Flat Track Racing Mega Thread - INCLUDES SPOILERS!

[budman]

American Motorcyclist Association announces first AMA-sanctioned Super Hooligan national championship
New national championship features nine events, kicking off March 14


PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The first Super Hooligan national championship sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association -- known as Progressive Insurance Presents the RSD Super Hooligan AMA National Championship Powered by Indian Motorcycle -- starts March 14 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

"The hooligan category of flat track racing is quickly gaining popularity," said AMA Track Racing Manager Ken Saillant. "These events organized by Roland Sands Design provide a unique opportunity for riders to get in on the fun of motorcycle competition."

Roland Sands is a former motorcycle racer who won the 1998 AMA 250GP National Championship. He is a world renowned designer of high-performance custom motorcycles and has been promoting Super Hooligan racing for several years.

Super Hooligan is street-bike flat track racing. Motorcycles must be 750cc or larger. The bikes have no front brakes.

Seven of the nine events in 2019 will offer an Amateur Hooligan Class, as well as the Super Hooligan Class.

With AMA sanctioning for the 2019 season, riders will be competing for the coveted AMA National No. 1 plate.

For more information, visit the website for the Progressive Insurance Presents the RSD Super Hooligan AMA National Championship Powered by Indian Motorcycle: www.rolandsands.com/super-hooligans.

Progressive Insurance Presents the RSD Super Hooligan AMA National Championship Powered by Indian Motorcycle schedule
• March 14: American Flat Track Daytona TT, Daytona Beach, Fla.
• April 13: The Handbuilt Show, Austin, Texas
• May 11: American Flat Track Perris, Perris, Calif.
• June 15: Downtown Tulsa, Tulsa, Okla.
• June 22: San Pedro Asphalt, San Pedro, Calif.
• August 5-9: Sturgis Rally, Sturgis, S.D.
• Sept. 7: Moto Bay Classic, San Francisco, Calif.
• Sept. 28: Costa Mesa Speedway, Costa Mesa, Calif.
Oct. 26-27: Moto Beach Classic at Surf City Blitz West, Huntington Beach, Calif.

 

[Map8]

I hope everyone who goes to COTA checks out the SuperHooligan race that weekend. Its a good show.

I'm torn on the AMA sanctioned national championship. More interest in flat track is good but I don't want to see OEM contingency dollars (or other money) pulled away from the AFT classes. Also, the Hooligan idea was to be low-key accessible racing for regular guys. An AMA-sanctioned championship goes against the spirit of the SuperHooligan ethos, IMO.

 

[firstbuell]

I hope everyone who goes to COTA checks out the SuperHooligan race that weekend. Its a good show.

I'm torn on the AMA sanctioned national championship. More interest in flat track is good but I don't want to see OEM contingency dollars (or other money) pulled away from the AFT classes. Also, the Hooligan idea was to be low-key accessible racing for regular guys. An AMA-sanctioned championship goes against the spirit of the SuperHooligan ethos, IMO.

fully agreed - that said, the inevitable result of underground success
is corporate co-opting & commercialism

 

[bikeama]

I hope everyone who goes to COTA checks out the SuperHooligan race that weekend. Its a good show.

I'm torn on the AMA sanctioned national championship. More interest in flat track is good but I don't want to see OEM contingency dollars (or other money) pulled away from the AFT classes. Also, the Hooligan idea was to be low-key accessible racing for regular guys. An AMA-sanctioned championship goes against the spirit of the SuperHooligan ethos, IMO.

fully agreed - that said, the inevitable result of underground success
is corporate co-opting & commercialism

+2. I never considered it "real racing" at first as the bikes were street bikes and not set up for FT. Now they are set up and money is being added. Agree with Curt I hate to see the money come from the AFT classes.

 

[bikeama]

Talking about money. I hope part of the money from Red Bull goes in Shawna's pocket and just not in the hauler.

 

[Map8]

That might be the Supercross team hauler considering that photo is from the Daytona Supercross. I don't doubt that the Red Bull KTM AFT team will have a big rig but it might not be that one or that nice.

To be clear on my earlier post. I really like Super Hooligan racing, the SH bikes, the racers and the whole concept. Its as real as any other racing and its accessible for racers and fans. People making race bikes out of old Sportsters is cool. Racing on tiny bull rings indoors or outdoors and on temporary tracks is great. I believe SH is attracting a whole new crowd to flat track and thats great. An official national championship may or may not change the vibe that makes SuperHooligan racing work but I hope it doesn't.

 

[firstbuell]

Steve, I say yer 1st post was quite clear about the popup nature of SH, the non-pro attraction, lo-pressure, etc., & it appears kitchen installing Bill agrees

============================

hey Bill, you done working yet? Im still hoping to eyeball you @ Talbott, despite the enforced domesticity

 

[Map8]

Monster Energy to sponsor the Estenson Team.

This is a big deal. Monster had individual deals with a few riders in the Twins class but never sponsored an entire team. I'm sure Red Bull jumping in meant Monster Energy had to increase their presence in AFT.

Other sponsors will see the major energy drink sponsors find value in AFT and be more likely to consider sponsoring teams. More interesting is that the energy drink market isn't old grey hairs (like me) but a younger demographic.

 

[Map8]

More details are coming but the Estenson Yamahas JD Beach and Jake Johnson will race in AFT Twins are not the usual commonly sourced frames but a new model MT-07 DT specifically built and developed by Yamaha USA's racing department for AFT Twins competition.
THIS is the first of three articles on the AFT website which discuss the project.

 

[firstbuell]

More details are coming but the Estenson Yamahas JD Beach and Jake Johnson will race in AFT Twins are not the usual commonly sourced frames but a new model MT-07 DT specifically built and developed by Yamaha USA's racing department for AFT Twins competition.
THIS is the first of three articles on the AFT website which discuss the project.

ah-ha! so this is the 'new stuff coming' that Yamahaz Keith McCarty
wouldn't describe more fully @ 2017 Sears Point MA event -
worth the wait? time will tell.....

 

[Map8]

Another note about the AFT Singles class. Teen phenom Dalton Gauthier has his license back and has been in a serious training program preparing his comeback to AFT. The kid was discovered my Miriam Deitcher of Flat Track Live as a 16 year old in 2016 and she got him on a bike for some nationals. He did great and Estenson Racing picked him up for 2017 where he stomped on everyone with solid victories at the first three races before getting suspended from AFT after testing positive for marijuana. After dealing with some family issues and completing the Road to Recovery program, Robby McLendon took the kid under his wing and worked to get him back into racing shape. Now sponsored by McLendon's D&D Cycles, Gauthier is entered for the Daytona TT.

Gauthier is a standout talent and I'm glad to see him pointed in the right direction. The Singles field is a lot more competitive than it was 2017 so we'll see how he does.

And of course, I'm still rooting for the super-talented, Supermoto star Gage McAllister to win at Daytona and the other TTs.

 

[Map8]

Two more freakin' days until the season starts!

 

[Map8]

Long day tomorrow at Daytona on the new for 2019 Tri-Oval TT Track. About 130 entries through three classes so lots of time needed for practice sessions, qualifying sessions and track prep before the racing starts.

FREE Live Streaming on FansChoice.TV. You do have to register to watch, providing only an email address and password. Brad Baker is joining Scottie in the booth as expert analyst this year which is great. Baker is a great addition and this has got to cut down on Bubba talk.

Schedule below: unlikely the event will stay on schedule at a TT with this many entries and heats/semis so be patient.

Practice starts at 10:00am Pacific

Qualifying at 12:15pm Pacific

Heats at 2:00pm Pacific
- 4 Heats for the AFT Singles Class
- 2 Heats for AFT Twins Class

No Heat races for the Super Hooligans.
2 Super Hooligan Semis starting at 2:50 pm
Super Hooligan Main at 4:20pm (hehe 420)


AFT Semis start at 4:40pm Pacific
2 AFT Singles Semis


AFT Twins Semis start at 5:10 Pacific
2 AFT Twins Semis


AFT Singles Main Event at 5:50pm Pacific
15 laps


AFT Twins Main Event at 6:20pm Pacific
25 laps



Locals to watch:

Super Hooligans
#114 Chris McDougal is from the Sacramento area, I think. He's racing a Harley Davidson XG750.



AFT Singles
#15 Mikey Rush of San Jose - American Honda sponsored CRF450
#49 Chad Cose (formerly of Hayward) - American Suzuki sponsored RMZ450
#54 Michael Inderbitzin of Modesto - Honda CRF450
#251 Gage McAllister of Lincoln, CA - KTM 450 partly sponsored by me (Map8)


AFT Twins
#14 Briar Bauman of Salinas - Factory Indian FTR750
#37 Bronson Bauman of Salinas - Factory Indian FTR750
#80 Stevie Bonsey of Salinas - Yamaha MT07
#22 James Monaco of Modesto - FTR750

 

[Map8]

And if you can't follow the live stream, the TV schedule was posted recently in this thread. Also, AFT has a very good App for your smart phone or tablet.

 

[bikeama]

57-year-old Jeff Ward 2nd in his heat race. Go Old Man

 

[budman]

Awesome stuff.

 

[firstbuell]

streaming the Singles Semi:

[1] new muffler regs sure must be tight -
can't hear a thing.....

[2] new TT track is an improvement

[3] Pastrana didn't transfer on his 750-3 2T Zook

[4] new FC.TV gal has assets the previous 1 didn't

[5] tho great to have The Bullet up in the booth,
it'd be better to see #6 on-track

 

[Map8]

Agree its a bummer BB6 is not on the track. He's really good in the booth.

Pumped #251 KTM Gage McAllister made it into the AFT Singles main.

 

[firstbuell]

ol' Worm in the Twins final

Briar Baumann dominates

Jiggy Dog, Mees & Brian Smith all score zero points

+ no Bubba yuks!!

 

[budman]

Bummed that JD has a tumble

Pumped the racing was good as gold. I like the pavement and T1 entry challenge.

Doing the math.

1 + 95 = 0. Who would have thunk?

Flat track math.

Props to Larry Pegram. Way to go old man.