Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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IN THE WIND P34 JEFF WARD TO RACE AFT TT ROUNDS A MA Hall of Famer Jeff Ward says he's coming out of re- tirement to race…flat track. The seven-time AMA Moto- cross Champion and AMA Super- moto Champion got the bug to go racing again and plans to race all five TT rounds on the 2019 AFT schedule. Even at the age of 57, Ward says, "I'm still pretty fast on a mo- torcycle and in great shape." The following is a release from Wardy Racing: Jeff Ward, a seven-time AMA Motocross champion, AMA Supermoto champion, IndyCar and NASCAR racer, AMA Mo- torcycle Hall of Famer and one of the most versatile and suc- cessful competitors in the world of motorsports, will return to the racetrack to compete in Ameri- can Flat Track events in 2019. Ward will compete in the AFT Singles division at all five TT races – and maybe even a Short Track or two – aboard KTM 450 SX-F machinery with sup- port from fellow racer and Moto Anatomy riding-school owner Johnny Lewis, Blackmore Ranch, KTM, Troy Lee Designs, Malcolm Smith Motorcycles, The W Train- ing Facility and Monster Energy. "Most folks probably don't know this," Ward said, "but I started racing flat tracks and TTs as a youngster, and then gradu- ally moved to motocross, so I've got some pretty deep flat track roots. I've been riding lately at the Blackmore Ranch flat track facility in Southern California, and really enjoying it. I also watched all the AFT races on NBCSN in 2018, and I got to thinking, 'Let's try this...' and here we are! "The plan," contin- ued Ward, "is to do the five TT events, and maybe catch a Short Track or two. I'll be riding KTM 450s, with help from Johnny Lewis. I'll ride one of Johnny's KTMs at Daytona in March, and one of my KTMs in Arizona in April, as it's close to my SoCal base. After that we'll figure out lo- gistics for the rest of the rounds. "I'm working on finalizing spon- sors now, and we definitely have opportunities for companies to come aboard. We are going to have a lot of fun with this and stir things up a bit. I think we'll be in contention for wins, too. I'm 57, but I'm still pretty fast on a motor- cycle and in great shape thanks to all the motocross riding and mountain bike racing I've been doing. It will be a challenge, for sure, but I'm committed to this and plenty serious about the season." Ward will have logistical, train- ing and bike setup support from Lewis, a top-level flat tracker in his own right. "Jeff's a master," said Lewis, "and he'll adapt quickly. He's just so intuitive and has such a good feel for the motorcycle, what it needs, and how to extract maxi- mum performance from it. I'm always amazed how good he is when I watch him. We'll be work- ing together and testing before the Daytona round on March 14, and afterward, too, so he'll be ready. When you combine his world-class natural talent with the fact that he still wants to learn and pays attention to the smaller things I can help him with, he's going to be tough to beat. He's also going to be involved in my Moto Anatomy schools whenever possible, so I'm excited about our collaboration. We're going to have some fun!" CN Jeff Ward says he plans to race at least all five of the TT rounds on the 2019 AFT schedule.