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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plished with what we had to be honest. "This is the first step toward making that happen. I hope it makes a difference. All I care about is the end result. I'd love to see close racing between multiple brands at AFT's top level. I just wish they had done this years ago." Series Technical Director David McGrath said, "All of us in the sanctioning body side of things, we'd rather not have to balance performance. You'd rather not have to do such things because there is always scar tissue that's attached to it, and the sanc- tioning body is typically viewed as the bad guy. However, everybody, including Indian, sees that competition is what the fans want to see and we need more competition. In fact, there's been an ongoing dialogue on the matter between officials with the series and Indian that's gradually become less acrimonious and more in alignment with the acknowledgment that something needs to be done. THE RULE CHANGES "We evaluated the strengths of the FTR, which are many-layered," McGrath said. "The biggest one is that it can put the power down. It's not necessarily the most powerful bike, but it's a very rideable ma- chine that everybody seems to be able to adapt to." The three rulebook changes can actu- ally be viewed as one interrelated initiative that's all about reeling in the FTR's "engine moment of inertia" advantage, while keep- ing the monetary costs and effort required to execute them extremely minimal. The overall bike weight increase may stand out among casual observers, but Mc- Grath explained that one is effectively about eliminating a variable as the vast majority of FTRs that go through tech actually come in a few pounds above the new 330-pound minimum as things stand now. The massive, adjustable flywheel is considered the centerpiece of the FTR's inertial supremacy. Further- more, it allowed the FTR to fine-tune traction from circuit to circuit while heavy rear-wheel assemblies only further magnified its edge. This is an area where production-based engines can't hope to compete, as the basic heavy flywheel/crank design that makes for a nigh-invincible dirt track racer also makes for a less-than-inspiring street bike. HOW WILL IT PLAY OUT? Asking around, most think the outcome of these three changes will be relatively restrained on track—possibly providing the Yamahas and Harley a minor helping hand (the exception being at the TTs, where the JD Beach/ Yamaha MT-07 DT pairing is already the class of the field and the new weight disparity is likely to have the great- est impact). Of the changes, Smith said, "You're bummed if you're an Indian owner or racer. But the Indian is so good, I don't think these rules changes are going to affect the results too much." FEATURE I AMERICAN FLAT TRACK RULE CHANGES P88