1976: 360cc single cylinder, 360cc multi-cylinder four-stroke, or 250cc multi-cylinder two stroke on all tracks.
1977-1980: 250cc single cylinder on all tracks.
1981-1983: 250cc single cylinder in Novice class on all tracks; 500cc single cylinder in Battle of the Brands class on all tracks.
1984-1987: 500cc single cylinder four-stroke or 250cc single cylinder two-stroke on all tracks.
1988-1990: 504cc single cylinder four-stroke or 250cc single cylinder two stroke on all tracks.
1991-1996: Uncertain which year the 504cc moved to 600cc.
1997: 600cc single cylinder four-stroke in 600cc Pro-Am class on all tracks; 250cc single cylinder two-stroke in 250cc Pro-Am class on all tracks.
2000: 600cc single cylinder four-stroke/550cc single-cylinder two strokes in 600cc class on all tracks; 250cc single cylinder two-stroke/350cc four-stroke in 250cc class on all tracks.
2002-2005: 505cc single cylinder four stroke on all tracks.
2006-2022: 450cc single cylinder four-stroke on all tracks.

MORE PURSE HISTORY

December 3, 2022

SHORT TRACKS

07/06/02 Springfield, IL ST $40,000
09/14/02 Tunica, MS ST $40,000
03/29/03 Tunica, MS ST $40,000
08/29/03 Milwaukee, WI ST $40,000
09/24/04 DuQuoin, IL ST $40,000
09/03/05 Springfield, IL ST $40,000
09/02/06 Springfield, IL ST $26,000
09/01/07 Springfield, IL ST $26,000

08/13/00 Peoria, IL TT $40,000 Expert Purse
08/19/01 Peoria, IL TT $42,500 Expert Purse
05/25/02 Springfield, IL TT $40,000
05/29/04 Springfield, IL TT $40,000
05/28/05 Springfield, IL TT $40,000
05/27/06 Springfield, IL TT $26,000
05/26/07 Springfield, IL TT $26,000

07/01/00 Joliet, IL HM $46,650 Expert Purse
07/08/00 Hutchinson, KS HM $37,150 Expert Purse
08/26/00 Sedalia, MO HM $37,150 Expert Purse
08/10/02 Hagerstown, MD HM $40,000
06/28/03 Lima, OH HM $40,000
06/25/05 Lima, OH HM $40,000
07/02/05 Lake Odessa, MI HM $40,000
07/30/05 Hagerstown, MD HM $40,000
06/24/06 Lima, OH HM $40,000
07/01/06 Lake Odessa, MI HM $40,000
06/30/07 Lima, OH HM $40,000
08/25/07 Lake Odessa, MI HM $40,000

09/09/00 Vernon Downs, NY Mile $45,000 Expert Purse
09/07/02 Vernon Downs, NY Mile $50,000
09/25/04 DuQuoin, IL Mile $50,000

(For Springfield Mile purses, click here

PURSE vs 100% PAYBACK

November 27, 2022

Several promoters offer a pro class with 100% payback.
(This means that 100% of the class entry fees are used to create the payout for that class).

The theory behind a 100% payback class is that it doesn t cost the promoter anything to run the class, and the total payout increases as more riders enter the class.

The problem is that most riders like to know what they are racing for before they decide to go to a race or not.

Several of those same promoters will insist that they "can't afford" to offer a payout.
I disagree.

Let s say that you have been promoting a 100% payback class for a while.
Let s say that you usually charge $30 entry fee, usually get 4-6 riders, and you usually pay at least one half of the field.

The racers don't know what the total payout is until the heat races are posted.
Even then, they won t know the actual payout (for each finish position) is until the race is over and the envelopes are handed out.

In my experience, an established (and published) payout is the better course of action.
For the promoter above, who typically only gets 4-6 entries, consider offering a $250 payout that pays five deep: $100 for first, $50 for second, $40 for third, $30 for fourth, and $30 for fifth.
In return, the promoter keeps the entry fees.

Racers know before the weekend arrives that the winner gets $100.
They also know that the top five finishers in the class will all get their entry fee back.
In my experience, these are two very important incentives which a 100% payback cannot possibly guarantee.

Let s assume the promoter offers up a $250 purse as described above and he gets his usual five entries.
Expense: $250
Revenue: five entries at $30 = $150.
Net Loss for promoter: $100.
Number of riders paid: five out of five.
Losing $100 is not worth losing sleep over.
And yet...every racer in the class got paid.
Those racers will (hopefully) brag to their buddies about how they all got paid, which might lead to more entries in that class at the next event.

What if the promoter only draws FOUR entries? That s even worse, right?
Not really. Do the math.
Expense: $220. (The fifth place money goes back to the promoter since there was no fifth place racer).
Revenue: Four at $30 =$120
Net Loss for promoter: $100.
Number of racers paid: four out of four.

With four or five entries, the total cost to the promoter is the same: $100.
As the number of entries increases, the profit/loss for the promoter tips in his favor.
With six entries, the promoter loses $70, but five out of six racers get paid.
With eight entries, the promoter loses $10, but five out of eight racers get paid.
With ten entries, the promoter EARNS $50, plus five out of ten racers get paid.
With twelve entries, the promoter EARNS $110, plus five out of twelve racers get paid.

As more racers get paid to race the class, more racers are incentivized to sign up for the class.

If the promoter makes money off the class, then ideally part (or all) of that revenue goes back into the class payout the next time.
This encourages more racers to enter the class, which raises the promoter revenue, while also rewarding more racers for entering the class.

Obviously racers want more $$. And promoters want more entries.
But the above example shows that a promoter can put up purse money without going broke.
And in my experience, publishing a payout (or a minimum payout) certainly shouldn't draw any FEWER entries than what you normally get.


EDIT: Another promoter contacted me with another option that has worked well for them: $200 plus 100% payback.
The winner gets at least $200, regardless of entries, with the rest of the payout based on 100% payback from the class entry fees.
If entries exceed a certain amount, the winner's share increases as well.
Example: $200 to win if there are 2-8 entries, $250 if 9 or 10 entries, $300 if 11 or 12 entries.
Net cost to promoter: $200.
Number of racers paid: typically half the field plus one.

That promoter agrees with me that communicating the payout scheme ahead of time is very critical.

SPRINGFIELD PURSES OVER THE YEARS

November 20, 2022

August 18, 1946

$3,000 purse.

$40,000 Expert purse plus $2,000 Junior final.
$6,030 to win + $670 pre-entry bonus. = $6,700.
$31,505 total payout in Grand National final.
$3,695 total payout in LCQ.
$2,200 to 22 riders who do not make the LCQ or National.

no purse breakdown in program.

$57,500 Expert purse plus unknown Junior National and $10,000 Camel Challenge.
No breakdown in program.

$40,000 Expert purse plus Junior National.
No breakdown in program.

$38,000 Expert purse, plus $5,000 Performance Incentive Awards plus $2,500 Junior National and $10,000 Camel Challenge.
$5,400 to win + $600 pre-entry bonus = $6,000.
$26,800 total payout in Grand National final.
$6,100 total payout in three semis.

$39,000 Expert purse, plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Awards plus $5,000 883 Sportster National.
$5,400 to win + $600 Pre-entry bonus = $6,000.
$26,800 total payout in Grand National final.
$6,100 total payout in three semis.

$43,300 Expert purse, plus $5,000 883 Sportster National.
$5,490 to win + $610 Pre-Entry bonus = $6,100
$29,970 total payout in Grand National final.
$6,390 total payout in three semis.

Saturday Mile: $40,000 Grand National purse plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Awards plus 600cc National.
Sunday Mile: $40,000 Grand National plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Awards plus $5,000 883 National.
$5,155 to win + $570 Pre-Entry Bonus = $5,725.
$26,835 total payout in each Grand National Final.
$6,195 total payout in three semis.
600 National purse is not published.

$40,000 Grand National purse plus $5,000 883 purse both days.
Purse breakdown in not published in program.

Saturday Hot Shoe Mile:

$50,000 Dirt Track Hall of Fame race
Purse breakdowns are not published in the program.

Sunday Grand National Mile:

$40,800 Grand National purse plus $5,000 883 purse.
Breakdowns are not published in the programs.

Saturday Hot Shoe Mile:

$100,000 Dirt Track Hall of Fame race (Hot Shoe National).
Dirt Track Hall of Fame race paid $20,000 to win.
$100,000 total payout in Expert Hall of Fame final.

Sunday Grand National Mile:

$41,620 Grand National plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Program plus $5,000 883 National, and $7,000 Supertracker National on Sunday.
$4,900 to win + $540 pre-entry bonus = $5,440.
$29,235 total in Grand National final.
$5,415 total payout in three semis.

Friday ST National:

$37,150 Grand National Purse plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Award.
$4,265 to win final.
$22,990 total payout in Grand National Final.

Saturday Mile National:

$100,000 Dirt Track Hall of Fame Grand National plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Award plus $7,000 Supertracker purse plus unknown 883 National purse.
$18,000 to win Grand National final.
$88,485 total payout in Grand National Final.

Sunday Mile National:

$50,000 Grand National payout plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Award plus $5,000 600cc Support.
$10,000 to win Grand National final.
$38,485 total payout in Grand National final.

Friday ST National:

$40,000 purse plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Award.
$4,500 to win ST National.
$25,060 total payout in Grand National Final.

Saturday Mile National:

$75,000 Dirt Track Hall of Fame purse plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Awards plus $7,000 883 National plus $7,000 Supertracker National.
$11,825 to win Mile National.
$63,825 total payout in Grand National final.

Sunday Mile National:

$50,000 GNC purse plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Awards plus $5,000 600cc Support.
$7,167 to win Mile National.
$38,487 total payout in Grand National final.

Mile National:

$50,000 GNC purse.

Mile National:

$50,000 GNC purse.

Mile National:

$50,000 GNC purse.

Mile National:

$50,000 GNC purse.

Mile National:

$50,000 GNC purse.

Mile National:

$50,000 GNC purse.

Mile National:

$50,000 GNC purse.

Mile National:

$53,500 GNC & Pro Singles purse.
$42,950 Expert Final payout ($7,500 to win; $1,200 for 18th)
$4,000 Pro Singles purse ($1,000 to win; $100 for 18th)
$2,500 for Expert Dash ($1,000 to win, $100 for 6th)
$2,025 payout in each of two semis

HOW MANY CHAMPIONSHIPS?

November 19, 2022
Almost everyone agrees that the 2006-2009 years were a mess.
I extend that to 2006-2013 - to include all years that individual "Grand National Singles" and "Grand National Twins" "champions were recognized.
During those eight seasons, 20 champions were formally recognized, while four - the four most legitimate in my opinion - were largely ignored (one more than the others).

Since 1954, the Grand National Championship recognized the rider who was skilled at ALL disciplines: half mile, mile, and TT, as well as road race (1954-1985) and short track (1961 to present).
The separate "Singles" and "Twins" "champions" were only scored on two disciplines each (for the most part): Singles on ST & TT; Twins on HM & M.
To consider any of them to be THE "Grand National Champions" would be like recognizing the team with the best record at mid-season.

In only four of those eight seasons, the Grand National Twins champion also scored the most total points (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010).
In two years (2011 & 2013), the Singles champ scored the most total points.
The other two years (2009 & 2012), three different riders claimed the three "titles".

In the seventeen seasons that make up the 2006 to 2022 era, you could argue that there were 17, 21, 29, or 33 champions, depending on which onces you recognize and which ones you disregard. Because of that:

You could argue that Jared Mees has 7, 8, or 10 titles.
Kenny Coolbeth has 3, 4, or 7 titles.
Jake Johnson has 2, 4, or 5 titles.
Bryan Smith has 1 or 3 titles.
Brad Baker has 1 or 2 titles.
Sammy Halbert has 0, 1, or 2 titles.
Henry Wiles has 0, 1, or 2 titles.
Briar Bauman has 2 titles no matter how you slice it, thankfully.

2006 - Kenny Coolbeth
2007 - Kenny Coolbeth (title #2)
2008 - Kenny Coolbeth (title #3)
2009 - Sammy Halbert
2010 - Jake Johnson
2011 - Jake Johnson (title #2)
2012 - Jared Mees
2013 - Brad Baker
2014 - Jared Mees (title #2)
2015 - Jared Mees (title #3)
2016 - Bryan Smith
2017 - Jared Mees (title #4)
2018 - Jared Mees (title #5)
2019 - Briar Bauman
2020 - Briar Bauman (title #2)
2021 - Jared Mees (title #6)
2022 - Jared Mees (title #7)

MULTI-GENERATIONAL NATIONAL NUMBERS

July 5, 2022
The passing of Ryan Varnes brought to mind that we History Amigos are fairly sure that Ryan is the only third generation National Number in any one family. There are many National Numbers who sired racing children who did not achieve a National Number. And there are many National Numbers whose fathers never wore an AMA National Number.

Here are some other father-son duos who have obtained AMA National Numbers in flat track.
This is NOT a comprehensive list by any means.

FATHERS AND SONS who each DID earn National Numbers:

BOSTROM: Paul #46 ➤ Ben #11 & Eric #20
BROWN: Charlie #56 ➤ Charlie Jr. #78
CARTWRIGHT: Danny #45 ➤ Brandon #74/#46
CROW: Greg #61 ➤ Dustin #61
CUMMINGS: Tom #63/#79 ➤ Nick #22
DAMRON: Dave #49 ➤ Rob #64/#68
DUSENBERY: William #81 ➤ Gordon #81
EADES: Mike Eades #94 ➤ Tim #95/#72 and Joe #93/#65.
ESTEP: Dave #99 ➤ Don #64/#14/#52
FISHER: Ed #42 ➤ Gary #21/#76
FISHER: Rex #12 ➤ Davis #67
KING: Rich #80/#100 ➤ Aaron #40
KRETZ: Ed Sr. #38 ➤ Ed Jr. #33
ROEDER: George #94 ➤ Geo #66 & Jess #93/#94
SCHERB: Scott #91/#78 ➤ Merle #97/#78, Lucas #22 & Logan #18
TEXTER: Randy #25/#65 ➤ Cory #65 & Shayna #52
TROUDT: Tom G. #89 ➤ Tom R. #40
VARNES: Jim #78 ➤ Kevin #89 ➤ Ryan #68
VARNES: Ed #26/#60 ➤ Michael #24
VANDERKOOI: Jerry #86 ➤ Jarod #20

ATHERTON: Brian #98 and brother Kevin #23
BAILEY: Bob #33/#77/#53 and brother Gary T. #84
BAKER: Brad #1/#6/#12 and brother Scott #11
BAUMAN: Briar #14/#1/#3 and brother Bronson #37
BOSTROM: Dave #23 and brother Paul #46; Ben #11 and brother Eric #20
BRELSFORD: Mark #87/#7/#1/#6 and brother Scott #19
CARTWRIGHT: Danny #45 and brother Tim #55
CASTONAGUAY: Woodsie #1/#95 and brother Frenchie #2/#76
CAMLIN: Davey #27 and brother Wade #59/#36
CHANN: Jimmy #16/#1 and brothers Pete #25 and Steven #42
CRABBE: Willie #46 and brother Rob #38
EADES: Tim #95/#72 and brother Joe #93/#65.
GRUBER: Mark #48/#35 and brother Rick #94/#37
HALBERT: Sammy #43/#7/#69 and brother Jethro #69
HART: James #61/#81 and cousin Recil #69/#32
HAYDEN: Tommy #22 and brothers Nicky #69 and Roger #34
HEIL Tom #44 and brother Ted #81
JORGENSON: Alex #44 and nephew Toby #99
LEE: Robert E. #54 and brother Jimmy #57
MAJESKI: Rob #71 and brother Tom #72
McDONNELL: William #83 and brothers Robert #86 and Dan #74
McDOWEL: Bryan #30 and brother Bobby #43
PALMGREN: Larry #29/#5/#12 and brothers Chuck #38/#6/#8 and Denny #49
POOVEY: Ted #94 and brother Terry #18
PRESSGROVE: Paul #74 and brother Ken #14N (Ken would have worn a National Number in 1971).
ROEDER: Charles #80 and brother George #94; Geo II #66 and brother Jess #93/#94; Charles #80 and nephews Geo II #66 and Jess #93/#94
SCHERB: Merle #97/#78, Lucas #22 and brother Logan #18
SCOTT: Gary #64/#1/#5 and brother Hank #14
SEHL: Dave #16 and brother Doug #45; Dave #16 and nephew Scott #88; Doug #45 and nephew Scott #88
SPRINGSTEEN: Jay #25/#1/#9, Ken #86, and brother Chuck #35
TEXTER: Cory #65 and sister Shayna #52
ULICKI: Keith #86/#73 and brother Frank #43
VARNES: Jim #78 and brother Ed #26/#60; Kevin #89 and cousin Michael #24; Jim #78 and nephew Michael #24; Ed #26/#60 and nephew Kevin #89; Michael #24 and nephew Ryan #68; Jim #78 and grandson Ryan #68
WIDMAN: Earl #11 and brother Ron #44

ANDRES: Len Andres, father of Brad #1/#15/#4, never wore an AMA National Number.
ANTHONY: Leo Anthony Jr., son of Leo Anthony #23, was never awarded an AMA National Number.
ATHERTON: Dave Atherton, father of Brian #98 and Kevin #23, was never awarded an AMA National Number.
BEATTIE: Doug #89T, brother of Steve #26
BROW: Verse Brow #32E, father of Garth #15; Terry #74X, cousin of Garth #15
BUSHMAN: Scott #88K & Adam #19K Bushman, sons of Marty Bushman, #81/#62/#96/#47
CAMLIN: Don Camlin #91P, father of Davey #27 and Wade #59/#36
CHAMPINE: Ron #41K, brother of Steve #51/#94
CHAPPLE: Ray #26E/#50X, brother of Charlie #84/#36
COOLBETH: Ken Sr. #8U, father of Kenny Jr. #31/#1/#2; Morgan #95U, cousin of Kenny Coolbeth Jr. #31/#1/#2
DUHAMEL: Miguel, son of Yvon #11/#17 Yvon
DUSENBERY: Billy #22N, brother of Gordon #81
EMDE: Floyd Emde #7X, father of Don #25 and Dave #56
FILICE: Justin Filice #17Z, son of Jim, #17/#27
HANEY: Terry, father of Jeff #28/#41
HART: Roy #55P, brother of James #61/#81; Roy #55P, cousin of Recil #69/#32
INDERBITZIN: Mike, AFT Singles #54, son of Mike #66/46/78
INGRAM: Sam #6H, father of Dan #31
KOPP: Kody, current AFT Singles #12, son of Joe #43/#1/#3
LEONARD: Dick #70X, brother of Dave #47/#93
McDONNELL: Mikey #2Z, brother of William #83, Robert #86, and Dan #74
PALMGREN: Donnie #7G and brothers Larry #29/#5/#12, Chuck #38/#6/#8 and Denny #49
PEGRAM: Jim #73F, father of Larry #72/#14/#73/#99
RALL: Norbert #34F, brother of Ronnie #52/#30
RESWEBER: Ricky #5N, son of Carroll #12/#1
ROBINSON: Bob #71U, brother of Norm #72.
ROBERTS: Kurtis #80Y, son of Kenny #80/#1/#2
SUMNER: Al Sr., #42K, father of Jim #45; A.J. #86K, brother of Jim #45
TRESSER: Carl Tresser #45Z, father of Andy #91
WINSETT: John Jr. #74A, cousin of Ricky #25 and Todd #92. John Sr., #47A, uncle of Ricky #25 and Todd #92
WINSTON: Joe #14D, father of Joe Winston III #14

RYAN VARNES, 1997-2022

July 4, 2022
News broke this morning that Ryan Varnes has passed away from his injuries at the Weedsport ST National.
Ryan turned pro (Pro Singles #68A) in 2014. He debuted at the 2014 Lima HM, finishing 12th.
►In 2014, Ryan competed at four Pro Singles events, making three finals. His top finish was 12th at the Lima, OH HM and New Kent, VA M. He finished the 2014 season ranked 31st in Pro Singles points.
►In 2015, Ryan competed at nine GNC2 events, making seven finals. Three on his 450 (high finish of 17th at Lima), and six on his Kawasaki 650 (high finish of 3rd at the Charlotte HM). He finished the 2015 season ranked 15th in GNC2 points.
►In 2016, Ryan competed at nine GNC2 events, making all nine finals. Five on his 450 (high finish of second at Lima), and four on his Kawasaki 650 (high finish of fourth at the OKC M). He finished the 2016 season ranked 13th in GNC2 points.
►In 2017, Ryan competed at thirteen AFT Twins events, making five finals. High finish of 13th at the Eldbridge NY HM. He finished the 2017 season ranked 26th in AFT Twins points.
He also competed at one AFT Singles event, finishing 18th at the Woodstock, GA ST.
►In 2018, Ryan competed at sixteen AFT Twins events, making three finals. High finish of 11th at the Phoenix, AZ M. He finished the 2018 seasonranked 30th in AFT Twins points.
►In 2019, Ryan competed at three AFT Twins events, making two finals. High finish of 13th at the Weedsport, NY ST. He finished the 2019 season ranked 25th in AFT Twins points.
He also competed in eleven AFT Production Twins events, making all eleven finals. He scored two wins (Black Hills SD HM and Mechanicsburg PA HM) and five podiums. He finished the second second in AFT Production Twins points (8 points behind series champion Cory Texter).
►In 2020, Ryan competed in two AFT SuperTwins events, making both finals. High finish of 9th at the Springfield II Mile. He finished the season ranked 20th in AFT SuperTwins points.
He also competed in fifteen AFT Production Twins events, making all finals. He won the Volusia I HM and the Springfield I Mile, plus four other podiums to finish the season 4th in AFT Production Twins points.
►In 2021, Ryan competed in one AFT SuperTwins event, finishing 6th at the Charlotte HM. He finished the season ranked 17th in AFT SuperTwins points.
He also competed in thirteen AFT Production Twins events, making 12 finals. High finish of 2nd at the Lima HM. He finished the season ranked 6th in AFT Production Twins points.
►In 2022, Ryan was in 6th plce in AFT Production Twins points entering the Weedsport round, with a high finish of 4th at the Lexington KY M.

Ryan's dad, Kevin, wore National #89 from 1994 to 2010.
Kevin's dad, Jim (Ryan's grandfather), wore National #78 from 1963 to 1965.
Jim's brother, Ed (Ryan's great uncle), wore National #26 from 1968-1970 and National #60 in 1971.
Ed's son, Michael (Ryan's first cousin once removed), wore National #24 in 1993 and from 1995 to 2005.

AMA SUPERBIKE RESULTS, 1976-2014

June 13, 2022
Larry Lawrence compiled a very comprehensive list of AMA Superbike race results, from 1976-2014.
Pretty cool stuff! Click here

LEXINGTON LESSONS

May 30, 2022
Random thoughts about the Lexington AFT double-header:

►The new restrictions added to the Indians are certainly more noticable on the miles than the half miles.
The Mees Indian continues to be a cut above all the others.

►The Estenson Yamaha MT-07's are certainly quick on the miles, but they also appear to be brittle.
Beach appeared to be poised for his first Mile win on Saturday until the engine died.
Daniels won Saturday, and was in position to possibly win on Sunday, but his engine expired on the last lap.

►The KTM 890 Duke is AFT's newest problem, and it is a major one.
Just when it seemed AFT got a package that balanced the Indians and Yamahas, this brand new KTM comes out and is 1/2 second faster than any other Production Twin in its first-ever race.
James Rispoli (the 2020 Production Twins champion) piloted the new Wally Brown Racing machine.
After dominating the Production Twins main, it started at the rear of the 15-rider SuperTwins main.
It was 7th after lap 1, and 3rd after lap 6. Rispoli finished in third place - only 0.282 seconds behind the winner after 25 laps.
Rispoli raced a Latus Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R in SuperTwins in 2021, scoring a top finish of 8th at the Charlotte finale.
On Sunday, Rispoli qualified the KTM faster than any of the SuperTwins.
It threw a chain on the last lap of the Production Twins final while running near the front, so we were unable to see how it would perform against the SuperTwins.
Time will tell is this KTM is suitable on half miles, short tracks, and TTs, or if it is a one trick pony.
One shudders to think how dominant this engine could be with more development and with a proven SuperTwins winning rider in the saddle.

DALLAS DANIELS WINS

May 29, 2022
Last night, Dallas Daniels won his first AMA Grand National/AFT SuperTwins race at The Red Mile.
He and his Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 edged Jared Mees' factory Indian by 0.008 seconds, with James Rispoli's KTM 890 Duke in third.

►First rookie to win a National since 2007 (Mikey Rush @ Daytona ST)
►first rookie to win a Mile National since 1979 (Scott Parker @ Indy)
►first rookie to score his first National win on a Mile since 1979 (Scott Parker @ DuQuoin)
►first Yamaha half mile or mile National win since 1976 (Kenny Roberts @ Terre Haute HM)
►first Yamaha Mile National win since 1975 (Kenny Roberts @ Indy on the TZ750)
►first Yamaha Mile National win with a twin-cylinder engine since 1974 (Rich Hocking @ Albany)
►12th youngest GNC winner ever (18 years, 11 months, 9 days)
►7th quickest to earn their first GNC win (4th event)

STATE OF AMERICAN FLAT TRACK

March 6, 2022
Chris Martin has written a very thorough three-part series in Cycle News recently concerning the state of American Flat Track.

State of American Flat Track, Part 1
State of American Flat Track, Part 2
State of American Flat Track, Part 3

For me, the most surprising revelation was the acknowledgment of the long-rumored handshake agreement between American Flat Track and Indian Motorcycle concerning a time-limit on how long the race-only FTR750 would be allowed to compete against its production-based rivals. This revelation appears in Part 2, on Pages 104- 105:

Martin: "The rumored existence of an agreement between AMA Pro Racing and Indian Motorcycle dating back to the very start of the FTR's development repeatedly surfaced in conversations for this three-part series.

As the rumor goes, Indian was allowed to compete with a race-only machine built to the rulebook as it existed for legacy XR750s even as the series was transitioning to a production-based future but only for a limited time frame consisting of three seasons - 2017, 2018, and 2019.
After that time, Indian would be expected to race a production-based machine like everyone else."

When asked about the existence of such an agreement, Gray [Gary Gray, VP of Racing for Indian Motorcycle] said that the persistent rumors are not entirely on the mark. "I'd say it's partially true...."

"We were hearing discussions about the sport wanting to go to production engines. They [American Flat Track] wanted us to come in, and we're like 'well, look, we don't have an engine. And if we were to design one and tool one up, you would have to let us use it for a minimum length of time before you would write it out of the rulebook just so we could get a return on our investment'.

And at that time it was three years, so '17, '18' and '19, at minimum. That's the difference. We'd be allowed to run it [the FTR750] for at least three [years], and if they decided to go to 'production based' bikes after that, they [AFT] could."

HISTORY OF DAVE DESPAIN'S DIRT TRACK HALL OF FAME

January 1, 2022
The AMA Hall of Fame and Dave Despain's Dirt Track Hall of Fame both inducted their first classes in 1998.
I reached out to Dave to find out if the AMA Hall had piggy-backed on his idea or not.

"In truth the AMA HoF, though still in the planning stages, was pretty far along when the Dirt Track Hall of Fame idea came about. DTHOF was never intended to compete with AMA...in fact (and as it turned out) there was no long term plan for the DTHOF. The initial goal was to run a big money race, honor a bunch of dirt track heroes and hope something more might come of it. In the end only Chet Burks stepped up to try and establish something permanent and, like me, he eventually found he didn't have the time and resources it took to organize things on his own.

At the outset, my motivation stemmed from the fact that the AMA HoF would be all-encompassing and thus would take years to get all the past Grand National Champions inducted. Inspired by Ricky Graham s untimely death, I proposed to honor all those who had carried #1 while they were still on the right side of the grass. We were largely successful in that effort...and paid the then-current crop of riders some pretty juicy prize money in the process. So even though it didn't take root, I m still proud of what we accomplished and deeply appreciative of everyone who contributed to the effort."

The inaugural Dirt Track Hall Of Fame race took place on the Springfielf Mile on September 5, 1998, during an AMA Hot Shoe event. It boasted a $50,000 purse for a 10-lap race featuring fifteen riders who had qualified at various events throughout the year. The qualifying events were sponsored by Beer Nuts.

I am pretty sure the 1999 event boasted a $100,000 purse, also held at the Springfield Mile.

The final Dirt Track Hall of Fame event/induction was held in 2001.

1998 class: Brad Andres, Mark Brelsford, Jimmy Chann, Jim Davis, Chet Dykgraaf, Steve Eklund, Randy Goss, Ricky Graham, Larry Headrick, Bobby Hill, Mike Kidd, Mert Lawwill, Joe Leonard, Dick Mann, Bart Markel, Gary Nixon, Joe Petrali, Roger Reiman, Carroll Resweber, Kenny Roberts, Gene Romero, Gary Scott, Bubba Shobert, and Bill Tuman.
1999 class: Everett Brashear, Ben Campanale, Alex Jorgensen, Fred Nix, Jim Rice, and Hank Scott.
2000 class: Floyd Dreyer, Ronnie Jones, Steve Morehead, Scott Parker, and Shell Thuet.
2001 class: Will Davis, Ken Maely, Walt Mahony, and Jay Springsteen.

HISTORY OF AFTERMARKET FRAMES IN FLAT TRACK

November 27, 2021
Courtsey of Bill Milburn:

In 1962, Tom Cates appeared at the Santa Fe Short Track National with a very special Honda CB72 with a frame of his own design and fabrication.
Cates made Tom Cates replica Honda frames which are cherished by their current owners and rarely change hands.
[Editor's note: Short Track racing was 'Class A' in 1962, so custom frames were legal. Unlike Class C, where custom frames needed to be AMA approved].

Swanson frames first appear at an indoor short track in February of 1966.

SonicWeld frames made by Kenny Watkins and Ray Hensley are first approved for AMA pro competition in time for the Astrodome National in 1968.
Brakes and the 750 displacement limit become legal for the 1969 season.

Trackmaster frames by Ray Hensley in both rigid and swingarm configuration are first approved in time for the Astrodome National in 1969.
Hensley sells Trackmaster to Walt Mahony September of 1970.
Lynn Kasten and Mike Konle leave Trackmaster at that time and start Redline.

Trackmaster is sold again to Phil Haskell in 1974 and continues under his leadership through the 1980s.

C&J frames were originally marketed as Dallas Baker frames.

1978 TITLE DECIDED AT...SYRACUSE?

August 2, 2021 1978 appeared to be Steve Eklund's year.
He won both Houston Astrodome races, and held the series point lead through Round 4.
He missed the main at the spring Ascot HM (Round 5), and lost the point lead.
He wins the July San Jose Mile (Round 12) and takes the point lead back.
Round 13, Springer and Eklund finish 1-2, Springer takes a 3-point lead.
Round 14, Ascot TT, Springer missed the main, Eklund takes 4th, to take an 8-point lead.

Eklund retained the point lead into Round 25 of 28, the Syracuse Mile on September 10, 1978.

Steve Eklund takes a 17-point lead into the Syracuse Mile (9/10/78). He crashes during the final practice session. He dropped out of heat #1 on lap 5 with a broken ignition wire. Because only 41 riders signed up for the 48 spots, Eklund's 9th place heat race finish was enough to advance to the semis.
From Cycle News: "Eklund and his tuner [Craig Fillmer Storme Winter - Bert] decided to change engines after the semi. Unfortunately, the AMA decided to flop the program due to approaching darkness and/or bad weather - run the National and then the Trophy Race - and Eklund was caught in a time squeeze. Eklund rolled to the line still working and requested an additional two minutes before staging. Other riders were also working - Jackie Mitchell, Mike Kidd and Don Bailey. Eklund, according to referee Charlie Watson, used up his two minutes and according to the rule book was disqualified. The bike was running almost immediately after the two minute call, but it was too late."

Cycle News continued: "The starting grid for the National looked like a battle zone. Faced with the reality of running the National before the Trophy Race, many riders went to the line - especially those from the semis - less than ready. Steve Eklund was one. His engine change had been caught mid-stride, and although finished, still needed some final adjustments before he could run. The versions of the story vary, but when Eklund was told his two minutes to work on the bike were up, others were still working, and his bike was ready and running moments later. Referee Charlie Watson wouldn't let him ride. 'I can't believe it' said Eklund later. 'All that work for nothing. Then, when I tried to discuss the matter after the race, I find that they wouldn't take my protest because they said time had run out'. Ekklund had to go through the pits to scrape up enough cash to be in a position to file (a protest)."

Steve scored 0 points, while Jay Springsteen won the race to take a 3-point lead he would not relinquish to claim his third title at Round 28.

Round 26: Eklund finishes 6th at Meadowlands to Springer's 8th. Springer's point lead down to 5.
Round 27: San Jose Mile, Eklund 5th, Springer 9th. Springer's point lead down to 1.
Round 28: Ascot Half Mile finale. Springer 1st, Eklund 2nd. Springer wins title #3 by 5 points.

Cycle News also reports that "weather conditions and over-watering of the track caused an over three-hour delay in the total program, which ended a few minutes shy of 7:00pm." There are no lights at the New York State Fairgrounds. Sunset in Syracuse, New York on Sunday September 10, 1978 was 7:26pm local time.

Certainly plenty of "what ifs" to go around:
If the track hadn't been overwatered, maybe Eklund doesn't crash in practice and bend up his primary bike.
If there hadn't been a 3-hour delay, they run the Trophy Race before the National and Eklund has his bike ready in time.
If there had been 48 riders, Eklund wouldn't have made the semi, and he never gets a chance to swap engines.

Eklund won 6 races in 1978, and scored 10 podium finished. Springsteen won 5 races, and scored 12 podiums.
Eklund & Springsteen stood on the podium together 8 times that year.
Six times, they finished 1-2.
Four of those times, Springsteen stood at the top, including at the finale.

2021 AFT SEASON OPENER

March 14, 2021

AFT (American Flat Track) must have been ecstatic about how the 2021 season opener went.
A privateer (Brandon Robinson) won the SuperTwins class.
A production bike (JD Beach on a Yamaha) finished second. Kolby Carlisle notched a career-best sixth place on his Yamaha in a field of 12. Maybe the new traction control allowed on production bikes is working?

A Harley-Davidson (Chad Cose) won the Production Twins class.

Shayna Texter-Bauman won her first race in a year-and-a-half in the Singles class.

Several reported a solid crowd in the stands. A few red flags but nothing major.

On night two, Shayna again won the Singles class.
Harley-Davidson finished a close second in the Production Twins class.
In SuperTwins, factory Indians finished 1-2, with Indians finishing 1-8. The Yamahas with traction control finished 9th and 10th out of 12. Maybe the traction control isn t the cure-all everyone was hoping for. But it was a decent start.

Rider turnout continues to be low in all classes - 12 SuperTwins, 16 ProductionTwins, 34 Singles - but AFT has been fairly transparent that they prefer "quality over quantity".

Perhaps overlooked by all, is that for the first time ever flat track races were not scheduled for anywhere in Daytona Beach, Florida during Bike Week.

Also, there was no factory Harley-Davidson race team in the pit area.

IT IS NICE TO BE NOMINATED

January 17, 2021

Earlier this month, we were informed that our club had been nominated - and was a finalist for - the 2020Track Racing Organizer of the Year!

While we did not win the award (our congratulations go out to Pioneer Motorcycle Club in Waterford, Ohio, who run Hillclimb and Drag race meets), we realized something: we have not used our name in over 20 years!

Our -chartered name is the Southeastern Short Trackers. We ran amateur events at various locations in Wisconsin from 1984-1989. But if you did a web search for that name, you wouldn't find anything. The reason? We haven't been using it!

In 1997, we founded the Steel Shoe Fund a non-profit organization whose goal is to assist injured flat track racers pay their medical bills. Our primary fundraiser every year has been a 3-hour endurance ice race event. To while we sanctioned our events under our Southeastern Short Tracker club name, we ran the event under the Steel Shoe Fund name.
In 2020, the Steel Shoe Fund 3hr became the 2020 Ice GP Grand Championships.
We are hosting the Ice GP Grand Championships again in 2021.

In 1999, we organized the Dairyland Classic Grand National, which unfortunately rained out. We reconfigured the event in 2001, and have been running the Dairyland Classic ever since under the 'Dairyland Racing' banner.

In 2014, we began running events at the Oshkosh Speedzone, including three Vintage Dirt Track National events. To differentiate our amateur event from the Vintage Nationals, we branded the events the Dairyland Amateur and Dairyland Vintage events, keeping the Dairyland Classic theme.

So, in January, the Southeastern Short Trackers were recognized by the for our efforts with the Steel Shoe Fund events and the Dairyland Classic by being named as finalists for the Track Racing Organization of the Year award. But no one knows who we are!

Hopefully this post clarifies things.
If you want to learn more about us, click here.

CHALLENGES MOVING UP TO AFT

October 25, 2020

Earlier this month, AFT announced the new Road To AFT program. I have hear rumors of this program for about 4 years.

Click here to read a Michael Lock interview concerning Road to AFT program.

ML: "So we now have fewer entries but of a higher standard. That will continue. But the question is, how do we prime the pump for the stars of tomorrow?"

In my opinion, there are several challenges that make it extremely difficult for a newcomer into the AFT ranks to be succeessful. In no particular order:

►LIMITED TRACK TIME.
At an AFT event, each rider in each class gets one four-lap practice, then two four-lap qualifying runs. That is an extremely short period of time to get dialed in at a track that you have never seen before. Many amateur promoters go out of their way to enable one racer on one motorcycle to race in multiple classes. This helps with entry fees, which helps keeps those events profitable. But that is completely opposite of the AFT business model. If an Amateur racer is used to running 2 or 3 or 4 classes during a race day, they are used to having a lot more than 12 laps on the track before racing begins. And with AFT, if you aren't one of the fastest 32 in Qualifying, you are done for the day.

►CHANGING TRACK CONDITIONS.
As stated above, many riders are used to racing multiple classes at Amateur events. This means that even if the event is an all-day marathon event, they are on the track every couple of races to gauge how the track is changing. This isn't how AFT works. You might practice at 2pm, qualify at 4pm & 5pm, run your semi at 7pm, and your final at 9pm. A LOT will change over that period.

►LOTS OF DOWN TIME.
Amateur racers are used to being on the track every hour or so. With AFT, there is a LOT of down time, just waiting for your next time out on the track.

►LOTS OF STIFF COMPETITION, EVEN IN THE 'ENTRY' CLASS.
The AFT Singles class in 2020 included some pretty seasoned racers. Henry Wiles was a rookie Expert in 2002 and has 30 Grand National wins on his resume. Mikey Rush was a rookie in 2006 and has two Grand National wins on his resume. Chad Cose was a rookie in 2008. Ryan Wells was the 2016 GNC Champion.

Back in the Glory Days of the sport, you could get your Professional license and race at local professional events to figure out how fast you were. Now, you get an AFT license and you HAVE to run the National schedule. I competed at 7 AMA Pro races in my Novice year of 1985. The furthest was 5 hours from home. In the 2020 AFT Schedule, the CLOSEST event would be 5 hours from home, with most much further away than that. It is unfortunate that there isn't a stronger series below the AFT level. But that isn't really AFT's fault.

ROAD TO AFT ANNOUNCED

October 1, 2020

On October 1, 2020, American Flat Track proudly announced today the Road to AFT program , its newest initiative designed in conjunction with the American Motorcyclist Association to create a pathway for rising stars striving to progress to professional competition.

Effective immediately, the Road to AFT will recognize young, talented riders from AMA-sanctioned amateur flat-track racing series and aid in their progression and transition into professional competition in the AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys class. The program also will provide a resource for obtaining the knowledge necessary for success in Progressive AFT to pave the way for the next generation of champions.

The need for a springboard from amateur to an AFT Professional Singles license has never been more apparent," said Joey Mancari, chief competition officer of Progressive American Flat Track. "The Road to AFT will not only accomplish that, but will also give AFT Singles riders with limited pro experience a place to hone their skills. In both cases, the Road to AFT program is where these riders will gain the skill sets needed to succeed as an AFT competitor.

The Road to AFT will include the AMA Flat Track Grand Championship and AFT Championship events. The program also will be present at select AMA-sanctioned amateur and Pro-Am events.

AFT NATIONAL NUMBER ASSIGNMENT CHANGES

September 12, 2020

This wasn't like this when the season started, but when I checked the AFT Number Assignment Availability today, I noticed something new.

In every case (except #1), the SuperTwins Number assignments are awarded to the team owners, not the riders.

1. Briar Bauman
4. Terry Vance
5. Rick Canode
9. Craig Rogers
11. Geramy Rackley
12. Ben Evans
20. Terry Vance
23. Bryan Bigelow
27. Rick Canode
36. Tim Estenson
37. Paul Langley
44. Ben Evans
62. Jerry Stinchfield
67. Sarah Irby-Goad
68. Rick Canode
69. John Wise
72. James Pegram
79. Byron Hines
92. Jerry Stinchfield
95. Tim Estenson

2020 MID-SEASON REPORTS

September 6, 2020

AFT has completed eight of its planned 18 rounds for 2020. What conclusions can we draw?

AFT SUPERTWINS - 6 EVENTS
►Three winners (Mees, Bauman, Halbert)
►Six different podium finishers (Mees, Bauman, Halbert, Carver, Robinson, Smith)
►All six winners have been Indians.
►Seventeen podiums for Indian; one for Harley-Davidson.
►Highest Harley-Davidson finish: 3rd. Second highest Harley-Davidson finish: 6th.
►Highest Yamaha finish: 10th (twice). Second highest Yamaha finish: 12th.
►Current Points:
►1. Jared Mees, 132 points. 22.0 point per event average (1.6th place average)
►2. Briar Bauman, 119 points. 19.8 point per event average (2.1th place average)
►3. Sammy Halbert, 95 points. 15.8 point per event average (3.7th place average)

AFT PRODUCTION TWINS - 6 EVENTS
►Four winners (Varnes, Texter, Lowe, Rispoli).
►Seven different podium finishers (Varnes, Texter, Lowe, Rispoli, Eslick, Cose, Armstrong).
►Two wins for Harley-Davidson. Two wins for Kawasaki. Two wins for Yamaha.
►Eight podiums for Harley-Davidson. Three podiums for Kawasaki. Seven podiums for Yamaha.
►Highest Harley-Davidson finish: 1st (twice). Second highest Harley-Davidson finish: 2nd (four times).
►Highest Kawasaki finish: 1st (twice). Second highest Kawasaki finish: 3rd.
►Highest Yamaha finish: 1st (twice). Second highest Yamaha finish: 2nd (twice).
►Current Points:
►1. James Rispoli, 124 points. 20.6 point per event average (1.9th place average)
►2. Ben Lowe, 105 points. 17.5 point per event average (2.8th place average)
►3. Cory Texter, 104 points. 17.3 point per event average (2.9th place average)

AFT SINGLES - 6 EVENTS
►Five winners (Whale, Daniels, Kitchen, Wiles, Brunner).
►Ten different podium finishers (Whale, Daniels, Kitchen, Wiles, Brunner, Rush, Texter, Cose, Mischler, Zabala).
►Three wins for Honda. One win for Kawasaki. Two wins for Yamaha.
►Nine podiums for Honda. Two podiums for Kawasaki. Three podiums for KTM. One podium for Suzuki. Three podiums for Yamaha.
►Highest Honda finish: 1st (three times). Second highest Honda finish: 2nd (four times).
►Highest Kawasaki finish: 1st. Second highest Kawasaki finish: 3rd.
►Highest KTM finish: 2nd. Second highest KTM finish: 3rd (twice).
►Highest Yamaha finish: 1st (twice). Second highest Yamaha finish: 3rd.
►Current Points:
►1. Henry Wiles, 108 points. 18.0 point per event average (2.6th place average)
►2. Dallas Daniels, 88 points. 14.7 point per event average (4.3th place average)
►3. Max Whale, 88 points. 14.7 point per event average (4.3th place average)

STILL UNCLEAR ABOUT THE AFT CLASSES?

September 5, 2020

If you are still trying to compare the current AFT Singles-AFT Production Twins-AFT SuperTwins to the old Novice-Junior-Expert format, consider the following:

Andrew Luker races the Singles and SuperTwins classes.
Chad Cose races the Singles and Production Twins classes.
Ryan Varnes races the Production Twins and SuperTwins classes.

These statements should make it crystal clear that there is no clear demarcation between the classes, other than the equipment used.

This is not a criticism of the system...merely an acknowledgement of the 'new normal'.

25-LAP MILE SPEEDS

August 24, 2020

I attended the Indy Mile I this past weekend. The 24-lap final was completed in 15:32.980, for a 92.680 mph average. I thought that was unusually slow, so I thought I would look back at history.

Only four recent mile tracks have run long enough for any real data collection. All events that ran 25 laps, for which times are recorded, are considered. 1981-1986 is the pre-restrictor era. 1987-2001 is the restrictor/pre-Supertracker era. 2002-2006 is the late AMA/pre-DMG era. 2007-2016 is the DMG era. 2017-2019 is the AFT/Indian FTR750 era.

FREE ADVICE TO AFT

August 2, 2020

I hereby offer the following bits of FREE advice to American Flat Track.
These are simple changes, that do not require a lot of thought, nor effort.
They will more accurately represent what you are currently doing.
They will dramatically simplify the ability of old and new fans to digest what you are doing.

1. Eliminate all references to National Numbers.

Your web site and souvenir programs refer to "AFT Numbers", yet your rule book refers to "National Numbers."
Us old timers hold "National Numbers" very near and dear to our hearts.
No one really knows what a National Number is anymore, what one must do to earn or retain one.
Stop using the term "National Number", and old timers will stop bickering about it.

Issue the same license to all AFT racers.
AFT can decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not a rider is competent enough to compete on a Twin, or whether AFT wants that rider to stay out of the Singles class.
This eliminates any misconception that a "Singles" rider must "advance" into the Twins class, which really isn't true, anyway.
If a "Singles" rider can find Twins-eligible equipment, odds are he/she will be riding the Twins class (subject to AFT approval, of course).

"Class" is an abbreviation of "classification", and it implies that a rider must advance from one "classification" to another.
This is not the case. Racers jump up from class to class often.
So instead, call them "racing divisions": SuperTwins division, Production Twins division, and Singles division.
Any AFT racer can race any division that they have eligible equipment for (subject to AFT approval, of course).

This is a clunky division title.
"Production" is a mouthful of a term, and it doesn't have much 'zip' to it.
"ProTwins" is not an ideal replacement, but it is an abbreviation of "Production Twins", it rolls off the tongue easier, and it sounds similar to "SuperTwins".

You said at the beginning of 2020 that you intended to eliminate this, yet this year you handed out at least 3 new duplicate numbers.
Racers will have a much better chance branding themselves if they are the only AFT racer with a particular number.

QUICKEST MODEL TO 50 GNC WINS

July 22, 2020

The Indian FTR750 has won 49 of its first 57 events. Odds are, it will win the next AFT event, making it 50 wins in 58 events.

The Honda RS750 won its 50th GNC in the 135th event it entered.

The Harley-Davidson XR/XRTT/XR750 won its 50th GNC in the 133rd event it entered.

The Harley-Davidson KR won its 50th National in the 76th event it entered.

1972-1982 NATIONAL NUMBER ASSIGNMENTS - EPISODE 2

July 3, 2020

This is the second in a series of Blog Posts that refutes the misconception that earning Grand National points or earning a berth in a Grand National final somehow guarantees that a rider will receive a National Number.

The following riders earned their way into Grand National Finals during the year, yet did not earn a National Number the next year.

1971 to 1972

1972 to 1973

1973 to 1974

1974 to 1975

1975 to 1976

1976 to 1977

1977 to 1978

1978 to 1979

1979 to 1980

1980 to 1981

1981 to 1982

1972-1982 NATIONAL NUMBER ASSIGNMENTS - EPISODE 1

July 3, 2020

This is the first in a series of Blog Posts that refutes the misconception that earning Grand National points or earning a berth in a Grand National final somehow guarantees that a rider will receive a National Number.

The following riders lost their National Numbers despite earning their way into Grand National Finals during the year.

1971 to 1972

1972 to 1973

1973 to 1974

1974 to 1975

1975 to 1976

1976 to 1977

1977 to 1978

1978 to 1979

1979 to 1980

1980 to 1981

1981 to 1982

TOP 20 NATIONAL NUMBER WINNERS

May 24, 2020

The 2019 season finale marked the 1,250th AMA Grand National event in history (since 1954).
A number of people are probably wondering which National Numbers have won the most Nationals?

LONGEST NATIONAL NUMBERS - UPDATED

April 22, 2020

I have updated my two earlier blog posts concerning riders who held National Numbers the longest.
I overlooked Dan Stanley, who held #60 from 1992-1996 and #10 from 1998-2009.

LONGEST NATIONAL NUMBER HOLDERS - ALL NUMBERS - 7/30/2019

LONGEST NATIONAL NUMBER HOLDERS - ONE NUMBER - 7/26/2019

TITLES THAT MATTER

April 20, 2020

After posting the A Rookie By Any Other Name post yesterday, I reflected on which titles really mean something.
I have felt for many years now that 'Rookie Of The Year' only means something if you never accomplish anything else.
concluded that the following order is the

Grand National Champion / AFT GNC1 Champion / AFT Twins Champion / AFT SuperTwins Champion
Grand National Winner
Grand National runner-up.
Grand National Singles Champion
Grand National Twins Champion
Rookie Of The Year

As evidence, I present the following riders. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear their names?

Scott Parker. 9X GN champ. 94 GNC wins. Rookie of the Year of 1979? A buried footnote.
Johnny Murphree. Showtime. Two-time championship runner-up. Rookie of the Year 1997? A footnote.
Nicky Hayden. World Champion. AMA Superbike Champion. Almost Grand Slam. Rookie of the Year 1999? A footnote.
Jake Johnson. Two-time GN Champion. Does anyone mention his two Grand National Singles titles? Not often. Rookie of the year 2002? A footnote.
Sam Halbert. The Slammer. 13 GNC wins. Hit for the Cycle. Rookie of the Year of 2006? A footnote.
Mikey Rush. Two-time Daytona ST GNC winner. Rookie of the Year of 2007? A footnote.

A ROOKIE BY ANY OTHER NAME

April 19, 2020

The term 'Rookie Expert' used to mean the first year that a rider had an Expert license.
In 1971, the Rookie Of The Year award was established, and was first awarded to John Hateley.
In 1978, racers were, for the first time, allowed to advance in rank during the season. br/>In 1987, Kevin Atherton rode a single race as an Expert - the Grand National season finale at Ascot Park - and was crowned the Grand National Rookie of the Year. Bryan Villella repeated the feat in 1988.

Things got really messy in the late 1990s through the 2000s when the AMA really blurred the definition of 'rookie'.

In my definition, your 'rookie year' is the first time you hold an Expert license and display the black-on-white plates.
With that said, below is a breakdown of the 1997 through 2009 seasons with respect to rookie finishes, and my conclusions of who the real Rookie Of The Year (ROY) should have been:

1997. Johnny Murphree (#35Z) wins ROY by finishing 30th in GNC points, scoring 10 points in 3 events.
Bryan Bigelow (#80X) finishes 32nd in GNC points with 9 points in 3 events.
John Nickens (#11S) finishes 38th in GNC points with 5 points in 1 event.
Shaun Russell (#65Z) competes as an Expert as well, but does not score any GNC points.
The October 22, 1997 Cycle News article on the season finale at Del Mar reports that Bigelow was "not eligible for Rookie Of The Year honors based upon the fact that he had not campaigned for a full season as a GNC Expert". Apparently Bryan had started the season as a Pro-Am.
Bert's Conclusion: Murphree wins ROY, followed by Bigelow.

1998. Bryan Bigelow (#11) wins ROY by finishing 9th in GNC points, scoring 140 points in 16 events.
Nicky Hayden (#69C) finishes 14th in GNC points, scoring 97 points in 11 events, including the season opener at Daytona.
Shaun Russell (#65Z) finishes 22nd in GNC points, scoring 41 points in 8 events.
Jason Sentell (#59X) finishes 42nd in GNC points, scoring 3 points in 2 events.
Bert's Conclusion: Hayden wins ROY, followed by Sentell.

1999. Nicky Hayden (#69) wins ROY by finishing 9th in GNC points, scoring 149 points in 12 events.
Toby Jorgensen (#80Y) finishes 24th in GNC points, scoring 29 points in 3 events.
Bert's Conclusion: Jorgensen wins ROY.

2000. Jason Tyer (#12N) wins ROY by finishing 28th in GNC points with 14 points.
John Nickens (#11S) finished 26th in GNC points with 18 points, however, he raced as Expert in 1997 and 1998.
Bert's Conclusion: Tyer wins ROY.

2001. Bryan Smith (#84X) wins ROY by finishing tied for 24th in GNC points, scoring 36 points in 6 events. Bryan competed in 18 of the 19 events on the schedule.
Roger Lee Hayden finished 27th in points with 26 points in 4 events. Roger competed in 11 events total.
Jake Johnson (#14U) uses a provisional to race at 3 GNC events, scoring 4 points at the season finale at DuQuoin.
Bert's Conclusion: Smith wins ROY, followed by Hayden and Johnson.

2002. Jake Johnson (#14U) wins ROY by finishing 7th in GNC with 163 points in 15 events. Johnson was told by AMA staff that if we accepted a National Number for 2002, he would be ineligible for ROY.
Raun Wood (#88A) finishes 32nd in GNC points, scoring 16 points in 2 events. Raun raced in 12 of the 20 events, from the season opener at Daytona to the season Finale at DuQuoin.
AJ Eslick (#69G) finishes 34th in GNC points, scoring 13 points in 3 events.
Henry Wiles (#27X) finishes 43rd in GNC points, scoring 6 points in 1 events. Henry races in 3 events.
Bert's Conclusion: Wood wins ROY, followed by Eslick and Wiles.

2003. Raun Wood (#88) wins ROY by finishing 20th in GNC points with 45 points in 6 events.
Jared Mees (#16A) finishes 16th in GNC points with 66 points in 7 events. Jared raced in 12 of the 17 events, starting with the Springfield TT on May 26.
Rob Pearson (#27P) finishes 23rd in GNC points with 32 points in 5 events. Rob races in 10 events.
Henry Wiles (#27X) finishes 26th in GNC points with 28 points in 2 events. Henry races in 7 events.
Bert's Conclusion: Mees wins ROY, followed by Pearson.

2004. Jared Mees (#21) wins ROY by finishing 9th in GNC points with 118 points in 13 events.
Rob Pearson (#27P) finishes 13th in GNC points with 88 points in 10 events. Rob races in 17 of the 18 events.
Jethro Halbert (#69W) finishes 22nd GNC points with 35 points in 3 events. Jethro races in 12 events.
Nick Cummings (#69X) finishes 31st the GNC points with 16 points in 2 events. Nick races in 6 events.
Bert's Conclusion: Jethro Halbert wins ROY, followed by Cummings.

2005. Nick Cummings (#69X) wins ROY by finishing 15th in GNC points with 68 points in 6 events. Nick races in 11 of the 15 races.
Jethro Halbert (#69) finishes 31st in GNC points by scoring 20 points in 5 events. Jethro races in 11 of the 15 events.
Sam Halbert (#43W) finishes 41st in GNC points by scoring 5 points in 1 event. Sam raced in 8 of the 15 events.
Bert's Conclusion: Sam Halbert wins ROY.

2006. Sam Halbert (#43) wins ROY by finishing 13th in combined points with 75 points in 8 races.
Mikey Rush (#30Z) finishes tied for 33rd in GNC points scoring 16 points in two GNC-Singles events. Mikey raced all 8 GNC-Singles events.
Bert's Conclusion: Rush wins ROY.

2007. Mikey Rush (#54) wins ROY by finishing 18th in combined points with 44 points in 3 GNC-Singles event. Mikey raced in 6 of the 7 GNC-Singles events and 2 of the 11 GNC-Twins events.
Joe Hernandex (#23Z) finishes 34th in combined points with 15 points in 2 GNC-Singles events.
Brandan Bergen (#17Y) finished 35th in combined points with 12 points scored in 2 GNC-Singles events.
Matt Weidman (#73B) races one GNC-Singles event but scores 0 points.
Mick Kirkness (#28W) races in six of the seven GNC-Singles events but scores 0 points.
Bert's Conclusion: Hernandez wins ROY.

2008. Matt Weidman (#73B) wins ROY by finishing 14th in combined points with 101 points in 13 events. Matt competes in all 19 events.
Mick Kirkness (#28W) finishes tied for 24th in combined points with 24 points in 2 GNC-Singles events. Mick competes in all 6 GNC-Singles events and one GNC-Twins event (the season finale at Topeka KS).
Brandon Robinson (#44A) finishes 28th in combined points with 15 points in 2 GNC-Singles events. Brandon competes in 3 GNC-Singles events and one GNC-Twins event (the penultimate round at Indy Mile).
Bert's Conclusion: Robinson wins ROY.

2009. Mick Kirkness (#87) wins ROY by finishing 14th in combined points with 69 points in 7 events. Mick races in 13 of the 14 total events.
Brandon Robinson (#44) finishes tied for 20th in combined points with 27 points in six events. Brandon competed in 10 of the 14 total events.
Kevin Vance (#22P) finishes tied for 22nd in combined points with 23 points in four events.
Stevie Bonsey (#80Y) finishes 27th in combined points with 19 points in three events.
Bert's Conclusion: Vance wins ROY.

So when it is all said and done, in my opinions:
Johnny Murphree and Bryan Smith and Jason Tyer retain ROY.
Murphree and Smith went on to successful Grand National careers.

Nicky Hayden, Raun Wood, Jared Mees, Sam Halbert, and Mikey Rush keep the ROY award, but each receives it one year earlier.
Hayden, Mees, Halbert, and Rush went on to bigger and better things than ROY.

Toby Jorgensen, Jethro Halbert, Joseph Hernandez, Brandon Robinson, and Shane Vance earn the ROY award.
Robinson went on to claim Grand National wins.
Jorgensen and Halbert are no longer with us, but were successful in their brief careers.

Bryan Bigelow, Jake Johnson, Nick Cummings, Matt Weidman, and Mick Kirkness lose the ROY award.
However, Bigelow, Johnson, and Weidman went on to successful Grand National careers.
Cummings was having a successful Grand National career when a serious injury forced him into early retirement.

That is, of course, had the AMA not lost sight of a simple definition of what a 'rookie' is.

ROOKIE EXPERTS WITH NATIONAL NUMBERS

April 12, 2020

Once upon a time, one of the History Amigos asked the others 'hey...what was the deal with AMA giving National Numbers to Rookie Experts back in the day?' This led to a spirited digging through the archives. Bob Herrick and Greg Pearson did the archive digging; I looked at the data, asked questions, and am now publishing the results, below.

From 1949 thru 1969, 65 riders were given National Numbers as rookie experts.
In 1970, a rule was added that no first-year experts would receive National Number.
In 1971, one racer who already had an Expert license in road race was given a National Number as a rookie in dirt track.
In 1974, two racers who already had Expert licenses in road race were given National Numbers as rookies in dirt track.
In 2009, DMG announced that all Pro Singles National Champions would be awarded National Numbers.

GREATEST TO NEVER WIN CHAMPIONSHIP

April 5, 2020

Cory Texter (co-host of the Tank Slappin' Podast), recently asked me 'who was the greatest racer who never won the Championship?'. This sounded like a great question for the History Amigos, so I asked them that straightforward question.

Bob Herrick: Hank Scott, Steve Morehead, Ted Boody.

Greg Pearson: It is hard to pick just one! If I look at the true GNC tradition, racing all disciplines, I would go with George Roeder. Honorable mention to Jim Rice, Fred Nix, Dick Klamfoth, Ralph White, and David Aldana. But it is hard to go against Bob's picks as well.

Bert Sumner: My initial reaction is Will Davis - he has the most career GNC wins (31) than anyone who never won a title, and a two-time runner-up in the championship. But to compare Davis to someone from the 1950s - when careers were shorter - seems a bit disingenuous, so I broke my answer down into decades, focusing on those riders who finished runner-up in the Championship:

1950s: Everett Brashear. He led the 1955 championship but failed to score points in the last five events to hand the title to Brad Andres.
1960s: George Roeder. Two-time championship runner-up. (To be honest, my initial choice was a toss-up between Roeder and Nix, as both had finished runner-up once, with Nix's loss being more heart-wrenching. But then Greg reminded me that Roeder was runner-up twice - once to Dick Mann (1963) and once to Gary Nixon (1967). So that gave the nod to Roeder).
1970s: Jim Rice. Runner-up in 1970.
1980s: Ted Boody. Twice championship runner-up (1977 & 1985).
1990s: Will Davis. Twice championship runner-up (1997 & 2000).
2000s: Johnny Murphree. Twice championship runner-up (2002 & 2003).

Obviously there is no "right" or "wrong" answer, but I think it is fair to say that there isn't anyone listed above that could be denied such a title. The three History Amigos answered the question from three very different perspectives!

Some interesting things were re-discovered as I checked the history books on this endeavor.

In the 1970s, only two runner-ups didn't eventually earn a title: Jim Rice (1970) and Ted Boody (1977).
Gene Romero was runner-up in 1971.
Gary Scott was runner-up in 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1976.
Kenny Roberts was runner-up in 1975.
Steve Eklund was runner-up in 1978.
Jay Springsteen was runner-up in 1979.

Gene Romero was in the top 2 in the championship for three straight years: 1969-1971! He was 93 points behind Lawwill in the 1969 title chase, he won the title in 1970 by 93 points, and he was 133 points behind Mann in the 1971 title chase. (Remember, there were a LOT more points handed out in 1969-1971 - the champions earned 672, 667, and 1054 points respectfully those 3 years, as opposed to around 200 points as has been the norm since 1976).

I was sure that Steve Eklund had been top 2 more than twice, but no, just in 1978 (5 points behind Springsteen) and the 1979 title.
He was fourth as a rookie in 1976.
He was fifth in 1977.
He was eight in 1980.
He was ninth in 1981.

Joe Kopp finished second in points four times, including three years in a row (2004, 2008-2009-2010). That guy doesn't get enough credit!

For a more thourough review of championship runners-up, click here.

MICHAEL LOCK 2020 INTERVIEW PART II

Jan 24, 2020

Cycle News' Alan Cathcart interviewed AFT CEO Michael Lock for the third year in a row to get his opinion on how things are progressing.
You can read Part II here.

▶ (in response to a direct question about finaling a series sponsor for 2020) "What we're doing is looking at the model a lot of sports are going into now, including for example NASCAR, where they're moving away from category and title sponsors, and much more towards a model of tiered sponsorship. So, if you come in at the top tier as a sponsor, you get a lot of assets, and you get a lot of visibility and communications and support and positioning. And there could be three, four, five of those tiered, top tiered sponsors, and then there'll be middle tier and lower tier. We're not at the cutting edge of that, I'm just a student of what some bigger sports are doing. But what it means is, that we should have a much more flexible model, which hopefully means that we have a bigger bucket of revenue to be able to use to improve the sport."

Translation: "we aren't looking for a series sponsor. If we happen to find one, we will use that money for things other than paying the riders."

MICHAEL LOCK 2020 INTERVIEW PART I

Jan 18, 2020

Cycle News' Alan Cathcart interviewed AFT CEO Michael Lock for the third year in a row to get his opinion on how things are progressing.
You can read Part I here.

Mr. Lock has never let facts get in the way of his narrative, so I will take issue with a few of his points below.

▶ "...we're breeding a lot of new talent (in the AFT Single Class), and that talent wants to migrate up to the premier class, namely Twins."

I personally don't see a lot of "upward mobility" in the series. In fact, more riders are dropping back down to Singles than there are moving up to Twins.

▶ "...although we started the year slowly in terms of Production Twins entries, in fact by the time we were three or four races in, the field was full."

The 2019 Production Twins entries were 20 (Fort Worth HM), 15 (Perris HM), 23 (Lexington M), 17 (Lima HM), 21 (Rapid City HM), 19 (Sacramento M), 30 (Springfield M I), 21 (Springfield M II), 14 (Mechanicsburg HM), 16 (Shakopee M), and 12 (East Rutherford M).
The seaon average turnout for Production Twins was 18.9.
Lock states elsewhere that he considers 16 riders to be "a full field", so I will accept his logic on this point. However, he fails to recognize the dramatic drop-off at season's end.

▶ "...there have never been as many factory-supported riders and factory-operated teams in the sport as there are today."

From 1969-1975, there were 18-23 factory riders competing in Grand National competition each year.
Those racers represented four factories in 1969 (BSA, H-D, Suzuki, Triumph), six factories in 1970 (BSA, H-D, Honda, Suzuki, Triumph, Yamaha), five factories in 1971 (BSA, H-D, Norton-Villiers, Suzuki, Triumph), five factories in 1972 (BSA, H-D, Suzuki, Triumph, Yamaha), five factories in 1973 (H-D, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Triumph, Yamaha), seven factories in 1974 (H-D, Honda, Kawasaki, Norton, Suzuki, Triumph, Yamaha), and six factories in 1975 (Bultaco, H-D, Kawasaki, Norton-Villiers-Triumph, Suzuki, Yamaha).

▶ "We had 48 to 50 entries on average (in AFT Singles), which is almost too many, frankly. And in the AFT Twins class, we averaged 24 or 25.

AFT Singles events had an average of 40.1 riders per event in 2019. Down from 40.8 in 2018.
AFT Twins events had an average of 21.1 riders per event in 2019. Down from 30.7 in 2018.

▶ "...what we'll be doing for SuperTwins in 2020, is we will be limiting to 14 riders the number of season-long entries by teams, and we will have up to four wild cards per race.

Apparently Lock is admitting to overplaying his hand here. All along, he has said they would accept 18 riders into Super Twins, with a handful of Wild Card entries. Since only 15 have applied, with 3 Wild Card entries, now he is saying that only 14 will compete each week, along with 4 Wild Cards.

INDY MILE LAP TIMES

Jan 5, 2020

Fastest one-lap qualifying times at the Indiana State Fairgrounds one-mile oval over the years. Notice that the world record set in 1973 is faster than any time set in the 21st century.

9/06/1952

46.170 sec

77.973 mph

-

Beckman, Ernie

Scout

9/13/1953

44.870 sec

80.232 mph

New Track Record

Leonard, Joe

KR

9/11/1954

44.780 sec

80.393 mph

New Track Record

Callen, Jerry

Scout

8/28/1969

41.330 sec

87.104 mph

New World Record

Lawwill, Mert

KR

9/07/1970

38.680 sec

93.071 mph

New World Record

Lawwill, Mert

XR

8/26/1972

37.740 sec

95.390 mph

New World Record

Rayborn, Cal

XR750

8/25/1973

37.520 sec

95.949 mph

New World Record

Lawwill, Mert

XR750

8/24/1974

39.600 sec

90.909 mph

-

Ziegler, Jimmy

XR750

8/23/1975

37.253 sec

96.637 mph

New World Record

Beauchamp, Rex

XR750

8/28/1976

37.077 sec

97.095 mph

New World Record

Beauchamp, Rex

XR750

8/29/1976

37.812 sec

95.208 mph

-

Springsteen, Jay

XR750

8/27/1977

38.243 sec

94.135 mph

-

Springsteen, Jay

XR750

8/28/1977

36.94 sec

97.455 mph

New World Record

Keener, Corky

XR750

8/26/1978

38.371 sec

93.821 mph

-

Scott, Hank

XR750

8/27/1978

36.645 sec

98.240 mph

New World Record

Brow, Garth

XR750

8/25/1979

37.889 sec

95.014 mph

-

Aksland, Skip

XR750

9/01/1979

36.620 sec

98.307 mph

New World Record

Parker, Scott

XR750

8/23/1980

37.274 sec

96.582 mph

-

Pearson, Scott

XR750

8/24/1980

35.283 sec

102.032 mph

New World Record

Scott, Hank

XR750

6/14/1981

38.567 sec

93.344 mph

-

Parker, Scott

XR750

8/29/1981

37.290 sec

96.541 mph

-

Parker, Scott

XR750

8/30/1981

37.350 sec

96.386 mph

-

Springsteen, Jay

XR750

7/03/1982

36.800 sec

97.826 mph

-

Scott, Gary

XR750

8/28/1982

37.177 sec

96.834 mph

-

Poovey, Terry

XR750

7/02/1983

37.306 sec

96.499 mph

-

Springsteen, Jay

XR750

8/27/1983

37.355 sec

96.373 mph

-

Filice, Jimmy

XR750

8/25/1984

37.076 sec

97.098 mph

-

Eklund, Steve

XR750

8/26/1984

35.556 sec

101.249 mph

-

Shobert, Bubba

RS750

8/24/1985

37.169 sec

96.855 mph

-

Shobert, Bubba

RS750

8/25/1985

35.211 sec

102.241 mph

New World Record

Shobert, Bubba

RS750

8/23/1986

37.168 sec

96.858 mph

-

Jorgensen, Alex

RS750

8/24/1986

35.496 sec

101.420 mph

-

Farris, Rodney

RS750

8/28/1988

36.296 sec

99.184 mph

-

Shobert, Bubba

RS750

8/26/1989

36.480 sec

98.684 mph

-

Morehead, Steve

RS750

8/25/1990

36.684 sec

98.135 mph

-

Carr, Chris

XR750

8/24/1991

35.940 sec

100.167 mph

-

Atherton, Kevin

XR750

8/22/1992

37.220 sec

96.722 mph

-

Atherton, Kevin

XR750

8/21/1993

36.386 sec

98.939 mph

-

Graham, Ricky

RS750

9/13/2008

38.565 sec

93.349 mph

-

Johnson, Jake

TL1000

8/29/2009

38.242 sec

94.137 mph

-

Smith, Bryan

XR750

8/28/2010

37.767 sec

95.321 mph

-

Smith, Bryan

EX650

8/18/2012

37.767 sec

95.321 mph

-

Smith, Bryan

EX650

8/17/2013

37.616 sec

95.704 mph

-

Smith, Bryan

EX650

8/08/2014

38.371 sec

93.821 mph

-

Smith, Bryan

EX650

7/11/2015

37.582 sec

95.791 mph

-

Baker, Brad

XR750

2017-2019 AFT SEASON STATS

Dec 21, 2019

One hundred forty-five racers competed in the 2019 AFT series.
Thirty competed only in the AFT Twins series only.
Six competed in the AFT Production Twins series only.
Seventy-four competed in the AFT Singles series only.
Nine competed in the AFT Twins and AFT Production Twins series.
Twenty-four competed in the AFT Production Twins and AFT Singles series.
Two competed in the AFT Twins, AFT Production Twins, and AFT Singles series.

One hundred eighty-one racers competed in the 2018 AFT series.
Sixty-five competed in the AFT Twins series only.
One hundred nine competed in the AFT Singles series only.
Seven competed in the AFT Twins and AFT Singles series.

One hundred eighty-three racers competed in the 2017 AFT series.
Sixty-six competed in the AFT Twins series only.
One hundred eleven competed in the AFT Singles series only.
Six competed in the AFT Twins and AFT Singles series.

2019 AFT SEASON STATS

Sep 30, 2019

AFT Twins

Total racers: 41. Down from 72 in 2018. A 43% decrease.
Average Turnout: 21.1. Down from 30.7 in 2018. A 31% decrease.
Maximum turnout: 25. Down from 42 in 2018. A 40% decrease.
Minimum turnout: 18. Down from 22 in 2018. An 18% decrease.

AFT Singles

Total racers: 100. Down from 116 in 2018. A 13% decrease.
Average Turnout: 40.1. Down from 40.8 in 2018. A 1.7% decrease.
Maximum turnout: 62. Down from 63 in 2018. A 1.6% decrease.
Minimum turnout: 26. Down from 29 in 2018. A 10% decrease.

AFT Production Twins

Total racers: 41.
Average Turnout: 18.9.
Maximum turnout: 30.
Minimum turnout: 12.

The 2019 AFT rulebook states that racers must compete in at least 4 events to be eligible for a 2020 AFT Singles license and 6 events to be eligible for a 2020 AFT Twins license. Ten AFT Twins racers failed to compete in at least six total events (AFT Twins+AFT Production Twins+AFT Singles), yet seven of those 10 earned AFT Twins points, which grants them an AFT National Number in 2020. In contrast, 25 of the 100 AFT Singles competitors failed to compete in 4 events, yet none of them scored National points.

2019 AFT SEASON FINALE FLOPS

Sep 29, 2019

Last night, AFT concluded their 2019 season at The Meadowlands Mile. AFT Twins had 21 entries, but two racers scratched before racing. AFT Singles had 31 entries. AFT Production Twins had 12 entries (lowest of the season).

No heat races in any class.
No semis in AFT Twins, nor AFT Production Twins.
AFT Singles Semi 1 (8 laps): green flag at 7:04pm, red flag at 7:06pm, green flag at 7:23pm, checkered flag at 7:27pm.
AFT Singles Semi 2 (8 laps): green flag at 7:41pm, checkered flag at 7:46pm.
AFT Production Twins Final (12 laps): green flag at 8:33pm, checkered flag at 8:41pm.
AFT Singles Final (12 laps): green flag at 9:12pm, checkered flag at 9:20pm.
AFT Twins Final (8 laps): green flag at 9:57pm, checkered flag at 10:02pm.

By my math, that is 48 total laps of racing, over five events, in 2 hours and 58 minutes.

You read that correctly - an 8-lap AFT Twins final.

When AFT created the "AFT Twins" in 2017, they changed the format so that riders had to race a heat and a semi to make the final. This was to increase the on-track time for the "best racers" in the world. Fast foward to 2019, and the stars of the sport - Mees, Smith, Bauman, Carver, Halbert, etc - race a single 8-lap race.

Oliver Brindley, AFT Singles #24, was transported with critical injuries after crashing in the AFT Singles Semi #1. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

SOUVENIR PROGRAMS CONTINUE TO FAIL EPICALLY

Aug 21, 2019

Souvenir programs used to educate the fan base. They have not done that in many years. I attended an AFT event this summer. A colleague purchased a souvenir program. I leafed through it. I found:

A confusing AFT Rider Number List. First off, it was inaccurate. It listed Austin Helmholz as #16 when in 2019 it is Ronnie Jones. It also listed several riders twice - those who just earned a two-digit number this year were also listed with their old three-digit number, which is 'reserved' should they lose their two-digit number next year. Brock Schwarzenbacher as #30 and also as #130. Jeremy Orr as #22 and #222. Jake Walter as #76 and #176.

No Explanation What The Plate Colors Mean. AFT Twins are all black numbers on white plates. AFT Singles are all black numbers on yellow plates. AFT Production Twins...well, that depends. Some are white-on-black, others black-on-yellow. No explanation offered.

No Explanation What Differentiates AFT Twins From AFT Production Twins. It must be so obvious that there is no reason to explain it.

No Mention of National Numbers. All riders were listed as AFT Numbers. At least they got that part right.

To be fair, I don't blame the event promoter. I know that there are only a few souvenir program companies that work with AFT, so all the information from race to race is the same. I grew up in the 1970s, when each souvenir program was unique, and each one taught you about the sport. What a Novice was. What a Junior was. What you had to do to become Expert. Why being an Expert was a big deal. What the district letters meant. What the flags meant. Souvenir programs haven't tried to educate the fans base in almost 30 years. And I believe that shows.

PAST HM/M NATIONAL ENTRIES

Aug 17, 2019

History Amigo Bob Herrick went through his records and pulled out the total Expert entries from a select number of AMA Grand National HM & M events from 1974 until 1987:

05/19/74 San Jose Mile (90)
06/08/74 Louisville HM (100)
06/23/74 Columbus HM (80)
05/18/75 San Jose Mile (90)
06/07/75 Louisville HM (108)
06/22/75 Columbus HM (98)
08/23/75 Indy Mile (80)
06/27/76 Columbus HM (57)
08/29/76 Indy Mile (61)
06/26/77 Columbus HM (64)
08/27/77 Indy Mile (63)
06/25/78 Columbus HM (60)
08/26/78 Indy Mile (60)
08/25/79 Indy Mile (70)
06/22/80 Columbus HM (60)
08/23/80 Indy Mile (64)
08/24/80 Indy Mile (60)
06/14/81 Indy Mile (61)
08/29/81 Indy Mile (65)
08/30/81 Indy Mile (60)
05/16/82 Springfield Mile (61)
07/03/82 Indy Mile (55)
08/28/82 Indy Mile (59)
08/07/83 Cicero, IL Mile (64)
08/27/83 Indy Mile (49)
08/05/84 Cicero, IL Mile (64)
08/26/84 Indy Mile (64)
06/01/85 Louisville HM (71)
06/29/85 Lima HM (69)
08/24/85 Indy Mile (63)
08/25/85 Indy Mile (59)
05/31/86 Louisville HM (66)
06/28/86 Lima HM (76)
05/30/87 Louisville HM (69)
06/27/87 Lima HM (59)

By comparison, the 2019 American Flat Track HM & M event turnouts thus far in 2019 are:

04/20/19 Fort Worth HM (22)
05/11/19 Perris HM (19)
06/01/19 Lexington M (22)
06/29/19 Lima HM (19)
08/06/19 Rapid City HM (22)
08/10/19 Sacramento M (18)

LATEST MICHAEL LOCK INTERVIEW

Aug 9, 2019

Hollywood Scottie Deubler interviewed AFT CEO Michael Lock on his Off The Groove podcast today. I think it is always good to hear directly from the horse's mouth what he is thinking.

I have a few take-aways from the interview:

"There is ONE team who has a line of people lined up outside the paddock...that one team combines glamor, professionalism, with results on the track."
Apparently the fact that AFT promotes that one rider more than all of the others combined has nothing to do with that line of fans at that one pit....

"Plucky outsiders fighting for a podium doesn't happen in professional sports".
Someone should go get the Super Bowl LII trophy from the Philadelphia Eagles (who beat the New England Patriots in 2018). And the Super Bowl XLVI and XLII trophies from the New York Giants (who beat the Patriots in 2008 & 2012). And the 2015 Green Jacket from Jordan Spieth. And the 2019 Green Jacket from Tiger Woods. And the 2016 World Series Trophy from the Chicago Cubs. And tell Leon Spinks that he didn't defeat Muhammad Ali in 1978...

LONGEST NATIONAL NUMBER HOLDERS - ALL NUMBERS

Jul 30, 2019

Hollywood Scottie Duebler recently asked the age-old question on his Off The Groove podcast'who held a National Number the longest'? With help from the History Amigos, Part 1 was answered earlier, but Part 2 of the answer is below:

Updated 4/22/2020 by adding Dan Stanley. Updated 5/25/2020 by adding Hank Scott. Updated 6/3/2020 by adding Cory Texter. Updated 7/4/2020 by adding Roger Durkee. Updated 3/20/2022 by adding Sonny Burres.

Longest Tenure With Any National Number
1. Jay Springsteen - 33 years as #25 (1976), #1 (1977-1979), #9 (1980-2008)
2. Terry Poovey - 31 years as #18 (1977-2007)
3. Bart Markel - 28 years as #72 (1959), #8 (1960-1961), #4 (1962, 1964-65, 1968-70, 1972-86), #1 (1963, 1966, 1967), #32 (1971)
3. Willie McCoy - 28 years as #59 (1989-2016)
5. Chris Carr - 27 years as #20 (1986-1992), #1 (1993, 2000, 2002-2006), #4 (1994-1999, 2001, 2007-2012)
5. Rich King - 27 years as #80 (1982-2002, 2004-2008), #100 (2003)
7. Steve Morehead - 26 years as #42 (1975-2000)
8. Kenny Coolbeth - 25 years as #31 (1995-2006), #1 (2007-2009), #2 (2010-2019)
8. Joe Kopp - 25 years as #43 (1993-2000), #1 (2001), #3 (2002-2017)
8. George Roeder II - 25 years as #66 (1986-2010)
11. Chris Evans - 23 years as #52 (1984-1993), #15 (1995-2007)
11. Mickey Fay - 23 years as #59, #13 (1978-2000)
11. Ronnie Jones - 23 years as #16 (1980-2002, 2019), #74 (2005)
14. Scott Parker - 22 years as #11 (1980-1988), #1 (1989-1992, 1995-1999), #2 (1993-1994, 2000-2001)
15. Kevin Atherton - 21 years as #23 (1989-2007)
16. Ricky Graham - 20 years as #41 (1979-1982), #1 (1983, 1985, 1994), #3 (1984, 1986-1993, 1994-1998)
17. Dick Mann - 19 years as #64 (1957-1963), #1 (1964, 1972), #2 (1965-1970, 1972-1975), #4 (1971)
17. Gary Nixon - 19 years as #63 (1961-1963), #9 (1964-1967, 1970, 1972-1979), #1 (1968-1969), #10 (1971)
17. Garth Brow - 19 years as #15 (1978-1994), #19 (1996), #32 (2004)
17. Bryan Smith - 19 years as #42 (2002-2016), #1 (2017), #4 (2018-2020)
21. Sonny Burres - 18 years as #69 (1965-1970, 1972-1983), #73 (1971)
21. Will Davis - 18 years as #21 (1985-2002)
21. Charlie Orr - 18 years as #61 (1984-1988), #11 (1989-1993), #87 (1995-2002)
24. John Hlebo III - 17 years as #70 (1995-2004, 2009-2015)
24. Jake Johnson - 17 years as #14 (2003-2009), #5 (2010, 2013-2019) #1 (2011-2012)
24. Jared Mees - 17 years as #21 (2004-2009), #9 (2010-2012, 2017, 2020), #1 (2013, 2015-2016, 2018-2019)
24. Gene Romero - 17 years as #20 (1967-1969), #3 (1970, 1972-1983), #1 (1971)
24. JR Schnabel - 17 years as #33 (1997-2014)
24. Dan Stanley - 17 years as #60 (1992-1996), #10 (1998-2009)
30. Steve Beattie - 16 years as #26 (1992-2007)
30. Larry Pegram - 16 years as #72 (1991-1996), #14 (2000-2002), #73 (2004-2007), #99 (2010)
30. Kenny Roberts - 16 years as #80 (1973), #1 (1974-1975), #2 (1976-1988)
30. Scott Stump - 16 years as #77 (1988-2002, 2006)
30. Randy Texter - 16 years as #65 (1984-1991), #25 (1993-2000)
30. Henry Wiles - 16 years as #17 (2004-2019)
36. Steve Eklund - 15 years as #11 (1977-1979), #1 (1980), #8 (1981-1991)
36. Rodney Farris - 15 years as #92 (1982-1996)
36. Dave Hebb - 15 years as #93 (1982-1983), #33 (1984-1996)
36. Alex Jorgensen - 15 years as #44 (1976-1990)
36. Mert Lawwill - 15 years as #18 (1964-1969), #1 (1970), #6 (1971), #7 (1972-1978)
36. Tim Mertens - 15 years as #53 (1981-1993) & #36 (1997-1998)
36. Scott Pearson - 15 years as #95 (1978-1993)
36. Gary Scott - 15 years as #64 (1973-1975), #1 (1976), #5 (1977-1987)
44. Davey Durelle - 14 years as #58 (1983-1996)
44. Roger Durkee - 14 years as #88 (1984-1987), #50 (1989), #69 (1992-1998), #99 (1999), #96 (2002)
44. Hank Scott - 14 years as #14 (1975-1988)
47. Billy Herndon - 13 years as #19 (1983-1995)
47. Eddie Mulder - 13 years as #12, #20 (1964-1976)
49. Ted Boody - 12 years as #12 (1977-1988)
49. Keith Day - 12 years as #22 (1983-1994)
49. Scott Drake - 12 years as #91 (1975-1986)
49. Jim Sumner - 12 years as #45 (1991-2002)
49. Cory Texter - 12 years as #65 (2009-2020)
49. Don Wilson - 12 years as #78 (1985-1996)

Now, a quick caveat about the info above. After 1971, past Grand National Champions were allowed to retain their National Number simply to taking out a professional license. They did not have to earn it every year. Markel's last Grand National race was the Syracuse mile in 1979, yet he kept his National Number 4 until 1986. Kenny Roberts kept National Number 2 until 1988, even though he retired from racing in 1985.

Another known caveat - Ronnie Jones earned National Numbers in other years not listed above, but since #16 was not available, he chose instead fo continue wearing his late brother David's #74G.

LONGEST NATIONAL NUMBER HOLDERS - ONE NUMBER

Jul 26, 2019

Hollywood Scottie Duebler recently asked the age-old question on his Off The Groove podcast'who held a National Number the longest'? With help from the History Amigos, Part 2 will be answered later, but Part 1 of the answer is below:

Updated 4/22/2020 by adding Dan Stanley. Updated 5/25/2020 by adding Hank Scott. Updated 6/3/2020 by adding Cory Texter. Updated 3/20/2022 by adding Sonny Burres.

Longest Tenure With One National Number
1. Terry Poovey - 31 years as #18 (1977-2007)
2. Jay Springsteen - 29 years as #9 (1980-2008)
3. Willie McCoy - 28 years as #59 (1989-2016)
4. Rich King - 26 years as #80 (1982-2002, 2004-2008)
4. Steve Morehead - 26 years as #42 (1975-2000)
6. George Roeder II - 25 years as #66 (1986-2010)
7. Ronnie Jones - 22 years as #16 (1980-2012, 2019)
8. Bart Markel - 21 years as #4 (1962, 1964-1965, 1968-1970, 1972-1986)
8. Kevin Atherton - 21 years as #23 (1989-2007)
10. Will Davis - 18 years as #21 (1985-2002)
10. Mickey Fay - 18 years as #13 (1983-2000)
12. Garth Brow - 17 years as #15 (1978-1994)
12. Sonny Burres - 17 years as #69 (1965-1970; 1973-1983)
12. John Hlebo III - 17 years as #70 (1995-2004, 2009-2015)
12. JR Schnabel - 17 years as #33 (1997-2014)
16. Steve Beattie - 16 years as #26 (1992-2007)
16. Joe Kopp - 16 years as #3 (2002-2017)
16. Scott Stump - 16 years as #77 (1988-2002, 2006)
16. Henry Wiles - 16 years as #17 (2004-2019)
20. Rodney Farris - 15 years as #92 (1982-1996)
20. Alex Jorgensen - 15 years as #44 (1976-1990)
20. Scott Pearson - 15 years as #95 (1978-1993)
20. Bryan Smith - 15 years as #42 (2002-2016)
24. Davey Durelle - 14 years as #58 (1983-1996)
24. Hank Scott - 14 years as #14 (1975-1990)
26. Chris Evans - 13 years as #15 (1995-2007)
26. Ricky Graham - 13 years as #3 (1984, 1986-1993, 1995-1998)
26. Dave Hebb - 13 years as #33 (1984-1996)
26. Billy Herndon - 13 years as #19 (1983-1995)
26. Tim Mertens - 13 years as #53 (1981-1993)
26. Gary Nixon - 13 years as #9 (1964-1967, 1970, 1972-1979)
26. Gene Romero - 13 years as #3 (1970, 1972-1983)
33. Ted Boody - 12 years as #12 (1977-1988)
33. Keith Day - 12 years as #22 (1983-1994)
33. Scott Drake - 12 years as #91 (1975-1986)
33. Eddie Mulder - 12 years as #12 (1964-1970, 1972-1976)
33. Dan Stanley - 12 years as #10 (1998-2009)
33. Jim Sumner - 12 years as #45 (1991-2002)
33. Cory Texter - 12 years as #65 (2009-2020)
33. Don Wilson - 12 years as #78 (1985-1996)

Now, a quick caveat about the info above. After 1971, past Grand National Champions were allowed to retain their National Number simply to taking out a professional license. They did not have to earn it every year. Markel's last Grand National race was the Syracuse mile in 1979, yet he kept his National Number 4 until 1986. Kenny Roberts kept National Number 2 until 1988, even though he retired from racing in 1985.

COMMENTS CONCERNING AFT INTERNAL DOCUMENT RE: 2020

Jul 25, 2019

Yesterday I posted about an 'internal AFT document' concerning their 2020 plans. I have but a few comments about it.

"AFT developed the SuperTwins concept from the ground up to build the stars of the sport...".

You cannot build anything from the top down. Gravity tends to make this an impossibility. Currently the AFT system does not encourage advancement through the ranks. In fact, there are many more racers going 'down' the scale than there are going 'up' the scale. There is also no organized feeder system to prepare amateur racers to compete in the AFT ranks. The system that worked successfully from 1933-2016 was that young racers turned pro, and then proved themselves as they advanced through the ranks. We have a very stagnant system right now. There is very little movement, except downward. Which makes it that much harder for any new AFT racer to be successful.

"SuperTwins Teams will be required to enter in all SuperTwins rounds for the season and will be required to register a single manufacturer of motorcycle for use during the season. In exceptional circumstances a Team may be able to switch brands once."

I have heard this line before. When AFT announced the AFT Twins and AFT Singles classes, the decree was that you pick your class, and that is your class. But you could change classes once. Fast forward to 2019 and racers change classes on a weekly basis. I don't anticipate anyone at AFT holding true to this rule, either.

(If a SuperTwins team is unable to field their rider for an event, what are their obligataions): "The Team will be contracted to field an entry, either by putting a Twins-licensed rider on their motorcycle or leasing their SuperTwins grid position to an alternate Team approved for competition in SuperTwins by AFT."

This will be interesting to see in action. I don't see AFT being able to force anyone to do anything they don't want to do. If Bryan Smith decides to skip an event (or three), I don't Ricky Howerton allowing AFT to bully him into driving to Arizona because of any contract. And I don't foresee Jerry Kennedy spending time to sublease his spot to another team (If Brandon Robinson misses a race).

"The SuperTwins class will be the prototype for the future of the sport..."

>Gulp<

AFT INTERNAL DOCUMENT RE: 2020

Jul 24, 2019

Superbike Planet just published a post about a reported "internal AFT document" concerning their 2020 plans.

This AFT internal document is making the rounds this week detailing proposed changes to the AFT/AMA/DMG dirt track program.

Future Direction

Q: Why has AFT decided to change the premier class from AFT Twins to AFT SuperTwins?
A: AFT developed the SuperTwins concept from the ground up to build the stars of the sport, deliver visibility and value for teams and manufacturers, ensure that recognizable teams and riders are in the Main Event every week and to package the premier class for live broadcast.

Q: What is the goal of the new AFT SuperTwins class?
A: The goal of AFT SuperTwins is to successfully package our premier AFT class as the best flat track racing in the world and as a scalable national professional sports league where all key stakeholders (Teams, OEMs, Riders, Partners and Fans) get to enjoy the benefits. The SuperTwins class will be the prototype for the future of the sport and will deliver on the desire from our broadcast partner for AFT to have a racing class ready for live television.

Q: Does that mean that AFT Production Twins and AFT Singles won t be on TV next year?
A: AFT Singles and AFT Production Twins will continue to be an integral part of AFT s cable and live streaming coverage in 2020.

Q: How many available spots are there in SuperTwins?
A: AFT SuperTwins will be open to 16 season-long entries.

Q: How much will it cost to be approved for AFT SuperTwins?
A: The cost of competitor licenses and season-long entry fees will not substantially increase in 2020. There will be additional costed services provided as part of the SuperTwins Team contract.

Q: What are the benefits of becoming a SuperTwins team?
A: All SuperTwins Teams will benefit from guaranteed exposure, coverage and reach to AFT s substantial and growing audiences. The total reach for AFT SuperTwins will be a very attractive tool for teams motivated to improve their revenue from partnerships and sponsorships. All SuperTwins Teams will have access to a multitude of AFT data and presentation tools, access to exclusive video and photo content along with a license to utilize the footage, access to AFT tracks for testing, guaranteed broadcast and editorial coverage, customized marketing materials, exposure valuation reporting and sponsor credential packages. Additional benefits and services will be defined in the offer document.


Competitor Memorandum AFT SuperTwins FAQ
Teams, Riders and Entries

Q: Which Teams will be eligible to field a motorcycle in SuperTwins? What happens if I am not selected as a SuperTwins Team?
A: Any team, whether they are currently fielding an AFT Twins entry or they are new to the sport, will be eligible to apply for up to three of the 16 available SuperTwins season-long entries as long as they meet the entry criteria. AFT will evaluate all applications according to a set of criteria which will be defined in the offer document. In the event of more than 16 qualified applications, AFT will form a wait list. Teams will be able to apply for either a single year contract or multi-year options.

Q: When will Teams be able to apply for SuperTwins?
A: Technical and operational requirements are currently being finalized and it is anticipated that applications will go live by early September.

Q: Which Riders are eligible to compete in SuperTwins?
A: All licensed AFT Twins riders and any AFT Singles riders that meet the criteria to advance are eligible to compete in SuperTwins.

Q: Who is the primary point of contact for AFT on a SuperTwins Team? Is it the Rider?
A: As the SuperTwins class transitions to team-centered management, as opposed to rider-centered, the Team Principal will be AFT s primary point of contact.

Q: Can a rider also be the Team Owner?
A: Yes, A rider can be the Team Owner provided they meet the entry requirements.

Q: What entry requirements do SuperTwins Teams have to make?
A: SuperTwins Teams will be required to enter in all SuperTwins rounds for the season and will be required to register a single manufacturer of motorcycle for use during the season. In exceptional circumstances a Team may be able to switch brands once. However, Teams may change riders if they deem it necessary to do so.

Q: I am an approved SuperTwins team, and my rider is unable to compete in an event, what are my obligations?
A: The Team will be contracted to field an entry, either by putting a Twins-licensed rider on their motorcycle or leasing their SuperTwins grid position to an alternate Team approved for competition in SuperTwins by AFT.

Q: Will there be any SuperTwins wildcard entries available?
A: As season-long entries are required for SuperTwins teams, AFT anticipates 16 full-time grid positions at every event. In the case where there are fewer than 16 entries at any event, wildcards may be considered.


Technical Rules and Event Regulations

Q: What paddock requirements are there for SuperTwins Teams?
A: All SuperTwins teams are required to have a professional paddock appearance that includes a straight truck, Toterhome/trailer or full semi-truck/trailer along with branded tents/awnings and branded barricades.

Q: How will race purse and Championship Point Funds be paid out in SuperTwins?
A: SuperTwins Team Owners will receive the race purse and Championship Point Funds earned by their Teams. However, the Team Owner may designate any corporate entity or individual, such as the Rider, as the payee for race purse and championship point funds.

Q: How will the payouts for SuperTwins in 2020 compare to the current Twins payouts for 2019?
A: Performance payouts will be the same or greater than in 2019. Championship Points Funds and start money will be dependent on commercial sponsorship of the class.

Q: Will there be different rules regarding the safety equipment required for SuperTwins?
A: Additional safety requirements for rider apparel will be introduced for AFT SuperTwins, including the mandatory use of airbag-equipped riding suits, although this is anticipated to be extended to the whole AFT paddock in due course. Riding suit vendors should contact AFT s Chief Competition Officer, Joey Mancari, for further details.

Q: Are there any major changes to the 2020 SuperTwins technical rules in comparison to the 2019 Twins rules?
A: No major changes to the rules for SuperTwins are anticipated in 2020.

Q: What event format is planned for SuperTwins?
A: The typical event format for SuperTwins will be as follows:
Two (2) Practice Rounds
One (1) Extended/Enhanced Qualifying Round
Two (2) SuperTwins Semi Finals
One (1) SuperTwins Main Event (Timed to accommodate Live broadcast windows)

2018 AFT vs 1978 CAMEL PRO SERIES

Jul 8, 2019

Greg Pearson - author of the Grand National Champion Volume I and Volume II and one of my History Amigos - compiled the following comparison of the 2018 AFT season compared, financially, to the 1978 Camel Pro series.

I put the following together last year after some comments from Michael Lock and a "discussion" with a guy on FB who said the riders today were better financially off than the 1970 s.

Here are ML s comments that really rang a bell with me:

The ultimate goal, Lock said, is to help the racers bank accounts: "I have to get our riders better compensation." (Iron & Air 2017)

This one really got my attention: "Ticket sales are up at every single event that previously existed and all the new events have been sellouts. Does it yet rival or eclipse the halcyon days of Camel? I don't know, but that was so long ago that no one is ever going to know." (Cycle World 2017).

Does the AFT series eclipse the Camel days? That was so long ago that no one is ever going to know???? Lock hints that by golly, we probably are doing better. Well, attendance figures are elusive, then and now, but the riders pay-off is where the rubber meets the road.

Well this old flat track fan knows, so I put some figures together.

Let me state I rarely EVER post anything but positive stuff. The implications of the 2020 Super Twins Proposal really worries me. I put this together a long time ago & have been sitting on it. I love this sport like no other. As a lifetime supporter, racer and historian, I felt it was time to finally speak up.

2018 AFT Season vs the 1978 AMA Camel Pro Season

The 1978 Camel Pro schedule which showed the 24 DT only events had a total purse of $449,000. Adjusted to 2018 dollars, that is $1,782,436

AFT has 18 races on their schedule. Purse for miles, $56K, HM's, $46,500, Daytona TT $51,500. Singles purse $7850 per race. Using AFT's figures the total purse payout for 18 races in 2018 will be $918,000.

The average for the 2018 AFT season is $51,000. per race. If you adjust the 1978 Camel Pro dollars to today, the average is $74,266. per race.

2018 vs 1978: $918,000-$1,782,436 = for a difference of $864,436

What are the top Experts paid then & now?

In 1978 the races were mostly all Expert only. AFT pays the Singles out of the same purse. Knocking down the Twins amount down about 15%. If you take the Singles money out .

918,000-141,300=$776,700 so......

776,700-1,782,436.= $1,005,736

One million dollars LESS than 1978! (Yes, there were 6 more races in 1978)

Now to be fair...I will take the average of 18 races for 1978

74,266 X 18= $1,336,788. so, apples to apples, what the top GNC guys are paid:

$776,700-$1,336,788=$560,088

So just a measly $500K less than 1978!

Then the Camel Pro points fund was $100,000. That is $396,979 in 2018.

Couldn t find the 1978 Contingency Fund, but for 1977, it was $65,965, which is $261,867 in 2018 dollars.

I put this together because, yeah, we talk about the "good-old days" but that is just talk. I know the young guys get tired of hearing it. These are the hard numbers though. Look how far we have to gain back just to pull even with the 1970s! Riders don't sell yourselves short. You are just as skilled and brave as the guys from 1978. There just isn t as many riders right now.

These types of purses were built because the health of the sport and the large number of racers attracted RJ Reynolds to the sport. We are now in a rebuilding phase. AFT has made huge strides on getting the sport back on TV and capitalizing on the introduction of the Indian and the "battle" with the Harley team. Just 16 teams/riders is way too thin a margin onto to which the series can grow. What if Indian, Harley, Roof Systems, Estenson Racing get tired of spending thousands of dollars and/or move onto the next thing? It happens; everything has a lifespan. Who would be left holding the bag? AFT, you have done some great things, don't drop the ball now! Build the sport and the corporate sponsors will come! No racers, no show!!!!

AFT ADVISORY GROUP #3 / 2020 PROPOSAL REVIEW

Jul 2, 2019

Having finally digested the 2020 AFT plans, here are some of my thoughts:

The Super Teams concept isn't much different than what is already happening. As of right now, there are 12 riders on eight teams [Indian/Rogers Racing(Mees), Indian/Zanotti(Bauman, Bauman), H-D/Vance&Hines(Vanderkooi, Halbert), Estenson(Johnson, Beach), Roof Systems(Carver, Price), Crosley/Howerton(Smith), Kennedy(Robinson), and DPC (Wiles)] who have claimed all of the 27 podium finishes and 39 of the 40 top 5 finishes in the first 8 races of the 2019 season.

Of the 31 riders who have scored AFT Twins Points this year, only 16 have scored points in at least five events. So you already have your 16 riders identified.

The way it is written, AFT will contract with 16 teams to contest the entire Super Twins series, and those teams will hire the riders. It appears to allow teams to change riders week-in week-out, if they so desire. At least it doesn't say they can't do that, although I suspect there aren't any of those teams who will be eager to throw a rookie onto a $50,000 Indian if their primary rider gets injured. And don't expect Ricky Howerton to put some rookie on Bryan Smith's uber-trick Kawasaki if Bryan decides to sit out a race or two.

If the 16 Super Twins racers are guaranteed to race every week, does that mean that suspensions will no longer be given out? If you promise that Kenny Coolbeth will race every weekend, and he takes a swing at Johnny Lewis, will they suspend him, or pretend it didn't happen?

I am not in favor of allowing the Super Twins racers to use any plate colors they choose. However, if they truly intend to increase 'branding' with fonts, colors, and numbers, maybe - just maybe - they will eliminate all the duplicate numbers that are currently traking place amongst the various classes. I doubt that they will do that, but that would be logical.

It seems to me that having a single plate color for each class is so simple that they cannot comprehend it. I tried explaining to someone at Lima why some Production Twins riders had black plates while others had yellow plates. Making everyone run black plates would have been too simple, I guess.

I am curious to see what they intend to use for "AFT Talent Scouts" in order to determine AFT Singles Eligibility. And which "amateur" races.

I am shocked (not really) that they admit that they haven't been recording the track prep & maintenance notes from each race for the past several years. That certainly explains why it doesn't seem like they learn from past mistakes.

I don't think they have run an event on time yet in several years of trying, so I don't expect their master plans for "live broadcasts" to work very well. Unless they take a page from the AMA scrapbook when they ran a live race at Peoria one year back in the 1990s, and stopped everything to make sure they were all lined up and ready to go when they went live. That is about the only way I see that working. Which will suck if you are in the stands, but great if you are watching live at home.

Timed Main Events. This fits if they intend to get on live TV, although a red flag situation can result in a very short final if you do it by time. It will make it impossible to track speed records in the future, however, as each race at any venue could be run a different number of laps. I am amused that the group who made it a rule that every red flag is followed by mandaotry eight or ten minute delay is now suddenly worried about time.

AFT ADVISORY GROUP #3 / 2020 PROPOSAL

Jun 28, 2019

The AFT Advisory Group (Sammy Halbert, Jefferey Carver Jr, Rob Pearson, Dave Waters, Bryan Bigelow, and Mike Hacker) met with AFT Staff (Michael Lock, Joey Mancari, David McGrath, and Gene Crouch) to discuss the 2020 plans. They include:

1. 2020 Class Structure

a. AFT Super Twins

1. Team/Entrant based: Entrant is the primary point of contact within the team, handling administrative functions.
2. National Numbers: Numbers will remain with the rider, stylized fonts/colors will allow riders to build brands.
3. 16 Teams / 16 Stars: Consistent racing product. Fans will see the same riders competiing each and every weekend.
4. Focused communication strategy: focused on building stars, services to be provided to riders/teams
5. Made of live broadcast: Event format will be structured to allow for live TV and international broadcasts.
6. Enhanced rider safety (leathers, helmet): Approved list for companies producing rider safety gear
7. Super Twins Paddock & Team Paddock Setup: Designated marquee paddock for Super Twins.
8. Other Discussion Points:

i. Backup bikes may reduce red flag time and help keep the show on schedule.
ii. Ways to prevent stars missing the race when a bike stalla on the line (mechanics area, starts on motorcycles)
iii Teams will purchase season-long entries and can hire any Twins-licensed rider to compete for them

b. AFT Production Twins

1.Technical Regulations: No Major rule changes planned
2. 2020 events: Production Twins will expand to short tracks in 2020

c. AFT Singles

1. Technical Regulations: No Major rule changes planned
2. Rider Eligibility: Collaboration with amateur races, AFT talent scouts

3. Start Grid & Start Light

a. New Start Grid Layout: Examining modifications to staritng grid to reduce congestion on race starts.
b. New restart Grid layout: Restart grid layout may be modified in the interest of safety.
c. New Start Light and Start Light Location: New structure being built that will swing over the track on race starts.

4. Testing

a. 2019 official tests: Black Hills test replaced with Williams Grove. Canterbury Park may be added.
b. 2020 testing plan: Official test events to be announces as part of the 2020 schedule.

5. Track Management

a. Track prep & Maintenance: Proper equipment and protocols recorded for each surface.
b. Track Services & Safety Protocols: Formal processes are being defined for track services and safety personnel.

6. Timed Main Events Race lengths will be timed in 2020, i.e. XX minutes plus two laps, with less time on shorter tracks.

7. 2019 Postponed Events

a. Sacramento: Rescheduled for August 10
b. Springfield Doubleheader for the twins on Labor Day. Plan for Singles to be announced soon.

MORE BROTHER STATS

Jun 16, 2019

Last night, Bronson Bauman notched his first career Grand National win. His brother, Briar, finished second, marking just the sixth time in history (and second time in nine months) that brothers finished 1-2 at a Grand National. I have already documented the five previous times that brothers finishes 1-2, but what about all of the times that brothers finished on a podium together?

1. Bronson Bauman 2. Briar Bauman: June 15, 2019 Loudon, NH ST
1. Briar Bauman 2. Bronson Bauman: Sep 8, 2018 Mechanicsburg, PA HM
1. Sam Halbert 3. Jethro Halbert: Aug 10, 2007 Castle Rock, WA TT
1. Nicky Hayden 2. Tommy Hayden 3. Roger Hayden: May 25, 2002 Springfield IL TT
1. Tommy Hayden 2. Nicky Hayden: May 28, 2001 Springfield IL TT
1. Hank Scott 3. Gary Scott: Aug 29, 1981 Indianapolis, IN M
1. Hank Scott 3. Gary Scott: Jun 28, 1981 Knoxville, TN HM
1. Hank Scott 3. Gary Scott: Jun 14, 1981 Indianapolis, IN M
2. Gary Scott 3. Hank Scott: May 3, 1981 San Jose, CA M
2. Gary Scott 3. Hank Scott: Aug 24, 1980, Indianapolis, IN M
1. Hank Scott 3. Gary Scott: May 31, 1980 Louisville, KY HM
1. Gary Scott 2. Hank Scott: Sept 11, 1977 Syracuse, NY M
2. Hank Scott 3. Gary Scott: Sep 4, 1977 Middletown, NY HM
2. Gary Scott 3. Hank Scott: Sep 18, 1976 Toledo, OH HM
1. Gary Scott 3. Hank Scott: May 29, 1976 Louisville, KY HM
1. Gary Scott 3. Hank Scott: Jul 7, 1974 San Jose, CA M
2. Larry Palmgren 3. Chuck Palmgren: Aug 24, 1969 Sedalia, MO M
2. Larry Palmgren 3. Chuck Palmgren: Jun 29, 1969 Columbus, OH HM
1. Larry Palmgren 2. Chuck Palmgren: May 25, 1969, Reading PA HM

Honorable mention goes to Mark & Scott Brelsford, Dave & Doug Sehl, and Frenchie & Woodsie Castonaguay. Those pairs of brothers all scored AMA National podium finishes, but not alongside their brothers.

HOW MUCH FASTER?

May 18, 2019

A while back, someone commented on social media that today's flat track racers are 'so much faster' than they used to be. That prompted History Amigo Greg Pearson to go digging through the archives!

Columbus, Ohio Half Mile
Carroll Resweber's fast qualifying lap at the 1961 Charity Newsies (Columbus Ohio Half Mile) was 26.76 seconds. On a rigid-framed brake-less Harley-Davidson KR.

Ted Boody's fast qualifying lap at the 1976 Columbus Half Mile was 26.432 on a twin-shock Harley-Davidson XR750 with brakes. Resweber's 1961 time would have been 13th fastest in 1976, right behind Jay Springsteen (11th fastest at 26.747) and Greg Sassaman (12th at 26.758).

Any 26-second lap would have been good enough to get into the program at any Columbus Half Mile National (which ran almost every year from 1953 to 1980).

Peoria, Illinois TT
Jay Springsteen set a new track record at the Peoria TT in 1983 at 26.61 on a Harley-Davidson XR750. He also won the race.

Springer's 1983 time would have been fastest qualifier in 2018! Briar Bauman's 26.889 on an Indian FTR750 would have been second fastest!
Henry Wiles was fast qualifier in 2017 on a Kawasaki EX650 - the year that twins returned to Peoria - at 26.340. Springer's 26.61 lap in 1983 would have been second fastest!

In 2016, Brad Baker - riding a 450 single on a slow track - was fast qualifier at 27.288.
In 2015, Henry Wiles - on a 450 single - was fast qualifier at 25.519. Springer's 1983 time would have been in the mid-teens in qualifying.
Wiles's fast lap in 2014 was 25.391.
Wiles turned the fastest lap in 2010 at 27.540.
Joe Kopp topped the charts in 2009 - the first year that OEM frames were required - with a 26.195 lap.
Chris Carr turned a 25.74 lap in qualifying for the 1988 event.

Lima, Ohio Half Mile
Dave Sehl was fast qualifier at 26.081 at the July 13, 1975 Eastern Regional Half Mile at Lima, Ohio on a twin-shock, carbureted Harley-Davidson XR750.
Dave Sehl's 1975 time would have been 7th fastest at the 2017 Lime Half Mile National!

Jared Mees Ind 25.722 (2017 session 1)
Brad Baker Ind 25.746 (2017 session 2)
Briar Bauman Kaw 25.748 (2017 session 2)
Jefferey Carver 25.867 (2017 session 2)
Davis Fisher Kaw 25.986 (2017 session 1)
Chad Cose Kaw (2017 session 2)
Dave Sehl HD 26.081 (1975)
Bryan Smith Ind 26.111 (2017 session 1)

SCOTTIE DEUBLER'S OFF THE GROOVE PODCAST

May 18, 2019

Earlier this week I was interviewed by Scottie Deubler for his weekly Off The Groove podcast. I have known Scottie since the late 1990s, when he was racing and I was helping my brother Jim at the Grand Nationals. Scottie has been the voice of American Flat Track for several years now, and he considers me the "flat track statistical guru". Whenever something historical happens, or might happen, we usually trade emails or text messages to make sure he has the facts straight - sometimes this happens during a race broadcast! It was a pleasure to chat with Scottie for about 90 minutes, talking about my past experiences as a racer, a promoter, a flagger, an announcer, a pit steward, a scorer, etc.

Off The Groove w/Bert Sumner

SCOTT PEARSON'S SUSPENSION

May 13, 2019

While researching Tammy Kirk's Last Race, The History Amigos discovered a curious, yet similar, situation from 1986.

Scott Pearson won the July 12, 1986 St. Charles, IL AMA Pro Short Track, but was protested for an oversized motor. Pearson refused to submit his bike for inspection.

The 1986 AMA Professional Dirt Track Competition Rule Book, Chapter XII, Section A, Paragraph 4c (page 38) states: "Any rider refusing to permit the examination of a motorcycle shall forfeit all prize money won in events on such day and shall be suspended for a period of not less than one year."

Cycle News later reported that Pearson had appealed the one-year suspension handed out by the AMA (Cycle News, In The Wind, August 27, 1986).

Cycle News later reported "A three-man appeal board (Clyde Denzer, Glenn Jordan and Carl Reynolds) met on August 25 and upheld the one-year suspension that the AMA imposed on veteran dirt tracker Scott Pearson for refusing to allow a displacement check teardown of his bike's engine at a non-National short track race he won in July. The appeal board, considering the many years Peason has competed without incident, shortened his suspension by several weeks. Pearson will be allowed to return to competition on June 1, 1987." (Cycle News, In The Wind, September 3, 1987).

Pearson did miss all remaining Grand National events in 1986, and he was not listed in any results from Daytona in 1987. However, he competed at all five AMA Grand National events held prior to June 1, 1987. We have not found any explanation as to why his suspension was lifted.

TAMMY KIRK'S LAST RACE

May 12, 2019

The History Amigos - Bob Herrick, Greg Pearson, and myself - were trying to remember the circumstances of Tammy Kirk's last motorcycle race the other day. So we dove into the achives and found the following.

From Cycle News 09/13/89, Jack Mangus' write-up concerning the 9/3/1989 Springfield Mile:

The day ended on a sad note for fans of Tammy Kirk. The fast lady from Dalton Georgia, qualified for the National by finishing 3rd in the second heat race. But following the heat race, Canadian Steve Aseltine, who finished fourth, protested Kirk's bike, both for displacement and for the possible use of illegal fuel. Kirk dropped out of the National final with a blown engine, but her crew chief, father Tommy Kirk, loaded up her bike and refused to submit it for a displacement check.

"I'm...it's legal", said Kirk, who had planned to retire from motorcycle racing after next Sunday's Syracuse Mile. Tommy Kirk told referee Duke Olliges, angrily at first and then in calmer words, "I'm not tearing it down. I'm sick of all this type of thing. We're going car racing."

Tammy Kirk was seen crying by her truck after most of her former fellow racers had departed, perhaps from a combination of sadness over departing a sport she's been a part of for many years and also from knowing that many will now question if her many outstanding performances were accomplished with illegal equipment.

One former Grand National Champion said: "Don't use my name, but I'll tell you this: I've followed her on more than one occasion that had me questioning what she was running."

According to Olliges, Kirk's refusal to submit the bike for inspection was cause for her disqualification, and a fine and suspension would no doubt be forthcoming. The disqualification from the National cost her the $765 she would have been paid for 17th place, but the expected fine and suspension are perhaps meaningless seeing as how she will now switch over to car racing.

Heat #3 Behind Parker and Springsteen came Kirk after a race-long dice with Aseltine. Following the heat race, Aseltine filed his protest with referee Olliges. "I'm protesting her on bore and stroke (and fuel)," said Aseltine. "I'll give you something to write about", said a smiling Kirk. "I'm going to protest the guy who finishes ahead of me in the National." As reported above, that didn't happen.

National Lap 21 saw Kirk slow and then pull out of the race; she had been running in the 12th spot. "I think it was the crank", said the Georgia racer who, moments later, was surrounded in controversy.

From Cycle News 09/20/89 "In the Wind" column:

Since the disqualification of Camel Pro Series competitor Tammy Kirk at the Springfield Mile (Kirk's engine displacement was protested and she refused to submit the bike for measurement), several racers have stepped forward with opinions on the subject. "Her (Harley-Davidson) XR-750 runs different heads than are normally used and she's been been under suspicion for quite a while. The problem was, no one wanted to be the person to protest her. What if the bike turned out to be legal? That would really embarrass the guy who protested her", said a veteran Camel Pro Series competitor who, like all, requested anonymity. Most riders who spoke to us echoed the same sentiments. A former racer said: "Tammy and her father Tommy are super people". But if you're familiar with the southern stock car racing scene, then you know going around the rules isn't necessarily regarded as cheating. Say it ain't so, Tammy Jo.

From Cycle News 10/04/89 "Voices" column.

On Tammy's side I think it's time someone stood up for Tammy Kirk and gave another side to the story. The real issue here is not cheating, but - did a girl really beat us? Since she had announced her retirement, it was now or never. Well, now you will always have that doubt. I'm betting she really did. If cheating was the issue, any number of guys qualify and finish ahead of her on a regular basis, but no one dares to protest the really fast ones, especially the factory bikes. If they did, they would never get that ride or even parts to keep going as a privateer. (This goes for road racing as well.) Why not have automatic tear-down of one of the top five bikes at every National? This would keep everyone honest. Tammy and her dad have been racing most of their lives and have more than paid their dues. If her name had been Tommy, no one would have questioned her success. As for the gutsy guys with their anonymous comments, I can't believe Cycle News even bothered to print them. Motorcycling's loss is car racing's gain. Good luck, Tam.
Lou Snedden
Lou's Leathers
Elkhorn, KY

For a report on a similar situation, read Scott Pearson's Suspension.

CARROLL RESWEBER'S NEAR GRAND SLAM MONTH

May 7, 2019

While researching the JD BEACH WINS VIR SUPERBIKE post, I stumbled into this historic run by Carroll Resweber in 1961:

August 6, 1961 Schererville IN Half Mile
August 13, 1961 Watkins Glen NY Road Race
August 20, 1961 Springfield IL Mile
August 25, 1961 Santa Fe IL Short Track

Four wins in four Grand National disciplines in 19 days! Only a TT win shy of a Grand Slam!

Joe Leonard came close in 1953, winning three disciplines in 21 days:

July 19, 1953 San Mateo CA Mile
July 26, 1953 Windber, PA Road Race
August 9, 1953 Sturgis, SD Half Mile

Kenny Roberts came close in 1974, winning three disciplines in 21 days:

July 28, 1974 Laguna Seca Road Race
August 9, 1974 Santa Fe IL Short Track
August 18, 1974 Peoria IL TT

JD BEACH WINS VIR SUPERBIKE

May 6, 2019

One week after winning his first ever AFT Twins flat track National at the Arizona Super TT, JD Beach won his first MotoAmerica Superbike National at Virginia International Raceway. Which leads to the obvious question: when was the last time someone won a National Road Race and a National Flat Track in the same year?

The last is Nicky Hayden in 2002. The last to win a Grand National Road Race and a Grand National Dirt Track in the same season was Bubba Shobert in 1984.

Here is the list of others, in somewhat chronological order:

JD Beach 2019
Nicky Hayden 2002
Doug Chandler, 1989
Bubba Shobert 1984, 1987, 1988
Kenny Roberts 1974, 1975, 1976, 1980
Gene Romero 1974
Mark Brelsford 1971
David Aldana 1970
Fred Nix 1969
Ralph White 1965
Dick Mann 1964, 1970, 1971
Roger Reiman 1964
Gary Nixon 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967
Carroll Resweber 1961, 1962
Brad Andres 1955, 1956
Joe Leonard 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1961
Paul Goldsmith 1953
Dick Klamfoth 1951
Ed Kretz Sr. 1938

Next inevitable question is: when was the last time someone won a National Road Race and a National Dirt Track on consecutive weekends? (Note: I do not have the 1987, 1988, 1989, or 2002 AMA Superbike stats, so I cannot say whether Hayden or Shobert belong in this group):

1953 Joe Leonard: 7/19 M, 7/26 RR
1961 Carroll Resweber: 8/6 HM, 8/13 RR, 8/20 M, 8/25 ST
1974 Kenny Roberts: 8/9 ST, 8/18 TT
1975 Kenny Roberts: 9/27 HM, 10/5 RR
1984 Bubba Shobert: 9/30 RR, 10/6 M

Final question: when was the last time someone won a National Road Race and a National Dirt Track at consecutive events? Discounting the ones listed above, and again stating that I do not have the 1987, 1988, 1989 or 2002 AMA Superbikes stats, here are the others:

1951 Dick Klamfoth: 2/25 RR, 5/27 HM, 6/17 RR
1953 Joe Leonard: 7/19 M, 7/26 RR, 8/9 HM
1957 Joe Leonard: 6/23 RR, 7/21 M, 8/18 M
1966 Gary Nixon: 8/6 RR, 8/21 M
1974 Kenny Roberts: 7/28 RR, 8/9 ST, 8/18 TT

JD BEACH WINS ARIZONA SUPER TT

April 28, 2019

Last night,JD Beach won his first-ever AFT Twins National at the Arizona Super TT on a Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07.


JD becomes the 179th racer to win an AMA Class C National since 1933.
It is the first AFT/GNC win for a Yamaha twin in 38 years - since Scott Pearson a the 1981 Peoria TT.
JD is the first first-time AFT/GNC winner since Briar Bauman at Daytona 2014.
It ends the longest drought in history for first-time winners in AMA Class C competition. (The previous drought was two years - 2008-2009).

1984, 1987, 1990, 1993, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

CYCLE NEWS HISTORY

April 25, 2019

My History Amigo colleague Bob Herrick went through his periodical collection to compile this comprehensive list of historical dates concerning Cycle News. I hope that you enjoy this journey as much as I do!

History of Cycle News East
Jun 1962: "Cycle Racing" begins publishing on a sporadic basis from Cudahy, Wisconsin, but is discontinued sometime before June 1966. It was published by C. Betzel Smith.
Jun 1966: "Cycle Racing" starts up again as a monthly publication from Mundelein, Illinois. Volume 1, Number 1 is published in June 1966.
Mar 6, 1967: 1st issue of "The State Motorcycle News". It was published bi-weekly in Amherst, Ohio.
March or April, 1968: "State Motorcycle News" becomes "State Cycle News". It continued to be published bi-weekly in Amherst, Ohio.
Oct 8, 1968: "Cycle Racing" is merged into "State Cycle News".
Jun 3, 1969: "State Cycle News" becomes the first issue of "Cycle News East". It continued to be published bi-weekly in Amherst, Ohio.
Jun 16, 1970: "Cycle News East" moves it publishing from Amherst, Ohio to Avon, Ohio.
Mar 1970: The first issue of "Cycle News Dixie" appears. It is published bi-weekly in Decatur/Tucker, Georgia.
Mar 13, 1973 "Cycle News Dixie" combines with "Cycle News East" and began printing weekly instead of Bi-weekly.
Jan 15, 1986: First issue of "Cycle News National" as "Cycle News East" and "Cycle News West" combine.

History of Cycle News Central
Spring 1973: "Cycle News Central" begins.
Oct 28, 1975: "Cycle News Central" combines with "Cycle News West".

History of Cycle News West
1959: First issue of "Motor Cycling News".
Jan 1964: "Motor Cycling News" becomes "Motorcycle Journal".
Sep 1965: "Motorcycle Journal" becomes the first issue of "Cycle News West".
Oct 28, 1975: "Cycle News Central" combines with "Cycle News West".
Jan 15, 1986: First issue of "Cycle News National" as "Cycle News East" and "Cycle News West" combine.

BIGGEST SURPRISES AFTER 3 ROUNDS OF 2019 AFT SEASON

April 24, 2019

JD Beach with only a single Main Event appearance, and no podiums.
Bryan Smith stuggling mightily on the Kawasaki
The Harley-Davidson XR750R with three straight fourth place finishes
Two factory indian DNF's (Mees @ Daytona & Bauman @ Fort Worth)
Mees with "only" one win

MORE AFT RIDERS JUMP FROM TWINS TO SINGLES

February 9, 2019

Chad Cose and Mikey Rush have the AFT Twins class in order to return to the AFT Singles class for 2019. This continues an alarming number of defections of riders from the Twins to the Singles division in recent years.


2019: #49 Chad Cose. 6th in the 2018 AFT Twins standings, with a 3rd place finish at the Fort Worth HM.
2019: #54 Mikey Rush. 16th in the 2018 AFT Twins standings, with a seventh place finish at Buffalo Chip TT.
2018: #94 Ryan Wells. 11th in the 2017 AFT Twins standings, with a fourth place finish at the Charlotte HM.
2018: #65 Cory Texter. 21st in the 2017 AFT Twins class and 9th in the 2016 AFT Twins class, with two podium finishes.
2017: #62 Dan Bromley. Was 27th in 2017 AFT Twins points when he jumped down to the Singles division mid-season after the Lexingont KY event.
2017: #52 Shayna Texter. Shayna finished 44th in the 2016 AFT Twins division.

How have those riders fared since moving down? The final 2018 AFT Singles point standings saw Bromley take the title over Wells and Shayna. Cory Texter was in 8th place when he was injured at the Sacramento Mile, and missed eight of the remaining 14 rounds.

DAYTONA TT / SUPERMOTO

February 5, 2019

American Flat Track has unveiled its newest TT course for the upcoming March 14 event. It has a very similar shape to last year, except that the front straight is now up on the Daytona Superspeedway Tri-Oval.

This means the riders will transition from dirt onto the pavement as they exit the "north" turn, then race down the long front straight - on pavement - before transitioning back onto the dirt infield as they attempt to slow down for the hairpin "south" turn. American Flat Track claims that the course layout "has been designed in collaboration and consultation with riders and race professionals".

Personally, I expect the exit of the "north" turn onto the Superspeedway to get very sketchy as dirt gets pulled onto the pavement. However, I expect the hairpin turn one corner to be the downfall of many racers. In the previous two Daytona TTs, the "south" turn was a hairpin at the end of a long straightaway. This tight corner has resulted in many crashes in the past, and I expect that the new pavement-to-dirt transition will add to the carnage in that corner.

JEFF WARD TO RACE AFT SINGLES TTs

January 8, 2019

AMA Hall of Famer Jeff Ward, seven-time AMA MX/SX Champion and former AMA Supermoto champion, will compete at the five AFT Singles TT events on a KTM SX-450. Jeff is 57 years old.

How will he do? We shall see.

NEW CHIEF COMPETITION OFFICER

December 30, 2018

American Flat Track announced on November 13 that Joey Mancari is the new AFT Chief Competition Office. Joey comes from NASCAR. Joey replaces Chris Carr, who had been the Competition Director since 2017.

Chris Carr anounced later in December that he was leaving American Flat Track altogether.

My initial concerns about Mr. Mancari is from a safety standpoint. Many of us who have been around flat track racing forever can recognize a crash before it happens, and identify the severity moments after the rider hits the ground. How well is Mr. Mancari going to recognize whether a crash is a yellow flag situation, a red flag situation, or an ambulance situation?

We shall see.

PODIUM FINISH RECORDS

October 25, 2018

Question: what is the record for most podiums in a GNC season?
Answer:


17 Jared Mees 2017 (18 events)
16 Bubba Shobert 1986 (22 events)
16 Ricky Graham 1993 (21 events)
16 Scott Parker 1995 (23 events)
15 Jared Mees 2018 (18 events)

Question: what is the record for fewest missed podiums in a GNC season?
Answer:


1 Jared Mees 2017 (17 out of 18 events)
2 Scott Parker 1989 (14 out of 16 events)
2 Scott Parker 1990 (13 out of 15 events)
2 Chris Carr 1990 (13 out of 15 events)
3 Joe Leonard 1956 (4 out of 7 events)
3 Joe Leonard 1957 (5 out of 8 events)
3 Jared Mees 2018 (15 out of 18 events)
4 Jared Mees 2015 (9 out of 13 events)
4 Jared Mees 2016 (10 out of 14 events)
5 Ricky Graham 1993 (16 out of 21 events)
5 Kenny Coolbeth 2007 (13 out of 18 events)
5 Bryan Smith 2013 (7 out of 12 events)
6 Bubba Shobert 1986 (16 out of 22 events)
6 Bubba Shobert 1988 (11 out of 17 events)
6 Jared Mees 2014 (9 out of 15 events)
6 Jared Mees 2012 (10 out of 16 events) `
6 Bryan Smith 2016 (8 out of 14 events)

BRYAN SMITH LEAVES INDIAN

October 9, 2018

Shortly after winning 2018 AFT season finale on his factory Indian FTR750, Bryan Smith announced that he was leaving the factory team to race Kawasakis once again under the Ricky Howerton tent. Together, the team won the 2016 Grand National Championship.

"For five years, I was on a custom bike with Ricky that was everything I wanted. Now, here I am on the same bike that half the paddock has. The bars aren t where I want them. The footpegs aren t where I want them. T he exhaust pipes are burning my leg; I was used to down pipes. Those are some of the reasons why I am switching brands next year."

Click here to read the Cycle World article.

In two seasons on the factory Indian, Bryan scored 7 wins and 11 podium finishes. He also missed four races in 2018 due to injuries.

The only other riders in history to voluntarily abandond a factory ride are Scott Brelsford in late-1974 and Gary Scott after the 1975 season. Both left the Harley-Davidson team.

KENNY COOLBETH RETIRES

October 7, 2018

Kenny Coolbeth Jr retired from professional flat track after finishing 7th at last night's Meadowlands Mile event. Here are some of his career highlights:


1994 Rookie Of The Year
2006 AMA Grand National Champion
2007 AMA Grand National Champion
2008 AMA Grand National Champion
37 AMA GNC wins (P6 on the all-time list)
108 AMA GNC podium finishes (P5 on the all-time list)
4 GNC ST wins (T6 on the all-time list with six other racers)
23 GNC HM wins (P5 all-time)
10 GNC M wins (T8 all-time with Jared Mees)
19 GNC ST podiums (T2 all-time with Jake Johnson)
59 GNC HM podiums (P3 all-time)
30 GNC M podiums (P8 all-time)
2003 & 2008 Dairyland Classic champion

BAUMAN BROTHERS FINISH 1-2 AT MECHANICSBURG

September 9, 2018

Briar and Bronson Bauman finished 1-2 last night at the Mechanicsburg, PA half mile National. There have been lots of brothers racing the National Circuit, but very few have finished 1-2 at a National:


Larry & Chuck Palmgren: May 25, 1969, Reading PA HM
Gary & Hank Scott: Sept 11, 1977 Syracuse, NY M
Tommy & Nicky Hayden: May 28, 2001 Springfield IL TT
Nicky & Tommy Hayden: May 25, 2002 Springfield IL TT
Briar & Bronson Bauman: Sep 8, 2018 Mechanicsburg, PA HM

SPRINGFIELD MILE 25-LAP SPEEDS: RECENT HISTORY

September 4, 2018

Sep 2, 2018

Bryan Smith

4

FTR750

99.014 mph

May 27, 2018

Jeffrey Carver

23

FTR750

103.389 mph

Sep 3, 2017

Jared Mees

9

FTR750

96.855 mph

May 28, 2018

Bryan Smith

1

FTR750

98.243 mph

Sep 4, 2016

Kenny Coolbeth

2

XR750

101.518 mph

May 29, 2016

Bryan Smith

42

EX650

96.156 mph

Sep 6, 2015

Bryan Smith

42

EX650

100.358 mph

May 24, 2015

Bryan Smith

42

EX650

96.247 mph

Aug 31, 2014

Kenny Coolbeth

2

XR750

101.461 mph

May 25, 2014

Bryan Smith

42

EX650

100.593 mph

Sep 1, 2013

Brandon Robinson

44

EX650

99.782 mph

Aug 31, 2013

Brandon Robinson

44

EX650

98.583 mph

Sep 16, 2012

Bryan Smith

42

EX650

100.061 mph

May 27, 2012

Willie McCoy

59

XR750

102.939 mph

RIDER COUNTS ARE UP?

September 2, 2018

On August 30, 2018, Michael Lock (CEO of American Flat Track) sent out an "open letter" on the AFT mailing list touting all of the improvements that AFT has made in terms of viewership, attendance, online response, etc, since 2015. In his fourth paragraph, he states "...and rider counts on track this year are up, too."

I cannot comment on any of the attendance or online viewership data, since only AFT has any of that data and they can skew them however they wish. Rider counts, however, are something that I do have access to. So let s review those over the years since 2015. For consistency, let's look at rider turnout on August 30 of each year since 2015:

I guess, on the surface, Michael Lock is correct - the rider counts as of August 30, 2018 are slightly higher than the rider counts of August 30, 2017. But they are lower than both August 30, 2016 and August 30, 2015. Obviously, the series format changes completely in 2017, with the GNC1 races ditching their single-cylinder motorcycles and the GNC2 racers ditching their twin-cylinder motorcycles, so the data is not quite an apples-to-apples comparison.

2019 & 2020 AFT PLANS

September 1, 2018

Yesterday, the American Flat Track Advisor Group met to learn of the 2019 plan. Meeting minutes follow:

21018 American Flat Track Advisory Group Meeting #4
Meeting Minutes 8/31/2018
Competition strategy including class structure and supporting technical regulation.
AFT Singles

Minimal adjustments to the rules are planned for the AFT Singles class for 2019.

AFT Production Twins

In 2019, AFT plans to expand the Production Twins class to more events.
The class will be configured as a stepping stone between AFT Singles and a premier AFT Twins class

AFT "Premier" Twins

AFT is exploring the introduction of an elevated, premier AFT Twins class for the 2020 season.
A limited number of licenses available; season-long entries required; all riders guaranteed to make the Main.

So taken at face value, it sounds like they are going back (in theory) to a three-class system, where the intent is to 'graduate' riders from the AFT Singles (old "Novice" division) to the AFT Production Twins (old "Junior" division), and then, maybe, onto the AFT 'Premier' Twins (old "Expert"). The first question that comes to my mind is: where is the purse money for this third class coming from? The series hasn't had a headline sponsor since 2012. If AFT expects the promoters to kick in another $10,000-$20,000 for another class, they may have problems resigning those promoters.

The second question is, how rigorously are they going to segregate these three 'divisions'? When they introduced the AFT Singles & AFT Twins classes in 2016, they were pretty adamant that you pikced your class and that was it, but since then, riders have been allowed to jump back and forth at will.

My third question: will there be an objective advancement program in place for riders to advance from one level to the next? The requirements to advance from the "Singles" class to the "Twins" class has been horribly vague over the past few years, which leads me to believe that such decisions are much more subjective than objective.

My fourth question: could AFT have picked a worse title for the middle class? "Production Twins"? That doesn't sound like excitement at all!

My fifth question: What plate colors and sizes will be implemented for 2019? That is something that AFT changes frequently - which costs the riders money. This question is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but if the AFT Singles will retain the black-on-yellow and the 'premier' retains the black-on-white, surely you want the middle class to have a unique color scheme as well?

My sixth question: Not long ago, the AFT dream was to have several "fully funded" race teams at the top of the sport. yet the AFT 'Premier" Twins class does not portend to offer any financial reward for their efforts beyond a "guarantee to make the main". Yet those teams must purchase "season-long entries". That doesn't sound to me like the sport is going to "fund" these teams at all. AFT will put on races, and the teams will essentially be "buying" personal seat licenses in order to then buy race entries on race days. That sounds a little odd to me.

My seventh question: will any of this work? Entries in both classes are down. AFT has dabbled with this "production twins" class several times now over the past few years, but has never made a long-term committment to it. Will tuners step up and support it? Time will tell.

AFT TWINS - TOP TEN AGE

August 20, 2018

To compare the AFT Singles class with the AFT Twins class, here are the top 10 in the 2018 AFT Twins Championship, and their respective ages:

Jares Mees: 32 years, 4 months, 4 days
Henry Wiles: 34 years, 5 months, 9 days
Jeffrey Carver Jr: 27 years, 7 months, 10 days
Briar Bauman: 23 years, 1 month, 11 days
Kenny Coolbeth: 41 years, 4 months, 22 days
Brad Baker: 25 years, 6 months, 2 days
Chad Cose: 27 years, 8 months, 13 days
Jake Johnson: 34 years, 1 month, 3 days
Davis Fisher: 20 years, 8 months, 28 days
Sammy Halbert: 30 years, 11 months, 5 days

The average age of the current AFT Twins Top 5 is 31 years, 9 month, and 22 days.

The average age of the AFT Twins Top 10 is 29 years, 9 months, and 24 days.

When AFT Director of Competition Chris Carr was a rookie expert in 1985, the defending National Champion (Ricky Grahm) was in his seventh season of competition. The most senior full-time rider on the circuit was Gary Scott, who was in his 13th season. Compare that to the 2018 rookie class: the defending National Champion (Jared Mees) is in his 16th season. The most senior full-time racer on the circuit is Kenny Coolbeth, who is in his 25th season.

AFT SINGLES - A CLASS FOR TEENAGERS? REALLY?

August 20, 2018

I was recently told that the vision of the AFT Singles championship is to be 'where 16, 17, and 18-year olds fight for the championship.' As of today, here are the top 10 in the 2018 AFT Singles Championship, and their respective ages:

Dan Bromley: 23 years, 0 months, 27 days
Ryan Wells: 22 years, 10 months, 1 day
Shayna Texter: 27 years, 5 months, 8 days
Kolby Carlile: 21 years, 1 month, 15 days
Jesse Janisch: 31 years, 0 months, 0 days
Morgen Mischler: 21 years, 11 months, 25 days
Brandon Price: 18 years, 5 months, 23 days
Kevin Stollings: 19 years, 1 month, 17 days
Oliver Brindley: 19 years, 9 months, 0 days
Tristan Avery: 19 years, 6 months, 15 days

The average age of the current AFT Singles Top 5 is 25 years, 1 month, and 11 days.

The average age of the AFT Singles Top 10 is 22 years, 5 months, and 14 days.

The amount of seat time that has been acquired by the top 5 is more than half of the life span of a sixteen-year-old racer. That is a steep slope for a youngster to climb.

Furthermore, Bromley, Wells, Texter, and Janisch were all AMA Expert National Numbers in the not-too-distant past.

GODSPEED, ALEC MUTH

August 17, 2018

Alec Muth was called into God's eternal kingdom yesterday. Alec crashed at the Black Hills half mile on August 7th and never regained consciousness.

Three of the last seven professional flat track fatalities have been from Wisconsin.

CORKY KEENER, SKIP EAKEN and NICKY HAYDEN - AMA HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

August 1, 2018

The votes have been tallied, and three nominees with flat track ties will be inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame on December 7. Corky Keener will be inducted from the Dirt Track category, Nicky Hayden will be inducted from the Road Racing category, And Skip Eaken will be inducted from the Well Qualified category.

Thanks to all who voted to give these men the recognition that they deserve!

CORKY KEENER - AMA HALL OF FAME NOMINEE

June 19, 2018

In March of 2018, I was inspired to reach out to one of my childhood idols - Corky Keener - to learn more about his racing career. I was writing his biography for his nomination into the AMA Hall of Fame (voting ends June 30, 2018! Click here to learn how to vote!), and wanted to learn a little bit more about his career.

Wow. You must have been very young - that was 40 years ago! Santa Fe was a great place. I enjoyed racing there.

I don't pay much attention to the sport now, but someone told me the other day that they only have about 20 Experts pre-entered for the Daytona TT National. What a shame. We used to have hundreds at every race.

But it was always like that. When we used to go to Ascot they used to have a Friday night Sprint car show some of the car people would come to the bike races on Saturday but notice how much down time there was. But that was how the AMA ran things. I really didn't notice it that much we only had to worry about when our next race was, so we were busy.

Oh yeah, that was always something. The local guy defeating the Invaders is a great thing. And you re right; it was tough to beat those local guys at those places. But most of those places are gone now. Ascot s gone. Santa Fe s gone. Lima and Sacramento are the only tracks left that I used to race on. All the rest have been bulldozed.

I never was a rookie expert with 55E. I never got an Expert card in 1966. I rode a BSA Gold Star for a dealer out of East Lansing. At the end of the year I was going to be drafted, so I joined the Air Force instead.

I got out of the Air Force, and the only reason I got a license in 1970 because we were going to Daytona and I wanted to ride the Short Track at Memorial Stadium at the college. All I had was a Sprint and I was an apprentice at GM so I didn't have time to do much racing.

My first big race win was at Santa Fe as 31E. I went over there one night I had been there before but never raced there before - I set fast time, won the heat, won the semi, won the dash, and won the final on a Sprint. The next week I couldn't get out of the semi. It was real dry and slippery the night I won, the next week was very sticky and I couldn't get it to work the same way. I needed it to slide, and it was too tacky.

I had gone to a couple of short track Nationals there, but never raced there before, until the night I won it. Nixon won one of the Nationals that I went to. Before the final, the announcer used to go down and interview each of the riders, and that night, Nixon told the announcer "I only have one question: which one of you bastards is gonna be second?" You know how you just remember certain things? I sure remember him saying that. And he was right. He won it going away.

Springfield, Ohio was the big season opener over here and they would have 250 Novices. They would reverse the program to get the Experts done first and they would still be running Novice heats when it got dark. The fields weren't that thick in the early 1960s when I was a Novice. I didn't have my own bike as a Novice so I rode a 250 BSA, a 250 Ducati, a Honda twin whatever I could beg a ride on.

I got started with ice racing on a Triumph Cub. They had a lightweight class and heavyweight class. Bart rode a Sprint in the Lightweight class and a Sportster - believe it or not - in the Heavyweight class. I beat Bart in a heat race once, and I don't think he ever forgot it (laughs).

I went with Tom & Bert Cummings to Canada to race once, in Belleville, east of Toronto. Dave & Dough Sehl were up in that area. This was September of 1970. I got hooked up with a guy with a stock-framed Triumph. The next year he bought a Trackmaster frame for it, and I won my first Expert main in late 1971 on it.

I had built a Yamaha 750 to ride in 1972, but I was having problems with it. Bart asked me if I wanted to ride one of his bikes at Louisville, 1973. Well, sure! I didn't have anything else to ride!

I ran third for most of the main (at the 1973 Louisville National). Then, 4-5 laps from the end, Jim Rice got by me. It was hard to handle because it would almost lock sideways, so it was taking a lot of strength in my left arm to hold the handlebars back.

I kept having problems with my Yamaha, so at the end of 73, I had decided to quit racing. I had my Sprint, but I couldn't afford to do it. The Yamaha bankrupted me. I had a real job and I didn't need to keep spending money to go racing. Then Bart asked me to ride for him. I had decided to quit. I was done racing. And then Bart came along.

It was one of those nights where nothing went wrong. It was one of those lucky nights. Dave Sehl said the same thing: some nights everything just goes your way, and other nights you are in the back of the pack struggling.

I had never ridden the bike before. Bart twingled it. It handled good, ran good. After qualifying, I went to the list to see where I qualified. I started looking at the bottom of the list, and went up and up and up. As I got close to the top, I figured "sh*t, they missed my time", but I had fast timed on a bike that I had never rode before. The bike broke in the heat, but that was the first time I rode it.

I came along late. A lot of those guys had help early on to get their careers started. I didn't have that. I had to do it all on my own, so it took a while longer. But, sure, I was called the Old Man a lot. Even Dick O Brien called me that. When I won Toledo (1975), Dick said to me, "not bad for an old guy".

Dumb luck (laughs). I just read a book that said "luck is when preparation meets opportunity". I never expected it (success), but one thing led to another. I was done for when the opportunity came in. I had decided to retire when Bart called me. And the rest, as they say, is history.

There wasn't anyone any better at getting the best out of any rider than Bart Markel. He was a master machinist: he built beautiful pieces of whatever he had to make. Ted Boody and Randy Goss also rode for him.

But we got to a point in 1975 where the bikes weren't running very good. So eventually, I went to O Brien and asked him did he have anything I could race? He had Mark Brelsford s old half miler that had been crashed, and it was bent up. He offered me some new parts to put it together. I won Toledo and a bunch of local half miles on it. I had taken a leave of absence from my job, but Harley-Davidson was paying me (to race) anyway, so we may as well race to win!

Later in the year, they built me a miler, and the Indy mile was the first time on that bike. I was part of the most famous dirt track race in history (the 1975 Indy Mile won by Kenny Roberts on the TZ750). None of the other races I was ever in are as noteworthy as that one. After the race, O Brien asked me "what happened?" Rexy s bike was a missile. When his bike broke, Jay and I slowed down a little bit, since Rex was pulling us along.

It was pretty cool. I knew most everybody from before (I joined the team). Jay (Springsteen) and Ted (Boody) were from around here (Flint), so we all got along. I have known (Bill) Werner forever, a guy from up here used to ride his KR.

No, not really. Yamaha was paying (Kenny) Roberts a lot of money even in the 1970s. Harley didn't have that kind of money, but Gary wanted that kind of money.

Changing mechanics wasn't that big of a deal. You do what you have to do. It wasn't my choice who my mechanic was.

And then I became a privateer. I hadn't won in 2 years (by the end of 1978), and I was 33. It is very much a "what have you done for me lately" sport. I knew the end was coming. I was still enjoying it and making some money. Dick gave me bikes to ride in 1979. Al worked on them some. I did ok. I think I finished the season in 10th place. And I nearly won Syracuse.

I got hurt a couple times in 1980. Both times I got into someone else s wreck. The first was Ascot - Parker ran into the back of Ted Davidson, and I look up and see the underside of an XR. Then I plowed into it. Then at Santa Fe, the same thing happened at the Wednesday night race before the National. The crash cracked my hip socket. It took them a couple days to figure out what was wrong. It was a minor crack, but it was enough it took em a while to figure it out. But I was done. I figure they had two chances to take me out that year, I was done. I dodged a lot of bullets out there.

Gary Van Voorhis called me Mr. Dirt. I don't remember why. That was during the early years of the Camel days, and Gary was writing for Cycle News. Maybe there was some connection there. Back then, Camel would put an ad in every newspaper in a 100-150 mile radius for every race. Which exposed a lot of new people to the sport. Riders were well paid. It was a good thing for almost 20 years (1974-1992)

I don't know that anything was ever expected of me. I had a friend who was a sign painter (back when they painted signs). I worked for him when I was 16. He painted my helmets. The first helmet he did flames in antique gold leaf. But it didn't take long for the dirt tracks to blast it clean, though! He painted the tongue Of course, the (Harley) team all had the same helmets, the orange and black.

That was the Stroh s Mile Series. Scott had a different set-up than what I liked. It wasn't real comfortable for me, but I didn't want to hang it out real hard and crunch it - or me! But it was pretty much the same as I remembered it.

The only thing I can think of is very personal: remember I told you about Camel putting ads in papers? My dad had never came to a National. He called me the morning of the Toledo national and asked me if I was racing, and I said I was, and he said maybe he should drive down to it. So he drove down and saw me win. Gary Voorhis did an article in Cycle News that summed it all up pretty well. Winning Toledo showed my dad that all of his efforts of building bikes for me to ride, and race, and crash, were not wasted. I hope that seeing me win made it worthwhile for him. After that, they came to more Nationals.

Bart (Markel) set the bar here. Everyone in Flint tried to be as good as Bart. He was The Guy. If you wanted to do anything, you had to emulate him. Then we had Jay (Springsteen) and Scott (Parker) and others. But Bart was the bar that I looked at. He was the best.

I don't spend a lot of time looking back at the past. When I do I look back, I am glad. We will never see times like those again. I don't talk to the new guys all that much, because I don't have much to tell them. I rode a long time ago.

But I was a very lucky guy and I am the first to admit it.

RONNIE JONES: THE OLD MAN KEEPS ON TICKING

May 20, 2018

Ronnie Jones has, for the third time, extended his record as the oldest rider to ever score AMA Grand National Dirt Track Points. At last night's Sacramento Mile, Ronnie - at 57 years, 6 months, and 20 days of age - rode an Estenson Racing Indian FTR750 to 14th place. He original took the record from Jay Springsteen at the September 1, 2013 Springfield Mile (when he was 52 years, 10 months, and 2 days old). And he extended it at the 9/27/2014 Calistoga Half Mile (when he was 53 years, 10 months, and 28 days old).

Below is what I have for oldest riders to score AMA Grand National dirt track points:

DEBBI SELDEN: FIRST WOMAN AMA PRO FLAT TRACKER

April 19, 2018

Most flat trackers know the names of the most successful women in AMA flat track history - Diane Cox, Tammy Kirk, Nicole Mees, Shayna Texter - but few know about Debbi Selden. Debbi Selden, of Tacoma, Washington, was denied an AMA Pro Racing flat track license in 1969. She filed a lawsuit that spring to convince the AMA to allow women to compete in the Pro ranks. Her lawsuit lasted two and half years: in fall of 1971 the Supreme Court of Washington State ruled in her favor. In 1972, she received her AMA Pro Racing flat track license. But then she slipped off the radar.

With lots of help from my history colleagues Bob Herrick and Greg Pearson, we pieced together her timeline and added it to my new Historic Women in AMA Racing web page. Thanks to Darrell Bauer, I was able to get in touch with Debbi herself, and reminisce about her experiences taking on the AMA almost 50 years ago.

It was normal for me, and it was wonderful. That s what makes today so heartbreaking. The venues there are so many things to do that it is tough to get support from sponsors. And it is tough to get people to pay money to come watch you. I was 17 years old in 1968. I grew up in the best of times.

My stepfather had a dealership. I started on my Suzuki in 6th grade. I raced a scrambles on my 13th birthday - that was my first race against the men. Castle Rock had a Powder Puff during the fair each year. There was a gal 5 years older than me, and she tried to intimidate me, because she always won. She warned me not to get in her way. And I won by quite a bit.

I received a lot of publicity and notice because I was different. The football coach would meet me before school for 90 minutes and work out with me. I knew I would have to work out and get stronger muscles, to strengthen my upper body.

At the track, no one really worried that much about me being a girl. But when I rode my motorcycle to deliver parts for the shop, some people just gave me a hard time about that. Like I was in a biker gang or something like that. No, I m just delivering parts to do my job!

I had taken ballet for about five years, and when the ballet teacher found out I was racing motorcycles, she told me I couldn t do that and also be in her ballet corps. So I told her "I will miss you". And I hugged her and went home.

I was always very quiet, and very respectful. So I received more acceptance than problems. Sometimes I would race in California and have to win the Powder Puff and then they would decide if I could race against the men. So it was harder (in California). I went down for a 100cc Grand Prix in San Diego, and when I got there they told me I had to race the Powder Puff. I showed them evidence that I raced against the men back home, but they made me race the powder puff first which I won and then they didn't want to let me race against the men. I was already racing against the men at Tacoma. So in the Pacific NW, I was doing fairly decent, and I was getting some exposure in the local racing newspaper. I did okay, so they would print my name and add my picture. Once I convinced one place, I was able to use that to leverage other places to let me race against the men. It wasn t any big deal in the Pacific NW. But California was different.

We would go to Graham and Castle Rock. So I was at a Pro flat track races every Friday and Saturday night. I was watching them, and I would get to race Sportsman against some of those people on Sundays. And I realized that I love this; I want to do this. I love adrenaline and competition.

The AMA said we see no reason to change the rules". Women weren t even allowed in the pits, much less able to race. I had a petition that was signed by every AMA National Number, 1 to 100, who supported me. But I don't have it any more. Maybe they came to Castle Rock; maybe I went to Ascot or San Jose. They had all seen me race in the 100 Exhibition race at Perris, Castle Rock, or Graham.

I wanted to race flat track and travel all over the US, and learn all the different tracks and surfaces, handling, engines, tire compounds on different tracks. Kel Carruthers saw me race and said you know, I am going to train Kenny Roberts to road race, and I think you should do that at some point in time. My goal was to be a factory Yamaha International rider: to race, and win, and to work my way up through the ranks. And once I was no longer competitive, I wanted to go to college and get into marketing for Yamaha International.

It was somewhat serendipitous. My parents had a Yamaha shop; I was working in the shop, selling parts, and working on my motorcycles. I would go to the dealer shows and try to network with people, and represent myself as positively as I could. I learned at a young age that you have to go get it yourself. But I had a very detailed plan of what I wanted to do and how I was going to go about getting it. I was invited to do some road race testing at Daytona one year. Kel was part of that. I had never been to Daytona so I thought won t this be fun? I was going to have a Yamaha 125 twin to ride. But then someone who I thought was my friend contacted someone at the AMA and two weeks later I find out that I m no longer invited out to Daytona. That was very sad. But I decided that I would rather learn that lessen now, rather than in five years. I kept reminding myself to be respectful, and be gracious...but always be aware.

I liked the style of Emil Ahola. He was exceptional at Graham and Castle Rock, but not so much at Sidewinders. At Sidewinders, Sonny Burres was very polished. He was professional looking. He came to the races and his motorcycle and gear was pristine, and he was polite and gracious and went out and rode the same way. He would set people up to pass them, he never did any dirty passes. And I thought "that s what I want to do."

I got my physical on my birthday, sent my stuff in certified mail to the AMA. It took a couple weeks before I got my reply they turned me down and so I went to an attorney. We went to court, the AMA was very condescending to me. In 1969, I was making a lot of money at the shop, but the AMA tried to paint me as a poor little girl who didn't have a handle on what she was doing. I had a strategic plan of what I wanted to do over the next year. When they saw that they couldn t make me look like an idiot, they asked me how I expected to pick up a motorcycle. I replied that "I didn't want to carry it; I just wanted to race it". The judge laughed at that one.

I was racing a few Sportsman events. I was too old to race the Exhibition races because you had to be under 18, and I was trying to work and make as much as I could to pay for the lawsuit, because I had no idea how long it was going to go on or how expensive it was going to get. So I was saving my money.

Yes, it was a long process. I don't know why it took so long. And do you know what? There was a girl in New York that got her license while my lawsuit was going through! I couldn t believe it.

The promoter called and asked me to race. They would fly me out, do a publicity junket, and race flat track at an indoor. They would set me up with a bike. I said sure, but I don't have a pro license ." He said "there is a gal in NY, and she has a license already, so you should be able to get one." They flew me out, we did TV stuff, radio stuff, newspaper stuff, I made the semis, but not the main. Both of my pro races had Novice-Junior-Expert race together. I will never forget Don Brymer, the promoter. I made it to the semis, and someone came up and asked if I would be in NY the next evening. I said no, not unless I get a bike and a way up there. This guy says "Don Brymer will handle it. He will get transportation; get you a bike, and a hotel." It s funny I took my tools and sprockets to Philadelphia. They rolled a 250MX off the showroom floor for me. I am changing the tires, the gearing, and the chain. It had a 21" front tire and I had to find a 19" wheel and a Pirelli tire. This was all before cell phones I had to make all these calls from the hotel lobby! I was really lucky that I knew how to do all my own work on the bike. I qualified on the front row of the heat race in New York. There I was racing Dave Aldana, Frank Gillespie, and Kenny Roberts. I was the only one on the front row that was a Novice. I was fourth from the pole. What surprised me was Mark Brelsford didn't qualify. But I made it to the semis. Not too bad.

No, I did not know that it was my last race; that realization came four months later. My life had changed so much (since 1969): I knew that I wanted to have a family and to be married and to spend the rest of my life with my husband. In life there are lots of things that you can do, but sometimes you have to give up some things. He and a family were more important to me than racing. I met my husband at my first race against the men. I fell in the mud he rode over the top of me and then he fell. So I yelled at him to get his bike out of the way so I could get going. I felt bad about that, so I went over to him after the race and apologized. Then he testified for me in the court case, and we started dating in 1971. We got married in September 1972. The indoors were in January 1972. He did not go out East (to the indoors) with me; he had been racing motocross, and he crashed, and needed surgery on his shoulder. I told him "you re going to be OK, the doctors are here, your mom is here, but I m going to Philadelphia to race." [laughs]. Lord only knows where I would be today had I gotten my license in 1969 (when she first applied for it).

Would I give up anything that I have today? No! My life is as good as it can get, and I love my life.

My husband and I bought his parent s motorcycle franchise. We kept it until 1979. We have always ridden motorcycles and sponsored people. We rode poker runs and enduros. Motorcycles have always been part of my life. We did not go to many pro races after I quit racing, but we were always involved in motorcycles.

I had heard of Diane Cox but had never seen or met her. I knew Tammy Sessions: very nice gal, and very talented.

That s great. You want to share your passion with others. And if I helped them in a small way, that is great.

We have accidentally stumbled upon the NBCSN races. We really enjoy watching them. We like seeing the women that race now. That one girl - Shayna Texter - is really good!

Oh my gosh, yes! Sammy is doing so great! The first time Ryan raced Supermoto, Willy Halbert took our bike down in their transporter it was an old school bus, they called "The Cool Bus".

We have two kids. Our daughter, Randi, was born in 1974; Ryan was born in 1975. Ryan races Supermoto. Gary and I grew up racing Wednesday nights, Friday nights, Saturday, and Sunday. Ryan started racing short track Mickey Fay put them on when Ryan was 16.

Olivia, Ryan s daughter, races. Actually both of Ryan s children Olivia and Kyle ride, and his wife also rides. His wife did not start riding until she met Ryan, and now she rides very well. They started with some cross country, and trail riding, and poker runs, and Hare Scrambles, and now they all ride.

It is nice to be remembered. I did not do it for notoriety or fame. If others can benefit from something that I did or started, I feel very honored. I am grateful for the acknowledgement. Thank you for allowing me to walk down memory lane. It was wonderful!

BIGGEST ATLANTA SURPRISE?

April 8, 2018

Jared Mees just won his second Atlanta ST in as many years, his second race of the season, and this third AFT Twins National in a row. None of that is surprising; he has been on an historic tear since the moment that he lost the 2016 Grand National Championship in Santa Rosa. But what about this race - the first oval track National of the year - is the biggest surprise?

That Jarod Vanderkooi ran his factory Harley-Davidson XG750R in the second position for most of the race, before dropping to fourth in the final laps?
That the other two factory Harleys - Sammy Halbert and Brandon Robinson - could not match Vanderkooi's pace, as they finished 12th and 14th, respectively?
That of the nine Indian FTR750s in the 18-rider final, "only" two made the podium?
That the two factory Indian riders - Brad Baker and Bryan Smith - finished 7th and 8th, respectively, behind two Harleys and a slew of Indians?
That only a single Kawasaki EX650 made the final (Briar Bauman, 11th)? That three privateer Yamaha FZ-07s ran in the final (Jake Johnson 9th, Kayl Kolkman 10th, Wyatt Anderson 17th)?
That Kenny Coolbeth announced that 2018 will be his final year of racing?

STAGNATION

March 11, 2018

There appears to be no incentive for riders to move from the AFT Singles class to the AFT Twins class.
The purse money is obviously quite a bit higher in the Twins class - $8,000 to win the Daytona TT in AFT Twins compared to $1,500 for AFT Singles but you also have stiffer competition in the Twins.
The Pro Singles division was created in 2009 to establish a better indoctrination of young racers to the National Championship.
In the first nine years of the Pro Singles/GNC2/AFT Singles series, only three racers have moved on to win an Expert/GNC1/AFT Twins National: Brad Baker (2009 champ), Jefferey Carver (2010 champ), and Briar Bauman.
The 2015 champ Davis Fisher is slowly climbing the AFT Twins ladder, getting closer to a podium finish, but he isn't there yet.

In addition, many of the series champs are already out of the sport altogether: Mikey Martin (2011 champ) and Wyatt Maguire (2013 champ).
Kyle Johnson (2014 champ) and Ryan Wells (2016 champ) are both back in the AFT-Singles series.
Stephen Vanderkuur (2012 champ) returned to racing in 2017 for the first time since 2013.

This tells me that we have a sport of stagnation. For 2018, Ryan Wells returns to the AFT-Singles ranks. He won the Singles championship in 2016, and finished 11th in AFT-Twins points in 2017, yet is returning to the Singles class for 2018. Cory Texter finished 9th in GNC1 points in 2016, but is moving down to the AFT Singles in 2018. Cory will be a 30-year-old rookie in the AFT-Singles class, which is supposed to be grooming 16-7-18 year olds to move up to AFT-Twins class. They aren't moving up, but older riders are moving down.
Maybe this will be a good thing - time will tell. My brother was a first-year Pro-Am in 1986 and had to race against former Experts who had lost the edge to race 750s. Time will tell.

TALENT POOL?

January 18, 2018

My history colleague Bob Herrick compiled the following information:

At the end of 2017, there were 7 active full-time racers who had won a Mile National in their careers. Those riders are Kenny Coolbeth, Jared Mees, Bryan Smith, Jake Johnson, Sammy Halbert, Brad Baker, and Brandon Robinson. A mile National in 2017 had 18 racers. So at any given Mile National in 2017, you are guaranteed that more than half the field had never won a Mile National before.

At the end of 1979, there were 15 active full-time racers who had won a Mile National in their careers. Those riders are Skip Aksland, Ted Boody, Garth Brow, Steve Eklund, Rick Hocking, Corky Keener, Mike Kidd, Steve Morehead, Chuck Palmgren, Scott Parker, Gene Romero, Gary Scott, Hank Scott, Dave Sehl, and Jay Springsteen. A Mile National in 1979 had 16 racers. So at any given Mile National in 1979, there was a chance that nearly the entire field had won a Mile National before.

At the end of 1980, the list grows to 16! Chuck Palmgren and Dave Sehl retire, but Randy Goss, Terry Poovey, and Ricky Graham join the list.

At the end of 1981, the list shrinks to 14. Skip Aksland, Rick Hocking, and Corky Keener retire, but Alex Jorgensen joins the list.

10th PLACE

January 17, 2018

In 1979, rookie expert Scott Parker finished tied for 10th in the AMA Grand National point standings. Scott scored five podium finishes that year (including two wins, at DuQuoin M and Indy M), and he scored points at 12 of the 23 DT events that year, and 0 of the 3 RR events.

In 2017, Henry Wiles finished 10th in the AFT Twins point standings. Henry won one race (Peoria TT), and scored one other podium finish. He scored points at 10 of the 18 events.

GRAND NATIONAL SINGLES WINS

December 22, 2017 From 1954-2016, two hundred and forty-three AMA Grand National victories have been scored on single-cylinder engines (by 67 racers). The top 12 all-time single-cylinder winners are listed below:


1. Henry Wiles (26 wins)
2. Chris Carr (24 wins)
3. (tie) Dick Mann / Jake Johnson (13 wins)
5. Steve Eklund (11 wins)
6. JR Schnabel (8 wins)
7. (tie) Alex Jorgensen / Sammy Halbert (7 wins)
9. (tie) Sammy Tanner / Kenny Roberts (6 wins)
11. (tie) Al Gunter / Nicky Hayden (5 wins)

AMA HALL OF FAME

December 11, 2017 In 2016, the AMA changed the voting rules for the Hall of Fame, and allowed every AMA Life Member the right to vote. Most Life Members do not realize that they have this ability. If they did, we would probably have a better chance getting Dirt Tracker's inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame.

To find out more, click here.

DIRT TRACK HEROES PANEL DISCUSSIONS

December 10, 2017 In June 2013, the National Motorcycle Museum unveiled its "Dirt Track Heroes" exhibit. A highlight of the weekend was a panel discussion with Bill Werner, John Kite, Jay Springsteen, Rich King, Chris Carr, and Bubba Shobert.

Panel Discussion Part 1 (filmed by Greg Pearson):


Panel Discussion Part 2 (filmed by Greg Pearson):


Review of the Display:

HAIL TO THE CHIEF

October 8, 2017 Jared Mees completed an unbelievably impressive season this year. Was it historic? Yes and no. But the likes of which may never be seen again.


Fourth rider in history to claim his 4th AMA Grand National Championship (2012-2014-2015-2017). (Carroll Resweber (1958-1961), Scott Parker (1988-1991 & 1994-1998), and Chris Carr (1992, 1999, 2001-2005) are the others).
First rider in history to claim seventeen Grand National podium finishes in a season. There were 18 races in 2017. (Bubba Shobert scored 16 podiums out of 22 races in 1986; Ricky Graham scored 16 podiums out of 21 events in 1993; Scott Parker scored 16 podiums out of 23 events in 1995).
Third rider in history to win 10 Grand Nationals in a season. (Scott Parker (1989 & 1995) and Ricky Graham (1993 - 12 wins) have done so).
Fourth rider in history to hit the "Dirt Track Slam" - win a GNC ST, GNC TT, GNC HM, and GMNC M - in a single season. (Kenny Roberts (1975), Jay Springsteen (1977), and Chris Carr (1994) are the others).
First rider to win an AMA Grand National on an Indian motorcycle. (Bobby Hill won the last AMA National on an Indian at Syracuse, NY on 9/11/1953 - prior to the Grand National era).

RON WOOD BUILDS HONDA TWIN

October 7, 2017 Chad Cose #49 showed up for the season finale at Perris Auto Speedway on board a never-before-seen Honda "African Twin" built by legendary tuner Ron Wood. The bike was in a Wood frame (what else?) and looked, as all Ron Wood bikes do, very clean. Cose qualified 26th out of 27 AFT Twins (the defending National Champion on the factory Indian qualified 21st, while two of the three factory Harley-Davidsons qualified 22nd and 25th fastest). Cose finished 11th in the second "semi" and 11th in the LCQ. Considering the bike has never been on a track before, here is hoping that they continue to develop this new powerplant!

The last time a new Honda Twin appeared at a Grand National event was when Koji Furuhashi #43J rode a Honda NX700X at the 5/29/2016 Springfield I GNC2 class. I recall Brett Landes (among others) trying a Honda RC51 VTR1000F in the Supertracker division in 1999, but do not remember an RC51 ever making a try at the Grand National level and found evidence that several riders - Matt Burton among them - trying a VTR1000F in 2002. None made a Grand National final.

THREE ROUNDS LEFT, WHAT IS YET TO BE KNOWN?

September 4, 2017 The "three little Indians" show romped through the Springfield Mile, claiming all three podiums spots for the sixth time in fifteen events. There are some things worth watching as we enter the final three races of the championship:



Can Mees Clinch His Fourth Title Early? Mees leaves Springfield with a 46-point lead over Bryan Smith. Twenty-five points are available at each round. The winner of each event earns five more points than the runner-up. So if Mees wins Mechanicsburg, he will lock up his fourth GNC title with two rounds remaining.

Can Mees top the records for podium finishes in a season? The record for GNC podiums in a season is 16, shared by Bubba Shobert (1986), Ricky Graham (1993), and Scott Parker (1995). Mees has 14 podiums in 15 events, with 3 to go.

Can Harley-Davidson claim a win this year? Harley-Davidson has never gone win-less over an entire Grand National season. (They did not win a single National in 1946, but there were not very many Nationals that year as WWII had just ended the year prior). The brand has a pair of third-place finishes so far this year - Sammy Halbert finished third at Charlotte HM on an XR750 while factory rider Jake Johnson finished third at the Buffalo Chip TT on the XG750R. The XG750R has had its problems, but it continues to show signs of life - Kenny Coolbeth qualified second-fastest at Springfield II, while Brandon Robinson muscled his way to P5 in the final.

Will we finish the year with only four winners? So far the wins have been split between Mees (8), Smith (4), Briar Bauman (2), and Henry Wiles (1). The series hasn't had that lack of parity since the 1950s.

Will the Yamaha FZ-07 claim a victory? This seems unlikely - Sammy Halbert has the best FZ-07 going, but he hasn't raced it on many half miles, and that is all that is left on the schedule. He was the fast qualifier at Springfield II - the first Yamaha pilot to be fast qualifier on a GNC Mile since Chuck Pamlgren at San Jose in 1974 - but he seemed to struggle with wheelspin all day long. Sammy is a heck of a rider and a great personality - it would be good for him and the Estenson Logistics team to notch a win in 2017.

CONSECUTIVE PODIUM FINISHES

September 3, 2017 The record for consecutive podium finishes is fifteen, Chris Carr from 9/6/1998 to 8/15/1999. Jared Mees had nine in a row until he missed the main at Lima 2017, and he has scored five in a row since then.

As of today, Jared has hit the podium in 24 of the last 27 events, dating back to the Austin, TX win on 4/9/2016.

2017 IS NOW HALF OVER; WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED in AFT-TWINS

June 18, 2017 Eight of sixteen planned AFT-Twins rounds have been completed (Daytona-Woodstock-Charlotte-Phoenix-Sacramento-Springfield-Lexington-Oklahoma City). What conclusions can we draw now that the season is half over?

The Indians Are Really Good. Of the twenty-four AFT-Twins podiums available, the three Indian riders - Bryan Smith, Brad Baker, and Jared Mees - have claimed twenty. Of the four podium finishes missed by the Indian riders, Baker has two, Mees one, and Smith one. Baker missed the Daytona TT after crashing in his heat race, finished sixteeth when the charging system failed at Charlotte while running near the front, and he finished fourth at Springfield I. Smith finished fourth at Lexington after looking uncomfortable all day. Only Henry Wiles and Sammy Halbert have claimed podium spots, with Halbert taking three, including a near-win at Lexington on his Yamaha FZ-07.

The Harley-Davidson XG750R Is An Ongoing Work In Progress.


The Good:
Jake Johnson finished fourth at the Daytona TT.
Kenny Coolbeth finished sixth at Charlotte.
Brandon Robinson finished fifth at the Lexington Mile.
Coolbeth had just caught up to the lead pack at Springfield when his coolant line came off.

The Bad:
Aside from the above, the highest finish for each rider is 11th, 10th, and 9th, respectively.
Too many DNFs (some minor [chain derails], some major [engine failures]).
Too many crashes (Johnson and Robinson have at least two each).





One-Lined Race Tracks Are A Problem. Low rider turnouts - especially on the miles - result in lots of space between riders during practice and qualifying, which results in one-lined racetracks. It also seems that too many riders are incapable of trying a line that isn't hugging the pole, but that is another story. AFT has a dedicated (somewhat) track prep guy in Dennis Pearson; I am unsure if this is helping or hampering this particular issue.

Spectator Attendance Seem To Be Up. Spectator attendance at the races seems to be up from 2016. The event at Woodstock, GA looked like a sell-out. Charlotte appeared to be more, although the size of that grandstand makes it difficult to judge. The OKC round looked like another sell-out.

Two Riders Have Won The Eight Races. If no one else steps up, we will have the lowest number of racers sharing the series wins in history. In 1990, five riders claimed the fifteen series wins (Parker-Carr-Morehead-Ingram-Jones). Twice in the mid 1950s, four riders shared the wins (back when the series was less than a dozen races). Personally, I like seeing more riders win races.

The Best Non-Indian Is Not A Kawasaki. Sammy Halbert has three podiums this year - one on a Harley-Davidson XR750 and two on a Yamaha FZ-07. Henry Wiles finished third at the Daytona TT on a Kawasaki EX650. No one else has really come close to a podium finish. This should not be totally surprising - Indian hired three of the best riders and also two of the best teams. Remember that the Howerton/Crosley Radio Kawasaki EX650 was always head-and-shoulders above all the other Kawasakis (except 2013, when TJ Burnett's team of Brandon Robinson and JD Beach did exceptionally well at both Springfield Miles). But it is unusual to see all of the other Kawasakis struggling. Cory Texter finished 9th in points last year, but has struggled all year, with a high finish of 11th.

TIMED QUALIFYING HAS RUN ITS COURSE

June 17, 2017
I am convinced that the current AFT timed qualifying format is resulting in single-line race tracks. Too few riders on the track at one time means that they do not need to "dice it up" anymore. And we have placed such a premium on each rider cutting a perfect lap each time out on the track that we now have exactly what the AMA tried to avoid in 2006 - one-lined race tracks.

History lesson: In 1994, AMA Pro Racing decided to eliminate the one-lap time trials in favor of four-lap "scratch heats". The thought process was that time trials - during which each rider had a clear track - resulted in a singular, one-bike-wide "notch" was being created on the racetracks, which made for one-line racing for the remainder of the day. At the time, there were more riders taking time trials than could make the 48-rider program anyway. The May 1992 Springfield Mile had 57 expert pre-entries (I do not know how many actual entries there were). The Sept 1995 Springfield Mile had 45 pre-entries. The Sept 1996 Springfield Mile had 47 pre-entries. But the May 2001 Springfield Mile only had 38 actual entries. The September 2001 Springfield Mile had 45 pre-entries and 46 actual entries.

In 2006, AMA Pro Racing eliminated the four-lap "scratch heats" in favor of "timed qualifying". Each rider gets a single four-lap "un-timed" practice session, followed by two "timed" four-lap qualifying sessions. The average GNC1 turnout at the six Mile events in 2016 was 35.8. The average turnout at the five AFT-Twins miles so far in 2017 is 35.0. There aren't enough riders to make a wide groove, especially on a mile track.

The current format is this: AFT Twins practice, then AFT Singles practice. All times up to this point aren t counted. AFT Twins Qualifying1, then AFT Singles Qualifying1, then AFT Twins Qualifying2, then AFT Singles Qualifying2. The best individual time from Qualifying1 or Qualifying2 is used for each rider's qualifying time.

My suggestion: Run AFT Twins Practice1. Then move cones out half-way across the groove. Run AFT Singles Practice1. Then move the cones out half-way across the groove. Then run AFT Twins Practice2. Then move the cones out half-way across the groove. Then run AFT Singles Practice2. Now remove the cones, water the track (top to bottom), and run one or two sessions of AFT-Twins and AFT-Singles Qualifying.

It will take a little more time, but the race track will offer considerably more racing lines than what we saw at Phoenix and Sacramento.

Daytona TT

March 17, 2017
Last night, the inaugural Daytona TT took place on the infield of the Daytona International Speedway. Thirty-five AFT Twins riders and Sixty-Six AFT Singles riders signed up to take on the track that had been designed by seven-time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr, built underneath the SX track, and uncovered on Wednesday in preparation for the Thursday event. My immediate thoughts - in no particula order - follow:

The track was far from what I had hoped for the first attempt to race 750cc twins on a TT course in 30+ years. A long paperclip with a chicane and a hump on the back straight.

Like every Thursday evening flat track race ever held at the Superspeedway, the track surface was rough, inconsistent, and incapable of giving the riders a chance to display their real talent.

Way too many "TV time outs" to try and get the track in shape.

Once the sun went down, the track got infinitely better.

I wasn't expecting a huge jump, and it certainly wasn't that big. But to be fair, the original "TT" rules written in 1933 never called for a "jump". :-)

I quite enjoyed the new AFT Singles plates.
I did not miss the District Letters.
I could tell (for the most part) who had scored National Points the year before, as they (for the most part) had double digits, while the others had triple digits. (Yes, I know that Jesse Janisch wore #132, yet had scored National points last year. I said "for the most part").

I liked that the international guys had higher numbers (300+).

I liked the new format where no one transfers to the main out of the heat.
I got home late, so I missed two of the three AFT Twins heat races. So I got a chance to see all my favorites in the semis.
I was amazed how the guys who won the heats did not turn right around and win the semis. (Smith #1, Mees #9, and Don Mullen #17 won the heats; Mikey Rush #54 and Bronson Bauman #37 won the two semis).

I actually liked being able to read everyone's number plates. Forcing most riders to use the same font actually made it a LOT easier to read the plates! Also the new 12"x12" plates mean the sponsor logos aren't blocking 25% of the rider numbers.

I figured the final would be a "holeshot wins it" deal, and it appears that was the case (I did not see it live).
I saw that Mees led wire to wire, but also noticed Smith and Wiles charged through the pack to land on the podium.

Congrats to Jared Mees for notching his first-ever National TT win. Can he complete the Dirt Track Sweep next weekend in Georgia?

Congrats to Bryan Smith for his best career TT finish, on a twin that he hadn't ridden much prior to the race! Nice debut with the #1 plate!

Say What?

March 15, 2017
I just read an interesting interview by Larry Lawrence with defending AMA Grand National Champion Bryan Smith about the upcoming season. The second most interesting sentence in the interview was ""We ve been a little more than delayed and haven t had the chance to ride them yet or even get everything done to ride them."

Wow. The defending Grand National Champion heads into the season opener without having any significant seat time on the new Indian FTR750.

Uncharted Waters

March 14, 2017
I just read an interesting interview by Larry Lawrence with defending AMA Grand National Champion Bryan Smith about the upcoming season. Two sentences captured my attention. The first was ""There s never been a season like this," he explains. "I mean you have seven guys that won grand national races in 2016 who are lining up in 2017 on a bike they ve never raced before.".

Think about that for a moment. Discounting the fact that all the riders will be on twins at every race, seven of the eight National winners from 2016 will be on different twins this year.


#1 Bryan Smith - changing from Kawasaki EX650 to Indian FTR750
#2 Kenny Coolbeth - changing from Harley-Davidson XR750 to Harley-Davidson XG750R
#5 Jake Johnson - changing from Harley-Davidson XR750 to Harley-Davidson XG750R
#6 Brad Baker - changing from Harley-Davidson XR750 to Indian FTR750
#9 Jared Mees - changing from Harley-Davidson XR750 to FTR750
#44 Brandon Robinson - changing from Harley-Davidson XR750 to Harley-Davidson XG750R
#69 Sammy Halbert - changing from Kawasaki EX650 to Yamaha FZ07

Only Henry Wiles (Kawasaki EX650) will be riding the same twin-cylinder bike that he rode last year, albeit for a different team. Suffice to say, this has never happened before.

AMA Grand National TT History

March 5, 2017
On March 16, the top riders in the country will race a TT course on twin-cylinder engines for the first time in, well, many years. Below is a quick list of some Grand National TT History tidbits for your pre-Daytona TT appetite:

The TT event was created in 1933, when Class C racing was created. It was modeled after the Isle of Man TT races in the UK.
Last twin-cylinder GNC TT win: Peoria 1983 (Jay Springsteen, Harley-Davidson XR750).
Last twin-cylinder GNC TT podium: Peoria 1984 (Scott Parker, Harley-Davidson XR750, third place)
Last all twin-cylinder GNC TT podium: Peoria 1981 (Scott Pearson, Yamaha; Randy Goss, Harley-Davidson; Gary Scott, Triumph)
Last Harley-Davidson twin-cylinder GNC TT win: Peoria 1983 (Jay Springsteen, XR750)
Last Indian twin-cylinder AMA National TT win: Riverside, CA, 1948 (Ed Kretz, Sr, Big Base Scout)
Last Triumph twin-cylinder GNC TT win: Castle Rock 1979 (Brad Hurst, T140)
last Yamaha twin-cylinder GNC TT win: Peoria 1981 (Scott Pearson, XS650/750)
First all single-cylinder "big bike" GNC TT podium: Santa Fe 1981 (Mickey Fay, Honda; Scott Pearson, Yamaha; Steve Ekund, Yamaha)

Want to advance, not so fast!

February 2, 2017
The "final" 2017 American Flat Track rulebook has been released, as well as the 2017 Flat Track License Regulations and Eligibility". One curiosity caught my eye. Rule c.3.ii states: iii. Beginning in 2018, riders who have reached the age of 18 years and meet at least one of the following criteria are eligible to apply for an AFT Twins license:

Riders licensed as AFT Twins riders in the previous season.
Riders who have earned at least 100 Championship points in AFT Singles during a single season.
Riders who have earned at least 50 Championship points while riding under provisional starts in AFT Twins during a single season.
Riders who graduate through a program designated by AMA Pro Racing as providing experience on twin cylinder motorcycles, i.e. Spec Class, Off-Season Training Camp.

So the easiest way to advance from AFT Singles to AFT Twins would be to score 100 AFT Singles Championship points during the 2017 season. Back in my day you needed 80 points (obtained in a 5-4-3-2-1 format for every heat, semi, or final that you raced in) as a Junior to make Expert. But we had more than 20 races in a season and we didn't have to drive from Florida to California to hit all 20. But I digress.

In 2016, there were fourteen GNC2 races - eight for singles, six for twins. A grand total of TWO GNC2 riders scored at least 100 points while competing at GNC2 Single-Cylinder events. Ryan Wells (the 2016 GNC2 champion) scored 146 points, while series runner-up Dalton Gauthier scored 133. If we look strictly at the twin-cylinder events, we also have two: Wells (123 pts) and Tristan Avery (103 pts). That's it.

In 2015, there were thirteen GNC2 races, of which eight were for singles. There again, two riders scored more than 100 points: series champion Davis Fisher (116 pts) and Don Bromley (107).

I don't see a lot of riders getting the chance to move up to AFT Twins anytime soon. But maybe that is the point.

Harley-Davidson's New Race-Only Engine? Or much ado about nothing?

February 1, 2017
It was an odd week.

On Friday, January 27, Harley-Davidson announced that its soon-to-be-announced 2017 American Flat Track team would compete exclusively on the water-cooled XG750R. The press release went on to say, among other things, "Harley-Davidson s XG750R flat tracker is powered by a race-modified, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected 750cc Revolution X V-Twin engine originally engineered for the Harley-Davidson Street 750". The press release closed by saying "its race-tuned Revolution X engine and racing chassis were developed in collaboration with Vance & Hines Motorsports. The XG750R flat tracker motorcycle is not a production model. The 750cc XG Revolution X V-Twin engine is for sale through Harley-Davidson dealers today and can be modified for racing use by aspiring dealers and privateers."

Nothing really earth-shaking there. Everyone knew that Vance&Hines had been developing the powerplant for dirt track racing for the past few years. And everyone assumed that V&H needed to make some significant modifications to the Street 750 to make it competitive on a dirt track. As such, I didn't notice anything shocking in the press release.

The same day, DMG unceremoniously released the list of engines that are approved for competition in the AFT Twins class. The Harley-Davidson portion included the anticipated 1972 XR750 and 2015 XG750R. But a mysterious third option is also listed - 2017 XG750R Revolution X (race-only engine).

What is this skulduggery?

Well, who knows? I did some reasearch and found that when Davis Fisher was announced as joining the Harley-Davidson factory team for 2016, that he would be riding an "XG750R Revolution X" motorcycle. So maybe this is much ado about nothing.

On January 28, Harley-Davidson announced its long-known-about team for 2017: #2 Kenny Coolbeth, #5 Jake Johnson, and #44 Brandon Robinson. Basically the top three riders not already hired by Indian.

2017 AMA Pro Racing Flat Track Number Assignments

December 10, 2016
To follow the new number assignments - the district letters are going away in 2017, and all riders will be assigned new numbers for either the AFT Twins or AFT Singles classes - can be found by clicking here.

I have warmed up to the use of triple digits - it will be similar to most Novices from 1974-1985. One thing I DO NOT like about the new system is that there are essentially two duplicate number assignments - one for AFT Twins and one for AFT Singles. Furthermore, DMG is referring to all two-digit numbers as "National Numbers". I believe this will lead to confusion. Example: for 2017, we already have two National #14s, two National #20s, two National #24s, and two National #69s. I am not a fan of this.

In 2016, 46 GNC1 riders and 56 GNC2 riders scored points. Removing the six active single digit riders (ex-champions), ninety-six total riders scored points, and there are 90 double-digit National Numbers up for grabs.

2016 Number Stats

November 27, 2016
In 2016, 216 riders competed in the combined GNC1 & GNC2 divisions. Five had single digits, so that means 211 riders had two-digit numbers. Of the 90 available two-digit numbers available to all riders who haven't been granted a single-digit number, 82 were used. Of those 82, 30 numbers were worn by a single rider only. So 14.2% of the double-digit field had a unique two-digit number.

However, eight riders wore #22 - 22A, 22C, 22G, 22J, 22L, 22T, 22U, and 22Z. Seven wore #11 - 11, 11A, 11C, 11F, 11G, 11N, and 11Z. Six wore #14 - 14, 14A, 14C, 13K, 13S, and 14Z - and another six wore #44 - 44, 44A, 44C, 44E, 44F, and 44P. Five riders each wore #10, #17, #20, #23, #24, #26, #51, #57, and #69. Which means 72 of the 211 riders (34.1%) used 12 of the 82 double digits that were used (14.6%).

Interestingly, districts/states that used multiple letters didn't really need to. California uses E, R, Y, and Z as district letters. These were used by 4, 0, 5, and 10 riders. So the entire state of California only had 19 lettered riders.

Washington used W for GNC1 and M for GNC2. Those letters were used by 2 & 8 riders, for 10 total.

In 2017, all U.S. professional racers will have unique rider numbers from 1 to 299 with no district letters.

2017 Rulebook Eliminates District Letters

November 9, 2016
Concerning the district letters, I agree that maintaining 20 (or so) district letters each year was unnecessarily confusing. Especially since you could not find a list of what each letter designated anywhere (except my event, the Dairyland Classic, which published a list in my spectator program each year). But I would not have eliminated them altogether from the AMA Pro Racing rider numbers. It has not only worked well since 1947, but it is a tradition that only dirt track/flat track has. And now it is gone.

One obvious advantage of the district letter system is that fans can identify riders from their home region or state - assuming they know what the letters mean. Wisconsin riders wore "G" from 1947-1973, and then joined the surrounding states who already used "K" until 1994, and then they all used "K" and "L" after that.

Personally, I would not have eliminated the letters altogether, instead selecting a handful of district letters to "keep it simple". Maybe five district letters total - one per time zone and one for all international riders would be a better "solution". Or break the country down into six regions (Northeast, Southeast, Northcentral, Southcentral, Northwest, Southwest), plus one international letter.

Invoking Don Potter, I would have picked letters that looked the same in upper and lower case, so make publishing easier. Living in a state with "L" as a district letter, I can tell you that "#69l" looks pretty silly in print when it should be "#69L".

Furthermore, if you can limit the number of letters down to five, then you can use the phonetic differences in the letter to make it easier to differentiate riders with the same number. An announcer calling out 12C, 12T, and 12Z all sound very similar. But if you used J, S, U, Y, and Z as the only district letters, each letter sounds different than the others.

One flaw with my proposal is that it may not be immediately clear which letter corresponds with which region. But the district letters have always - even in 1947 - followed an unusual path as they criss-crossed the country.

2017 American Flat Track Draft Rulebook Released

October 29, 2016
The draft version of the 2017 American Flat Track (formerly AMA Pro Racing) rulebook has been released. I browsed through it and noticed a few "head scratchers":

They eliminate the district letters - which have been a dirt track tradition since 1947 - but continue to refer to riders #1-#99 as "National Numbers". Riders #100-399 are refered to as just "Numbers".
The two classes are changed from GNC1 and GNC2 to AFT Twins and AFT Singles. All AFT Twins riders will race twins at all events; all AFT Singles riders will race singles at all events.
16 & 17-year-old riders who were successful in GNC2 in 2016 are prohibited from racing AFT Twins until they are 18.
They use the term "Main" where they should be using "Final". Each event only has one "Main Event". Each class has a "Final".
The only items that can exist on the handlebars are the ignition switch and a starter button. Where will the clutch and throttle now be located?
Once a rider arrives in staging for a race, he/she cannot change bikes for that race. It won t be long before that rule is violated.
Sad to see that the number plate "font" debacle continues. Now riders 2-99 must use the IMPACT font while 100-399 use the LEAGUE GOTHIC font. Riders may apply for approval of any other font.
AFT Twins may use carbon fiber wheels. That sounds expensive.
AFT Singles must use back-torque limiting clutches. That sounds expensive.
A restarted final race can be called complete once the leader completes two laps.
No one transfers to the final directly from the heat races. Heat race finishers 1-8 transfer to the semis while finishers 9-12 transfer to the LCQ. LCQ finishers 1-4 transfer to the semis. Semi finishers 1-9 transfer to the final.
Provisional start cards are available to all riders, but no longer can be used to get into the final. They can only be used to get into the semis if a rider fails to transfer from the LCQ.
Riders who do not start a final will not receive points.
Section 1.5 ("Competition Numbers") seems to indicate that there will be two sets of National Numbers (#10-#99); one set for AFT Twins and one for AFT Singles. This means that for the first time since 1947, riders will not have a unique riding number at all American flat track events.
Riders may only run two motorcycles through tech inspection, and both must be from the same manufacturer.
An AFT Twins motorcycle over 750cc may be bored and/or stroked, but must maintain the original displacement.

Closest Points Chases Entering the GNC Season Finale

September 18, 2016
One week from today, the 2016 Grand National Champion will be crowned. Bryan Smith leads Jared Mees by 2 points entering the finale. Which of course leads to the question - how often have we had a close points chase entering the season finale?

1958

1960

1963

1978

1980

1981

1982

1984

1991

1992

1998

2006

2009

2014

2016

World Record 25-lap Mile Times Over The Years

July 27, 2016

8/21/1938

Woodsie Castonaguay

Springfield, IL

Illinois State Fairgrounds

19:02.800

78.754 mph

Scout

8/25/1940

Melvin Rhoades

Springfield, IL

Illinois State Fairgrounds

18:37.620

80.528 mph

648 Big Base Scout

8/17/1941

Frenchie Castonaguay

Springfield, IL

Illinois State Fairgrounds

18:03.480

83.066 mph

648 Big Base Scout

8/20/1950

Larry Headrick

Springfield, IL

Illinois State Fairgrounds

18:01.710

83.202 mph

WR

8/19/1951

Bobby Hill

Springfield, IL

Illinois State Fairgrounds

16:58.710

88.347 mph

648 Big Base Scout

9/15/1968

Fred Nix

Sacramento, CA

California State Fairgrounds

16:42.980

89.733 mph

KR

9/14/1969

Chuck Palmgren

Sacramento, CA

California State Fairgrounds

16:33.080

90.627 mph

T120

8/26/1972

Chuck Palmgren

Indianapolis, IN

Indiana State Fairgrounds

16:22.420

91.611 mph

GXS-1

9/10/1972

Dave Sehl

Atlanta, GA

Lakewood Speedway

16:00.330

93.718 mph

XR750

9/07/1975

Corky Keener

Syracuse, NY

New York State Fairgrounds

15:47.170

95.020 mph

XR750

5/15/1976

Rex Beauchamp

San Jose, CA

Santa Clara County Fairgrounds

15:04.020

99.555 mph

XR750

8/24/1980

Ricky Graham

Indianapolis, IN

Indiana State Fairgrounds

14:55.820

100.467 mph

XR750

5/16/1982

Ricky Graham

Springfield, IL

Illinois State Fairgrounds

14:44.050

101.804 mph

XR750

8/25/1985

Scott Parker

Indianapolis, IN

Indiana State Fairgrounds

14:41.947

102.047 mph

XR750

5/25/1986

Ricky Graham

Springfield, IL

Illinois State Fairgrounds

14:33.271

103.061 mph

RS750

5/28/1995

Chris Carr

Springfield, IL

Illinois State Fairgrounds

14:26.770

103.834 mph

XR750

9/03/2000

Scott Parker

Springfield, IL

Illinois State Fairgrounds

14:25.200

104.022 mph

XR750

9/04/2005

Chris Carr

Springfield, IL

Illinois State Fairgrounds

14:23.451

104.233 mph

XR750

World Record 1-lap Mile Times Over The Years

July 26, 2016

9/15/1935

Woodsie Castonaguay

Langhorne, PA

Langhorne Speedway

41.810

86.104 mph

Sport Scout

9/01/1946

Johnny Spiegelhoff

Langhorne, PA

Langhorne Speedway

40.292

89.348 mph

9/04/1949

Julian Wooleyhan

Langhorne, PA

Langhorne Speedway

39.313

91.573 mph

9/05/1954

Joe Leonard

Langhorne, PA

Langhorne Speedway

38.254

94.108 mph

KR

9/04/1955

Brad Andres

Langhorne, PA

Langhorne Speedway

37.593

95.763 mph

KR

8/25/1973

Mert Lawwill

Indianapolis, IN

Indiana State Fairgrounds

37.520

95.949 mph

XR750

8/23/1975

Rex Beauchamp

Indianapolis, IN

Indiana State Fairgrounds

37.253

96.637 mph

XR750

8/28/1976

Rex Beauchamp

Indianapolis, IN

Indiana State Fairgrounds

37.077

97.095 mph

XR750

9/12/1976

Rex Beauchamp

Syracuse, NY

New York State Fairgrounds

36.871

97.638 mph

XR750

7/30/1978

Hank Scott

DuQuoin, IL

DuQuoin State Fairgrounds

35.956

100.122 mph

XR750

8/24/1980

Hank Scott

Indianapolis, IN

Indiana State Fairgrounds

35.283

102.032 mph

XR750

5/27/1984

Ricky Graham

Springfield, IL

Illinois State Fairgrounds

34.548

104.203 mph

RS750

7/24/1988

Bubba Shobert

DuQuoin, IL

DuQuoin State Fairgrounds

34.377

104.721 mph

RS750

5/24/1992

Scott Parker

Springfield, IL

Illinois State Fairgrounds

34.264

105.067 mph

XR750

5/25/2014

Bryan Smith

Springfield, IL

Illinois State Fairgrounds

33.823

106.436 mph

EX650

Proposed 2016 Rule Change

August 16, 2015

AMA/DMG issued a press release on July 21, detailing a proposal for 2016. The biggest part concerns having GNC1 riders using the same equipment at all events, which would mean running their multi-cylinder machines on short tracks and TTs. Big twins haven't run on short tracks since 1960, and they stopped being popular on TT courses in 1984.

If these changes do, in fact, take place, it will change the look and feel of three races - the two Daytona short tracks and the Peoria TT.

The Peoria TT has seen an inconsistent rider turnout over the years. The GNC1 class has 25 entries this year, and they had 26 entries in 2014, 29 in 2013, 25 in 2012, 39 in 2011, 49 in 2010, 47 in 2009, 49 in 2008, rain-out in 2007, 63 in 2006, 56 in 2005, 57 in 2004, 60 in 2003, 50 in 2002, and 43 in 2001.

Jared Mees wins Dairyland Classic, finishes third at Sacramento

June 5, 2015

The weather forecast kept a lot of spectators away last weekend, but it didn't keep defending AMA Grand National Champion Jared Mees away! He came, he saw, he conquered, and if you weren't here to see it, you wouldn't believe it! He jumped the start and had to charge through the entire field to win his unprecedented sixth Classic in seven years! Then he hopped a plane, flew out to Sacramento, California, and finished third at the Grand National mile on Saturday night!

Jared was not alone - National #23 Jefferey Carver and National #27 Rob Pearson also competed at our "little" race and then flew out to Sacramento!

Sacramento Schmacramento!

May 1, 2015

Our 31st annual Dairyland Classic - my fifteeth at the promoter - will rev to life in four short weeks! Several Grand National and Pro Singles (now called GNC1 and GNC2) riders are planning to do 'the double' of the Dairyland on Friday May 29 and the Sacramento Mile on Saturday May 30. That would be Sacramento, as in California. How awesome is THAT? That shows you how well respected the Dairyland Classic has become!

2015 Grand National Championship

December 1, 2014

DMG released its partial 2015 Grand National Schedule before Thanksgiving. Not many surprises. It is "only" twelve races, but there are four more in the works. Not bad as the economy continues to struggle.

The 31st Annual Dairyland Classic is slated for May 29, 2015. The traditional Memorial Day Springfield Mile will take place - as usual - on May 24. The big surprise is that the Sacramento Mile will be on Saturday May 30. Springfield is notorious for tearing up 750cc motors, so having a second mile National the week after Springfield is surprising. Requiring the riders to trek cross-country is another surprise.

We are committed to putting on the best dirt track show in Wisconsin on May 29. And we will do so.

Long overdue TLC

December 1, 2014

Well, it has been long overdue, but I finally got around to doing some clean-up of the web site(s). If you didn't already know, my sister, Chris Daronco, has become quite a promoter in her own right. For the past several years, she has taken the Steel Shoe Fund 3-hour Endurance Ice Racing Event to new heights, and in 2014 she promoted her first-ever dirt track race in Oshkosh. For 2015, she is promoting two dirt track events, including a Vintage National Championship, so I figured that was my signal to get cracking on cleaning up the web site.

I hope you like the new format, and as always I welcome your feedback.

Two Rounds Left

September 1, 2014

Two rounds are left in this year's AMA Grand National Championship, and after Springfield II (8/31), Bryan Smith leads Jared Mees by 9 points - 247 to 238. So naturally I got to thinking...is that point lead insurmountable? Surely not - no point lead is 'safe', but since I'm a history buff, I just had to go digging to find out how point leads have held up - or evaporated - over the last two rounds of recent Grand National Championships.

Springfield Mile...this weekend

May 20, 2014

The Springfield Mile AMA Grand National runs this weekend. For the first time since 1987 - that's 27 years ago - all Expert Twins will be unrestricted. What's that going to mean? Well, everyone is emphasizing how the venerable Harley-Davidson XR750s will be able to pull off the corners "like they used to" and keep the Kawasakis in check. We shall see. What everyone seems to be overlooking is that all of the OTHER non-HD, non-Kawasaki bikes are ALSO un-restricted for the first time. How will the Ducati 1000 run? How about the Triumphs? Suzukis? Any of them might suddenly become "the bike to have".

I fully expect that we will see something that we haven't seen since 1986 - excessive tire wear. Most people have forgotten that one of the main reasons that the AMA implemented restrictors in 1987 was because of tire wear. The Harley and Hondas were burning through tires at an alarming rate back then. So that's what I'm expecting to see most. Guys getting throttle happy for the first half of the 25-lap National and forgetting that to finish first, you must first finish.

Another thing is that all the H-D riders will have to re-learn how to race miles. They've spent years perfecting their "over-rev the bike to try to keep with the Kawasakis out of the corner" techniques. Now, maybe they'll have straightwaway speed again. Maybe, just maybe, we'll see some passing in the corners. I'm hoping the IMDA tears the track up like they had it in the mid 80s when guys could run pole to haybales.

30 Years Ago...Blunder #2

May 16, 2014

Continuing my previous reflections on the series of blunders that pretty much destroyed AMA Pro Dirt Track racing at the local level....

In 1987, the AMA implemented their second major blunder by bumping the Junior/Expert limit from 500cc to 600cc. Remember that in 1984, they changed the Junior/Expert short track and all Novice equipment from 250cc to 500cc. Three years later, another displacement bump. Although curiously, only the Junior/Expert equipment went to 600cc - the entry level division, now called 'Pro-Am' (formerly known as 'Novice'), was kept at 500cc. The excuse was that keeping the Pro-Ams at 500cc meant that those riders didn't NEED to buy a new piston & cylinder. At least not until they wanted to jump to Junior. But it also meant that a Pro-Am rider couldn't buy a Junior/Expert bike any more, since they were different displacements. And, of course, you can bet that a lot (most?) of the Pro-Am racers in 1987 were likely running illegal 600cc, since there was no obvious way to tell the difference.

In 1988, the AMA corrected one small aspect of Major Blunder #2 by bumping the Pro-Am rules to 600cc to match the Junior/Expert rules.

Talking Motorcycles with Barry Boone

May 1, 2014

I spent about 25 minutes with Barry Boone talking about the Dairyland Classic and motorcycle racing history. You can listen to the podcast by CLICKING HERE.

30 Years Ago...Blunder #1

April 28, 2014

In 1984, the AMA made the first of three major blunders aka rule changes which, from 1984-1987, destroyed AMA Pro Dirt Track racing at the local level which had prospered for decades. That rule change? To relocate the district letter from the lower right hand side of the 10x12 number plate to the lower left corner. Now, wait, that was stupid, yes, but didn't destroy dirt track. THAT honor goes to Blunder #1 the 500cc rule.

From 1961-1984 (excepting 1973-1976), all Novice events and all Junior/Expert short track events ran on 250cc motorcycles. In 1984, the AMA did away with 250cc and went to 500cc. Almost overnight, the entry-level Novice class evaporated, which had successfully proved as an inexpensive feeder system to the Junior and eventually Expert ranks. Suddenly, there were no Novices. Which meant fewer Juniors and eventually fewer Experts.

We ve all heard tales of how back in the day , you needed to win your heat and be one of the twelve fastest Novice heats to make the main event. I know a guy who tells me that this was still happening in 1982! Yet two years later, the AMA shelves the 250cc in favor of 500cc. Why was this so crippling a blow? Because 250cc short trackers were relatively inexpensive. Juniors & Experts knew that you didn't need huge horsepower to win short tracks, so they didn't spend lots of money on their short trackers. But they could command top dollar when they wanted to buy a new bike, since surely some new Novice would pay top dollar for Steve Eklund s old Yamaha 250, believing the thing HAD to be a rocket! Maybe it was, or maybe Steve Eklund was one hell of a short tracker. Anyway, so suddenly every Junior & Expert in the nation has a useless 250 they cannot sell. And potential new Novices as well as all Juniors & Experts - are forced to plunk down $10K for a shiny new Rotax. Net result, fewer riders, particularly in the Novice ranks.

By 1985, there were fewer than 100 card-carrying Novices in the entire country at one time. More rule changes in 1987 would further doom AMA Pro Dirt Track at the local level. More on that later. Unless I forget.

JR Schnabel Hangs Up His Shoe

April 27, 2014

National #33, JR Schnabel, will retire from dirt track competition following the Dairyland Classic on May 30, 2014. I believe that JR began dirt track racing in 1987 on a Yamaha PW50. He turned Pro in 1995, moving to Expert at mid-season, focusing on the Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster Series that year. In 1996, he hit the Grand National circuit on a Suburban Motors Harley-Davidson XR750, and scored the Rookie of the Year honors.

His first official Grand National podium finish came at the Houston Half Mile on April 21, 2001, riding a Bill Powell XR. His first TT win came two years later at Peoria, 8/17/2003, and his first short track win a month later on 9/27/2003 at Springfield, both on Babe DeMay Yamaha YZ450s.

While he never scored that elusive win on a Mile, JR wraps up his career with 9 Grand National wins, 12 runners-up, 9 third place finishes, and 183 Grand National main events. He is far and away the most successful pure-blood Wisconsinite to ever compete in Grand National competition. (Note: Carroll Resweber and Fred Nix were transplanted Wisconsinites, from Texas and Oklahoma, respectively). On top of that, he has been a tremendous ambassador for the sport. I have followed him since his earliest days - his dad and I used to race each other in the mid 80s - and I can honestly say that I have never seen him in a foul mood. Not to say it's never happened, but I've never seen it. The roar of approval that he gets every year at the Dairyland Classic is a testament to how many people have enjoyed watching this young man succeed.

He will be missed, but luckily he graduated from college and has a great career outside of racing. I am certain that his wife and two kids will keep him plenty busy. And if he ever wants to stay involved in dirt track racing, I would hire him in a heart beat to help me run the Dairyland Classic. I think I'd pretty much let him do whatever he wanted.

Top 10 Things I Didn't Expect to see in 2013 (Grand National Championship)

February 1, 2014

The following are the top 10 things I did not expect to see in the 2013 AMA Grand National Championship. Lists in chornological order:

March 15: Bryan Smith protests Brad Baker after the pair finish 3rd and 2nd, respectively, at the Daytona II Short Track National. Reason: Brad used front fork tubes with an illegal coating. I cannot remember the last time one rider protested another at a National!
July 6: Defending Grand National Champion Jared Mees misses the Hagerstown round after suffering a broken right forearm at a non-National race in Ashland, Ohio on June 21. It was the first time a defending #1 missed a National since Joe Kopp in 2001.
July 6: Rookie Expert Jake Shoemaker scores his first career podium by finishing second to Brad Baker at Hagerstown. It was Jake's first ever Grand National twins event. He was 6th fast qualifier, nearly beat Kenny Coolbeth in the heat race, and also finished second in the Dash For Cash. It was the highest Grand National Twins result for a rookie expert since Nick Cummings in 2005.
August 1: Jake Johnson leaves the Zanotti racing team. Together they had claimed the 2010 & 2011 Grand National Championship. Quite possibly the most surprising departure since Mike Kidd left Yamaha in 1982, or Gary Scott left Harley-Davidson in 1976.
August 11: Henry Wiles wins the Peoria TT from the fourth row (after changing bikes for the main event). The win was Henry's ninth in a row at Peoria - a new record - and was his 24th overall, tying him with Dick Mann for 10th on the all-time Grand National win list.
August 24: For the first time since 1972, three brands land on the podium at a Grand National Mile event. At New Kent, Virginia "Mega Mile" - Jared Mees' Harley-Davidson led Henry Wiles' Ducati and Brandon Robinson's Kawasaki home. [At the Colorado Springs Mile on 4/30/1972, Jim Rice's BSA led Mark Brelsford's Harley and Kenny Roberts' Yamaha onto the podium]
September 3: For the first time since 1987, a Harley-Davidson is not present on the podium of a Grand National Mile event. Brandon Robinson, Bryan Smith, and JD Beach finished 1-2-3 on their Kawasakis. [on 5/3/1987, Doug Chandler, Bubba Shobert, and Ricky Graham led a Honda sweep of the San Jose Mile podium]
September 4: Henry Wiles is fired from the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports team. They had scored three podiums on the season, and Henry was fourth in Grand National points at the time.
October 13: For the first time since 1976, three brands land on the podium at a Grand National Half Mile event. At Pomona, Brad Baker's Harley-Davidson led Bryan Smith's Kawasaki and Briar Bauman's Suzuki onto the podium. [At Ascot Park on 10/9/1976, Jay Springsteen (Harley-Davidson), Alex Jorgensen (Norton), and Skip Aksland (Yamaha) finished on the podium].
October 13: Brad Baker wins the AMA Grand National Championship. In only his third season, Brad is the youngest rider [20 yrs, 7 mos, 23 days] to win the title since Jay Springsteen in 1977.
November 9: The AMA announces that for 2014, no Grand National twins will be required, nor allowed, to use restrictors. Expert restrictors were first required in 1987, to combat tire wear concerns. I predict a lot of melted tires in 2014.

A moment of silence...

August 21, 2013

Thirty years ago today, on August 21, 1983, the last AMA Grand National TT race was won on a twin cylinder motorcycle. Jay Springsteen & Randy Goss finished 1-2 at Peoria on their factory Harley-Davidson XR750s. Bubba Shobert finished third on a Can-Am 500cc single. There has not been a 1-2 twin cylinder finish since then.

For those who lament "AMA rule changes" as the reasons why twins have not been competitive TT tracks since 1983, consider this:


The DTX rule went into effect in 2009
The 450cc rule went into effect in 2006
The restrictors (for Expert twins) went into effect in 1987
The 600cc rule went into effect in 1987

In other words, long before the rules eliminated twins from TT competition, the riders did it by running singles. So be careful what you wish for :-)

Aftermath

August 17, 2013

Well, I've finally crawled out from under my usual post-race rock, and have added the newest videos from the 2013 event. My family and I are extremely grateful to the spectators and racers who braved the ominous weather forecasts to participate in our 29th Annual Dairyland Classic! We didn't see a drop of rain all day long (in fact, none after Wednesday of race week), but the wonderful weather forecasters will still predicting 80% chance of thunderstorms all day Friday. As a result, the stands were rather empty when we began our opening ceremonies, and our rider counts were down a bit. But we certainly cannot complain about the quality of people who came out! The fans were vocal and enthusiastic, and the racers were great! Always nice to see the defending AMA Grand National Champion in the house (thanks Jared Mees)! And I was pleased to see that the stands had filled up quite a bit by the time our 450cc Pro/Expert Main Event kicked off.

It was GREAT to be able to run our entire program, start-to-finish, without needing to make any spur-of-the-moment modifications due to incoming weather.

We are tentatively scheduled for Friday May 30, 2014 for the 30th Annual Dairyland Classic. As always, I welcome your feedback, as if we don't present an event that you, the fans, find interesting, then we won't last very much longer.

Weather

May 27, 2013

As if on cue, the weather forecast for this week is "daily thunderstorms". Such marks the 13th year in a row - pretty much every year that I have promoted this event. As such, I am used to the gloom-and-doom.

Nevertheless, I have added a new web page to this web site, which can be accessed from the landing page (www.dairylandclassic.com). The new web page will simply show the Tweets that we will send from track-side, so that you can get actual, on-site, information on the actual weather. I have done this the past few years and it has been very useful to help encourage people to come out to see the races. So on race day, Friday, May 31, click HERE to check out our weather Twitter page. Rest assured that if there are no 'recent' reports after 5pm on Friday, it's because we are RACING!

Race Week!

May 27, 2013

In four short days, we'll be running the 29th annual Dairyland Classic! As usual, the big question I alwasy get asked is "Who's coming this year?" And like usual, the answer is not as definitive as some would like. As is my customer, I never state a rider is coming unless they have given me a heads-up ahead of time. This doesn't mean that a rider WON'T attend - anyone remember AMA #4 Chris Carr showing up, unannounced, in 2010? - but I prefer to err on the side of caution.

With that said, here's who have confirmed their entries so far:


AMA #1 Jared Mees, Clio, Michigan - four time, defending Dairyland winner, and the defending AMA Grand National Champion
AMA #2 Kenny Coolbeth, Warren, Connecticut - two-time Dairyland winner, three-time AMA Grand National Champion
AMA #12 Brad Baker, Chehalis, Washington - runner-up at last year's Dairyland, 2011 AMA Rookie Of The Year
AMA #27 Rob Pearson, Morton, Illinois - third place at last year's Dairyland
AMA #44 Brandon Robinson, Oxford, Pennsylvania - fourth place at last year's Dairyland, current AMA Grand National point leader
AMA #34 Jeremy DeRuyter, West Bend, Wisconsin - seventh at least year's Dairyland, 2004 Jim Sumner Memorial Dash winner
AMA #91 Mikey Martin, Acompo, California - 2011 Pro Singles National Champion
AMA #14K Nick Smith, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
AMA #67P Kevin Walter, Carbondale, Illinois
AMA #19K Adam Bushman, Oak Creek, Wisconsin - former Pro Singles standout, had moved up to the Expert ranks for 2013
AMA #70L David Schultz, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin

You can be there will be more...

Two Wheels Only

May 19, 2013

This past weekend, I recorded an interview with Jon Vedas on the Two Wheels Only radio program down in Florida, focusing on the upcoming Dairyland Classic. Jon has interviewed some of the great personalities in the history of dirt track, including Hank Scott, Jay Springsteen, Mert Lawwill, Sammy Tanner, Darryl Hurst, and others. If you'd like to listen any of Jon's 30-minute interviews, follow one of the links below:


To hear my interview, and browse through the various other historic dirt track people who Jon has interviewed, click here
To listen to just my interview, click here.

Complaining For The Sake Of Complaining

April 13, 2013

There are plenty of folks out there who love to throw rocks at almost anything. Click HERE to read a great article from RoadRacingWorld which explains how online forums (with their never-ending negativity) are the greatest threat to Professional Road Racing. The very same threats are very real on the Dirt Track side of things.

On Easter Sunday, I logged in - for the final time - to an online Dirt Track racing Forum which once won AMA Web Site of the year. Regretably, it had evolved into a cesspool of negativity. Many of the people I had respected over the years had walked away from the site earlier, for the same reasons. I guess I am a glutton for punishment as I stuck around this long. I have had several people tell me that the only reason that they visited that Forum anymore was to read my racing trivia. Well, that's not going to happen anymore - you can check Bert Sumner on facebook for my racing trivia!

Now I always believe there is room for improvement anywhere, but things must be taken in context. Sure, everyone would love there to be 35-40 GNC races a year, but the economy isn't strong enough for that (and there aren't enough willing promoters!). Is this DMG's fault? Did they tank the economy?

A laughable complaint I saw right before I abandoned that Forum on Easter Sunday was the complaint that "DMG doesn't do enough for the promoters". Hmmm. DMG is a sanctioning organization, not a promoting organization. Interestingly enough, the people crucifying DMG for their lack of promotion are the very same people who criticised the Formula USA National Dirt Track Series in 2001-2003, when they were owned by CLEAR CHANNEL ENTERTAINMENT. Oh well, one thing I've learned by watching online Forums...never let facts get in the way of a good old fashioned complaint.

Mark Your Calendars for May 31, 2013!

December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas, and mark your calendars for May 31! That's when we will bring the 29th Annual Dairyland Classic to the Sheboygan County Fair Park! Yes, this is during the nearby Road America AMA Subway Superbike Doubleheader!

We will be making some changes for 2013. Some are still being discussed, some are already decided upon.


For starters, we are eliminating the 85cc Youth division. This class has been on life support for years as we kept hoping that we would draw a bunch of them to make for an interesting class. But after 8 years of trying, unsuccessfully, it is time to move on.
To provide more time for racing, we will be starting a little earlier - 7pm instead of 7:30pm. We will also be eliminating the post-heat race interviews, at least in the non-Pro/Expert divisions. A wise man pointed out to me that in the time it takes to conduct a post-race interview, you could run a whole 'nother race. Sounds like a no-brainer to me.
We had several snafus last year with our posting of race line-ups in the pit area and to our staff. This WILL be fixed in 2013. We may run interviews during those 5-10 minute periods where we verify that we are fully ready for the next round of racing.
We are considering inviting SPEEDTV back for 2013. Stay tuned.

In short, the changes we intend to implement should make our show run a little smoother, and little cleaner, and a little more professional, without sacrificing the positives that people like about our program. My family and I are grateful for the support and we look forward to a positive 2013!

Eklhorn To Return In 2013

December 16, 2012

This past summer, for the first time since 1989, motorcycle racing returned to the Walworth County Fairgrounds in Elkhorn, WI. The cushion pea-gravel half-mile (the only pea gravel track in the state) was a fixture on the AMA Pro Racing circuit from 1963-1986, and then ran a few more "Pro-Am" events through 1989, all promoted by C. Betzel Smith. Betzel started the event in 1963 as a fund raiser for Carroll Resweber, the 1958-59-60-61 AMA Grand National Champion, who was critically injured in a racing accident in 1962. As stories go, the fairgrounds became increasingly difficult to work with until finally Betzel decided that he had better things to do with his time.

The return to Elkhorn was originally planned for May 6, 2012, but a monsoon that day washed out any chances of any racing. The return date was slated for Sunday, June 3. The event would be a dual sanction, with a handful of AMA classes and a handful of "Classic Flat Track" (Vintage) classes. I had arranged to ride a Johnson Racing Rotax 600 for my first race in 10 years. I had competed professionally at Elkhorn from 1984-1989, and had fond memories of the place.

To cut to the chase, the event was deemed a success. The weather cooperated (sunny and hot), and they had a good turnout of riders (although a couple of classes had 3 or fewer competitors), and a decent amount of spectators (especially for a first-time event and a rain-out to boot). The track was prepared much as it had been prior to the May rain-out, which is to say not very much: it was hard-packed and very dry. Cushion race tracks are best when deep and wet, and this was neither. I never did really get a handle on the track, as it was so slippery that both wheels were sliding around through each corner. The guys I was pitted with confirmed that it wasn t just me and my 10-year layoff. So this was a disappointment, as to me there is nothing as fun as backing it into a cushion corner and kicking up a nice roost around the bend. Luckily, the guys in front of me were much faster, so the dust settled before I came around, and the guys behind me were much slower, so I didn't have to worry about getting rammed from behind. In the end, I kept it on two wheels, which was my primary goal. I diced in both my heat and final with another guy coming off a 10-year layoff; I bested him the heat for 3rd, he got me in the final (where I finished 4th) in the Senior +40 class. I would have preferred to be able to back it into the corners, but there was no way that was going to be done without ending up in the hay bales.

I understand that the event will return on May 5, 2013, and that the promoter intends to run the same classes with the same sanction and prepare the track in the same fashion.

History made...and nobody notices

September 18, 2012 Henry Wiles just tied Chris Carr at the top of the AMA Grand National history books, winning his 9th Grand National Short Track event at the final Springfield Arena Short Track National. And no one seems to care.

Wiles claimed 9 AMA Grand National wins in 6 seasons - 9/1/2007 thru 9/16/2012. Nine wins over the last 19 short track Nationals - damn near every other short track National for 6 seasons! It took Carr 15 seasons (1992 - 2006) to collect his 9 wins. Jake Johnson is third on the all-time list with 7 Short Track wins, collected over 9 seasons (2002-2010). Fourth on the list with 5 wins apiece are Kennny Roberts (1972-1976) and Steve Eklund (1976-1986). So for Wiles to collect 9 wins in 6 seasons should be a hell of a big deal, yet no one seems to care.

Carr won his nine Nationals over 37 short track events; Johnson won his 5 over 30 short track events. Roberts won his 5 short track nationals over the span of 11 races; Eklund won his 5 over 23 events. Wiles has nearly doubled their totals in less time. Wow. And nobody cares.

The Last Springfield Short Track could be historic...

August 19, 2012 Some things that might be historically important at the final Springfield Short Track National to be held on September 1, 2012:


If Sammy Halbert wins, he will be only the fourth rider to complete a Hit For The Cycle in a single calendar year. So far this year he was won the Castle Rock TT, the Lima HM, and the Indianapolis Mile.
If Henry Wiles wins, he will tie Chris Carr's record for most Grand National short track wins in history, with 9.

Please Welcome...

August 19, 2012 Last night at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, we inducted the 16th member into the Hit For The Cycle club, Mr. Sammy Halbert. Similar to its better-known big brother, the Grand Slam club, the Hit For The Cycle club is for those who have won at least one of each Grand National dirt track discipline: short track, TT, half mile, and mile.


Sammy is the 16th member, and first new member since Jake Johnson in 2009.
Sammy completed the four dirt track wins in 5 years, 0 months, 8 days. That is 10th quickest, and quickest since Scott Parker in 1985.
At 24 years, 11 months, and 3 days of age, Sammy is the 8th youngest to complete the task.
It was also Grand National win #10 for sammy, tying him with Everett Brashear, Alex Jorgensen, and Ronnie Jones for 34th on the all-time list.

Johnny Lewis Has Left The Building...

August 17, 2012 It seems that Johnny Lewis, AMA National #10 and winner of the first Daytona short track National this year, has hung up his steel shoe. Citing financial difficulties with the Scott Powersports team and his frustration with AMA/DMG, he has not participated in an AMA Grand National since Hagerstown on July 7. After Hagerstown, he was third in Grand National points. It seems that Matt Weidman has taken over the Scott Powersports ride.

Domination

July 15, 2012 I was doing some research on Grand National Podium finishes when I noticed this interesting tidbit: The 1990 AMA Grand National Championship hosted 15 rounds. Scott Parker scored 13 podium finishes that year - out of 15 events - including 8 straight to finish the year! I haven't finished looking, but I'm pretty sure that's a record.

But when I checked the final points standings, he "only" won the title by 20 points over Chris Carr - 249 to 229. So I looked, and found that Carr had also scored 13 podium finishes that year, including 11 straight to start the year. Two guys combined to take 26 of the 45 total podium spots in one calendar year. Wow!

FWIW, Parker's 13 podiums included 7 wins, 5 runners-up, and 1 "show" position, for 233 of his 249 total points. Carr, for comparison, scored 4 wins, 7 runners-up, and two "show" positions, for 218 of his 229 total points.

Walking Wounded Update

July 14, 2012 This year has seen an unsual amount of injuries to top riders than any recent year I can remember. To wit:


AMA National #2 Kenny Coolbeth - broken leg at Lima
AMA National #15 Nichole Cheza - broken back at Springfield Mile
AMA National #20 Matt Weidman - broken collarbone at Lima
AMA National #29 Jaka Mataya - torn ACL at Springfield TT
AMA National #33 JR Schnabel - broken neck at Springfield TT

I'm confident that I haven't listed them all, but these are ones I can think of off the top of my head... Hope they all get well soon.

Grand National Championship Volume II: 1970-1975

July 4, 2012 I have had the pleasure of proofreading Greg Pearson's latest book - The Complete Grand National Championship VOlume II - and it is as good as the original! One thing really grabbed my attention, though. Back in the day, when racers crashed, the race continued. In many cases, during the 20 or 25-lap National, a rider would crash, but pick themselves up off the ground and charge back through the field.

Nowadays, the red flag comes out any time a rider hits the dirt. When I started racing in 1979, my dad told us that if we crash, we'd better get up unless we're mortally wounded. Sometime after then, riders were apparently coached to 'play possum' and lie still until the red flag was thrown.

>sigh<

History Lesson

July 3, 2012 The Memorial Day Springfield Mile drew 49 Expert competitors while the Lima, Ohio half mile drew 43. Undoubtedly, some will begin whining about the 'lack' of entries and what is AMA/DMG going to do about it?

Until the economy improves, there's not much that anyone can do about rider entries. Despite the improvement of the Kawasaki 650 engines, it still costs big bucks to build a bike and race the series. I recently reviewed some data from the 1973 Grand National Championship. Most - myself included - consider the 1970s as the sport's 'heyday'. The 1973 Grand National Championship had 24 events: 2 ST, 4 TT, 5 HM, 4M, and 9 RR. Four of the last 8 rounds saw very low rider turnouts:


Pocono RR: 32 Expert entries
Talladega RR: 29 Expert entries
Terre Haute HM: 34 Expert entries
Charlotte RR: 36 Expert enties

Maybe the Glory Days weren't as glorious as we remember...

2012 Dairyland Classic Thoughts

June 6, 2012 My family and I wish to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciate for those of you who chose to invest your time and money to attend, participate in, or otherwise support our efforts to run Wisconsin's premier dirt track motorcycle racing event! We had a number of glitches last Friday - all of which will be addressed prior to 2013 - but thankfully we can report no significant injuries and we managed to dodge the rain drops once again.

I welcome your feedback as you - the spectators - are far and away the most important people who attend our event. Each year we discuss and debate what to change in the hopes of improving the event. This year we attempted a couple:
We brought along a T-Shirt slingshot this year. This seemed to be a popular activity.


We conducted some pre-race interviews with some of the top Pro/Expert riders, including Jared Mees, Brad Baker, Kenny Coolbeth, Henry Wiles, Mikey Avila and Jake Cunningham. These seem to be well-received, but did they retract from the post-race interviews?


We replaced the Amateur Semis with an Amateur B-Main. History shows that riders who transfer from the semis are the same who would have transfered directly from the heats if we didn't run semis at all. As such, I felt the B-Main offered a better alternative than simply delaying the inevitable, plus it gave me the flexibility of jostling the events around if bad weather is in the area. In this case, I was able to move the Finals up, and had time permitted I could have run the Amateur B-Main at the end of the night. Since we had a 10pm curfew, and we finished the Dash For Cash at 9:57pm, there was no time for the Amateur B-Main.


We kept the semis in the Pro/Expert division, but when it began sprinkling at 8:30pm, I re-checked the radar and there was rain just to our West. I made the decision to scrap the Pro/Expert semis and move the Pro/Expert final earlier to ensure we could get that in before any rain washed us out. Even with the benefit of hindsight, I would have made the same decision. Better to be safe than sorry. As stated earlier, historically speaking the riders who transfer from the semis are typically those who would have transferred from the heats, so to me it made sense to play it safe.

Old Man McCoy Does It Again

May 27, 2012 Willie McCoy just won his second AMA Grand National Springfield Mile. He's now the third-oldest rider to ever win a Grand National event, behind only Jay Springsteen and Steve Morehead. Great job, Willie!

Walking Wounded

May 27, 2012 Well, the Grand National weekend in Springfield has turned another couple of stars into the walking wounded. Unfortunately, our local hero JR Schnabel, AMA National #33, is likely done for the season. He crashed over the jump at Saturday's TT and broke his C5 and C6 vertebrae. Surgery is scheduled for Monday. We are wishing JR a speedy and full recovery!

Sammy Halbert (AMA National #7), Nicole Cheza (AMA National #15), Brandon Robinson (AMA National #44), and Rob 'Bugs' Pearson (AMA National #27) all took a tumble on the opening lap of the Grand National Mile National. Halbert seemed to take the worst trip of the bunch, getting thrown over the handlebars into the air fence. Hope all are OK.

Racing Minors + Liability Insurance

May 25, 2012 We have been informed by our sanctioning group that any minor intending to compete at the Dairyland Classic needs to have ONE of the following items in order to be allowed to compete:


Both parents must be present (to sign the normal liability waiver form), OR
They must have the AMA Minor Annual Release card in their possession, OR,
They must have a completed, notarized, color copy of the Minor Annual Release form (to be turned in at sign-up)
NO EXCEPTIONS.

This includes Pro/Expert competitors (who may be as young as 16 when they obtain their AMA Pro racing license). This new requirement ensures that we are fully covered by the AMA liability insurance for our event. The form in question can be found by clicking here.

Roll Call #2

May 18, 2012 Add AMA National #2 Kenny Coolbeth from Warren, Connecticut to the pre-entry list! Kenny is a three-time AMA Grand National champion (2006-2007-2008) and also a two-time Dairyland Classic winner (2003 & 2008). He is also one of few remaining full-time Grand National competitors who raced against my brother Jim, who died ten years ago this month in a racing accident.

Elkhorn

May 6, 2012 A new promoter attempted to run a motorcycle race at the Walworth County Fairgrounds today. It would have been the first motorcycle races on the half mile since 1989. (Motorcycle racing had been an annual or bi-annual event at the facility since 1963). Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas, as it started raining - hard - right before 11am and didn't stop until deep into the afternoon. No word yet on whether the promoter will attempt it again later this year or next year or...never.

Hopefully we'll get a chance to try it again sometime.

Roll Call #1

April 29, 2012 The Pro/Expert division already has some heavy hitters heading our way:


AMA National #9 Jared Mees, from Clio, Michigan. Jared has three consecutive Dairyland Classic wins to his credit, and he's gunning for win #4. Only JR Schnabel won four consecutive races at the Sheboygan County Fair Park (1995-1998). Jared scored a career-high five Grand National wins in 2011, enroute to securing the 2011 AMA Grand National Twins title.
AMA National #7 Sammy Halbert from Graham, Washington. Sammy has been a regular front-runner in the Pro/Expert division since claiming third as a first-year Pro rider in 2004 (he won the 250cc Amateur Division in 2003), and he claimed the Jim Sumner Memorial Dash For Cash last year. He also claimed his first official AMA title by taking the 2011 AMA Grand National Singles title.
AMA National #12 Brad Baker from Chekhalis, Washington. Brad is the 2009 AMA Pro Singles National Champion and the 2011 AMA Grand National Rookie of The Year. Brad scored five podium finishes in his rookie year, a feat that was last accomplished in 1979 by some kid named Scott Parker (who went on to win a record 9 AMA Grand National Championships).
AMA National #20 Matt Weidman from Westerlo, New York. Matt claimed his first-ever AMA Grand National win in Daytona in March, and currently sits atop the Grand National Championship for the first time in his career.
AMA National #33 JR Schnabel from Campbellsport, Wisconsin. Our local favorite, JR has had a rough couple of years, missing most of 2010 with a knee injury and missing most of 2011 for other reasons. But he says he's not ready to retire just yet, and he feels he's got a good team assembled to take on the Grand National Series. He told me he is excited to return to the Dairyland Classic this year with his new team and a brand of bike he hasn't been on in a while. He's definitely got his eye on returning to the Jim Sumner Memorial Dash For Cash!
AMA National #91 Mikey Martin from Acampo, California. Mikey won the 2012 AMA Pro Singles National Championship last year, and finished a respectable sixth at the Dairyland Classic. This year he is riding Triumphs at the Grand National Twins events and he's looking forward to returning to Plymouth with his new AMA National Number!
AMA Expert #33E Michael Avila from Madera, California. Michael finished in the 2012 AMA Pro Singles National Championship, and finished 11th at last year's Dairyland Classic (after winning the first heat race over Jared Mees)! He has already earned his AMA National Number for 2013 by scoring points in both AMA Grand National events in Daytona. He has clearly stepped it up a notch and is eager to make a step up in the standings.

More names will be added as they reveal themselves!

Welcome Sadoff Iron & Metal!

April 17, 2012 New sponsor alert! Sadoff Iron & Metal provides scrap metal recycling throughout the Midwest, including six locations in Wisconsin - Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Green Bay, Fond du Lac, Berlin, and Oshkosh! As their tagline reads, "Recycle with confidence". We are very pleased to have them on-board to help us present Wisconsin's premier dirt track motorcycle racing event on June 1!

2012 Update

April 1, 2012 We've been silent, but we've been busy. We are very pleased to announce that Hoban Brothers is returning for their third year as our Headline Sponsor!

We are equally pleased to introduce two new event sponsors: Gruber Law Officers in Milwaukee and Ewald Automotive Group!

Daytona 2012

March 17, 2012 The 30th and 31st AMA Grand National dirt track nationals in Daytona Beach were run this previous weekend, and the AMA Grand National club has welcomed its 155th and 156th members. Johnny Lewis, National #10, secured his first AMA Grand National win on the first night, and was 1/4 of a lap from repeating on Friday when he and Jared Mees both tried to occupy the same spot in the turn 3, and Lewis took a soil sample. During the melee, Matt Weidman snuck through for his first Grand National win.

The sport has been a bit low in the 'first-time winner' category for a number of years. There were six first-time winners in 2002, but only 9 first-time winners in the nine years since then. Already in 2012, we have two first-time winners! And yet, this is Johnny's 5th season in the circuit, and Matt's sixth year. Back 'in the day', most riders were 'cresting the hill' on their career at 6 years...now, riders are just getting started!

Johnny and Matt - welcome to the club. Here's hoping that we see more of the both of you on the podiums!

2012 Here We Come

January 14, 2012 Friday June 1 will be the date of the 28th Annual Dairyland Classic flat track motorcycle races at the Sheboygan County Fair Park! We have not yet finalized our line-up for this year, although we suspect it will be very similar to our successful 2011 line-up. We appreciate your feedback as to what YOU (the fans) would like to see more (or less) of!

SpeedTV - Lucas Oil On The Edge

January 6, 2012 The 2011 Dairyland Classic has begun hitting the airwaves on SpeedTV's Lucas Oil On The Edge program. Season 8, Episode 1, will feature the Pro/Expert division as well as Jet Boats, and will air at 5pm CT (6pm ET) on Saturday, January 7.

The Vintage and Quad divisions will be shown in Season 8, Episode 4, along with 'flag pole racing', at 5pm CT (6pm ET) on Saturday February 25.

2011 Grand National Year In Review

October 27, 2011 Jake Johnson claimed his second consecutive AMA Grand National Championship two weeks ago. Sammy Halbert claimed the first two Nationals of the year and led the season points for 16 of the 19 rounds, before handing the lead over the Jared Mees. Mees then crashed out of the Calistoga event and handed the points over the Johnson in the penultimate round. For the second year in a row, Johnson claimed the title thanks, in part, to a major mistake by his main rival in the penultimate round. In 2010, Jake entered the Shakopee, MN round 10 points behind Joe Kopp. Kopp DNF'd that race to give Jake a 10 point lead heading into the final round in Arizona. This year, Jake entered Calistoga 18 points behind Mees, but left with an 8-point lead.

More interesting tidbits of 2011:


JAKE JOHNSON


Sets a new AMA record with a Grand National Win in 10 consecutive seasons, including his rookie year.
Has scored a Grand National win in 10 consecutive years - tied with Chris Carr, Will Davis, and Kenny Coolbeth for 5th on all-time list)
19 career AMA National wins (tied with Rich King, Carroll Resweber, Gary Scott, Gary Nixon for 16th on all-time list)
10th career GNC top 10 season finish (tied with Kevin Atherton, Rich King, Hank scott & Mert Lawwill for 12th all-time)
6th career GNC top 5 season finish (tied with Carroll Resweber, Kenny Roberts, Randy Goss, and Bubba Shobert for 14th on the all-time list)
3rd career GNC top 3 season finish (tied with Brad Andres for 20th on the all-time list)
Brings the 3rd Grand National Championship to the Zanotti family. Jake's tuner, Dave Zanotti, is the son of the late Mario Zanotti, who tuned Steve Eklund to the 1979 title.
Won the last 2 races of the season to take the title 4th time this has happened


KENNY COOLBETH


Has scored a Grand National win in 10 consecutive years (tied with Chris Carr, Will Davis, and Jake Johnson for 5th on all-time list)
27 career AMA Grand National wins (tied with Joe Leonard for 10th on all-time list)
18 career GNC half mile wins (tied with Bart Markel for 6th on all-time list)
12th career GNC top 10 finish (tied with Gary Scott and Will Davis for 7th all-time)
11th career GNC top 5 finish (tied with Joe Kopp for 3rd on the all-time list)
6th career GNC top 3 finish (tied with Randy Goss and Ricky Graham for 8th on the all-time list)
DuQuoin win on Kawasaki is the 3rd differnet brand that he has won a Grand National event with


HENRY WILES


Has scored a Grand National win in 8 consecutive years (tied with Randy Goss and Joe Kopp for 10th on the all-time list)
20 career AMA Grand National wins (15th on all-time list, passing Carroll Resweber, Rich King, Gary Scott, Gary Nixon)
10 career AMA Grand National TT wins (now 2nd all time)
8th career AMA Grand National short track wins (2nd place on all-time list, one shy of Chris Carr s record)
7th consecutive Peoria TT win (tied with Scott Parker for 2nd on all-time list for consecutive wins at any one track, and one win shy of Chris Carr s record)


JARED MEES


Five AMA Grand National wins is his new career high for a season
5th career GNC top 5 finish (tied with Gary Nixon, Mert Lawwill, Gene Romero, Doug Chandler, and KKevin Atherton for 19th on the all-time list)
4th career GNC top 3 finish (tied with Bart Markel, Kenny Roberts, Will Davis, and Rich King for 15th on the all-time list)
10 career AMA Grand National half mile wins (tied with Rich King and Ricky Graham for 9th on all-time list)


SAMMY HALBERT


3 career AMA Grand National short track wins (tied with Mike Gerald, Scott Parker, Alex Jorgensen, Randy Goss, and Nicky Hayden for 11th on the all-time list).


WILLIE McCOY


Oldest first-time Grand National winner ever (41 yrs, 8 months, 18 days)
Latest to score first-time Grand National win everr (23rd season)


TITLES

MANUFACTURERS TITLES


Honda claims the Grand National Singles Manufacturer title
Harley-Davidson claims the Grand National Twins Manufacturer title
Kawasaki claims the Grand National Overall Manufacturer title





GRAND NATIONAL TITLES


Sammy Halbert (Grand National Singles)
Jared Mees (Grand National Twins)
Jake Johnson (Grand National overall)




GRAND NATIONAL SINGLES SERIES


Most combined short track & TT events since 1976