Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1091680
2019 AMERICAN FLAT TRACK PREVIEW P94 Feature "Mr. Versatility" won an AFT Sin- gles round at the Buffalo Chip in South Dakota. He, too, is expected to make select rounds and is sure to be a contender whenever he shows up. AFT PRODUCTION T WINS AFT Production Twins class is going to run at 11 of the 18 American Flat Track events in 2019. The class is made up exclusively of production-based motorcycles, meaning no race- only specials. You'll see a lot of Kawasaki Ninja 650 twins, Yamaha MT-07s and perhaps a few Harley XG750-based bikes. The series does not kick off until late April at the Texas Half-Mile in Ft. Worth, so it's not clear yet who will be series contenders, but top-notch riders like Cory Texter, Kolby Carlile, Ryan Varnes, Andrew Luker, Kevin Stollings and Ben Lowe are expected to be among the leaders of the series. There is going to be a host of other contenders, as well, in all three classes, so it's easy to see why the buzz for American Flat Track in 2019 is at all-time high levels. It all points to flat track not only satisfying the long-es- tablished fans of the oldest form of motorcycle racing, but with storylines like these, the sport is sure to bring in a new generation of flat track followers. TUNE IN You are again going to be able to watch every round of the 2019 AFT Championship on television. NBCSN is returning its coverage with weekend afternoon pro- gramming slots within two weeks of each event. American Flat Track an- nounced its telecasts reached 41 percent more viewers in 2018 than it did in its inaugural year of 2017. This spike in viewership delivered a record-breaking total of more than two million viewers tuning in during prime weekend programming slots. Click here for more informa- tion on the 2019 American Flat Track Championship. CN 2019 American Fl at Track Schedule Round 1 - March 14: Daytona TT - Daytona Interna onal Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL Round 2 - March 23: Atlanta Short Track - Dixie Speedway, Woodstock, GA Round 3 - April 20: Texas Half-Mile - Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, TX Round 4 - April 27: Wild Horse TT - Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Chandler, AZ Round 5 - May 11: So-Cal Half-Mile - Perris Auto Speedway, Perris, CA Round 6 - May 18: Sacramento Mile - Cal Expo, Sacramento, CA Round 7 - May 26: Springfield Mile I - Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, IL (AFT Singles Springfield TT same weekend) Round 8 - June 1: Red Mile - Red Mile, Lexington, KY Round 9 - June 15: Laconia Short Track – New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, New Hampshire Round 10 - June 29: Lima Half-Mile - Allen County Fairgrounds, Lima, OH Round 11 - July 13: New York Short Track - Weedsport Speedway, Weedsport, NY Round 12 - August 4: Buffalo Chip TT - Buffalo Chip, Sturgis, SD Round 13 - August 6: Black Hills Half-Mile - Black Hills Speedway, Rapid City, SD Round 14 - August 17: Peoria TT - Peoria Motorcycle Club, Peoria, IL Round 15 - September 1: Springfield Mile II - Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, IL (AFT Singles Springfield Short Track same weekend) Round 16 - September 7: Williams Grove Half-Mile - Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA Round 17 - September 21: Minnesota Mile - Canterbury Park, Shakopee, MN Round 18 - September 28: Meadowlands Mile - Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment, East Rutherford, NJ