AHDRA motorcycle drag racing series pre-race report
event: AHDRA’s MTC Engineering Sunshine Nationals
when: October 17-18, 2020
where: Orlando Speed World, Bithlo, Florida, USA
AHDRA Bringing Nitro to Orlando
AHDRA is bringing all-American motorcycle drag racing and the smell and fury of nitro to Florida’s Orlando Speed World with their MTC Engineering Sunshine Nationals on October 17-18.
Royal Enfield BUILD TRAIN RACE Program Goes Road Racing
Four female riders will prepare Continental GT 650 motorcycles into road racing motorcycles
MILWAUKEE, Wis (October 14, 2020) — Today Royal Enfield North America announced phase two of the BUILD TRAIN RACE (BTR) program seeking out female motorcyclists to customize, train and road race Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 motorcycles in 2021. A group of women will be selected by Royal Enfield for the program through an online video selection process. Women interested in the program must submit a video and respond to a questionnaire at https://bit.ly/30aSOXT to be considered.
“Building upon the success of the flat track BTR program, we decided to carry the momentum into the road racing segment, ” said Breeann Poland, Gloabal Brand Manager – Continental GT platform. “This is a unique opportunity for women interested in road racing and to make a name for themselves on a national level. The participants will have the opportunity to learn from world class racer, Melissa Paris, which is not a chance many people get. The ladies will also be some of the first people to road race the Continental GT 650 platform, so the motorcycling world will be watching.”
Professional Road Racer and BTR flat track participant Melissa Paris has agreed to mentor the women during each phase of the program. She will consult each participant on the development of a Continental GT 650 road race motorcycle, including design and parts selection, provide insight into sponsorship aspect of racing, and provide training on and off track for the four participants.
“When I watch the video submissions I’ll be looking for entries that display the same passion and desire to get into road racing that I had when I first started out,” said road racer and BTR mentor, Melissa Paris. “This program will be such an amazing opportunity and I’m looking forward to working with these female racers who have always dreamed of lining up on a road race grid”.
The participants will be selected by Poland, Paris and accomplished racer and journalist Anne Roberts. In their videos, interested participants will need to display a passion for road racing and answer a series of questions about their background and motorcycling experience. The selected participants will then have several months and a budget to convert a 2020 Continental GT 650 Twin into road racing trim. The ladies will then race in conjunction with a national event once they’ve completed the build and training aspects of the program.
The entry period for consideration in the BUILD TRAIN RACE program starts today and will run through December 1, 2020.
To stay up to date on the riders and their motorcycles, visit BUILDTRAINRACE.com or follow Royal Enfield North America on Facebook and Instagram.
Indian Privateer Jeffrey Carver Jr. Takes Top Spot;
Wrecking Crew Riders Jared Mees and Briar Bauman Place Second and Third Respectively
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (October 10, 2020) – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, and its championship-winning FTR750 put its dominance on full display once again, sweeping the podium in this past weekend’s Charlotte Half-Mile. In thrilling fashion, Indian Motorcycle Privateer Jeffrey Carver Jr. was able to surpass Wrecking Crew riders Jared Mees and Briar Bauman to take home his first win of the season. Mees and Bauman finished second and third, respectively, as they battle for the 2021 AFT SuperTwins Grand National Championship.
At the outset of the race, Mees and Bauman separated themselves from the pack and seemed well on their way toward a head-to-head finish. However, the complexion of the race changed dramatically when a red flag came out and forced a staggered restart. While Mees and Bauman exchanged passes through nearly every turn, Carver seized his opportunity and overtook both Mees and Bauman. Though Mees remained intent on capturing his third-consecutive win, Carver was successful in fending him off. The second place-finished proved vital to Mees’ season as it brought him to within nine points behind the reigning-champion Bauman in the season points standings.
“We’re really proud of our team for the show they’ve continued to put on this season,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology and Service for Indian Motorcycle. “We know that both Briar and Jared are going to cut it loose in these remaining two races and we’re excited to see who takes home the No. 1 plate.”
Mees now has a firm grasp of second place with 264 points and is within striking distance of Bauman, who sits atop the leaderboard with 273 points on the year. After finishing fifth in Charlotte, Indian Motorcycle Privateer Sammy Halbert remains in third with 207 points. Indian Motorcycle Wrecking Crew Rider Bronson Bauman (162) holds a narrow four-point lead over both Indian Motorcycle Privateers Brandon Robinson and Brandon Price (158) for fourth place. Carver’s win is just six back of Bronson Bauman with 156 total points.
The 2020 American Flat Track season concludes on October 16-17 at the Progressive AFT Finale Doubleheader at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Women’s Racy Leather Hoodie Jacket
$249.00 – $261.00
This is an amazing collaboration with Deb and Bartels’ H-D. It’s a tailored strong leather jacket made with soft hide and a black sweatshirt hoodie that zips to the liner or to itself. Or you can take the hoodie out.
The Racy Jacket has multiple pockets including two easy-to-reach gun pockets, perfect for cameras or cell phones. They even come with detachable gun Velcro holsters.
They also come with the 5-Ball exclusive media pocket in the back where you can stash your favorite magazine.
If you need help with sizing or have any questions drop a line.
FLAT TRACK AMATEUR JILLIAN DESCHENES WINS BTR ROUND ONE IN ATLANTA
The four BUILD TRAIN RACE participants raced for the first time at Dixie Speedway
Milwaukee, Wis October 8, 2020: After months of building and training, the four participants of BUILD TRAIN RACE put their skills on display on Friday and Saturday of the Progressive American Flat Track event at Dixie Speedway. Minnesota amateur flat track racer Jillian Deschenes took the checkered flag for both races followed by Melissa Paris, Lana MacNaughton and alternate rider Kerry Sano.
During the weekend the participants were able to spectate the AFT classes and then test their abilities on the same track at Dixie Speedway. The women raced on custom INT 650 motorcycles that they themselves built as part of the year-long program. Under the mentorship of Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team owner and racer, Johnny Lewis, the four women were able to progress their flat track acumen during multiple training sessions leading up to the Atlanta Short Track event.
“Atlanta was an amazing experience to be part of with the BTR crew,” said amateur racer and hospice nurse Jillian Deschenes. “The track was well maintained and larger than anything I had ever ridden before. I was excited to debut my INT 650 build in front of a crowd that large. I’m grateful for the opportunities Royal Enfield has given me as an amateur female flat track rider and creating a program like BTR for myself and other female motorcyclists to participate in. I’m looking forward to the next AFT event in Daytona Beach.”
“The team at Royal Enfield is proud of the effort these women have put into the BUILD TRAIN RACE program,” said Breeann Poland, Marketing Lead for Royal Enfield Americas. “2020 threw many challenges at all of us and we’re pleased that the women were able to finally showcase the motorcycles they built in a racing environment. From everyone at Royal Enfield, we want to say thank you to American Flat Track for providing a venue and platform to highlight the power of female motorcyclists in a male-dominated industry.”
The results were similar for both Friday and Saturdays races with Jillian Deschenes’ district 23 flat track experience showed immediately, followed by road racer and Moto America team owner Melissa Paris. Women’s Moto Exhibit founder Lana MacNaughton finished third while Kerry Sano, New York repair shop owner and alternate rider for Canadian builder Andrea Lothrop rounded out the field in fourth. Throughout the weekend the ladies consistently increased their pace and made continuous improvements to their built INT 650 motorcycles looking for additional speed.
The participants of the BUILD TRAIN RACE program will compete again in two weeks during the AFT Finale at Daytona Beach in a similar format to Atlanta Short Track. Two new riders will be joining the BUILD TRAIN RACE team in Florida. Malary Lee of Texas will be riding Lana MacNaughton’s INT 650, while Trisha Dahl of Minnesota will be riding Andrea Lothrop’s motorcycle this round. Ahead of the event, the ladies will participate in a final training session with Lewis at his Center Hill, Fla. facility. Due to the immense interest in the program, Royal Enfield may consider adding four new riders to the program for 2021.
Stay tuned to the Royal Enfield social media channels for more information and updates on the BULD TRAIN RACE program in the lead up the AFT season finale in Daytona.
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING WINS FOURTH CONSECUTIVE MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP WITH WRECKING CREW SWEEP AT ATLANTA SHORT TRACK I
Wrecking Crew Rider Jared Mees Narrows the Season Standings with Back-to-Back Wins
ATLANTA (October 6, 2020) – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, and its championship-winning FTR750 clinched its fourth consecutive Manufacturer’s Championship. Fittingly, Indian Motorcycle secured the championship with a Wrecking Crew podium sweep at Atlanta Short Track I.
Wrecking Crew Rider Jared Mees narrowed the season standings with back-to-back wins at the Atlanta doubleheader. Joining Mees on the Atlanta Short Track I podium was reigning AFT Grand National Champion and Wrecking Crew Rider Briar Bauman and Wrecking Crew Rider Bronson Bauman. The bar-to-bar battle between Briar and Mees saw Mees take a final pass on the final lap through turn four to cross the finish line just .308 seconds before Briar. Bronson completed the Wrecking Crew sweep as he earned his first podium of the 2020 season by charging his way from the middle of the pack and making several passes in the final laps of the Main.
“It’s been incredible to see our team compete at a consistent level and again bring home the Manufacturer’s Championship for the fourth straight year,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology and Service for Indian Motorcycle. “With four races remaining, we’re excited to see who can walk away with the No. 1 plate. Briar’s been hot and Mees hates to lose, so we should be in a dramatic and entertaining finish to the season.”
Atlanta Short Track II continued the dramatic, bar-to-bar racing from the night before, as Indian Motorcycle Privateer Brandon Price held Mees off as long as he could, coming up just short as Mees made his pass with only a few laps remaining. Price’s second-place finished earned him his first podium of the season, while Briar rounded out the all-FTR750 podium with a third-place finish.
With 244 points, Mees is firmly in second and now just 12 points back from Briar, who has 256 points on the year. With a pair of fourth-place finishes in Atlanta, Indian Motorcycle Privateer Sammy Halbert remains in third with 193 points, while Bronson Bauman and Price are fourth and fifth with 153 and 148 points, respectively.
The 2020 American Flat Track season will continue on October 9-10 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Progressive Charlotte Half-Mile I & II. For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
BUILD TRAIN RACE WOMEN TO RACE AT ATLANTA FLAT TRACK
Participants will race during exhibition
Milwaukee, Wis October 2, 2020: Royal Enfield’s BUILD TRAIN RACE program participants will race for the first time at Atlanta Short Track at Dixie Speedway during the Progressive American Flat Track races this weekend. Road racer Melissa Paris, amateur flat tracker Jillian Deschenes, photographer Lana MacNaughton and New York motorcycle repair shop owner Kerry Sano will compete against one another in an eight lap Main.
BUILD TRAIN RACE was launched in late 2019 with the goal of involving women in a competitive flat track program. The program tasked four women with building four custom INT 650 motorcycles for flat track competition, then training with Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield AFT racer Johnny Lewis in the lead up to competition. Originally, the women were set to race in several events this year, but due to COVID-19 the events were either rescheduled or canceled.
“It has been a long wait for these ladies to get on track,” said Breeann Poland, Marketing Lead for Royal Enfield Americas. “They’re ready to put their INT 650s and themselves to the test this weekend. We are thrilled that American Flat Track offered us the opportunity to show off these custom motorcycles, but to also give these ladies the opportunity to put their flat track skills to the test. They have all received training from Lewis and now it’s up to them to apply what they’ve learned in a racing environment.”
Lewis trained the three of participants in two sessions as part of his Royal Enfield Slide School By Moto Anatomy course, his proprietary flat track training program. Working with Lewis, each woman received one-on-one training to further their flat track skills. Sano, who is substitute riding Andrea Lothrop’s motorcycle, attended a Slide School with Lewis earlier this month. Unfortunately, Lothrop is still unable to travel from Canada to compete. The women will then take part in a practice session, qualifying and main during the Atlanta Short Track AFT both on Friday and Saturday.
Lewis will be on hand to support the women and provide coaching, but elected to sit out this round of AFT competition. The Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team continues the development of the Twins FT and decided to use this week to collaborate further with technical partners to progress the Royal Enfield motor package.
Stay tuned to Royal Enfield’s social channels to follow along with the BTR ladies throughout the weekend.
Johnny Lewis Forced to Retire From Dallas-Half Mile
Team hard at work preparing for Atlanta Short Track
Milwaukee, Wis September 26, 2020: Johnny Lewis was continuing development of the Royal Enfield Twins FT when an unexpected valve issue forced his weekend to end early. The team had entered the weekend riding high on the momentum of their gutsy performance at the Williams Grove Half-Mile, but despite quick action the issue proved insurmountable.
The Center Hill, Fla based rider and team owner worked on making improvements and adjustments to the Twins FT package over the past two weeks. Collaborating closely with a myriad of partners, the Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team tested a number of new parts and setups in the lead up to this weekend’s races.
“We’ve been able to make positive steps forward with the Twins FT in the last two weeks, and there is still much to learn,” said Johnny Lewis, Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield racer. “The team is still 100 percent focused on development and we understand more every time we run the bike. We know what happened and the team are already hard at work on adjustments and new parts so we’re ready for the Atlanta Short Track event.”
Lewis and team look towards next weekend at Dixie Speedway for redemption. Recognizing the challenges of development, Lewis’ Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team is prepared for the work that lies ahead. With a sound strategy and positive attitude, the team is ready to roll into Atlanta.
The ladies of the BUILD TRAIN RACE program will join Lewis at Dixie Speedway next weekend as they debut their INT650 custom motorcycles as part of the Atlanta Short Track event. A special exhibition will take place during the weekend and fans will see road racer Melissa Paris, amateur flat tracker Jillian Deschenes, photographer Lana MacNaughton and New York motorcycle repair shop owner Kerry Sano compete against one another in an eight lap Main. As part of the program, Lewis will spend a day with all four women this week to help with their race craft ahead of the weekend.
Be sure to follow @MotoAnatomyxRoyalEnfield on Instagram to stay up to date on the latest results and insights from the track. You can watch a short film documenting Lewis’ debut of the Twins FT at the Williams Grove Half-Mile here..
NINJA® ZX™ – 10R Equipped with 125/70-17 SC2 and 200/65-17 SCX Slicks Set the Pace for the North Carolinian Facilities First-Ever Race
ROME, Ga. (September 18, 2020) – For the second time this season, Stefano Mesa captured a new motorcycle track record using Pirelli’s new, larger World Superbike derived sizing in the DIABLO™ Superbike range. Mesa’s impressive riding set the track record at NCBike in Garysburg, North Carolina, during a round of the Championship Cup Series (CCS), which served as the racetrack’s first-ever race, and marked the sixth absolute motorcycle track record bounty of 2020 for Pirelli. Just two weeks ago Mesa raced to his first track record of the season aboard his Kawasaki NINJA® ZX™ – 10R at Nelson Ledges Road Course as he had nothing but praise for his Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tires.
The lap record of 1:21.899 was set by Mesa during the Unlimited Superbike race that saw his ZX™ – 10R motorcycle equipped with Pirelli’s DIABLO™ Superbike 125/70-17 SC2 front and 200/65-17 SCX rear slicks.
“I was excited to come race here (NCBike) because it’s not too far from my house, so technically my home track,” Mesa said. The team did good work and Metric Devil Moto (Pirelli Trackside vendor) came into the weekend looking to enjoy and go fast. We ended up having a bit of competition, so it made things more interesting. We ended up with all of the wins in my classes and we broke the track record two times. The first was in the GTO race at a 1:22.6. The second was in the final race where my Pirelli Moto crew said ‘you better go faster now’ so I got to work and it paid off! We got it down to a 1:21.899.”
“I had a feeling Stefano would end the weekend with the fastest time,” said Oscar Solis, road racing manager at Pirelli. “The SCX rear tire has only been used for two racing weekends here in the United States and it has managed to capture three overall track records. So far, the tire has been extremely well received, and yes, it’s available through any authorized Pirelli trackside vendor.”
Pirelli continues to offer a tire credit prize for setting a new motorcycle track record and four different riders have managed to capture a track record so far this season.
For complete results from the NCBike round of CCS, Click Here.
For more information about the complete line of Pirelli motorcycle tires, please visit Pirelli.com
by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com
At the end of last week, drag racing fans were back in business as the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals at the Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis took place. A lot of interesting things happened there, including an appearance by the 1,400 hp electric Mustang Dragster and some demonstration runs with Harley-Davidson LiveWire motorcycles.
A couple of days ago the Milwaukee bike maker released a very short video showing the highlights of the LiveWire runs with riders Andrew Hines, Eddie Krawiec, and Angelle Sampey holding the handlebars. As it was, the video showed nothing impressive, as fast, drag racing motorcycles we’ve seen before.
Socially-distanced people in the stands seemed to confirm nothing spectacular happened, as they seemed unimpressed with what was happening down on the strip. As such, few could have anticipated records being broken.
Only that they were (sort of), and Harley confirmed this with an announcement made on September 10.
As per the bike maker, one of the three riders, Angelle Sampey (who usually rides a FXDR Pro Stock) accelerated the LiveWire to the records of best elapsed time and top speed.
In short, the LiveWire covered the eighth-mile distance (201 meters) in 7.017-seconds and the full quarter-mile (402 meters) in 11.156 seconds, while reaching a top speed 110.35 mph (177.6 kph), which is a bit more than the official top speed of the motorcycle.
“Let me tell you what’s amazing,” said Sampey in a statement. “That was the first time I rode the LiveWire. I could not wait to get it on the track. The LiveWire is so easy to ride. Just twist the throttle and go, and you really go!”
So, great numbers, and that made Harley confident enough to claim it set the all-new records for an “electric-powered production motorcycle on a drag racing course.”
So, this is the baseline for future electric bikes to beat. But given how there is virtually no competition in the electric-powered production motorcycle segment on the drag strip at the moment, it’s like Harley crowned itself the ruler of an empty realm.
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