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/1454376
FEATURE I STATE OF AMERICAN FLAT TRACK PART 2 P102 We had a bike in the 1950s that won Grand National Champion- ships—the Big Base Scout—and to qualify as a production bike, we had to build 50 units. Well, we've built over 100 Indian FTR750s—engines and com- plete chassis—and we sell the parts to everyone. If you want to buy a race piston out of our bike, for example, we'll sell it to you." Gray also posits that the series can attract more manufac- turers by building up the show, not the other way around. He said, "What we want to do is grow the sport. We want American Flat Track to be one of the premiere race series in the world. I watch Formula 1 as well. Mercedes Benz has won the Constructors' Championship for the last eight seasons in a row, yet it's the most watched racing in the world and it's growing. They put on an amazing show live, they put on an amazing show on TV, and they put on an amazing show online. That's why everyone is there in Formula 1, and that's why it's growing. "And we're over here worrying about restrictor plates and every- thing else, instead of what I think is really important, which is growing the sport. And that is all on presen- tation, not on restrictor plates. "We don't want to race by ourselves. We've never been in- terested in a spec series where everyone races FTR1200s or something like that. We want to race against other manufactur- ers. And to me, that's a really big part of racing. What does the manufacturer bring to the table? "We don't want that eliminated from flat track. We don't want— because we brought something really great to the table—we don't want us or anybody else [penalized] because they built a better vehicle. I don't want Mercedes Benz restrictor-plated because they beat everyone for eight straight years. I would rather watch the sport knowing that Honda is going fairly against Ferrari and Ferrari is going fairly against Mercedes. "And honestly, to me, more manufacturers would step up if this were on the level of Super- cross or MotoGP or Formula 1. The manufacturers have to play because everybody is watch- ing… We need to put on a better show—live, streaming and on TV—a show that makes us the fastest growing motorsport, in order to open the eyeballs at Yamaha, at Honda." >THOSE WHO FORGET HISTORY… AMA Pro Racing Chief Operating Officer Gene Crouch sees it an- other way. He said, "Honestly, we don't want anyone going out and building another purpose-built flat track prototype. The sport has