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/807150
FLAT TRACK AMA AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 3 / APRIL 1, 2017 DIRT TRACK AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY / CHARLOTTE, NC P94 After a busy three weeks the Ameri- can Flat Track Series will take a six week break before a long stretch of five mile-track races, starting in Phoenix, Arizona. With only one weekend off to freshen engines, this will certainly be a big test for all the new equipment and a challenge for the "old" guard. At the start of the year, defend- ing series champion Bryan Smith could only hope for the solid results he has had so far. Many believed he would not get rolling until the big miles came into play, but the champ has been on the podium in all three races thus far and tonight capped that with his win. "On the restart I knew it was going to be a scrap. I felt like it would sort itself out the same way at the end," said Smith. "I was hoping that Brad would have gotten in front of Jared, that way we could get a little points on Jared, but he (Mees) was second. The first two races were the ones that I expected to struggle the most at. Now we are going in the right direction in the standings and the results. Going into the miles I'm sitting exactly where I need to be." However, Jared Mees has reason to also feel he is in the driver's seat, maybe it is his eight-point lead over Smith and 28-point lead over Sam- my Halbert. "We started the season really strong with one, one and a two," said Mees. "We are going into these miles with the point lead." Sammy Halbert's Ted McDermitt- built XR750 has been strong the last two races, but it remains to be seen how it will fare in the weeks to come. "It feels really good to get the Estenson Racing's bike on the podium," said Halbert. "I was glad to get on the podium and thank those guys. They've been working so hard for me. It's just been a tough couple weeks for me, so it was nice to get to spray a little champagne after crashing out last week." The Harley-Davidson Motor Company Team has dedicated itself to the relatively new XG750R and the learning curve is steep. "My bike was all right, but still it was a little off," said Coolbeth. "It's a little bit of everything, motor and chas- sis, too. It's just learning, we have all the tools. We're making strides in the right direction. It's frustrating, but I knew it would take a little time. Everybody is working and working hard. We have five weeks off now, so it's only going to get better. We'll be testing quite a bit and making a lot of big changes. The guys all have the same attitude and it's to win. That's what we want to do. They put a lot of effort into this. They don't like that other deal winning every weekend. It's good; we're all driven. I'm not giving up." The young Yamaha rider with the Kenny Roberts-replica helmet and bike colors, Dalton Gauthier has taken the new AFT Singles class by storm. After taking the lead at Daytona on the last lap he has led every main event lap since. "We still have some bugs to work out," warns Gauthier. "We have a good month- long break before the Arizona Mile. I can't wait to get there. I won last year there. I feel good going into that race. It feels good to go to my sponsor's home state. I can't wait to get the mile season going. We've got some badass bikes for the miles. I think we are going to be hard to beat. I just can't thank all my spon- sors enough, Estenson Racing, Mc- Candless Trucking, Truline, Sleep Wellness Center, Flat Track Live, just everybody that's been helping me. Woody Kyle has built me some really good motors that stay together really well." Kevin Stollings, who was trans- ported to the hospital after his AFT Singles main event crash, reports he has a broken collar bone and is on the road to recovery. As with many of the young rid- ers, getting the venerable Harley- Davidson workhorse off the starting line was a problem. "Everyone pretty much told me that the shifting was going to be a pain. I shifted it good," Ryan Wells. "It was just the initial getting it off the line. The bike sounds like a tractor and it sounds likes it's not going to do much wrong. There's a fine line between too much throttle and not enough and the bike falls on its face. That's something we'll learn on this next month off. Now knowing what a Har- ley can do on a slippery race track, I want to utilize it." Briefly...