AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CEO MICHAEL LOCK: PART 1
P88
Interview
Singles category. Were you concerned about the
new Production Twins class maybe taking entries
away from the AFT Twins?
I think that all motorcycle sport should operate on
some kind of pyramid basis, with the lower the spec
and the lower the costs of the class, the more entries
should be vying to get in. And the pyramid should
narrow at the top, where the elite are competing only
against themselves, and this has not traditionally been
the case in Flat Track. In fact, almost the reverse.
Face it, there's a romanticism around the traditional
view of flat track, with the plucky underdog, the local
amateur who can turn up with a bike he's built in his
garage, and he can compete against Jared Mees and
Bryan Smith. And in years gone past, I have to say
that may have been the case, but there have never
been as many factory-supported riders and factory-
operated teams in the sport as there are today. So
the sport's changed, and the idea of the field getting
smaller in the elite class doesn't worry me, I know it
does worry a lot of people because they think, 'Oh
no, the sport's going downhill!' But it's not, AFT is
a chrysalis, and it's turned into a butterfly with AFT
Twins, where you have the best motorcycle racers in
the world on dirt tracks competing against each other
week in, week out. And we need to ride that wave
of quality and performance upwards, because that's
what's bringing in bigger and bigger crowds. But in
AFT Singles on the other hand, I want thousands of
kids across the country dreaming of being able to race
in AFT, and that the point of entry is the Singles class.
How many did you average having in Singles
last season?
We had 48 to 50 entries on average, which is
almost too many, frankly. And in the AFT Twins class,
we averaged 24 or 25. Remember, it was a 16-rider
"I want thousands of kids
across the country dreaming
of being able to race in AFT,
and that the point of entry is
the Singles class."
