FEATURE
P76
2017 AMERICAN FLAT TRACK PREVIEW
underneath him, Baker could be
on his way to a second national
championship.
Of course, with all the Indian
riders, the wildcard is the bike,
the Indian FTR750. We caught
a glimpse of the machine in the
season finale last year with Joe
Kopp at the controls and it was
very impressive to say the least.
But most new racing machines
inevitably have teething prob-
lems and that could be a decid-
ing factor in this year's chase.
With the Harley-Davidson
squad, you have more veteran
and time-tested racers in Cool-
beth and Johnson. Both are
crafty and can figure out ways to
be near the front at nearly every
track. And the team has youth
and sheer speed in Robinson.
But the new liquid-cooled Harley
XG750R didn't look to be a world-
beater last year. The big ques-
tion is how much development
was made on the XG at Vance &
Hines Racing and in Milwaukee
over the winter? They've got the
riders who can win. The question
is, is the machine up to the task?
And while some experts say
the top six positions in this year's
championship are set with the
factory riders, the new racing
format, unproven machinery,
and a slew of new tracks, 2017
could present an opportunity for
a few teams and riders to break
through and go head-to-head
with the factory teams.
There are four TT Nationals
and a pair of short tracks, that
alone puts Henry Wiles in the
Sammy Halbert is
looking to halt the
H-Ds and Indians
on his FZ-07-
powered Yamaha.
Davis Fisher
hopes to keep the
number-one plate
on a Kawasaki.
Kenny Coolbeth
Jr. (pictured) and
teammates Jake
Johnson and
Brandon Robinson
all hope to put
Harley-Davidson
back on top.
