AFT 2025 - Could It Be More Changed?
Just as Nature and Capitalism both abhor a monopoly, so do motorsports race sanctions.
Single marque series do have their place, but single marque dominance of what is theoretically designed to be an open-platform, multi-brand race spectacle? Not so much. It is to be hoped that the changes for 2025 will restore a much needed 'Win on Sunday, sell on Monday' showcase. The motorcycle market needs to see the manufacturers genuinely duking it out against each other.
It has happened to Flat Tracking before of course, with Harley's legendary XR-750, and, for a while, Honda's RS750 was dominant. Harley's opportunity followed the 1953 bankruptcy of the original Springfield Indian Motorcycle iteration.
Among the matrix of factors that the Flat Track era ended, not least was public boredom with what was still a superb race spectacle, but one that was increasingly remote from the products that consumers wanted to buy on Mondays.
The FTR750 was the resurrection, but, even then, AMA Pro Racing couldn't square the circle - as evidenced by the schism between race and production engines. The merger of Production Twins and SuperTwins two years ago was really the starting gun for a process that couldn't be squished back into its bottle and eternal struggle to sustain, never mind grow new motorcycle sales made the end of race engine involvement inevitable.
Indian Motorcycle bowed out at the end of the 2024 season in majestic style, with yet more senior class manufacturer and rider championships. The end of an era received a very classy response from Gary Gray, Indian Motorcycle Racing's Vice President of Racing, Technology & Service.
So, with KTM, Yamaha, Honda and even Royal Enfield starting to score wins and podiums in the past 24 months, the opportunity now exists for at least 11 other manufacturers to submit engines for homologation approval, if they so wish. That is without seeing what impact KTM's current financial woes has on their recent success.
There is also the likelihood that the series changes could have an impact on the enthusiasm that the Chinese manufacturers might have for the thrill race. As has been seen elsewhere within sport, such as in Olympic Sports especially, there is more to the Chinese competitive spirit than just table tennis and Mahjong. After all, they currently own the Black Belt in throwing money at things.
The changes don't stop at the engines though. The 16-round schedule for the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season promises "an exciting new era with a fresh, all-production ruleset and the #1 plate up for grabs following Jared Mees' retirement." Yes, that's right. Let us not forget that the G.O.A.T. has eaten his last grass, in AFT terms at least.
The New Era "Battle of The Brands" will open with "five consecutive bar-banging Short Tracks, starting with the series' traditional Daytona Beach double opener during the 84th annual Daytona Bike Week. The schedule then transitions to a run through the Midwest, including a doubleheader in Lima, Ohio, and a high-speed showdown at the "Magic Mile" in DuQuoin, Illinois.
 |
| Now the FTR750 (and Jared 'The G.O.A.T.' Mees) has been retired from active service, it now qualifies for that favorite epithet of being the 'Venerable' FTR750 - having saved and reinvented American Flat Track Racing - so long and thanks for all the wins! |
"The Sturgis TT will serve as a highlight of the schedule again in '25, and this time around it will be joined by an all-new doubleheader - the Jackpine Gypsies Short Track I & II - which will also take place in Sturgis during the 85th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, just days ahead of Sunday's TT."
After a Triumph Tiger dominated down-town Sturgis TT debut in 2024, the AFT AdventureTrackers return with an expanded schedule - featuring in all three (yes, three) Sturgis events, along with the Peoria TT.
"The upcoming season will feature further innovation via the introduction of the Triple Challenge format that will be utilized at the Lima Half-Mile I, Jackpine Gypsies Short Track I and Springfield Mile I, in which the overall winner and final points payout will be determined by three races of increasing distance and importance."
This first iteration of what could be termed a 'Trifecta' is a tad clumsy in its formula, but idea is robust. Expect it to be retained and refined in future years as AMA Pro Racing appears to have (quite rightly) realised that the existing pre-'Main' structure needed to be improved. It needed to be streamlined. It needed to be a better incentivized and integrated qualification process, and it needed to be able to better sustain spectator interest.
"Adding to the excitement along the way will be the inclusion of Royal Enfield's 'Build. Train. Race.' program at select events." Hurrah and further Kudos to the Indian Manufacturer for keeping the faith. As single marque race formulas go, 'BTR' is a positively forward-facing doozy.
.jpg)
