2018 AMERICAN FLAT TRACK SEASON PREVIEW
P82
Preview
too hard. The off-season's been
great, though. I'm in great shape
from all the workouts and tons
of ice racing, and we figured out
a few things on the bike. Just
need to make my bad days less
bad."
After Brad Baker's roller-
coaster-esque year in 2017, he's
primed to regain the consistency
that earned him a title in 2014.
"I'm in a really good spot right
now," Baker says. "I had some
off-season surgery to fix an old
injury, and I actually got a bit
of an off-season this year while
recuperating, spending time with
my girlfriend, family and friends.
First time for that in a long time,
really. So I'm recharged, and
healthy, and in the best shape of
my life. The objective is to win,
but also be consistent. For me,
that's the key."
Harley-Davidson/Vance & Hines Motorsports
From the very beginning, it was going to be a struggle.
The casual observer, who only saw orange and black XG750R race
bikes and transporters, and was at least semi-cognizant of Harley's
multi-decade dominance of flat track racing, wouldn't have recognized
it. After all, Harley-Davidson had a brand-new race bike. Just like Indian.
They had top riders (three-time GNC champ Kenny Coolbeth among
them). Just like Indian. So hey, Harley's going to be right up there, right?
Those in the know, of course, knew it would be a tough season.
They knew that getting a production engine from a budget cruiser to
produce over 100 reliable horses—when it only made 50-some in stock
trim—would be a challenge.
Jared Mees (9) was dominant and
consistent all year, while Brad
Baker (6)—who was very fast—had
an up-and-down season.
And it was. The Vance & Hines
team struggled with horsepower,
power delivery and reliability. That
often happens in racing; there
are teething problems; things to
work out; parts to be redesigned.
Especially when you're running
an engine never designed to
be a racing engine in the first
