P90
FEATURE I STATE OF AMERICAN FLAT TRACK
integrated into the Grand Na-
tional Championship back in
2002, with a maiden victory for
the format finally delivered when
Joe Kopp earned a premier-class
victory aboard a Ducati Hypermo-
tard 1100EVO-powered machine
in 2010.
Later that same season, Smith
earned a pair of wins aboard a
Ninja 650 built by the legendary
Bill Werner, who had previously
played an instrumental role in the
development of the XR750, to
help Kawasaki secure its first-
ever AMA Pro Flat Track Grand
National "Manufacturer of the
Year" triumph.
And the summit of that particular
15-year climb was at last reached
when Smith took a Howerton-built
Kawasaki to the 2016 Grand Na-
tional Championship.
At Indianapolis in 2015, AMA Pro
Racing presented the manufactur-
ers with a vision of a rejuvenated
Grand National Championship.
It was built around a restructure/
rebranding/relaunch (ultimately
"American Flat Track") and, eventu-
ally, an all-production bike future
as the remaining XRs naturally
phased out of competition.
Simultaneously, Indian Mo-
torcycle Company identified its
historic stomping grounds as an
ideal marketing opportunity, tap-
ping directly into its proud lineage
in the sport while also allowing
it to showcase its engineering
prowess by once again going
head-to-head with old rival Harley-
Davidson…just when the long-
time dirt-track titan was starting to
show signs of vulnerability.
At the time, the prospect of
marrying the sport's rebranding
effort with an all-new factory ef-
It's all about
hooking up in flat
track racing and
production-based
engines can't
compete against
highly focused race
engines when it
comes to putting
the power to the
ground efficiently.
Progressive American
Flat Track's target is
to not just avoid the
doomsday scenario but
bring about genuine
balance so that Indian,
Harley-Davidson and
Yamaha—and Royal
Enfield, KTM, Kawasaki,
Triumph, et al.—all have
an equal chance to
succeed at the pinnacle
of the sport.
