Indian Motorcycle has announced that it is again to sponsor some of the 18 rounds of the 2018 American Flat Track presented by Vance & Hines series.
Indian Motorcycle will serve as the event entitlement sponsor for four AFT events on the 2018 slate. Featured prominently on this year’s American Flat Track calendar are the Indian Motorcycle Red Mile in Lexington, Ky., on June 2; the Indian Motorcycle Lima Half-Mile in Lima, Ohio, on June 30; the Buffalo Chip TT presented by Indian Motorcycle in Sturgis, S.D., on August 5; and the inaugural Indian Motorcycle Minnesota Mile, which will take place right in the manufacturer’s backyard in Minneapolis, Minn., on September 29.
As the presenting sponsor of several races last year, Indian Motorcycle hosted dedicated fan areas for bike owners and enthusiasts, offered dealer rides, and gave fans a chance to win a brand-new Indian Scout. This season’s overall involvement and dealership participation will be further enhanced as Indian Motorcycle steps up to full event title sponsorship of multiple races.
Additionally, Indian Motorcycle will again be an integral partner of the NBCSN television and FansChoice.tv broadcasts for the entirety of the new season.
“The re-emergence of Indian Motorcycle as a force in American Flat Track gave our fans a season to remember in 2017,” said Michael Lock, CEO of American Flat Track. “We are delighted that Indian is approaching 2018 with the same desire, and everything points to another thrilling season for America’s original extreme sport.”
In addition to the “Wrecking Crew” factory outfit, several leading privateers will be campaigning FTR750s this season, including the likes of former Grand National Champion Kenny Coolbeth and the fifth-ranked rider of 2017, Jeffrey Carver, Jr. Others campaigning for Indian Motorcycle include Chad Cose, Jay Maloney, Robby Pearson, Johnny Lewis, Henry Wiles and Jake Johnson.
While last year’s results may have alone been enough to convince many front-running riders to make the switch, that decision was made all the easier by a generous $350,000 contingency plan on the part of Indian Motorcycle, which includes a $25,000 bounty for the title, plus $5,000 for each race win, $4,000 for runner-ups, $3,000 for third-place finishes, and additional pay-outs to the remainder of the top ten.
“We are excited to continue our support for American Flat Track and cannot thank the fans enough for their support throughout last year’s Championship season,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Service & Technology for Indian Motorcycle. “No doubt last season marked a historic return for us, but with the start of the season right around the corner, we’re looking forward to our Wrecking Crew and the privateers running the Scout FTR750 competing at a high level in 2018.”
