BERT's HISTORY BLOG |
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ROOKIE SUCCESSES OVER THE YEARSMarch 4, 2024
1969 Rookie Winners: Mark Brelsford, Jim Rice
1970 Rookie Winners: David Aldana
1971 Rookie Winners: Robert E. Lee
1972 Rookie Winners: Mike Gerald, Kenny Roberts, Gary Scott
1973 Rookie Winners: Scott Brelsford
1974 Rookie Winners: Rick Hocking, Hank Scott
1975 Rookie Winners: Greg Sassaman, Jay Springsteen
1976 Rookie Winners: Ted Boody, Steve Eklund, Terry Poovey
1977 Rookie Winners: Garth Brow
1978 Rookie Winners:
1979 Rookie Winners: Scott Parker
1980 Rookie Winners:
1981 Rookie Winners: Jim Filice
1982 Rookie Winners:
1983 Rookie Winners: Doug Chandler
1984 Rookie Winners:
1985 Rookie Winners:
1986 Rookie Winners:
1987 Rookie Winners:
1988 Rookie Winners:
1989 Rookie Winners:
1990 Rookie Winners:
1991 Rookie Winners:
1992 Rookie Winners:
1993 Rookie Winners:
1994 Rookie Winners:
1995 Rookie Winners:
1996 Rookie Winners:
1997 Rookie Winners:
1998 Rookie Winners:
1999 Rookie Winners: Nicky Hayden
2000 Rookie Winners:
2001 Rookie Winners:
2002 Rookie Winners: Jake Johnson
2003 Rookie Winners:
2004 Rookie Winners:
2005 Rookie Winners:
2006 Rookie Winners:
2007 Rookie Winners: Mikey Rush
2008 Rookie Winners:
2009 Rookie Winners:
2010 Rookie Winners:
2011 Rookie Winners:
2012 Rookie Winners:
2013 Rookie Winners:
2014 Rookie Winners:
2015 Rookie Winners:
2016 Rookie Winners:
2017 Rookie Winners:
2018 Rookie Winners:
2019 Rookie Winners:
2020 Rookie Winners:
2021 Rookie Winners:
2022 Rookie Winners: Dallas Daniels
2023 Rookie Winners:
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FIRST-TIME WINS/ PODIUMS OVER THE YEARSMarch 3, 2024
1969: 6 first-time winners, 9 first-time podium finishers
Notice that 1986 is the first time that only a single first-time podium finishers occurs.
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AMA/AFT NATIONAL RIDER TURNOUT 2009-2023March 2, 2024
2009: 246 total riders [Expert & Pro Singles]
TOTAL EXPERT/GNC1 (singles & twins): 2009: 123 Expert riders
TOTAL EXPERT/GNC1 SINGLES (only): 2009: 103 Expert Singles riders
TOTAL EXPERT TWINS/GNC1 TWINS/AFT TWINS/AFT SUPERTWINS: 2009: 89 Expert twins riders
TOTAL PRO SINGLES / GNC2 SINGLES / AFT SINGLES: 2009: 123 Pro Singles riders
TOTAL BASIC TWINS / GNC2 TWINS / AFT PRODUCTION TWINS: 2013: 18 Basic Twins riders
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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.
June 2 Hinsdale IL ST Pro $1,500
Note: Troy, OH hosted a $2000 Pro HM the same day as the Lima GNC HM (June 26). Note: Pro events listed purses from $1,500 to $4,000. More purse, more riders (in theory). Note: All events listed are in DE, KY, IL, OH, WI, and WA. You can bet that CA, TX, MI, and other states were holding flat track events in June 1982; no clue why they were not listed. May 1982 Flat Track Events from the May 1982 AM Magazine: May 2 San Jose CA M GNC
Note: $1 in 1982 is $3.12 in 2023. So a $1,500 purse is $4,680 today. A $4,000 purse is $12,480 today. Experts typically received 70% of the purse, Juniors 20%, and Novices 10%. So at a $1,500 event ($4,680 today), the total Novice payout was $150 ($468 today). This aspect of our sport is very difficult to resolve. There are not enough promoters. There are not enough racers. Most promoters are not interested in putting on a short program (Novice-Junior-Expert). |
PAST NATIONAL WINNERS INVOLVED IN THE SPORT AT THE HIGHEST LEVELDecember 16, 2023 I recently wondered aloud how many former Grand National winners are still involved in the sport.
Kenny Coolbeth (Turner Racing team)
Former National Winners Not Racing but at the AFT Events:
Bryan Bigelow Turner Racing team)
Ronnie Jones gets an 'honorable mention', as he is heavily involved with the Back on Track charity, but I don't believe he is at the AFT races week in and week out. |
ADOPTED FIRST NAMESOctober 31, 2023 My history colleagues (which now includes Dennis Burkman from California), were pondering how many racers used 'adopted' first names.
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JD BEACH WINS NJMP SUPERBIKESeptember 25, 2023 JD Beach won the NJMP MotoAmerican Superbike race this past weekend.
Here is the list of others, in somewhat chronological order:
JD Beach 2019, 2023
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2023 THOUGHTSSeptember 5, 2023
►2020: 79 total racers. 21 SuperTwins. 45 Singles. 31 Production Twins.
I still don't care for the "timed" main events. Of the 14 Miles run in 2021-2022-2023: ►9 were 25-laps
Just make them all 25 laps again. Of the 19 half miles run in 2021-2022-2023: ►7 were 25 laps
Just make them all 25 laps again. I think the AFT Singles class is the toughest class. Which makes it increasingly more challenging for rookies to be successful. I do not have a solution to that, however. There appears to be no incentive for the best racers to move up to the SuperTwins class. As a result, many of them remain in the Singles class. |
CLOSEST POINT CHASES ENTERING FINALE ROUND/WEEKENDSeptember 4, 2023
2021: Jares Mees over Briar Bauman. [Mess wins title by 15 after Bauman crashes].
2 point difference
2016: Bryan Smith over Jared Mees [Smith wins title by 5].
1 point difference
2023: Jared Mees over Dallas Daniels [Mees wins the title by 16]
0 point difference
2006: Kenny Coolbeth & Chris Carr. [Coolbeth wins title by 22 when Carr suffers a DNF].
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AMA FUEL TANK HISTORYJuly 28, 2023
"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.
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LEATHERS HISTORYJuly 13, 2023
"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.
Donna Johnson [of D's Leathers] adds the following: "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.
Christopher Rudy adds: "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."
Dennis Burkman adds: "The April 1965 issue of CYCLE Magazine shows five flat trackers wearing colored leathers on the cover."
"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."
Roxy Rockwood Wrote an Article in the April 1965 CYCLE magazine. In it, he says: "Sammy Tanner was the first to break away. Back in 1958 or 1959...he changed from all black to an all white racing outfit."
What do the rule books say?: The 1949 AMA Manual of Instruction and Rules for Competition is very vague with respect to requirements of rider safety apparel: Article IX (Dirt Track and Speedway Racing), makes no mention of helmets, leathers, or any other apparel.
The 1960 AMA Manual of Instruction and Rules for Competition states: 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]. The 1964 AMA Manual of Instruction and Rules for Competition [Article VII, Section 31, Page 22] is unchanged. The 1970 AMA Professional Competition Rulebook [Chapter V.D.1, page 22] is not much different, although it clarifies that shirts must be "long sleeved". The 1974 AMA Professional Dirt Track Competition Rulebook [Chapter VII.1, page 12] states: "all protective clothing shall be of leather or durable material approved by the A.M.A." |
HAS ANYONE LED THE CHAMPIONSHIP ALL SEASON?May 20, 2023
1955 Brad Andres. Lost point lead round 3.
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MAX WHALE COMPLETES SINGLES SLAMApril, 2, 2023
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DALLAS DANIELS JOINS MORE CLUBSMarch 12, 2023
Dallas Daniels 2023 - Daytona Flat Track - AFT
Riders who have won both rounds of the premier class season opener: Dallas Daniels 2023 - Daytona Flat Track ST & ST - AFT
Riders who won multiple Nationals as a rookie and also multiple Nationals as a second year expert: Dallas Daniels 2022 (2 wins) - 2023 (2 wins)
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DALLAS DANIELS JOINS CLUBMarch 10, 2023
Dallas Daniels, 2022-2023 (2 wins & 1 win [so far])
Note: Jake Johnson won a National every year his first 10 years on the circuit. No one else has ever done that. |
SPRINGFIELD RAIN-OUTSMarch 5, 2023
►1984 [The May 27, 1984 Mile - rescheduled from May 20 - rains out. It runs July 22, 1984.]
Labor Day weekend: ►1994 [The Sunday Mile rains out but runs on Monday.]
Notes: The 1994 Labor Day weekend runs an AMA Regional Mile on Saturday. The 1998 Labor Day weekend runs the Hall of Fame Hot Shoe mile on Saturday. The 1999 Labor Day weekend runs the Hall of Fame Hot Shoe mile on Saturday. The 2000 Labor Day weekend runs the Hall of Fame National mile on Saturday. The 2001 Labor Day weekend runs the Hall of Fame National mile on Saturday. |
2023 AFT PURSEFebruary 12, 2023
1. $7,500
AFT SuperTwins LCQ, Single Event ($4,000): 7th thru 18th: $300. 19th & 20th: $200 AFT Singles, Single Event ($10,000): 1. $1,700
AFT SuperTwins Final, Double Header Event ($29,463): 1. $5,625.00
AFT SuperTwins LCQ, Double Header Event, ($3,000): 7th-18th: $225 each; 19th-20th: $150 each AFT Singles Final, Double Header Event, ($7,240): 1. $1,275.00
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ENTRY PRO LEVEL DIRT TRACK ENGINE DISPLACEMENTS OVER THE YEARSJanuary 23, 2023
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MORE PURSE HISTORYDecember 3, 2022
SHORT TRACKS
07/06/02 Springfield, IL ST $40,000
TT's
08/13/00 Peoria, IL TT $40,000 Expert Purse
HALF MILES
07/01/00 Joliet, IL HM $46,650 Expert Purse
MILES (other than Springfield)
09/09/00 Vernon Downs, NY Mile $45,000 Expert Purse
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PURSE vs 100% PAYBACKNovember 27, 2022
Several promoters offer a pro class with 100% payback.
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SPRINGFIELD PURSES OVER THE YEARSNovember 20, 2022
August 18, 1946 $3,000 purse. Fall 1986 $40,000 Expert purse plus $2,000 Junior final.
Fall 1987 no purse breakdown in program. Fall 1991 $57,500 Expert purse plus unknown Junior National and $10,000 Camel Challenge.
May 1992 $40,000 Expert purse plus Junior National.
Fall 1992 $38,000 Expert purse, plus $5,000 Performance Incentive Awards plus $2,500 Junior National and $10,000 Camel Challenge.
Fall 1995 $39,000 Expert purse, plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Awards plus $5,000 883 Sportster National.
May 1996 $43,300 Expert purse, plus $5,000 883 Sportster National.
Fall 1996 Saturday Mile: $40,000 Grand National purse plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Awards plus 600cc National.
Fall 1997 $40,000 Grand National purse plus $5,000 883 purse both days.
Fall 1998 Saturday Hot Shoe Mile: $50,000 Dirt Track Hall of Fame race
Sunday Grand National Mile: $40,800 Grand National purse plus $5,000 883 purse.
Fall 1999 Saturday Hot Shoe Mile: $100,000 Dirt Track Hall of Fame race (Hot Shoe National).
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.
Fall 2000 Friday ST National: $37,150 Grand National Purse plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Award.
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.
Sunday Mile National: $50,000 Grand National payout plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Award plus $5,000 600cc Support.
Fall 2001 Friday ST National: $40,000 purse plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Award.
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.
Sunday Mile National: $50,000 GNC purse plus $6,000 Performance Incentive Awards plus $5,000 600cc Support.
Spring 2002 Mile National: $50,000 GNC purse. Fall 2002 Mile National: $50,000 GNC purse. Spring 2003 Mile National: $50,000 GNC purse. Spring 2004 Mile National: $50,000 GNC purse. Spring 2005 Mile National: $50,000 GNC purse. Spring 2006 Mile National: $50,000 GNC purse. Spring 2007 Mile National: $50,000 GNC purse. 2010 Mile National: $53,500 GNC & Pro Singles purse.
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HOW MANY CHAMPIONSHIPS?November 19, 2022
You could argue that Jared Mees has 7, 8, or 10 titles.
I have always considered the 2006-2013 Grand National Singles & Grand National Twins titles as "nice parting gifts" (to use 1970s game show vernacular). Those "titles" are only mentioned when the rider never won anything bigger (the overall title). Kind of like major sports teams (MLB, NBA, NFL) - if they mention winning the MLB pennant, NFL Conference Championship, or NBA Conference Final, it is because they DIDN'T win the World Series, Super Bowl, or NBA Finals that season. (When they do win "the whole thing", they don't bother mentioning the pennant, Conference Championship, or the Conference final). I have yet to meet anyone who considers Kenny Coolbeth or Jake Johnson to be four-time Grand National Champions. That orbit is sacred space. Only Resweber, Parker, Carr, and Mees reside there. I have always considered - and I will continue to consider - that the top total points earner each year in all disciplines is the true "Grand National Champion": 2006 - Kenny Coolbeth
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MULTI-GENERATIONAL NATIONAL NUMBERSJuly 5, 2022
BOSTROM: Paul #46 ➤ Ben #11 & Eric #20
RELATIVES who each held National Numbers:
ATHERTON: Brian #98 and brother Kevin #23
RELATIVES who DID NOT receive National Number with their relatives:
ANDRES: Len Andres, father of Brad #1/#15/#4, never wore an AMA National Number.
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RYAN VARNES, 1997-2022July 4, 2022
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AMA SUPERBIKE RESULTS, 1976-2014June 13, 2022
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LEXINGTON LESSONSMay 30, 2022
►The new restrictions added to the Indians are certainly more noticable on the miles than the half miles.
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DALLAS DANIELS WINSMay 29, 2022
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STATE OF AMERICAN FLAT TRACKMarch 6, 2022
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.
(Cycle News, "State Of American Flat Track, Part 2", Page 105, February 23, 2022.) |
HISTORY OF DAVE DESPAIN'S DIRT TRACK HALL OF FAMEJanuary 1, 2022
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HISTORY OF AFTERMARKET FRAMES IN FLAT TRACKNovember 27, 2021
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1978 TITLE DECIDED AT...SYRACUSE?August 2, 2021
1978 appeared to be Steve Eklund's year.
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2021 AFT SEASON OPENERMarch 14, 2021 AFT (American Flat Track) must have been ecstatic about how the 2021 season opener went.
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IT IS NICE TO BE NOMINATEDJanuary 17, 2021 Earlier this month, we were informed that our club had been nominated - and was a finalist for - the 2020 |
CHALLENGES MOVING UP TO AFTOctober 25, 2020 Earlier this month, AFT announced the new Road To AFT program.
I have hear rumors of this program for about 4 years.
►LIMITED TRACK TIME.
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 ANNOUNCEDOctober 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.
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AFT NATIONAL NUMBER ASSIGNMENT CHANGESSeptember 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.
1. Briar Bauman
We knew that AFT would award SuperTwins 'spots' to team owners, not riders, but this is the first time that it appears that BIKE NUMBERS are being assigned to the team owners as well. This means that if, for example, Rob Pearson loses his ride with RJ Performance, Rick Canode can put any other rider on the #27 bike. The NASCAR-ification of American Flat Track continues. |
2020 MID-SEASON REPORTSSeptember 6, 2020 AFT has completed eight of its planned 18 rounds for 2020. What conclusions can we draw?
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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.
These statements should make it crystal clear that there is no clear demarcation between the classes, other than the equipment used.
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25-LAP MILE SPEEDSAugust 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.
YEARS
Sacramento
DuQuoin
Springfield
Indy
1981-1986
95.088 mph
98.158 mph
99.371 mph
97.177 mph
1987-2001
96.245 mph
99.865 mph
101.478 mph
97.705 mph
2002-2006
-
101.407 mph
101.993 mph
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2007-2016
94.306 mph
97.844 mph
99.928 mph
94.829 mph
2017-2019
93.347 mph
-
99.366 mph
-
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FREE ADVICE TO AFTAugust 2, 2020 I hereby offer the following bits of FREE advice to American Flat Track.
Your web site and souvenir programs refer to "AFT Numbers", yet your rule book refers to "National Numbers."
2. Eliminate all references to "Singles" or "Twins" licenses. Issue the same license to all AFT racers.
3. Eliminate references to "classes", and instead call them "divisions". "Class" is an abbreviation of "classification", and it implies that a rider must advance from one "classification" to another.
4. Rename Production Twins. This is a clunky division title.
5. Eliminate duplicate racing numbers. 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.
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QUICKEST MODEL TO 50 GNC WINSJuly 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.
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1972-1982 NATIONAL NUMBER ASSIGNMENTS - EPISODE 2July 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.
1971 to 197296 riders earn points. Six former champs take single digits, leaving 90 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following riders earned points, but did not receive a National Number. 42X Don Dudek 70th in 1971 Grand National points 1 DT final; 43 total points 7T Barry Briggs 73rd in 1971 Grand National points 1 DT final; 40 total points 23G Frank Ulicki 78th in 1971 Grand National points 1 DT final; 37 total points 71V Jim Dunn 78th in 1971 Grand National points 1 RR final; 37 total points 16A Denny Palmgren 81st in 1971 Grand National points 1 DT final; 31 total points 5T Bert Clark 82nd in 1971 Grand National points 1 RR final; 25 total points 19R Bill Manley 82nd in 1971 Grand National points 1 RR final; 25 total points 13Z Jeff Sperry 87th in 1971 Grand National points 1 RR final; 22 total points 66R Marty Lunde 87th in 1971 Grand National points 1 RR final; 22 total points 83X John McGillivray 90th in 1971 Grand National points 1 RR final; 19 total points 4K Ron Widman 92nd in 1971 Grand National points 1 RR final; 16 total points 9A Gary Fisher 93rd in 1971 Grand National points 1 RR final; 13 total points 10X Johnny Isaacs 93rd in 1971 Grand National points 1 RR final; 13 total points 11E Ronnie Butler 93rd in 1971 Grand National points 1 DT final; 13 total points 1972 to 197399 riders earn points (including six former champs with single digits). That leaves 93 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following riders earned points, but did not receive a National Number. 34L Gary Landry 50th in 1972 Grand National points 1 DT final; 50 total points 85T Jim Allen 52nd in 1972 Grand National points 4 RR finals; 45 total points 84R Reg Pridmore 79th in 1972 Grand National points 2 RR final; 8 total points 60Q Gene Brown 86th in 1972 Grand National points 1 RR final; 5 total point 78D Stan Friduss 86th in 1972 Grand National points 1 RR final; 5 total point 3T Paul Higgins 90th in 1972 Grand National points 1 DT final; 3 total points 23G Frank Ulicki 90th in 1972 Grand National points 1 DT final; 3 total points 25R Roger Ring 90th in 1972 Grand National points 1 DT final; 3 total points 92B Andy Lascoutz 94th in 1972 Grand National points 1 RR final; 2 total points 88E Doug Libby 97th in 1972 Grand National points 1 RR final; 1 total point 24K Bob Ely 97th in 1972 Grand National points 1 DT final; 1 total point 1973 to 1974106 riders earn points (including five former champs with single digits). That leaves 101 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following riders earned points, but did not receive a National Number. 25R Roger Ring 56th in 1973 Grand National points 1 RR final; 19 total points 46U Jim Mertrando 56th in 1973 Grand National points 1 RR final; 19 total points 66Z George Miller 56th in 1973 Grand National points 1 RR final; 19 total points 40X Brian LaPlante 60th in 1973 Grand National points 1 DT final; 18 total point 23G Frank Ulicki 72nd in 1973 Grand National points 1 DT final; 14 total points 15E Dave Atherton 74th in 1973 Grand National points 1 DT final; 13 total points 2P Mike Caves 78th in 1973 Grand National points 1 DT final; 12 total point 19Z Joe Brown 78th in 1973 Grand National points 1 DT final; 12 total points 48L Billy Field 78th in 1973 Grand National points 1 DT final; 12 total points 1974 to 1975118 riders earn points (including six former champs). That leaves 113 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following riders earned points, but did not receive a National Number. 15X Dave Atherton 80th in 1974 Grand National points 1 DT final; 16 total points 8Q Walt Mundt 89th in 1974 Grand National points 1 DT final; 10 total points 16A Denny Varnes 93rd in 1974 Grand National points 2 RR finals; 8 total points 52F Rod Bailey 93rd in 1974 Grand National points 1 DT final; 8 total points 32Q Dusty Coppage 99th in 1974 Grand National points 1 DT final; 6 total points 18H Buddy Powell 103rd in 1974 Grand National points 0 DT finals; 4 total points 26P Rick Roberts 107th in 1974 Grand National points 0 DT finals; 3 total points 45Y Mike Renslow 107th in 1974 Grand National points 0 DT finals; 3 total points 1975 to 1976110 riders earn points (including four former champs). That leaves 106 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following riders earned points, but did not receive a National Number. 27P Bob Deiss 81st in 1975 Grand National points 1 DT final; 8 total points 84R Mike Myers 88th in 1975 Grand National points 0 DT finals; 6 total points 6X Don Doutre Jr. 95th in 1975 Grand National points 0 DT finals; 5 total points 57L Pee Wee Gleason 95th in 1975 Grand National points 1 RR final; 5 total points 64G Danny Cartwright 98th in 1975 Grand National points 0 DT finals; 4 total point 10B George Richtmeyer Jr. 105th in 1975 Grand National points 0 DT finals; 1 total point 1976 to 1977115 riders earn points (including five former champs). That leaves 110 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following riders earned points, but did not receive a National Number. 65G Chubby Armour 84th in 1976 Grand National points 1 DT final; 2 total points 2W Pat Marinacci 96th in 1976 Grand National points 1 RR final; 0 total points 84R Mike Myers 96th in 1976 Grand National points 1 RR final; 0 total points 1977 to 197895 riders earn points (including six former champs). That leaves 89 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following rider earned points, but did not receive a National Number. 80Y Don Carlyle 83rd in 1977 Grand National points 1 DT final; 3 total points 1978 to 197982 riders earn points (including four former champs). That leaves 78 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following rider earned points, but did not receive a National Number. 5R Bobby Sanders 82nd in 1978 Grand National points 1 DT final; 5 total points 1979 to 198084 riders earn points (including four former champs). That leaves 80 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following riders earned points, but did not receive a National Number. 86K Steve Lewis 76th in 1979 Grand National points 1 DT final; 1 total points 7T Michel Mercier 81st in 1979 Grand National points 1 DT final; 2 total points 1980 to 198183 riders earn points (including five former champs). That leaves 78 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following rider earned points, but did not receive a National Number. 74X Terry Brow 80th in 1980 Grand National points 1 DT final; 1 total point 1981 to 198285 riders earn points (including five former champs). That leaves 80 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following riders earned points, but did not receive a National Number. 7T Jon Cornwell 84th in 1981 Grand National points 1 DT final; 0 total points 44G Scott Adams 84th in 1981 Grand National points 1 DT final; 0 total points |
1972-1982 NATIONAL NUMBER ASSIGNMENTS - EPISODE 1July 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.
1971 to 197296 riders earn points. Six former champs take single digits, leaving 90 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following riders earned points, but lost their National Number. 36 Ken Molyneaux 70th in 1971 Grand National points 1 RR final; 43 total points 72 Norm Robinson 82nd in 1971 Grand National points 1 DT final; 25 total points 35 Mike Deane 90th in 1971 Grand National points 1 RR final; 19 total points 77 Bob Bailey 96th in 1971 Grand National points 1 DT final; 10 total points 1972 to 197399 riders earn points (including six former champs with single digits). That leaves 93 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following riders earned points, but lost their National Number. 21 Robert Winters 83rd in 1972 Grand National points 1 RR final; 6 total points 84 Eddie Wirth 86th in 1972 Grand National points 1 DT final; 5 total points 53 Larry Shafer 89th in 1972 Grand National points 1 RR final; 4 total points 75 Don Twigg 94th in 1972 Grand National points 1 RR final; 2 total points 49 Dave Damron 97th in 1972 Grand National points 1 RR final; 1 total point 1973 to 1974106 riders earn points (including five former champs with single digits). That leaves 101 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following rider earned points, but lost their National Number. 40 Teddy Newton 78th in 1973 Grand National points 1 DT final; 12 total points 1974 to 1975118 riders earn points (including six former champs). That leaves 113 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following riders earned points, but lost their National Number. 95 Mike Ninci 91st in 1974 Grand National points 1 RR final; 9 total points 84 Mike Collins 97th in 1974 Grand National points 1 DT final; 7 total points 86 Keith Ulicki 107th in 1974 Grand National points 0 DT finals; 3 total points 1975 to 1976110 riders earn points (including four former champs). That leaves 106 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following riders earned points, but lost their National Number. 84 Danny Hockie 81st in 1975 Grand National points 1 DT final; 8 total points 25 Rob Morrison 85th in 1975 Grand National points 0 DT final; 7 total points 21 Gary Fisher 88th in 1975 Grand National points 1 RR final; 6 total points 61 Teddy Newton 88th in 1975 Grand National points 0 DT final; 6 total points 1976 to 1977115 riders earn points (including five former champs). That leaves 110 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following riders earned points, but lost their National Number. 55 John Allison 84th in 1976 Grand National points 1 DT final; 2 total points 75 Buck Boren 84th in 1976 Grand National points 1 DT final; 2 total points 77 Eddie Wirth 84th in 1976 Grand National points 1 DT final; 2 total points 79 Larry Cooper 84th in 1976 Grand National points 1 DT final; 2 total points 58 Phil McDonald 94th in 1976 Grand National points 1 DT final; 1 total points 36 Charlie Chapple 96th in 1976 Grand National points 1 DT final; 0 total points 1977 to 197895 riders earn points (including six former champs). That leaves 89 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.The following riders earned points, but lost their National Number. 25 Bruce Hanlon 88th in 1977 Grand National points 1 DT final; 2 total points 1978 to 197982 riders earn points (including four former champs). That leaves 78 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.No riders who earned points lost their National Number. 1979 to 198084 riders earn points (including four former champs). That leaves 80 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.No riders who earned points lost their National Number. 1980 to 198183 riders earn points (including five former champs). That leaves 78 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.No riders who earned points lost their National Number. 1981 to 198285 riders earn points (including five former champs). That leaves 80 riders vying for 90 double-digit National Numbers.No riders who earned points lost their National Number. |
TOP 20 NATIONAL NUMBER WINNERSMay 24, 2020 The 2019 season finale marked the 1,250th AMA Grand National event in history (since 1954).
Plate # of wins % of 1,250 Riders 1 264 wins 21.0% Joe Leonard, Brad Andres, Carroll Resweber, Bart Markel, Dick Mann, Roger Reiman, Gary Nixon, Mert Lawwill, Gene Romero, Kenny Roberts, Gary Scott, Jay Springsteen, Randy Goss, Ricky Graham, Mike Baldwin, Bubba Shobert, Scott Parker, Chris Carr, Joe Kopp, Jake Johnson, Kenny Coolbeth, Henry Wiles, Jared Mees, Brad Baker, Bryan Smith 4 61 wins 5.0% Gene Thiessen, Brad Andres, Bart Markel, Dick Mann, Chris Carr, Bryan Smith 3 55 wins 4.4% Paul Goldsmith, Al Gunter, Fred Nix, Gene Romero, Ricky Graham, Joe Kopp 2 54 wins 4.3% Dick Klamfoth, Dick Mann, Kenny Roberts, Scott Parker, Kenny Coolbeth 9 51 wins 4.1% Gary Nixon, Tommy Rockwood, Jay Springsteen, Jared Mees 42 49 wins 3.9% Steve Morehead, Bryan Smith 21 39 wins 3.1% Brad Andres, Will Davis, Jared Mees 14 38 wins 3.0% Don Burnett, Cal Rayborn, Hank Scott, Jake Johnson, Briar Bauman 17 34 wins 2.7% Yvon DuHamel, Rick Hocking, Jimmy Filice, Henry Wiles 11 33 wins 2.6% Yvon DuHamel, Don Castro, Steve Eklund, Scott Parker, Bryan Bigelow 25 28 wins 2.2% Everett Brashear, Cal Rayborn, Jay Springsteen, Nicky Richichi, Ricky Winsett 20 27 wins 2.2% Gene Romero, Chris Carr, Johnny Murphree, Matt Weidman 7 23 wins 1.8% Sammy Tanner, Mark Brelsford, Mert Lawwill, Sammy Halbert 18 23 wins 1.8% Troy Lee, Mert Lawwill, Jim Odom, Terry Poovey, Randy Mamola 80 23 wins 1.8% Kenny Roberts, Rich King, Stevie Bonsey 5 19 wins 1.5% John Gibson, Larry Palmgren, Johnny Cecetto, Gary Scott, Jake Johnson 67 19 wins 1.5% Bubba Shobert, Mike Hacker 12 18 wins 1.4% Carroll Resweber, Eddie Mulder, Ted Boody, Brad Baker 23 18 wins 1.4% Dave Hansen, Kevin Atherton, Jeffrey Carver 10 17 wins 1.4% Neil Keen, Gary Nixon, Gary Fisher, Jarno Saarinen, Giacomo Agostini, Billy Labrie, Doug Chandler, Johnny Lewis 16 17 wins 1.4% Dave Sehl, Ronnie Jones 43 17 wins 1.4% Mike Baldwin, Joe Kopp, Sammy Halbert 44 17 wins 1.4% Alex Jorgensen, Brandon Robinson |
LONGEST NATIONAL NUMBERS - UPDATEDApril 22, 2020 I have updated my two earlier blog posts concerning riders who held National Numbers the longest.
LONGEST NATIONAL NUMBER HOLDERS - ALL NUMBERS - 7/30/2019
My apologies to Dan! |
TITLES THAT MATTERApril 20, 2020 After posting the A Rookie By Any Other Name post yesterday, I reflected on which titles really mean something.
Grand National Champion / AFT GNC1 Champion / AFT Twins Champion / AFT SuperTwins Champion
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.
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A ROOKIE BY ANY OTHER NAMEApril 19, 2020 The term 'Rookie Expert' used to mean the first year that a rider had an Expert license.
1997. Johnny Murphree (#35Z) wins ROY by finishing 30th in GNC points, scoring 10 points in 3 events.
So when it is all said and done, in my opinions:
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ROOKIE EXPERTS WITH NATIONAL NUMBERSApril 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.
1949 65 Billy Douglas East St. Louis, IL Won Peoria TT as Amateur rank in 1948 1950 67 Jack Gholson Houston, TX - 1950 74 Bobby Chambers Little Rock, AR - 1950 96 Alan Davis Howell, MI - 1950 97 Chuck Austin Kirkwood, MO - 1952 52 Claude Mook Warren, OH #1 in 1951 Amateur Dirt Track points 1952 79 Larry Gerhardt Milwaukee, WI #2 in 1951 Amateur Dirt Track points 1952 57 Robert Boutwell Lansing, MI #3 in 1951 Amateur Dirt Track points / EXPERT TT license in 1951 1952 33 Ed Jr. Kretz Monterey Park, CA #4 in 1951 Amateur Dirt Track points 1952 72 Alex Domyan East St. Louis, IL #5 in 1951 in Amateur TT points 1952 98 Joe Leonard San Jose, CA #6 in 1951 Amateur Dirt Track points 1953 36 Maurice Burton Salt Lake City, UT - 1954 44 Don Rees Dayton, OH #2 in 1953 Amateur Dirt Track points 1954 61 Harry Fearey Pekin, IL #6 in 1953 Amateur Dirt Track points 1954 85 Jim Klunk Hanover, PA #7 in 1953 Amateur Dirt Track points 1954 89 Johnny Hood Trenton, NJ NO 1953 STATS 1955 31 Bud Guest Austinburg, OH - 1956 74 Bill Haast Kendall, FL - 1956 94 George Roeder Monroeville, OH - 1957 99 Glenn Jordan Columbus, OH #1 in 1956 Amateur Dirt Track points 1957 97 George Kaler Grand Rapids, MI #2 in 1956 Amateur Dirt Track points 1958 59 Sammy Tanner Houston, TX #2 in 1957 Class B Listed Dirt Track points 1958 57 Louis Kramer Middletown, OH #3 in 1957 Amateur Dirt Track points 1958 26 Dick Courtney Friess Lake, WI #6 in 1957 Amateur Dirt Track points 1958 73 Gary Mullen Jacksonville, IL NO 1957 STATS 1959 72 Bart Markel Flint, MI #1 in 1958 Amateur Dirt Track points 1959 55 Roger Reiman Kewanee, IL #1 in 1958 Amateur TT/Road Race points 1959 96 Art Barda Chicago, IL #2 in 1958 Amateur Dirt Track points 1960 18 Troy Lee Oceanside, CA #1 in 1959 Amateur Dirt Track points 1960 22 Wayne Wiebler Peoria, IL #1 in 1959 Amateur TT/Road Race points 1960 30 Jim Koplinski Milwaukee, WI #2 in 1959 Amateur Dirt Track points 1960 24 Jack O'Brien Los Angeles, CA #4 in 1959 Amateur Dirt Track points 1961 92 George Bartle Detroit, MI #1 in 1960 Amateur Dirt Track points 1961 29 Larry Palmgren Denver, CO #2 in 1960 Amateur Dirt Track points 1961 88 Eddie Clifford Milwaukee, WI #3 in 1960 Amateur Dirt Track points 1962 52 Ronnie Rall Mansfield, OH #1 in 1961 Amateur Dirt Track points 1962 59 Skip Van Leeuwen Bellflower, CA #1 in 1961 Amateur TT/Road Race points 1962 86 Harold Hammond Detroit, MI #2 in 1961 Amateur Dirt Track points 1962 25 Jimmy Plain El Sobrante, CA #6 in 1961 Amateur Dirt Track points 1963 99 Dave Estep Columbus, OH #1 in 1962 Amateur Dirt Track points 1963 95 Jerry Ashcroft Detroit, MI #3 in 1962 Amateur Dirt Track points 1964 81 Ted Heil Dayton, OH #1 in 1963 Amateur Dirt Track points 1964 12 Eddie Mulder Burbank, CA #1 in 1963 Amateur TT/Road Race points 1965 22 Dan Haaby Covina, CA #1 in 1964 Amateur Dirt Track points 1965 44 Tom Heil Dayton, OH #2 in 1964 Amateur Dirt Track points 1965 64 Billy Lloyd Langley Park, MD #3 in 1964 Amateur Dirt Track points 1965 66 Gary Hall Westerville, OH #4 in 1964 Amateur Dirt Track points 1965 61 Dave Stout Flint, MI #5 in 1964 Amateur Dirt Track points 1965 98 Bob Sholly Camp Hill, PA #6 in 1964 Amateur Dirt Track points 1966 38 Chuck Palmgren Freehold, NJ #1 in 1965 Amateur Dirt Track points 1966 68 Don Kelly Albuquerque, NM #2 in 1965 Amateur Short Track 1966 28 Jim Nicholson Newhall, CA #3 in 1965 Amateur Dirt Track points 1966 71 Dan Welty Deer Creek, IL #4 in 1965 Amateur Dirt Track points 1966 77 Chris Draayer Salt Lake City, UT #14 in 1965 Amateur Dirt Track points 1967 82 Jack Warren Clio, MI #1 in 1966 Amateur Dirt Track points 1967 70 Lennie Waldo Columbus, OH #4 in 1966 Amateur Dirt Track points 1967 86 Mark Heinemann Daytona Beach, FL NO 1966 STATS 1968 43 Jim Compton Newark, OH #1 in 1967 Amateur Dirt Track points 1968 26 Eddie Varnes Cochranville, PA #3 in 1967 Amateur Dirt Track points 1968 77 Jim Odom Fremont, CA #7 in 1967 Amateur Dirt Track points 1968 19 Ray Little Atlanta, GA #8 in 1967 Amateur Dirt Track points 1969 94 Larry Darr Mansfield, OH #2 in 1968 Amateur Overall points 1969 87 Mark Brelsford San Bruno, CA #4 in 1968 Amateur Overall points 1969 76 Jack Forrester Lafayette, IN #8 in 1968 Amateur HM points 1969 68 Wendel Whisenhunt Lindsay, OK #8 in 1968 in Amateur Dirt Track points 1971 25 Don Emde San Diego, CA 1970 Expert Road Race license 1975 52 Mike Clarke Downey, CA 1974 Expert Road Race license 1975 65 Billy Labrie St. Petersburg, FL 1974 Expert Road Race license 2011 12 Brad Baker Dryad, WA #1 in 2009 Pro Singles points 2011 23 Jeffrey Carver Jr. Alton, IL #1 in 2010 Pro Singles points 2012 91 Mikey Martin Acampo, CA #1 in 2011 Pro Singles points 2014 16 Wyatt Maguire Mead, WA #1 in 2013 Pro Singles points 2015 77 Kyle Johnson Twin Lake, MI #1 in 2014 Pro Singles points 2016 67 Davis Fisher Warren, OR #1 in 2015 GNC2 points 2017 94 Ryan Wells Albion, NY #1 in 2016 GNC2 points 2018 36 Kolby Carlile Canandigua, NY #1 in 2017 AFT Singles points |
GREATEST TO NEVER WIN CHAMPIONSHIPApril 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.
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.
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).
For a more thourough review of championship runners-up, click here. |
MICHAEL LOCK 2020 INTERVIEW PART IIJan 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.
▶ (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 IJan 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.
▶ "...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).
▶ "...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.
▶ "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.
▶ "...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 TIMESJan 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.
Date Fast Q Time Fast Q Speed Notes Name Engine 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 STATSDec 21, 2019 One hundred forty-five racers competed in the 2019 AFT series.
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2019 AFT SEASON STATSSep 30, 2019 AFT Twins Total racers: 41. Down from 72 in 2018. A 43% decrease.
AFT Singles Total racers: 100. Down from 116 in 2018. A 13% decrease.
AFT Production Twins Total racers: 41.
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 FLOPSSep 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.
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 EPICALLYAug 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.
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 ENTRIESAug 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)
By comparison, the 2019 American Flat Track HM & M event turnouts thus far in 2019 are:
04/20/19 Fort Worth HM (22)
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LATEST MICHAEL LOCK INTERVIEWAug 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."
"Plucky outsiders fighting for a podium doesn't happen in professional sports".
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LONGEST NATIONAL NUMBER HOLDERS - ALL NUMBERSJul 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:
Longest Tenure With Any National Number
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.
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LONGEST NATIONAL NUMBER HOLDERS - ONE NUMBERJul 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:
Longest Tenure With One National Number
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: 2020Jul 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: 2020Jul 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
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2018 AFT vs 1978 CAMEL PRO SERIESJul 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.
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AFT ADVISORY GROUP #3 / 2020 PROPOSAL REVIEWJul 2, 2019 Having finally digested the 2020 AFT plans, here are some of my thoughts:
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AFT ADVISORY GROUP #3 / 2020 PROPOSALJun 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.
i. Backup bikes may reduce red flag time and help keep the show on schedule.
b. AFT Production Twins
1.Technical Regulations: No Major rule changes planned
c. AFT Singles
1. Technical Regulations: No Major rule changes planned
3. Start Grid & Start Light
a. New Start Grid Layout: Examining modifications to staritng grid to reduce congestion on race starts.
4. Testing
a. 2019 official tests: Black Hills test replaced with Williams Grove. Canterbury Park may be added.
5. Track Management
a. Track prep & Maintenance: Proper equipment and protocols recorded for each surface.
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
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MORE BROTHER STATSJun 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?
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
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
Lima, Ohio Half Mile
Jared Mees Ind 25.722 (2017 session 1)
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SCOTTIE DEUBLER'S OFF THE GROOVE PODCASTMay 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. |
SCOTT PEARSON'S SUSPENSIONMay 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 RACEMay 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.
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.
For a report on a similar situation, read Scott Pearson's Suspension. |
CARROLL RESWEBER'S NEAR GRAND SLAM MONTHMay 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
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
Kenny Roberts came close in 1974, winning three disciplines in 21 days:
July 28, 1974 Laguna Seca Road Race
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JD BEACH WINS VIR SUPERBIKEMay 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
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
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
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JD BEACH WINS ARIZONA SUPER TTApril 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.
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CYCLE NEWS HISTORYApril 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!
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BIGGEST SURPRISES AFTER 3 ROUNDS OF 2019 AFT SEASONApril 24, 2019
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MORE AFT RIDERS JUMP FROM TWINS TO SINGLESFebruary 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.
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 / SUPERMOTOFebruary 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 TTsJanuary 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 OFFICERDecember 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 RECORDSOctober 25, 2018 Question: what is the record for most podiums in a GNC season?
Question: what is the record for fewest missed podiums in a GNC season?
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BRYAN SMITH LEAVES INDIANOctober 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 RETIRESOctober 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:
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BAUMAN BROTHERS FINISH 1-2 AT MECHANICSBURGSeptember 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:
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SPRINGFIELD MILE 25-LAP SPEEDS: RECENT HISTORYSeptember 4, 2018
Date Rider No. Brand Speed Sep 2, 2018 Bryan Smith
4 FTR75099.014 mph May 27, 2018 Jeffrey Carver
23 FTR750103.389 mph Sep 3, 2017 Jared Mees
9 FTR75096.855 mph May 28, 2018 Bryan Smith
1 FTR75098.243 mph Sep 4, 2016 Kenny Coolbeth
2 XR750101.518 mph May 29, 2016 Bryan Smith
42 EX65096.156 mph Sep 6, 2015 Bryan Smith
42 EX650100.358 mph May 24, 2015 Bryan Smith
42 EX65096.247 mph Aug 31, 2014 Kenny Coolbeth
2 XR750101.461 mph May 25, 2014 Bryan Smith
42 EX650100.593 mph Sep 1, 2013 Brandon Robinson
44 EX65099.782 mph Aug 31, 2013 Brandon Robinson
44 EX65098.583 mph Sep 16, 2012 Bryan Smith
42 EX650100.061 mph May 27, 2012 Willie McCoy
59 XR750102.939 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."
8/30/2018 66 AFT Twins 115 AFT Singles 8/30/2017 62 AFT Twins 109 AFT Singles 8/30/2016 83 GNC1 128 GNC2 8/30/2015 76 GNC1 126 GNC2 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 PLANSSeptember 1, 2018 Yesterday, the American Flat Track Advisor Group met to learn of the 2019 plan. Meeting minutes follow:
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.
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AFT TWINS - TOP TEN AGEAugust 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.
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.
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GODSPEED, ALEC MUTHAugust 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.
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CORKY KEENER, SKIP EAKEN and NICKY HAYDEN - AMA HALL OF FAME INDUCTEESAugust 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 NOMINEEJune 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. I grew up at Santa Fe Speedway every Wednesday night and of all of the autographs that I collected week in and week out, the only one that I still have in my possession is yours.
Wow. You must have been very young - that was 40 years ago! Santa Fe was a great place. I enjoyed racing there.
I think that AFT would prefer to have 20 or so well-financed riders/teams competing week in and week out instead of one hundred and fifty riders who are all struggling. The one thing I notice (about AFT races) is that there is way too much down time. 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. I personally liked the days when the National guys had to deal with the locals who didn't travel. When you went to Ascot, Castle Rock, or Santa Fe, you had to battle the Ascot, Castle Rock, and Santa Fe regulars. When a Santa Fe regular won the heat race at the Santa Fe National, the crowd would go crazy. 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. In 1964 you get your Novice license as #55E, make Amateur/Junior #55E in 1965, and rookie Expert 55# in 1966 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 was going to ask about the gap between your first Expert season in 1966 to your second in 1970, but I think you just explained why.
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.
How/when did you team up with Bart Markel?
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).
In 1974, you win your first National at Louisville. At what point in the evening did you start to think that you could win your first National?
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.
Racing motorcycles is a young man s game, especially in the mid 1970s. Yet in 1974, you were 29 years old, which is the age when most racers at that time were retiring. Was that age gap between you and your rivals something that you used to your advantage, or did you not really notice 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". In June 1974 you win Louisville, In August you finish third at the Indy mile, In September you finish second (to Beauchamp) at Toledo and then the next day win the Terre Haute National. At the end of the season you are the Central Regional Expert champion and you finish 7th in Grand National points. What are your thoughts upon hearing that list of accomplishments? 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. In 1975 you and Markel part ways. Was this before or after the offer to join the H-D team in 1975 came in?
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.
How was it, racing for the Harley-Davidson factory? Did everyone try to help each other or was each rider/mechanic pair off doing their own thing? 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. Was there much discussion about what happened when Gary Scott left the team (after the 1975 season)? 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. So you join the factory and are teamed up with Nick Deligianis, and then in 1976 you are teamed with Al Stangler. Was it difficult to change mechanics every year like that? 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. In 1976 you win Harrington, and finish second at Albuquerque, but broke your leg at Peoria. In 1977, you finish second at Terre Haute, third at San Jose, OKC, Columbus and Louisville to finish the season 6th. In 1978, you score third place finishes at Harrington, Columbus, and Sacramento, and finish the season 8th in points. 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. In 1980, your career ends with a crash at Santa Fe. 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. How did the "Mr. Dirt" nick name come to be? 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) The 1970s were a flamboyant time in the US, and yet most racers were using plain white Bell Star helmets. Your helmets, though, had "Keener" or "Corky" painted across the top, or had a tongue painted on the chin bar. It seems the kids of the sport were straight-laced, but one of the older guys on the series was the one having a good time. What motivated you to paint your helmets so differently? 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. In 1985, you were a guest commentator at a race (Springfield Mile), and you spun some laps on Scott Parker s backup bike. I remember you said in that telecast that you hadn't been on a race bike since you retired. Was it like getting back on a bicycle, or was it very different from what you remembered? 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. Is there an aspect of your career that you think should be revealed or emphasized? 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. Which rider did you look up to in your career? Who was your measuring stick? 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. Any final thoughts?
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.
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RONNIE JONES: THE OLD MAN KEEPS ON TICKINGMay 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: Name Age At
Last GNC Final Date of
Last GNC Final Location of
Last GNC Final Finish Ronnie Jones 57 yrs, 6 mos, 20 days 5/19/2019
Sacramento Mile 14th place Jay Springsteen 50 yrs, 1 mos, 12 days 5/27/2007
Springfield Mile 18th place (DNS) Dan Ingram 48 yrs, 11 mos, 22 days 8/31/2013
Springfield Mile 1eth place Terry Poovey 47 yrs, 8 mos, 12 days 5/28/2006
Springfield Mile 12th place (DNF) Joe Kopp 47 yrs, 4 mos, 14 days 9/25/2016
Santa Rosa Mile 7th place Jon Cornwell 47 yrs, 1 mos, 2 days 9/13/2008
Indianapolis Mile 17th place George Richtmeyer Jr. 46 yrs, 10 mos, 14 days 8/4/2001
Harrington Half Mile 15th place Greg Tysor 46 yrs, 8 mos, 25 days 3/8/2006
Daytona Short Track 8th place Willie McCoy 45 yrs, 6 mos, 18 days 7/4/2015
DuQuoin Mile 14th place Larry Pegram 45 yrs, 0 mos, 18 days 9/23/2017
Fort Worth Half Mile 10th place Steve Morehead 44 yrs, 1 mos, 17 days 10/10/1999
Del Mar Mile 11th place Chris Carr 43 yrs, 4 mos, 28 days 10/1/2010
Prescott Valley Mile 8th place Dick Mann 39 yrs, 8 mos, 27 days 3/10/1974
Daytona Road Race 12th place Scott Parker 38 yrs, 9 mos, 13 days 9/3/2000
Springfield Mile 1st place Bart Markel 37 yrs, 0 mos, 22 days 9/10/1972
Atlanta Mile 12th place |
DEBBI SELDEN: FIRST WOMAN AMA PRO FLAT TRACKERApril 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.
By the age of 18, you had raced hill climbs, enduros, English Trials, scrambles, Desert Runs, and flat track. You started out on a 50cc Suzuki, and had ridden everything up to a 650cc Triumph. That is an impressive variety of disciplines I did not expect that anyone would have so much diversity. 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. Who was the driving force in exposing you to so many different racing adventures?
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.
How did people react when they found out your raced motorcycles?
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!
What was the reaction from your fellow competitors to your racing ambitions (pro and otherwise)? 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. What sparked your interest in getting an AMA Pro License? 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. In a July 1968 article, you were quoted as having sent a petition to the AMA about getting a license the following year, but the "AMA didn't even want to talk about it". Can you clarify what their reaction was? 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. What goals did you have in racing in general and Pro racing specifically? 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. How did you meet Kel Carruthers? 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. Which racers did you look up to when you were considering getting a pro racing license? 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." In April 1969, you turn 18 and apply for an AMA Professional license. Were you formally denied a license, or did the AMA simply ignore your request? 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. In the summer of 1970, the Superior Court of Washington rules in your favor, and the AMA appeals it immediately. So you win, but you don't get to celebrate, and you still can t get your pro license. Were you still racing Sportsman events during the court battle?
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.
You filed your lawsuit in 1969, and you won in Superior Court in 1970, which the AMA immediately appealed, and you finally won in the Supreme Court in fall of 1971. That is three long years of litigation. 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. January 23, 1972 was your first pro race at an indoor in Philadelphia. 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. Did you know that Madison Square Garden (on January 24, 1972) was going to be your last race?
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).
Did you stay involved in the sport after you retired from racing? 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. Maybe you don't know this, but the Pacific NW is the epicenter of more women dirt trackers than anywhere else. You were the first in 1972, then Diane Cox (Salem OR) in 1973, Tammy Sessions (Seattle, WA) 1974, Debbie Saenz (Puyallup, WA) 1978, and Tricia Lyons (Oregon City, OR) 1985. Did you have any personal experiences with them as they were coming up? I had heard of Diane Cox but had never seen or met her. I knew Tammy Sessions: very nice gal, and very talented. In a recent conversation with a history colleague of mine, Diane Cox the first woman to get an Expert license in 1975 - commented that "Debbi wasn t trying to make a big statement. She just wanted to race for the same reason I did . because it was fun. But it did open the door for other female racers, I think. I sent in my application, and it went straight through." That s great. You want to share your passion with others. And if I helped them in a small way, that is great. There are several women currently competing in the pro ranks. Do you follow the sport at all? 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! Being from Tacoma, and having raced in Graham, are you familiar with the Halbert family? 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". When did your son get into racing? 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. And your granddaughter also races? 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. Your story has been a long-overlooked footnote in flat track history for the past 46 years. I thank you for taking time today to talk with me about your racing history. Is there any part of your story that I haven t touched on, that you believe really needs to be illuminated? 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 Kenny Coolbeth announced that 2018 will be his final year of racing? |
STAGNATIONMarch 11, 2018 There appears to be no incentive for riders to move from the AFT Singles class to the AFT Twins class.
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TALENT POOL?January 18, 2018 My history colleague Bob Herrick compiled the following information:
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10th PLACEJanuary 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.
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GRAND NATIONAL SINGLES WINSDecember 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:
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AMA HALL OF FAMEDecember 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.
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DIRT TRACK HEROES PANEL DISCUSSIONSDecember 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.
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HAIL TO THE CHIEFOctober 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.
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RON WOOD BUILDS HONDA TWINOctober 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!
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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:
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CONSECUTIVE PODIUM FINISHESSeptember 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-TWINSJune 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.
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 COURSEJune 17, 2017
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Daytona TTMarch 17, 2017
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
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Uncharted WatersMarch 14, 2017
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AMA Grand National TT HistoryMarch 5, 2017
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
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
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 AssignmentsDecember 10, 2016
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 StatsNovember 27, 2016
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 LettersNovember 9, 2016
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 ReleasedOctober 29, 2016
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 FinaleSeptember 18, 2016
1958Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Carroll Resweber 36 points
1. Carroll Resweber 36 points 2. Dick Klamfoth 28 points
2. Joe Leonard 35 points 2. Everett Brashear 28 points
3. Dick Klamfoth 28 points 4. Joe Leonard 25 points
3. Everett Brashear 28 points 1960Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Carroll Resweber 43 points
1. Carroll Resweber 49 points 2. Joe Leonard 33 points
2. Joe Leonard 45 points 1963Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Dick Mann 114 points
1. Dick Mann 114 points 2. George Roeder 92 points
2. George Roeder 113 points 1978Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Jay Springsteen 276 points
1. Jay Springsteen 296 points 2. Steve Eklund 275 points
2. Steve Eklund 291 points 1980Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Randy Goss 197 points
1. Randy Goss 207 points 2. Hank Scott 193 points
2. Hank Scott 206 points 1981Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Mike Kidd 184 points
1. Mike Kidd 200 points 1. Gary Scott 184 points
2. Gary Scott 195 points 1982Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Ricky Graham 214 points
1. Ricky Graham 221 points 2. Jay Springsteen 210 points
2. Jay Springsteen 219 points 1984Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Ricky Graham 283 points
1. Ricky Graham 285 points 2. Bubba Shobert 268 points
2. Bubba Shobert 284 points 1991Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Scott Parker 209 points
1. Scott Parker 225 points 2. Chris Carr 205 points
2. Chris Carr 225 points 1992Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Chris Carr 221 points
1. Chris Carr 234 points 2. Scott Parker 212 points
2. Scott Parker 232 points 1998Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Chris Carr 275 points
1. Scott Parker 296 points 2. Scott Parker 273 points
2. Chris Carr 294 points 2006Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Kenny Coolbeth 210 points
1. Kenny Coolbeth 233 points 2. Chris Carr 210 points
2. Chris Carr 211 points 2009Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Sammy Halbert 187 points
1. Sammy Halbert 203 points 2. Jared Mees 186 points
2. Joe Kopp 202 points 3. Joe Kopp 183 points
3. Jared Mees 200 points 2014Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Jared Mees 260 points
1. Jared Mees 279 points 2. Bryan Smith 247 points
2. Bryan Smith 276 points 2016Position Entering Final Round Points Entering
Final Round Position After Final Round Points After Final Round 1. Bryan Smith 221 points
1. TBD TBD 2. Jared Mees 219 points
2. TBD TBD |
World Record 25-lap Mile Times Over The YearsJuly 27, 2016
Date Rider Location Facility Time Speed Brand/Model 8/21/1938 Woodsie Castonaguay Springfield, IL Illinois State Fairgrounds 19:02.800 78.754 mph Scout8/25/1940 Melvin Rhoades Springfield, IL Illinois State Fairgrounds 18:37.620 80.528 mph 648 Big Base Scout8/17/1941 Frenchie Castonaguay Springfield, IL Illinois State Fairgrounds 18:03.480 83.066 mph 648 Big Base Scout8/20/1950 Larry Headrick Springfield, IL Illinois State Fairgrounds 18:01.710 83.202 mph WR8/19/1951 Bobby Hill Springfield, IL Illinois State Fairgrounds 16:58.710 88.347 mph 648 Big Base Scout9/15/1968 Fred Nix Sacramento, CA California State Fairgrounds 16:42.980 89.733 mph KR9/14/1969 Chuck Palmgren Sacramento, CA California State Fairgrounds 16:33.080 90.627 mph  T1208/26/1972 Chuck Palmgren Indianapolis, IN Indiana State Fairgrounds 16:22.420 91.611 mph  GXS-19/10/1972 Dave Sehl Atlanta, GA Lakewood Speedway 16:00.330 93.718 mph XR7509/07/1975 Corky Keener Syracuse, NY New York State Fairgrounds 15:47.170 95.020 mph XR7505/15/1976 Rex Beauchamp San Jose, CA Santa Clara County Fairgrounds 15:04.020 99.555 mph XR7508/24/1980 Ricky Graham Indianapolis, IN Indiana State Fairgrounds 14:55.820 100.467 mph XR7505/16/1982 Ricky Graham Springfield, IL Illinois State Fairgrounds 14:44.050 101.804 mph XR7508/25/1985 Scott Parker Indianapolis, IN Indiana State Fairgrounds 14:41.947 102.047 mph XR7505/25/1986 Ricky Graham Springfield, IL Illinois State Fairgrounds 14:33.271 103.061 mph RS7505/28/1995 Chris Carr Springfield, IL Illinois State Fairgrounds 14:26.770 103.834 mph XR7509/03/2000 Scott Parker Springfield, IL Illinois State Fairgrounds 14:25.200 104.022 mph XR7509/04/2005 Chris Carr Springfield, IL Illinois State Fairgrounds 14:23.451 104.233 mph XR750 |
World Record 1-lap Mile Times Over The YearsJuly 26, 2016
Date Rider Location Facility Time Speed Brand/Model 9/15/1935 Woodsie Castonaguay Langhorne, PA Langhorne Speedway 41.810 86.104 mph Sport Scout9/02/1940 Don Smith Langhorne, PA Langhorne Speedway 40.510 88.867 mph 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 KR9/04/1955 Brad Andres Langhorne, PA Langhorne Speedway 37.593 95.763 mph KR8/25/1973 Mert Lawwill Indianapolis, IN Indiana State Fairgrounds 37.520 95.949 mph XR7508/23/1975 Rex Beauchamp Indianapolis, IN Indiana State Fairgrounds 37.253 96.637 mph XR7508/28/1976 Rex Beauchamp Indianapolis, IN Indiana State Fairgrounds 37.077 97.095 mph XR7509/12/1976 Rex Beauchamp Syracuse, NY New York State Fairgrounds 36.871 97.638 mph XR7507/30/1978 Hank Scott DuQuoin, IL DuQuoin State Fairgrounds 35.956 100.122 mph XR7508/24/1980 Hank Scott Indianapolis, IN Indiana State Fairgrounds 35.283 102.032 mph XR7505/27/1984 Ricky Graham Springfield, IL Illinois State Fairgrounds 34.548 104.203 mph RS7507/24/1988 Bubba Shobert DuQuoin, IL DuQuoin State Fairgrounds 34.377 104.721 mph RS7505/24/1992 Scott Parker Springfield, IL Illinois State Fairgrounds 34.264 105.067 mph XR7505/25/2014 Bryan Smith Springfield, IL Illinois State Fairgrounds 33.823 106.436 mph EX650 |
Proposed 2016 Rule ChangeAugust 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 SacramentoJune 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 ChampionshipDecember 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 TLCDecember 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 LeftSeptember 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. 2013 - Brad Baker led Bryan Smith by 10 points with two rounds remaining, and won the title by 17. 2012 - Jared Mees led Sammy Halbert by 14 points with two rounds remaining, and won the title by 13. 2011 - Jake Johnson trailed Jared Mees by 18 points with two rounds remaining, yet won the title by 16 points. A 34-point turnaround. 2010 - Jake Johnson trailed Joe Kopp by five points with two rounds remaining, yet won the title by 20 points. A 25-point turnaround. 2009 - Sammy Halbert trailed Joe Kopp by 7 points with two rounds remaining, yet won the title by 1 point. An 8-point turnaround. 2008 - Kenny Coolbeth had the title locked up with two rounds remaining over Joe Kopp. 2007 - Kenny Coolbeth led Jared Mees by 27 points with two rounds remaining and won the title by 35. 2006 - Kenny Coolbeth trailed Chris Carr by 14 points with two rounds remaining yet won the title by 22 points. A 36-point turnaround. 2005 - Chris Carr led Kenny Coolbeth by 19 points with two rounds remaining and won the title by 47. |
Springfield Mile...this weekendMay 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 #2May 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 BooneMay 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 #1April 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 ShoeApril 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:
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AftermathAugust 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. WeatherMay 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:
You can be there will be more... |
Two Wheels OnlyMay 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:
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Complaining For The Sake Of ComplainingApril 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.
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 2013December 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 noticesSeptember 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:
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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.
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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. |
DominationJuly 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 consecutive podium finishes that year - out of 15 events! 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, albeit not consecutively. 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 UpdateJuly 14, 2012 This year has seen an unsual amount of injuries to top riders than any recent year I can remember. To wit:
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: 1970-1975July 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 LessonJuly 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:
Maybe the Glory Days weren't as glorious as we remember... |
2012 Dairyland Classic ThoughtsJune 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:
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Old Man McCoy Does It AgainMay 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 WoundedMay 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 InsuranceMay 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:
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 #2May 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. |
ElkhornMay 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. I intended to race myself for the first time in 10 years, and I saw a lot of faces in the pits who also had not competed at all in many years. I guess many of us have such fond memories of the place that when we all had the chance to race there again...the draw was too much to keep us away. Shame that it rained, although it sure looked like it was going to be a dry, dusty track had we actually gotten bikes on the track.Hopefully we'll get a chance to try it again sometime. |
Roll Call #1April 29, 2012 The Pro/Expert division already has some heavy hitters heading our way:
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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 UpdateApril 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 2012March 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 ComeJanuary 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 EdgeJanuary 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 ReviewOctober 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:
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DMGOctober 25, 2011 With the completion of the 2011 Grand National season, how is DMG doing?
Recall that DMG (Daytona Motorsports Group) bought the AMA Pro Racing properties from AMA (Ohio) in 2007, took over the Grand National Series in May of 2008 (after the series schedule and rules were already in place).
Thus, 2009 was the first season with the DMG "stamp" on it, in terms of venues selected.
Let's see:
While each new venue brought with it a steep learning curve, no significant complaints have been reported. In most cases, the track prep provided a racey surface and the programs ran on time. Many of us can recall the tumultuous 2007 season in which several events were plagued by mismanagement on several fronts. Most significantly the Syracuse New York round at which the main event was 'rained out' without a cloud in the sky, the West Liberty Iowa round in which the promoter attempted to run the race without the AMA, and the Las Vegas round in which the track was deemed unsafe after practice. DMG has introduced the "Dash For Cash", which offers Grand National points, and this year introduced an additional Grand National point for leading the most laps. |
Chris Carr Ends CareerOctober 16, 2011 Last night, in Pomona, California, Chris Carr hung up his helmet and steel shoe for the last time as a professional flat track racer. 7 career AMA Grand National Championships (second all-time) 78 career AMA Grand National wins (second all-time) 25 years finishing in the top 10 in Grand National points (most all-time) 22 years finishing in the top 5 in the Grand National points (most all-time) 18 years finishing in the top 3 in the Grand National points (most all-time) Grand National wins on six different brands (most all-time) Grand National wins on 31 different tracks (most all-time) 7 career AMA 600 National championships (most all-time) 31 career AMA 600 National wins (most all-time) Perhaps most impressively, he competed in the Grand National Championship for 25 years, plus two years chasing the AMA Superbike Championship, without missing a race due to injury. It was an honor to have him compete at the Dairyland Classic in 2006, 2010, and 2011. |
450 Pros on The MileSeptember 10, 2011 Another 'big wreck' occured on the Springfield Mile last weekend in the 450cc Pro Singles division. As is common, there is considerable hubbub online about how unsafe the 450 Pros are on the mile, and what is AMA/DMG going to do about it? News flash: racing motorcycles at high speeds is dangerous. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programme. My big question is, what makes the 450 Pros so unsafe on the miles?
I am seeing a lot of Pro riders expressing their fears/concerns online, yet none are offering suggestions on how to remedy the situation. Some non-racers want the 450s pulled from the miles. This is not he answer. The whole point is to give the Pro riders mile track experience before they hop on a 750cc twin and line up next to Carr, Mees, Halbert, et al. Some (racers and non-racers) have suggested running restricted twins in the Pro division. This won't work either, as the purse money is intentionally low in the Pro division - very few team owners will build twins for the little return. Without knowing the true problem, the best suggestion I have seen yet comes from team owner Dick Weirbach, who suggests fewer riders in each Pro event on a mile. Currently they pull 32 riders from qualifying into two 16-rider heats, then a LCQ, and finally an 18-rider main. Maybe 16 & 18 riders is just too many guys at one time. Maybe that many riders increases the sense that one needs to bonzai to the front and stay there at all costs. So pull the 32 from qualifying into four 8-rider heats and run either a single 12-rider main or run two 8-rider mains ("A" and "B" main). The riders get experience, they don't feel like 15 guys are breathing down their neck, and maybe there will be less concern. But it sounds like the bigger problem is that the riders are too aggressive on the miles. Some have suggested having Carr, Mees, or others 'coach' the younger guys. No offense, but I put little confidence that a lecture will work. What they need is stiff punishment for rough riding on the miles. Maybe they even need to make the mile events "invitation only". If you prove to be a safe rider on the small tracks, you get invited to run the big tracks. If you're hell on wheels on a short track, what are the odds you'll be safe on a mile? Interestingly, I've yet to hear of a Pro Singles rider disciplined for rough riding. Experts, yes, but not Pro Singles riders. |
The Mindset ListSeptember 2, 2011 This year's college freshmen were born in 1993-1994. Each August since 1998, Beloit College has released the Beloit College Mindset List, providing a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall.
To put their list into flat track racing terms, this year's college freshman have:
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End Of An EraAugust 14, 2011 This thought just occurred to me. When Chris Carr retires at the end of the season, he will be the last guy currently competing in the AMA Grand National Championship that raced at all of the historic, yet now-defunct, racetracks.
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Sobering thought...July 4, 2011 It just now dawned on me that very few stars on the 2011 Grand National Championship ever raced against my brother, Jim, who died on May 26, 2002 on the Springfield mile. Among the top 25 from last year's GNC standings, I only notice a few: Joe Kopp (2nd), Kenny Coolbeth (5th), Chris Carr (7th), JR Schnabel (15th), Shaun Russell (19th), and Willie McCoy (21st). Joe Kopp retired (for the most part) this year, Shaun Russell and Willie McCoy are running limited schedules, and Chris Carr retires at the end of this year. That only leaves two - Coolbeth and Schnabel. If JR retires after this year, that leaves ONE top 20 GNC guy who raced against my brother, who held National 45 from 1991 until 2002. I guess a lot can change in 9 years.... |
Rider ReviewsJune 27, 2011 Browsing the internet, I came across a variety of Pro/Expert race reports from this year's Dairyland Classic:
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Finally, a dry oneJune 4, 2011 After eleven years of attempts, I was finally allowed to host a Dairyland Classic event without ANY rain falling while I was at the facility! I understand Elkhart Lake had a thunderstorm around 7am on Friday, but no rain fell at the Sheboygan County Fair Park. We estimate that the grandstands we filled to just over 3/4 capacity, which would put it as the second-largest crowd we've drawn in 11 years. Our thanks and gratitute to all who came out to support our efforts to host Wisconsin's Premier Flat Track Motorcycle Racing event! Early on, we had a persistent 40mph wind blowing from the south, which meant we had to put a lot more water onto the track in the hopes of keeping it we enough to get good traction. As we launched the first bikes out for practice, I was anxious to see if the bikes would start kicking up dust or not. Luckily, the extra effort by Dale and Kathy Baumann paid off, as we didn't have any dust on the racing surface all night long. With the winds still prominent as we launched our autograph session, we decided to lay another coat of water down, and this paid off very well. Once the sun went down, the moisture came back up and the racing line got tackier. For the first time, in recent memory, the races got faster as the night progressed - our last Pro/Expert semi was the fastest six-lap race we've ever had, and the Pro/Expert main broke the previous record for a twenty-lap event by over eight seconds! One of the riders in the Pro/Expert main told me that by the midpoint in the race, he was getting so much grip in the corners that he was having a hard time getting through the corners. We drew the largest group of Vintage riders and also the largest group of Quad riders in our history! Our Amateur division continues to be very strong, but the Youth division continues to be the one that seems to draw the least interest from competitors. We will be thinking about changing this division for 2012 to one that will enhance our overall program. We are humbled by the spectator turnout last night, and on behalf of my family, we thank you for supporting us! |
Nine years agoMay 26, 2011 My younger brother, Jim, rode his self-prepared XR750 onto the Springfield Mile for the last time, nine years ago this morning. He made a single lap at speed before God called him home. He had actually passed away after crashing at the Peoria TT four years earlier, so we were blessed to get four more years with him. My, how time flies... |
One week from tomorrowMay 25, 2011 We will host the Chris Carr Farewell To Flat Track party at West Bend Harley-Davidson! 6-8pm! Thursday June 2! Chris says he'll have his bikes there and he'll be seeling his Tour t-shirts and from my experience he'll be willing to talk about anything and everything. Joining Chris will be XR1200 road racer Kyle Wyman, who won the Daytona XR1200 race earlier this year and will be competing at Road America on June 4. |
Of all the things to whine about...May 25, 2011 Yes, I am hard down getting ready for the 27th Annual Dairyland Classic next weekend. But something flared up on an internet forum and I feel compelled to say 'get over it'. Someone is upset that Sammy Halbert is promoting himself as a Grand National Champion on the grounds that when the AMA recognized the separate Singles and Twins championships in 2006, they did not mention any overall Grand National Champion. As fate would have it, Kenny Coolbeth won the Twins Championship in 2006, and also scored the most overall points (when you combine the individual Singles and Twins points together). This same scenario occured in 2007 and 2008. Jake Johnson won the Singles titles in 2006 and 2008, while Coolbeth won the Singles title in 2007. Being a historian for the sport, in my terminology, Kenny Coolbeth is a 3-time Grand National Champion - 2006 thru 2008. The fact that in 2007 he won both the Singles AND Twins championships is just gravy on the icing. For those three years, one guy rode #1 on all Singles races, while another rode #1 on all Twins races. In 2008 it happened to be the same guy. And in each of those three years, the guy who scored the most combined points also got to wear #1 at least some of the time. In 2009, the inevitable happened. Henry Wiles won the Singles title, Jared Mees won the Twins title, but Sammy Halbert scored the more combined points than either of them. For 2010, the AMA found themselves in a bit of a pickle, as they hadn't planned for this to happen. They had already promised that each champ would wear #1 at their respective races, but they hadn't planned on someone winning the overall without winning one of the "official" titles. So right before Daytona 2010, they announced the National Number list, and awarded Sammy Halbert a single digit - #7. While not formally recognizing him as an official Grand National Champion, in essence (in my mind) they were acknowledging his accomplishment. After all, since 1954, 23 riders had scored the most points in the various disciplines that composed the Grand National Championship, and all (except one) wore the #1 plate the following year. Final point on the matter: Do you know who won the first ever Super Bowl? It was the Baltimore Colts over the Dallas Cowboys on January 17, 1971, in a game now known as Super Bowl V. The games now recognized as Super Bowls I through IV were then known as the NFL-AFL Championship Games. |
Chris Carr Farewell TourMay 4, 2011 As stated earlier, Chris Carr is on his Farewell To Flat Track tour this year, and the Dairyland Classic is ON that tour! We know that we run a very tight schedule at the Dairyland Classic, so in an effort to give fans a little more one-on-one time with Mr. Carr as he makes his final Wisconsin appearances, we have arranged to have him appear at West Bend Harley-Davidson on Thursday, June 2, from 6-8pm. Chris will be available to talk about his career, his experiences - did you know that he was the first person to go 350mph on a motorcycle? - his successes, his work with American Supercamp, his ambitions for his future, where he hopes the sport is headed, ask him for advice about sponsorships, or bike set-up, or workouts....in other words, we've asked him to be available to talk about what YOU want to talk about. We hope to see a good turnout for Chris' Farewell tour! We will have Fuzz Martin from WBWI (92.5 FM) on site as well to help inform the listening area about Chris' Tour and, of course, the Dairyland Classic presented by Hoban Brothers! |
More New Sponsors!May 3, 2011 We've landed two more new sponsors - Triumph City of Milwaukee and Ala Roma's Pizzeria & Pub in Fond du Lac! Triumph City is Milwaukee's only Triumph dealership! Want to get a closer look at the new Rocket III, Bonneville, or Speed Triple? click here! Ala Roma's Italian Pizzeria and Pub is on Pioneer Road in Fond du Lac, just east of Hwy 41 and south of Hwy 23. Not far from the Sheboygan County Fair Park! Click here to check out their entire menu, available for eating in or taking home! They can even cater your next post-race party! |
New Sponsors!April 12, 2011 We've landed another new sponsor - Ducati of Milwaukee! If you have the desire for an exotic Italian motorcycle, click here! |
Now On FacebookApril 11, 2011 Are web sites "so 90s"? We hope not, but if you prefer to follow us on Facebook, click here!" |
Pro Racing Memorial CentennialApril 7, 2011 My personal labor of love - the Pro Racing Memorial - has reached 100 members. Today I added Kenny Ingle and Casey Stines to the Memorial (which can be seen here). Even though both perished over sixty years ago, each and every name I have added over the years has been a very moving experience. Some more than others obviously. On a positive note, no sooner did I add Kenny and Casey that I received an email from a gentleman who noticed that the Babe Robertson entry was rather lacking, and he wanted to share his personal memories. It is moments like that in which I take tremendous joy. I have been blessed to have a number of people find my Memorial Page while looking for more information about family members, friends, etc. The most vivid of these memories are the woman who had broken up with a racer years ago but never knew what happened to him until finding his name on my Memorial, and the woman who never knew her grandfather raced motorcycles until she found his name on my Memorial. She also learned that he was a very good racer, and very well-respected. My heartfelt thanks to all who have helped me document, preserve, and recognize the brave men who gave their lives while racing. I often remember that when I first came into the Internet, there were a few pages that attempted to recognize racers who had passed on, but all were simply lists of names. I wanted to add more than just names. I also wanted to document as much as I could, hence why I feel compelled to list as much information as possible - professional rank, location, and specific (yet hopefully not too gruesome) details of the accident. I do this last bit out of wholehearted respect, to ensure that the truth is listed, hopefully to prevent rumors from spreading. In the case of my brother, rumors continue to spread that are contrary to what truly happened. It may not be pleasant, but I try to write what happened. I thank you all for your support. |
New Event Sponsor - KronosparkMarch 5, 2011 We are proud to announce our first new sponsor for the 2011 Dairyland Classic - Kronospark Power Systems out of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. They make lead acid and lithium racing batteries. We are thrilled to have them on board! Click here to find out more about Kronospark! |
Chris Carr Farewell To Flat Track Tour 2011February 26, 2011 Chris Carr has announced that 2011 will be his final year of professional flat track competition, after that he hopes to move into managing a team with other riders twisting the throttles. With 78 Grand National wins and 7 Grand National titles to his credit - not that I'm overlooking his 31 wins and 7 titles in the now-defunct AMA 600 National Series that ran from 1988-1996, or his 350.884 MPH speed at the Bonneville Salt Flats a couple years ago - he has earned the right to step away on his terms. I often bring up that when Chris was a rookie expert in 1985, the most seasoned veteran on the circuit was Gary Scott, the 1975 AMA Grand National Champion, who was a year away from hanging up his steel shoe but was in his 14th season in the Expert division. Chris has now been competitive in the Expert division for 27 years, meaning this year's rookies had to go up against nearly DOUBLE the experience that Chris had to in his rookie year of 1985! Chris has graciously asked The Dairyland Classic to be on his Farewell To Flat Track Tour, and we have accepted. As I have said many times, because our event is not a Grand National event, we never really know who is coming and who is not each year. We've had guys "commit", but then not show, and we've had guys say "no thanks" who show up and surprise us! All the annual uncertainty makes it tough to market our event to our sponsors and our fans. Having Chris "on board" this early is at least a feather in our cap going forward to June that we can be confident about. And with no Grand National events currently scheduled for June 4-5, we surely hope to see ALL of the Grand National stars up in Plymouth on June 3! |
Speed TVFebruary 25, 2001 We were absolutely thrilled when SpeedTV showed up in Plymouth last year to film the 2010 Dairyland Classic. Folks keep asking about when the shows will air, and as of this writing...we still don't know. The races will air as part of the Lucas Oil On The Edge program, but which air dates, and how the event will be spliced up, we still don't know. First we were told "January", then "February", and the latest is "maybe March, Maybe June". When we know more, we'll let everyone know. |
End Of Year ThoughtsOctober 26, 2010 In no particular order:
More to come later... |
Jake Johnson / Team Zanotti Win ChampionshipOctober 10, 2010 Jake Johnson won the race and the title(s) at Prescott Valley, yesterday, finishing 20 points in front of Joe Kopp and defending champion Jared Mees. This is Jake's first overall Grand National Championship - he won the Grand National Singles title in 2006 & 2008 - so next year he wears the #1 plate at ALL AMA events! Thanks Mike Kidd for re-establishing the Grand National Championship! Big congrats go out to Dave Zanotti, who built the bikes and twisted the wrenches. Dave has been a recurring visitor to the Dairyland Classic since 2004, spinning the wrenches for Jethro & occasionally Sam Halbert. Dave missed the race this year as the weather was looking mighty iffy, and Jake was leading the points and wanted to focus on the Grand Nationals. (I talked to both at Shakopee, MN in September and both said they'd try to make it to the 2011 Dairyland Classic)! This year Dave hooked up with Johnson and the rest, as they say is history. Their worst finish this season was a 13th at Gas City, which Jakes says was due to his personal performance. Dave gets credit for being the first second-generation tuner (or rider, for that matter) to win the Grand National Championship - his late father, Mario, wrenched Steve Eklund to the 1979 title! Big congrats also go out to Jefferey Carver, who claimed the Pro Singles championship this year. Jefferey won our 250 Amateur division in 2005 & 2006, and came back this year to finish 10th in the 450cc Pro Main.
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One To Go...September 26, 2010 In two weeks, we will crown a new AMA Grand National Champion. Currently Jake Johnson has a 10-point lead of Joe Kopp, with Jared Mees another 9 back, Henry Wiles another 7 back. Technically there are 28 maximum points to be earned at Prescott Valley, and Wiles is 26 behind Johnson, but its rare for these top guys to miss a main event. I figure it'll be Johnson or Kopp, and Kopp needs a lot of help (after his DNF at Shakopee, and the rain-out at Knoxville, IA). Jake has two Grand National Singles titles (2006 & 2008) on his mantle, but no overall Grand National Championships. Kopp won the overall (only) championship in 2000. Whoever hoists the #1 plate on October 9 will do us proud. |
Same Tired ArgumentsSeptember 24, 2010 As the end of the season approaches, it is customary for a select few in the online community to begin second-guessing those in power at AMA/DMG. With multi-brand racing finally a reality in the Grand National Twins division - eight different brands have competed with six scoring points and three scoring victories - it seems a bit odd againdoubly out of place this year. But that doesn't stop them One online camp is shouting that AMA/DMG should remove all intake restrictors from the engines and let the tuners battle with no holds barred. We had a "no restrictor" rule in the Expert division up until 1987, and the last 5 years of that rule only saw two OEMs participating - Harley-Davidson and Honda. Even AMA's efforts to bring in new engine configurations through the ill-fated "Project 2000" only managed to secure one viable alternative - the Suzuki TL1000/SV1000/SV650. The intake restrictors were first installed onto Grand National Expert twins for 1987. Only recently have any other configurations started to gain a foothold in the sport. The six brands reaching main events this year are the venerable Harley-Davidson XR750, the Suzuki SV650/1000, the Aprilia Mille, the Ducati Hypermotard, the Kawasaki Ninja 650, the Triumph 865cc Bonneville, and the KTM 900cc. If the restrictors were removed, I can pretty much predict that all those other engines will go back into the garages and never be seen again. These are many of the same folks who whine about the current Grand National Singles rules that require 450cc single-cylinder engines in OEM frames. "Let the 'big bore framers' back in!" they shout. We had an "open ended" rule package from 1984 until 2002, and I'd reckon 96% of the riders had Rotax engines. Not much brand diversity there. Another rally cry amongst the online masses is that the spec tire rule is ruining the sport, and tying the hands of the tuner. Another is that since we have a spec tire rule, the tire itself can only transmit so much horespower to the track and therefore it is "the great equalizer". This then leads to their conclusion that any intake restrictors is superfluous, since the tire will limit how much horespower can be used. One tuner recently published horespower graphs online showing how the Suzuki SV1000 puts out more horespower than the venerable XR750 across the powerband, yet was unable to use this extra power to secure a race victory. Hindsight being 20-20, I wonder if those tuners knew this, and if they did, why didn't they simply de-tune the SV1000 so it mimicked the power curve of the XR750. One less variable to worry about, in my opinion. In any case, with the exception of a couple of years earlier this decade in which Maxxis and Continental produced dirt track tire, we have essentially had a spec tire rule in place since 1988 or so. Much more ado about nothing. In any case, the silly season is upon us. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. I, for one, am very pleased with the progress the Grand National Series has made in two short years, and I look forward to seeing how 2010 ends and what happens in 2011. |
New Video PostedSeptember 16, 2010 On the HOME page of this website (click here), you will now find a new video shot by TheFastAndDirty.Com from the 2010 Dairyland Classic, with some Springfield TT stuff mixed in. Enjoy! |
It's been a while...September 12, 2010 I attended the AMA Grand National event in Shakopee, Minnesota last night. I have not been to an AMA Grand National since May 26, 2002, the day my younger brother Jim died at Springfield. As you know, I have promoted the Dairyland Classic since 2001, so while I have not attended Nationals, I have certainly been in touch with most of the top Pro riders over the years. But I am so busy at my race that I don't have much time to chat. The amazing response I got while walking through the pits (and the grandstands) was unbelievable. To have the very top guys in the sport thank me and my family for putting on the Dairyland Classic is just tremendous. Even guys who have only been to the Dairyland once greeted me like an old friend. My thoughts about the racing? Well, multi-brands were certainly present (even if Harley-Davidsons were clearly the top choice). Two Kawasakis, one Triumph, one Ducati, and one KTM made the Expert Final, and there was even a Buell XB9 competing (which did not make the Final). Canterbury Park is a horse track, whose main surface is a kind of sand. For motorcycles, they scraped down to the limestone base. In practice and in the heat races, everyone ran down on the brushed-off groove. In the semis, everyone went up to the haybales and started throwing rooster-tails over the air fence at 100mph! I haven't seen THAT in years. Because of the shape of the track (long straights, tight corners), guys were backing into the corners - something else I haven't seen in years! Joe Kopp (National #3) was the hard-luck story of the night. He's been leading the newly-combined AMA Grand National Championship all year, and came into Canterbury with a 20-point lead. Joe was running fourth or fifth on his Ducati in the main when he dramatically slowed in turn one - he'd lost his brake pedal the previous corner. For those who don't know, not only do guys use the brakes when slowing down in the corners, they also drag the brake while getting through the corners to keep the wheels inline and get better drives. So without the brake pedal, Joe couldn't slow down the way he wanted to, and he couldn't get through the corners the way he wanted to. He struggled for 17 laps, bouncing off the outer berm of the racetrack every lap as he tried to keep a firm hold on 8th place (his championship rival, Jake Johnson, was running second). Well, five laps from the end, the Ducati spit the chain off, leaving Joe stranded in 16th place. Just like that, a 10-point lead became a 10-point deficit, with two rounds left. To his credit, Joe was smiles and jovial after the races. I caught his eye in his pit and he came right over, shrugged and said "we'll get 'em next week". I saw another top rider who had a mechanical issue earlier in the night. When I asked him what happened and he told me "I've been telling everyone else (this), but in reality what happened was (that)". All in all, I had a great time. Great facility. Even with only 25 Experts and 19 Pros, one hell of a show. It's not often you get to see guys rooster-tailing 750cc machines at over 100mph. If you get a chance to catch them at Knoxville, IA on 9/18 or Yavapai Downs on 10/9, I strongly recommend it. |
History and SuspensionsSeptember 11, 2010 My mother reminded me that I hadn't blogged since June, so here goes: In the first three AMA Grand National Mile races in 2010, three different brands/OEMs have claimed victory. Joe Kopp and his Ducati Hypermotard claimed the win at Prescott Valley, Arizona on May 1. Jake Johnson won Springfield on his Harley-Davidson XR750 on Memorial Day, and Bryan Smith won Indy on his Kawasaki Ninja on 8/28. The last time three DIFFERENT brands won AMA Grand National Mile races in a single year...1973, when Yamaha, Triumph, and Harley collectively won the four miles on the calendar that year. Heading into tonight's AMA Grand National round in Minneapolis comes news that Sam Halbert has been suspended by the AMA for rough riding, following an incident at least weekend's National Short Track in Springfield. According to the AMA, Sam has been on probation since May, presumably after he tangled with Henry Wiles at an All-Star race in Illinois (Sam won; Henry tumbled after the flag). A month or so later, Sam had a similar incident at a non-National short track in Galesburg, Illinois, in which he and Rob Pearson got together, with Pearson getting the worst of the contact. At last week's Short Track National in Springfield, Sam and Luke Gough got together, with Gough ending up on the ground. As Kevin Bacon's supervisor told him in Wild Things: "Once is an accident, twice is happenstance, but three times...that's a trend". I did not witness any of the three incidents, but the similarities between the three incidents is a bit tough to overlook. In each case Sam was ahead, and the rider behind was making a move, and the two came together. It is very unfortunate that it came to this, especially as Sam is currently in third place in the overall Grand National Points. However, I am confident that AMA/DMG did not take this decision lightly - I am certain that the last thing they wanted to do was muck up a good points race. However, as Mike Kidd said, Sam has been on probation for most of the year, and he knows they have been watching him. I think the world of the Halbert family and Sam in particular; hopefully he takes this suspension in stride and comes out stronger on the other end. The last championship contender that I remember being suspended was some guy named Bubba Shobert, who was suspended for 6 of the last 14 rounds of 1984. He came back from that suspension reaching the podium in 7 of those last 8 races, and missing the championship that year by a single point (despite missing 6 races). He then went on to dominate the 1985-86-87 seasons. |
What is the world coming to?June 13, 2010 I am noticing a very disturbing trend in the world of flat track motorcycle racing (not at the Professional level, mind you). Earlier this week, a very high profile event scheduled for today in Lancaster, California was cancelled due to lower-than-expected pre-entries. Last weekend a mid-level event scheduled for Circleville, Ohio was cancelled ON RACE DAY due to low rider turnout, and last night the long-running Charity Newsies in Dayton, Ohio was cancelled due to low anticipated spectator turnout, but only after an attempt to cut the rider purse in half was rejected. This is a very disturbing trend and I wan to assure our supporters that we will never cancel an event without legitimate cause. Low rider or spectator turnout is not a legitimate reason. Anyone who has followed us knows our lack of luck in the weather department:
Despite the odds, we continue to try and put our best foot forward, and I believe - now more than ever - that this explains why the riders support us and in turn, provide our fans a great show Luckily, at the Grand National level, quite the opposite is being seen. The Gas City, Indiana Grand National event that rained out June 6 has been rescheduled for June 19. |
2010 Dairyland AfterthoughtsJune 12, 2010 Well, I'm just now coming up for air. Despite the steady rain from 5am until noon, we everything cleaned up in time to start practice on-time at 5pm, and the racing on-time at 7:30pm.
My sincere gratitude to those of you who came out and enjoyed the show. It was, by far, the most star-studded event I have ever presented. To wit:
From a prestige standpoint, in terms of the CURRENT 2010 AMA Grand National Championship, Kopp is tied for 1st, Coolbeth is 3rd, Halbert is 4th, Mees is 5th, Wiles is 6th, Carr is 9th. And remember, the Dairyland Classic is NOT part of the National Championship! I am extremely grateful that the stars of the AMA Grand National Championship continue to support our event, and I am pleased that these riders come to Plymouth every year to entertain our fans! I should also mention that the sole "red plate" rider in the Pro Main Event - #24P Jefferey Carver - is currently leading the 2010 AMA Pro Singles National Championship! |
Preliminary AfterthoughtsJune 5, 2010 Great night of racing last night. Stellar Pro turnout (quality-wise), and the support divisions were very solid as well. The 250 Amateur Division was the largest EVER, and the Vintage division was one rider shy of tying our previous best turnout! Did you notice the two gals in the victory celebration for the 250cc Amateur division? The runner-up, #23 Nikki Spore, is dating Jefferey Carver (#24P in the Pro division), while #38 is Lexi Hoffmann, who won the 85cc division just a few years ago! I'm most glad that the rain avoided us and we were able to put on a show! Best interview of the night that I heard was Chris Carr (did you know that he holds the world land speed record for a motorycle at 367.382 mph?) after winning the semi. When asked what he changed after his heat race, he replied "I sat my rider down and told him to get his head on straight" (or something to that effect). |
State Of The Sport IIMay 29, 2010 Update: in the past WEEK, DMG has made three major announcements for the Grand National Championship:
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National Champions Coming To Plymouth!!!May 28, 2010 Since the Dairyland Classic is not part of the AMA Grand National Championship series, we are never really sure which professional racers will be participating and who will not. That's why it is especially rewarding when the defending National Champions give us the heads-up that they intend to be here. We've known for a while that Jared Mees - the defending AMA Grand National Champion in the Twin Cylinder division - is coming back to defend his 2009 win on his #21 Honda. But I just got word today that Henry Wiles - the defending AMA Grand National Champion in the Single Cylinder division - is coming back as well, along with his #1 plate on his Kawasaki. It is only the third time that the AMA #1 plate will be on display at The Dairyland Classic! Consider also that Kenny Coolbeth, the 2006-2007-2008 AMA Grand National Champion, is also coming our way, as well as Joe Kopp and Sammy Halbert, and we've already got one of the most star-studded entry lists ever! |
SpeedTV Comes To Plymouth!May 18, 2010 We just found out that SpeedTV has decided to come to the Dairyland Classic on June 4, 2010 to film the event for an upcoming episode of Lucas Oil On The Edge! Needless to say we are pretty excited, and are currently working through the logistics to get the film crew everything they need. Now we just need YOU to help fill those seats! |
NumbersMay 15, 2010 For those who were curious about the single digit riders' number of choice:
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First-ever Ducati AMA Grand National Win!May 2, 2010 The AMA Grand National Championship hit a new venue in Prescott, Arizona this weekend and Joe Kopp took a Ducati Hypermotard to the win. It was Joe's first-ever National race on the Ducati, and he caught early leader Sammy Halbert on the last lap as they came to the flag. Everyone knows that the Harley-Davidson XR750 has been (and continues to be) the weapon of choice on the half miles and miles. How long has it been since an XR750 DID NOT win a half mile or mile national? Thirteen races, actually. Kenny Coolbeth won a Half Mile National in Billings, Montana on 8/2/2008 on a Honda CRF450R. But that was a Grand National SINGLES event, not a Grand National TWINS event, so we'll scratch that. We'll do the same for Jake Johnson's Half Mile National win on 9/28/2007 in Tuscon on a Suzuki RM-Z450, for the same reason. For AMA Grand National events in which TWINS competed, Harley-Davidson XR750s had won 76 consecutive mile Nationals, dating back to the late Ricky Graham's 9/5/1993 Springfield, IL mile win on a Honda RS750. That's every mile National for 16 years, 7 months, and 26 days, an unprecedented streak in history (which I can trace back to 1933). Even including half mile Nationals, Harley-Davidson XR750s have won every half-mile and mile National (in which twins were competing) since Rich King's 8/8/1998 Joliet, IL half mile win on a Honda RS750. That's an unbroken streak of 11 years, 8 months, and 23 days. In addition EIGHT different twin-cylinder brands competed in Prescott - Harley-Davidson, Ducati, Suzuki, Triumph, Kawasaki, BMW, KTM, and Aprilia. SIX of them made the National Main event (only Triumph and KTM did not). This bested the previous "recent" best of five brands making the main event at the Lima, OH half mile National on 6/30/2007 and the Greenville, OH half mile National on 7/21/07. Incidentally, those two events were very nearly won by non-XR pilots, with Henry Wiles leading Lima on his Aprilia for 24 laps before being passed in the last corner, and JR Schnabel challenging for the Greenville win on his Suzuki for the entire race. In both cases, Joe Kopp took the win. Coincidence? Do I expect XR750s to be relegated to the dusty backrooms of garages and museums? Of course not. It is still the only valid powerplant that was built specifically for dirt track racing. But it is great to see that competition! Although it will be interesting to see how well the Ducati, Kawasaki, etc fare at Springfield - a track that everyone has piles of data on, as well as the half miles that come up later in the season. |
State Of The SportApril 7, 2010 DMG recently kicked off its sophomore season at the helm of the dirt track branch of AMA Pro Racing. How are they doing so far? They re-established the Grand National Championship by officially recognizing the guy who scores the most points in ALL GNC events in a single year. You know, the way it was done from 1954 until 2005. They improved the 2010 season by announcing 21 events (a 50% increase over 2009), including 7 events West of the Mississippi River (compared to 1 last year) They continue to fight the uphill battle of improving brand diversity in the Twins division by lowering the XR750 restrictors from 33mm to 32mm They ran two successful nights at Daytona's new short track which is AT the Superspeedway They got Arai Helmets to kick in $5,000 for Dash For Cash payouts at Daytona They are permitting Brad Baker, the 2009 Pro Singles Champion, to wear a red-on-white #1 plate for 2010 (in the Pro Singles division) They corrected a long-overdue blunder (by the former FT bosses) by awarding single digits to Kenny Coolbeth (2006-07-08 Grand National Twins Champion and 2007 Grand National Singles Champion) and Jake Johnson (2006 & 2008 Grand National Singles champion). A new single digit has not been awarded since 2001, when Joe Kopp lost the #1 plate and took the late Ricky Graham's old #3. While I disliked the separate Singles & Twins championships, a champion is a champion, and I felt Johnson deserved one, and especially Coolbeth, who also racked up the most combined points in the not-officially-recognized overall Grand National Championship in 2006-07-08, making him a rare three-time champion. They went above and beyond the call by awarding a single digit to Sammy Halbert, who scored the most COMBINED Grand National points last year, finishing the final race with a broken left leg. I personally lobbied for this as Sam could have been the first rider since the inception of the GNC series in 1954 to score the most combined points, and receive NOTHING for it. Such would have been an absolute crime. I'd say that's a pretty solid start so far. So for 2010, there are three brand new single digits out there, as well as two new riders sporting #1 for the first time. Henry Wiles wears #1 at the GN Singles events (short tracks and TTs), while Jared Mees wears #1 at the GN Twins events (half miles and miles). (Wiles will wear his familiar #17 at twins events while Mees wears his familiar #21 at singles events). The new single digits this year are #2 Kenny Coolbeth, #5 Jake Johnson, and #7 Sammy Halbert. Halbert won the first night at Daytona in his first National as #7 - marking the first GNC win for that number since Mert Lawwill on 5/26/1974. Johnson won the second night at Daytona in his second National as #5 - marking the first GNC win for that number since Gary Scott on 9/4/1982. The series heads out went to Yavapai Downs in Arizona - we'll see if Coolbeth can notch his first win as #2. |
Wisconsin's First Family of Flat Track Suffers A LossJune 16, 2009 Bill Mischler, Sr., passed away last week. He was 80 years old, and the patriarch of what I would call the "first family" of dirt track racing in Wisconsin. My very first dirt track racing event was in Bill Mischler's backyard - commonly known as 'Atwater' - which featured a paperclip short track (with a curious rise at the start/finish line that permitted wheelies) and a winding 'scrambles' track (what we would know call a 'TT'). It was the only track I have ever been to that did not have any rocks. Back in 1979, when I first visited, the tracks were oiled down to keep dust to a minimum. Bill founded the Beaver Cycle Club, running bi-annual double-headers on the family homestead (Saturday night short tracks and Sunday afternoon TT's). I have fond, cherished memories of those weekends. Not the racing so much - I never got the hang of the short track (got my first concussion in turn 2 in 1985) and I was never a good TT rider - but the post-racing comaraderie, bench racing, and bonfires into the wee hours were good times. Saturday night racing would be done by 10pm and that's when the partying would start. It was not uncommon for folks to get to bed just before the sun rose on Sunday morning, if at all. Like camping with 100 of your buddies. The Beavers also ran the annual pro half mile events at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, back when it was a deep cushion half mile (it has since been replaced with a clay track that I am convinced is slightly smaller than the original). I did not know it until after his passing, but Bill was a pro racer 'back in the day'. There was one racing photo of Bill Sr. at the visitation - Novice #69G plates in a photo dated 1963, I think. My dad reports that Bill was an Expert rider in the late 60s when he had just started racing. By the time I started racing in 1979, he was the guy with the commanding voice bellowing commands from the concession stand at the top of the hill along the front straightaway of the short track. Not to say he was a boisterous fellow, he merely carried himself with confidence and bravado. To a ten-year-old kid, he was clearly not someone to mess with. He meant business. Bill had several children, but those in the pro racing community of the 1970s will recognize Art and Larry as those carrying on the "Mischler" name. Art was Novice #222K and later Junior #52K. Larry was Novice 162K, took a year off, and came back as Novice 160K (or maybe the other way around). Larry stopped racing Pro shortly thereafter and stopped racing altogether in the early 80s after a bad wreck going into turn one during a 3-wheeler race on the family short track. Art stopped running Pro in the early 80s, although he continues riding amateur stuff on his trusty Triumph. A third son, Billy, rode amateur in the 1970s until a riding accident ended his racing career before he could enter the pro ranks. Currently a third generation of Mischlers are escalating up the ranks. Art's two sons, Eric and Dan, currently hold Expert pro racing licenses (as 82K and 77K, respectively), while Billy's sons Morgen and Quinn are chasing up the amateur ranks. Art limits his racing to a select few a year, and I am honored that the Dairyland Classic is one of those events (he won a Vintage heat race this year on his Triumph). You can always tell a Mischler in a crowd of people by their laugh. Not so much the third generation, but Art, Larry and Billy all have the exact same laugh - a unique, contagious laugh. And they laugh often. They laugh hard. I don't think I've ever seen any of them in a foul mood. "Happy-go-lucky" does not begin to describe their family disposition. Just thinking of how many racers crested the hill at the Atwater clubgrounds over the years boggles the mind. I had no clue it dated back into 1959 - ten years after Bill Sr. opened his Harley dealership. Most names are unknown except to those who frequent the events. To the pro racing community, I don't think there would be any National Numbers from wisconsin over the past 50 years if not for racing events at the old Mischler place. So here's to you, Bill Mischler. Wisconsin flat track racing wouldn't be the same without you. |
2009 Event AftermathJune 15, 2009 Our heart-felt thanks to those who supported our efforts last Friday night to run a wicked-good program. Obviously without the 2,800 fans in attendance, it would NOT have been a resounding success, so we thank you. Big thanks to David Narens for filming most of the event. I never get to "watch" the racing, and even while announcing, I merely "react" to what I see, so it is a rare treat to be able to watch the races and actually enjoy them. Special thanks go out to my staff this year, who really stepped up and made this the least stressful event I've had yet. To the unsung guys and gals who make it happen:
And of course a huge thank you to our sponsors, especially the Wisconsin Harley-Davidson Dealers Association, who stepped in to take the headline sponsorship this year. |
Quietly Going About HistoryMay 29, 2009. Twenty-five years ago, in 1985, a young Californian from Stockton named Chris Carr first hit the Grand National Championship trail. Over the next twenty-four years - 1985-2008 - he finished in the top 7 of the yearly GNC standings in EVERY YEAR he followed the tour, and finished in the top FOUR an unprecedented TWENTY times. Never before has someone been a week-in/week-out threat in his 25th season on the GNC trail. In addition to all of his accomplishments, he is quietly going into year #25 with absolutely minimal fanfare.
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Hit For Cycle UpdateApril 20, 2009. On September 13, 2008, I blogged about the Grand Slam/Hit For The Cycle club, listing the thirteen riders who have scored at least one win in each AMA Grand National dirt track discipline - short track, TT, half mile, and mile. On March 5, 2009, the HFC club grew by one member, when Joe Kopp scored his first GNC short track win. (Joe's only previous short track National was came in the 2002 Dairyland Classic, then part of the Formula USA National Dirt Track series, which doesn't count towards the AMA history books). So here is the new, updated membership of the Hit for The Cycle Club:
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Random Thoughts About AMA Pro Flat TrackDecember 31, 2008 AMA Pro Racing plans for all 2009 Grand National Championship events to run two classes - Pro (formerly Novice/Pro-Am/Pro-Sport) and Pro Expert. The Pro Experts will compete, as always, on 750cc twin-cylinder bikes on half mile and mile events but compete on stock-framed 450cc single-cylinder bikes on short track and TT courses. The Pro (formerly Novice/Pro-Am/Pro-Sport) division will run on stock-framed 450cc single-cylinder bikes at all events. At first glance, this looks like a good plan. After all, there is a minimum amount of time that must be taken between the last Expert heat and the first Expert semi to enable the riders to make set-up changes. As such, running a wholly different division during that down-time will give the fans something to watch during the break. I believe the Expert division will be limited to 48 entries while the Pro divison will be limited to 36. Previously at Expert-only events, the 48 entries would be split into 4 heat races and 3 semis. With the new format, AMA Pro Racing plans to run each division through run three heats and three semis. Previously a "day at the races" would be 8 events - 4 heats, 3 semis, one main event. Under the new format, it will be 14 races - 3 Expert heats, 3 Pro (Novice) heats, 3 Expert semis, 3 Pro (Novice) semis, one Expert Main, one Pro (Novice) main. I'd take it one step further. Limit the Pro (Novice) division to 24 entries, running them through two 12-rider heats, and no semis. And introduce (re-introduce?) an intermediate level between Pro (Novice) and Expert. Whereas in the past these riders would be on lower horsepower versions of their Expert counterparts, I would leave them with the same engine specs as Expert. They will be slower due to their lack of experience, but at least allowing them to comete on the same tracks on (essentially) the same equipment, an Intermediate rider would have the means to compare his progress to the Expert elite. An Intermediate rider who is consistently slower than a mid-pack Expert rider should think twice before jumping up to the Expert division. Similarly, an Intermediate rider who is consistently qualifying at speeds consistent with the top 10 Expert riders will have additional enthusiasm about going Expert the following year, and be able to potentially draw additional sponsorship. With the current program, a rider jumps from a 450cc Single into the Expert division and has little chance of success. By introducing an intermediate class, I would limit it as well to a 24-rider field, split into two 12-rider heat races and a 12-rider main event. As such, in my scheme, a "day at the races" would be 13 events instead of 14, with less redundancy. Also, this would better reflect the sport in its heyday, when 3 divisions competed in a fast-paced program that didn't take all day and all night to complete. The 2009 GNC structure will hold a Dash For Cash for the 5 fastest Expert qualifiers. I would open that up to the Intermediate class as well. If an Intermediate rider qualifies 3rd fastest overall, throw him in with the Experts for the Dash For Cash. Cheer for the underdog! Concerning the stock-frame rule, I go back and forth on this one. For entry-level professional racing (Pro Novice), surely the stock-frame rule, as well as other performance modification limiting rules, is the way to go. No sense forcing an entry level rider to spend thousands on engine and frame modifications. The Expert division...there I'm undecided. Due to the lack of an intermediate division between entry-level (Pro Novice) and the top level (Expert), currently it's difficult to have such a dramatic change from one divison to the next. With the old system (pre-2009), virtually anyone who took our a Pro license would obtain his/her Expert license in a year's time, even with minimal success, due to lack of entries. By introducing an intermediate level, you could better control the entry-level rules while enabling more freedom at the Expert level. Although if the OEM's start supporting flat track they way they used to, it will all be worth it. We shall see. For 2009, the Dairyland Classic is unaffected by the stock-frame rules. |
2009 AMA Pro Racing RulesOctober 26, 2008 AMA Pro Racing has announced a list of anticipated rules for the upcoming 2009 season. As you can imagine, the uproar of how the proposed rules are "ruining" the sport are rampant. Personally I'm in favor of change, and the Pro Dirt Track scene has been in dire need of it for a long while now. The only change that might affect the Dairyland Classic is that for 2009, all 450cc Single-cylinder engines (used on short tracks and TT courses) must use the OEM frame. In other words, no more aftermarket or "trick" frames. This move is to stimulate interest and support from the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers, as in Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and KTM). If you remember the 2003 Dairyland Classic, we had similar rules then - only OEM frames on the 450s. The most common objection to this rule is that "aftermarket frames work better than OEM frames". This is a true statement - "framers" are designed to work better on flat tracks. However, what those people fail to recognize is that when everyone is using OEM frames, it won't matter if a "framer" is better, since it won't be legal. And really, the fast guys go fast on anything, so the Kenny Coolbeths and Jared Mees' of the sport will continue to dominate. This rule prevents the need for an up-and-coming rider to build an OEM bike as well as a "framer". And honestly, the AMA has been far too worried about alienating the existing elite and not worried enough about how to keep the up-and-coming riders interested enough in the sport to tackle the Grand National Championship. The major changes involve the Twins division, which compete on half miles and mile events. For 2009, the focus will be on 650cc twins like the Kawasaki Ninja and the Suzuki SV650, although larger engines (including the Harley-Davidson XR750) will be allowed to compete, albeit with smaller restrictors on the intake ports. Based on test results so far, I'm predicting the XR750 will still be "the bike" to beat, although it may be challenged - something that hasn't happened in over a decade when the last Honda RS750 was put out to pasture. And competition is good. Already folks are citing this rule change as "the one" that will "kill dirt track forever". I disagree. I predict the XR750 will still be "the bike" (it still has 38 years of development knowledge), but slowly, the other brands will improve. Maybe in a couple years we will see some true multi-brand racing. Sure, this year the GNC Twins division technically had Harley-Davidson vs Suzuki vs Aprilia vs Triumph vs BMW vs KTM vs Honda, but was it a true "battle of the brands"? Heck no. After thirteen GNC Twins races, Harley-Davidson claimed 37 of the possible 39 podium spots. Suzuki scored one runner-up finish at Greenville while Aprilia scored a single runner-up finish at Lima. Triumph only scored one point this year, while none of the others even sniffed a main event all year long. Yet it is those "also-rans" who are raising the biggest gripe about how the new rules make them "uncompetitive". Based on the 2009 data, those bikes weren't competitive before, so I don't see how the 2009 will make that much difference from 2008. Not that I have anything against these guys trying to develop a successful alternative for a GNC Twins motorcycle, but sometimes I think they get carried away. If nothing else, the winds of change are making people talk about the sport again. I can't wait to see where this leads. Wouldn't it be GREAT if we could recapture the magic of the late 70s/early 80s? Remember when the AMA crowned five different Grand National Champions in five years, 1978-1982? Back when winning three titles in a career was a major accomplishment? Now we yawn when Chris Carr claimed his seventh title in 2005 like it was a foregone conclusion. Maybe 2009 will bring some surprises. |
History Lesson IIIOctober 19, 2008. Harley-Davidson was the undisputed king of flat track racing from 1975 through 1983, with the XR750 engine powering riders to the Grand National Championship each year. Honda took the mantle from 1984-1988, with RS750-powered factory riders taking the title each of those years. Harley's XR750 again became dominant after Honda's retreat following the 1988 season, powering riders to the title every year through 2008. The question is, did Honda's involvement (and subsequent dominance) have a greater impact than simply on the titles won? From 1980-1983, the 4 years prior to the "Honda Years", Harley-Davidson XR750s won 61 of the 63 HM/M GNC events (96.8%), with the factory riders (Randy Goss, Jay Springsteen, Scott Parker) winning only 17 of the 61 events (27.9%). From 1984-1988, the "Honda Years", Harley-Davidson XR750s won 37 of the 80 HM/M GNC events (46.2%), with the factory riders (Goss, Parker, Springsteen, Carr) accounting for 23 of those 37 wins (62.2%). Rumors have it that prior to Honda's arrival in GNC competition, the Harley-Davidson racing department had an "open door" policy, whereby privateers using the XR750 powerplant could contact the factory racing department to find out how the factory guys were setting up their bikes for a given race track. By the data above, this would appear to be true, as the privateer riders scored more GNC wins than the factory team members. Once Honda got involved, it seems the "open door" got slammed in the privateer's faces. |
Honda's 1984 Rise To DominanceOctober 18, 2008. While Honda dominated the 1984 Grand National Championship - their three factory riders finished 1st, 2nd, and 5th in the Championship, claimed 11 of the 24 events, and won 7 of the 10 Mile events on the circuit - they failed to win a single Half Mile National that year. |
History Lesson IIOctober 17, 2008. Once Harley-Davidson released it's "alloy" XR750 engine in 1972 (to replace the "iron" XR which proved itself challenging during the 1970-71 seasons), the AMA Grand National Championship was fought between Harley-Davidson, Triumph and Yamaha, with Harley taking the 1972 crown (under Mark Brelsford), and Yamaha taking the 1973 & 1974 titles (with Kenny Roberts). Triumph went bankrupt after the 1974 season, leaving just Harley-Davidson and Yamaha. The Yamaha GXS-1 (750cc twin) was a modified street bike (the XS650) while the Harley XR750 was a fully bred race bike, sharing few ties with its Sportster bretheren, the XLH883. Yamaha's last Mile win came in 1975, and its last Half Mile win in 1976, the same year Goodyear came out with the DTII race tire. The Harley was able to use the new rubber to slam the door on Yamaha, and for all intents and purposes, from that point on you needed an XR750 to be competitive. Roberts left flat track for World domination in the 500cc Grand Prix after the 1977 season. Honda's first foray into dirt track racing was in 1974, when it built an XL350 for Mike Gerald (and others) to race at the Houston Astrodome. Gerald won, with Honda teammate Dave Hansen second, and Honda promptly disappeared for several years. In 1979, Honda returned, using a CX500 V-twin engine (which had the "V" facing left-right as opposed to the traditional "front-back"). This evolved into the NS750, which situated the two cylinders in the traditional "front-and-rear" V-twin configuration, which was developed through the 1982 season, scoring its first Half Mile win at Louisville Downs in 1982. The following year, Honda replaced the NS750 with the new RS750, which is rumored to have begun life by purchasing a Harley-Davidson XR750, analyzing the pieces, and "building a better mousetrap". In its debut season, 1983, the RS750 won Honda's first Mile at DuQuoin, Illinois. Yet from 1979 through 1983, no Honda rider had finished in the Top 10 in the AMA Grand National Championship. For 1984, Honda replaced its entire racing team with Ricky Graham and Bubba Shobert (who finished 2nd and 4th in the 1983 GNC standings) and 1983's rookie standout Doug Chandler. Graham claimed the 1984 title, Shobert won the 1985, 1986, and 1987 titles. From 1984 through 1988, Honda RS750 pilots won 10 of the 34 Half Mile Nationals (29.4%) and 33 of the 46 Mile Nationals (71.7%) on the GNC schedule. Following a dispute over a disqualification of a Honda rider in 1988, Honda pulled out of GNC racing following that season. A few privateers continued using the RS750 engine, but lack of contingency money and the lack of spare parts led to its eventual obsolescence. The RS750's 79th and last GNC win was recorded on August 8, 1998. Every GNC Half Mile & Mile National win since (through the 2008 season) has been on a Harley-Davidson XR750. |
History Lesson IOctober 15, 2008. From 1954 until 1969, AMA Grand National Championship competition limited overhead valve engines (British bikes) to 500cc displacement while side-valve engines (U.S. bikes) were allowed to displace 750cc. From 1954 through 1969, 165 GNC HM/M/TT events were held, with Harley-Davidson winning 104, BSA winning 34, Triumph winning 26, and Matchless winning 1. From 1970 through 1974 (when Triumph went bankrupt), 74 GNC HM/M/TT events were held, with Harley-Davidson winning 29, Triumph 18, and BSA 14. Norton, another British twin, claimed a single win between 1970 and 1974. It should be noted that in 1970-1971, Harley-Davidson was experiencing tremendous teething problems on its brand new XR powerplant. Mert Lawwill, Harley-Davidson's 1969 Grand National Champion, has been quoted saying that the efforts to develop the XR cost him the 1970 Championship. In the two years prior to the "equal displacement rule" (1968-1969), there were 35 combined HM/M/TT GNC events with Harley-Davidson winning 21, Triumph winning 9 and BSA winning 5. In the first two years of the "equal displacement" rule (1970-1971), there were 31 combined HM/M/TT GNC events, with Harley-Davidson winning 10, Triumph winning 9, and BSA winning 10. The aforementioned problems with Harley-Davidson's XR are evident in these stats. Once Harley-Davidson replaced the "iron" cylinders with "alloy" cylinders for the 1972 season, the rest, as they say is history, as the XR750 went on to become - and continue to be - the most dominant dirt track racing vehicle in history, powering 31 of the 37 Grand National Champions from 1972-2008. The Brit OEMs asked for equal displacement, and they got it, although one could argue that the equal displacement rule directly led to Harley-Davidson developing the overhead valve XR, which replaced the side-valve KR and went on to dominate Grand National competition over the next 38 years. |
We Are DirtSeptember 24, 2008. I just got a chance to watch the show. Wow. Let me re-phrase that. Wow. Kevin McNiff and the crew at We Are Dirt did a great job. There's racing, racing, then more racing. The entire Pro program (except the Consolation Main), plus the entire 85cc Youth main event. Multiple camera angles, slow motion replays, a helmet cam. Very well done. I've had TV programs shoot my event in the past and it's usually a 30-minute collage of interviews with random people in the pit area. Not this time. Kevin and crew focus on the racing and did a great job. As you all know, I never get a chance to watch the races, since I'm always chasing down fires and trying to keep things moving along. And even though I announce the Pro program, I have to go into "auto pilot" and simply report what I'm seeing at that moment, without really digesting what's going on. So having a chance to watch the races, from several camera angles, was very, very special for me. And it allowed me to really appreciate what a GREAT night of racing it was. Some tidbits I really enjoyed - the slow-motion replay of Rob Pearson nearly taking out Bryan Bigelow in turn one during their heat race. How Bugs got that bike slowed down without touching Bryan is beyond me. Another was the neat helmet-cam on JR Schnabel. Another was the move Jared Mees made going into turn three on the first lap of the Jim Dash - fifth to second in one move! Next was the close finish to the Jim Dash - I remember it was close, but I didn't remember it being THAT close. And on the video, Jared made up SO much ground going into turn 3 on the last lap is was UNREAL. The Pro Main event was just spectacular. That "little slip" that cost Halbert the win? Uh, wrong, he darn near threw it down the road. Tremendous save, made even better with slow motion. The interview with Bill Werner was very, very well-done. Kevin asked Bill about the difference between custom-framed bakes and the OEM/DTX frames, and he gave a very thorough explanation. Well done. |
Dairyland TVSeptember 17, 2008. Thanks to Kevin McNiff of "We Are Dirt", the 2008 Dairyland Classic can be seen on TV this year. It debuted in the Green Bay (Wisconsin) Time Warner Cable on Channel 4 at 7:30pm this evening. By Friday, it will be available on the Time Warner Cable "On Demand" service (channel 1111). By the middle of next week if will be available in the Milwaukee Market, also via the Time Warner Cable "On Demand" service (channel 1111). |
Grand Slam/Hit For CycleSeptember 13, 2008. I was reading a recent article which linked to an older article (Click here) which referred to the 'Grand Slam Club'. For those who don't know, the Grand National Championship, which dates to 1954, originally consisted of 4 different types of events - half miles, miles, TT's, and road races, with the person earning the most points in a single season crowned the Grand National Champion. In 1961, the series expanded to include short tracks, which were shorter than 3/8-mile in length. To win one of each type of event in a career was rare, and thusly dubbed a 'Grand Slam'. Through 1985, championship events in all 5 disciplines counted towards the AMA Grand National Championship. By 1986, however, most riders focused either on dirt, or pavement, but not both, so the AMA split the road racing into a separate AMA Superbike Championship. Since then, no one has come close to scoring a career 'Grand Slam'.
Only four riders in history have claimed a 'Grand Slam', and only one since the road racing split of 1986. Those riders are:
While the Grand Slam faded into history after 1986, in 2001, I personally coined the phrase 'Hit For The Cycle' to recognize those dirt track racers who had won at least one of each form of dirt track discipline. Since 1954, 117 racers have claimed at least one AMA Grand National dirt track wins, but only 13 have 'hit for the cycle'. Obviously the 'Hit For The Cycle' group includes those who have claimed a 'Grand Slam', yet the former group is not really recognized for accomplishing a very impressive feat nonetheless. So here, for the first time ever, is the list of AMA racers who have 'Hit For The Cycle':
Interestingly, 21 riders won GNC events in 3 of the 4 necessary disciplines; eight riders (Ricky Graham, Gary Scott, Joe Leonard, Joe Jopp, Jim Rice, Mike Kidd, Gene Romero, Dave Aldana) lacked a short track win; eight riders (Will Davis, Gary Nixon, Ted Boody, Rich King, Hank Scott, Carroll Resweber, Terry Poovey, Fred Nix) missed a TT win; five riders (Jake Johnson, Ronnie Jones, JR Schnabel, Nicky Hayden, Ronnie Rall) missed a mile victory. Of them, Kopp, Johnson and Schnabel are still active dirt trackers, while Hayden is an active road racer. |
Coolbeth Claims Title #3September 6, 2008. Congratulations to Kenny Coolbeth for claiming this third consecutive AMA Grand National Championship! He joins a very select group of men to have claimed three consecutive AMA Grand National Championships - Carroll Resweber (1958-1961), Jay Springsteen (1976-1978), Bubba Shobert (1985-1987), Scott Parker (1988-1991 & 1994-1999), and Chris Carr (2001-2005). |
In The BooksAugust 23, 2008. Wow, what a show last night. Watching those pro riders reminded me what a horrible racer I used to be. I spent plenty of time in my brief racing career getting passed, but almost always it could be traced to some major blunder I'd made. Watching those pros go at it, I never even saw any mistakes, yet suddenly guys would get passed. That pro main left me stupified. The pass on lap 14 when Mees dropped from first to third...I didn't see a bobble, a missed line, nothing. But zip-zip, he dropped like a stone back to third. Back To Top |
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