AFT Contingency postings near $2 million - and still growing
On the heels of record-breaking contingency postings from Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle (two of the biggest in flat track history), American Flat Track is nearing the $2 million mark in rider contingency, with generous postings from long-time series partners and supporters of the sport: Dunlop Motorcycle Tires, Sunoco, Arai Helmet, S&S Cycle, Husqvarna Motorcycles, American Honda, Yamaha Motor Corp., Kawasaki Motor Corp. – with more coming soon.
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| Photo Credit: Scott Hunter/American Flat Track |
- Harley-Davidson: $562,500
- Indian Motorcycle: $358,000
- Kawasaki Motors Corp.: $356,100
- Yamaha Motor Corp.: $211,500
- Husqvarna Motorcycles: $88,700
- S&S Cycle: $80,500
- American Honda: $68,160
- Dunlop Motorcycle Tires: $54,000
- Arai Helmet: $45,800
- Sunoco: $15,500
- TOTAL: $1,840,760
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S&S Cycle adds to massive Flat Track Contingency program
With 2018 is shaping up to be an “epic” year in the world of flat track racing, with a highly competitive field and the largest contingency program in the history of the sport, S&S Cycle is taking their involvement in the series to another level with the announcement of a “massive contingency program.”
In making the announcement, Marketing Director David Zemla said “2017 was a pretty amazing year for Flat Track and the teams we supported, in 2018 we are adding to our series commitment with a contingency support program and a custom exhaust option.”
Last year S&S high performance exhausts were often seen on the podium, so for 2018 they’ve expanded their efforts to include Kawasaki and Harley powered twins as well as privateer Indian racers (excluding the Indian Motorcycles Wrecking Crew).
Pay-outs down to 10th place are up for grabs, with over $70,000 at stake and another $5,000 for a Championship. For the first time, S&S is also offering a custom exhaust build and dyno tuning session in their Wisconsin facility (by appointment) at no additional cost.
“All S&S systems are lightweight stainless and designed to meet the 105dB sound limit. The results racers have already seen from our exhausts have been outstanding, so we are now opening up the opportunity to leverage our Proven Performance expertise.”
www.sscycle.com
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Dixie Speedway to again host AFT Round 2
The red clay of the legendary Dixie Speedway will be flying once again on April 7, 2018, when race number two of American Flat Track’s 2018 season - the Harley-Davidson Atlanta Short Track presented by Hellbender Harley-Davidson - returns for the second year in a row to the three-eighth-mile Woodstock, Georgia venue.
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| Photo Credit: Andrea Wilson/American Flat Track |
After a layoff since 1974, American Flat Track returned to the Atlanta area in 2017 at Dixie Speedway, where Jared Mees led an Indian podium sweep.
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Congratulations Jared Mees - 2017 Cycle News Rider of the Year
It doesn’t happen often that Cycle News chooses a dirt track racer as its Rider of the Year, but they have given Jared Mees the nod for 2017.
It has only occurred twice in the last 24 years: Legendary Scotty Parker back in 1996, and the late, great Ricky Graham in 1993, when RG won a dramatic Grand National title on a Johnny Goad-tuned Honda after being written off as a has-been.
Aided and abetted by tuner, Kenny Tolbert (Chris Carr’s longtime tuner), owner of 11 Grand National Championship titles Jared Mees posted a number of firsts in 2017 - he won the very first Daytona TT; won 10 of 18 races; was the first to win on the new Indian, and the first to capture a Championship for them. Mees became one of the few to win a Grand Slam - winning a TT, short track, half mile and mile in one season, and Mees recorded the most podiums in a season - 17 out of 18.
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Daytona TT to be “Bigger, Better, Faster”
A thorough track redesign made possible by utilizing the NASCAR pit road at Daytona International Speedway as part of the racing surface means the 2018 DAYTONA TT race track will be “bigger, better and significantly faster” when American Flat Track launches the 2018 season there on March 15, 2018.
“By extending the track design from the tri-oval and taking over pitlane, seven-time Grand National Champion Chris Carr and his design team gained over 40 feet of width and were able to double the radiuses of the two book-end corners. The result will be faster cornering speeds, more passing opportunities for competitors, and more excitement for fans.
“The higher cornering speeds will obviously result in faster straightaway speeds, which means negotiating the 6-foot-high jump incorporated into the second straightaway will be pivotal to the success of the racers that night. Carr’s redesign of the jump section will make it the largest jump the competitors will face all season long.”