Santa Rosa Mile now on Fanschoice

Last month's Santa Rosa Mile was unforgettable for a number of reasons, good and bad. We've covered the bad, now the good. This race was something special. 25 miles of incredible skill, tension and groundbreaking performance.
It marks the beginning of Indian era.
Click Santa Rosa Mile 2016 to watch it, and you really should. G

Smith Gets Points Back

Following on from last week's blog post about Bryan Smith's disqualification, the AMA have reversed the decision. Below is their official release...

AMA Pro Racing announced today that an independent Appeal Board has heard and considered the appeal of a technical protest filed by No. 1 Jared Mees against No. 42 Bryan Smith on August 20, 2016 at the Central New York Half-Mile, Round 12 of the 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track season. The technical protest concerned a rear wheel assembly alleged to be out of compliance with Rule 3.22.h of the 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track rulebook: 3.22 Weight Limits and Weighing Procedures ... h. All chassis ballast must be fixed to the frame. Under no conditions is it allowable to add chassis ballast as rotating mass to the wheels outside of normal balancing procedures.    In post-race technical inspection, the wheel was retained by AMA Pro Racing staff for further investigation where it was deemed to be out of compliance. The original penalty assessed included disqualification of the #42 and loss of championship points and purse for the Central New York Half-Mile following the issuance of a Penalty Notice. Earlier today, the Appeal Board, which consisted of a non-voting chairperson from AMA Pro Racing and three voting members not affiliated with AMA Pro Racing and with no material interest in the matter at hand, heard the appeal and examined evidence presented by Smith.  After an executive session, the Appeal Board made the decision to reverse the original Penalty levied by AMA Pro Racing and restore the finishing position and points earned by Smith at the Central New York Half-Mile. The appeal board has issued the following statement: "After considering evidence presented by AMA Pro Racing and Bryan Smith, the Appeals Board identified a series of central questions: Is the wheel technically legal according to the 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track rules? If not, was the team given permission by AMA Pro Racing to utilize the wheel in competition? If the team was given permission, was that permission rescinded according to the rulebook at any moment in time after they were given permission? The following language in the introduction to the 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track rulebook was a determining factor in today's decision: 'If any rule is unclear to the entrant or competitor, the entrant or competitor is advised to get written approval prior to any modifications. Requests for rule clarifications or interpretations must be submitted in writing by riders and teams to AMA Pro Racing.' The Appeals Board has determined that, regardless of whether or not the wheel is technically legal according to the 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track rules, AMA Pro Racing officials gave Smith's team written permission to utilize the wheel in competition, and that the permission was not rescinded in writing at any point.  On that basis, the team was acting in good faith by competing with the wheel and, therefore, the disqualification upon technical protest is not considered to be valid and Smith's finishing position and points are to be restored." The decision of the Appeals Board is final and binding on all parties. AMA Pro Racing is committed to sanctioning a professional series with safety and fairness for all competitors as primary objectives. The AMA Pro Flat Track rulebook is currently undergoing an exhaustive review of language, policies and procedures in order to provide a solid platform for fostering competition on the racetrack. AMA Pro Racing will study the conclusion of the Appeals Board and implement protocols to ensure a fair, equitable and transparent process for rule-setting and enforcement. AMA Pro Racing will provide additional information on rules and procedures following an internal review. As the AMA go on to explain, 'With his points restored, Smith now leads Mees by 2 points, 221-219, heading into the season finale at Santa Rosa.' That is going to be a wild race. It's a mile, it could be Smith's year, but anything can happen. Winning the Dash for Cash gains points. Leading the most laps gains points. Mees is a fighter, and there are only two points in it. I've just been reminded the race was cancelled because of mist a few years ago. I hope that doesn't happen again, because I'M GOING! G

Springfield and Santa Rosa

I've stopped posting round-ups of AMA GNC racing the day or two after AMA GNC races because Fanschoice.tv posts full races for the world to catch up with at their leisure. It's awkward for European viewers to get to see the races live because of the time difference, so I don't want to spoil the possible excitement of watching a recorded race you don't know the result of.

There was another great race at Springfield last weekend. If you haven't seen the result, I won't mention it. Click fanschoice.tv to watch the 25-lapper. It'll take less that 18 minutes of your life and this is one of the few mains of the season that didn't get red flagged and restarted.

Mile racing is what people think of when they think of dirt track, but there isn't often the same excitement as good short track racing. This race is an example of cat and mouse and pure racecraft. I loved it.

Also on the agenda for this post: the commentators, Chris Carr and Scotty Deubler, regularly refer to Bryan Smith's appeal. Not a lot has been said about this on public AMA channels at least, just that it happened. Here's what I know....

At the previous race, the Central NY Half-Mile on August 20, Smith came second to championship leader, and reigning champ, Jared Mees. Meanwhile, there was a protest, it seems, by Mees' Las Vegas H-D, Rogers' Racing team about Smith's Crosley Kawasaki.

READ ABOUT BRYAN SMITH'S RADICAL CROSLEY KAWASAKI TWIN IN SB26

The protest, from what I can discover, was about an overweight rear wheel. If you're not 100% embedded in flat track that may sound strange. Every other motorsport spends £1000s making their wheels lighter, right? Well, yes, but a heavier rear wheel, in some circumstances and only up to a point - you wouldn't want a lead wheel, aids traction. Because of this, there is an upper weight limit in the AMA Pro Racing rulebook, for complete wheel and tyre assembly.

Riders fit the heaviest, heavy-duty tubes to help their bikes hook up, some riders have even been known to fill tubes with water rather than air to weight a rear wheel, but no one would risk that at an AMA race. So Smith was disqualified and his team appealed. Some buzz is saying they had approval to run the wheel and tyre assembly that later led to their disqualification.

Below is the report from AMA Pro Racing's tech log. It doesn't mention any pre-approval.

The Smith/Crosley Kawasaki appeal is a week today. That is crucial, because the final round is coming up on Sept 24 at the Santa Rosa Mile.

Conspiracy theorists are pointing to this being the XR750's final year and H-D doing everything they can to win the title. Firstly, teams are still going to race XR750s. No private teams are going to ditch the XR for an unproven XG750 until they're forced to, and XRs are still legal as far as I'm aware. Indian have just entered with a bespoke race engine, that has no production bikes roots.

Others point out that Mees was accused and proven to use banned tyre softening chemicals last season, but didn't lose points. Other conspiracy theorists point out that Mees now does a burn out celebration to cover up his continued use of those chemicals. I don't believe he'd risk getting caught and losing a hatful of points, he's too good and is always in with a chance of a win/podium, but what do I know?

I'll tell you what I know, Santa Rosa is going to be a great, high pressure finally. Including 2016, the season has gone down to the final race, between Mees and Smith three times in a row now. Bryan Smith has been second in the championship the previous three years (to Baker is 2013, the Mees twice). But don't believe he's going to win just because it's his turn. Ask Dani Pedrosa about coming second...

Our good friends at the CFTA are involved with promoting the Mile race. CFTA head man, Randy Kremlacek, has contributed features to Sideburn for years, before he got to busy race promoting.

There is going to be racing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

And it sounds like Sideburn is going to be there! G

WATCH - The Black Hills GNC Main

If you only watch the delayed coverage of one GNC race all year, make it this one from Tuesday night. The AMA and Fans Choice TV haven't grasped the idea of no spoilers yet, so if at all possible, and you don't already know the result, avoid reading the caption under the video window when you click the link below. I managed to watch this midweek race from Sturgis live and it had me on the edge of my hotel bed.

Here is the link.

BTW, has there been a GNC main without a red flag stoppage this year? That isn't a spoiler, it adds to te excitement. G

Charlotte Half-Mile: Tomorrow

I'm pretty busy, so this is taken straight from the press release. Watch the race for free on fanschoice.tv . Chris Carr is part of the commentary team and he's always good value for money...

Last year's Charlotte Half-Mile winner, Bryan Smith, pilot of the No. 42 Crosley Radio Kawasaki Ninja 650, heads into this year's event with a 13-point lead in the GNC1 point standings. Smith ripped off three consecutive wins in the month of May and is well within striking distance of capturing his first GNC1 championship. The Michigan native finished fourth in the Round 8 contest at Lima, which was impressive considering his strength is typically reserved for Mile circuits. If Smith wants to earn his first championship, he's going to need to continue to find success on the shorter courses, as only two of the remaining six races in 2016 are Miles.

Another hurdle that Smith is going to need to overcome goes by the name Jared Mees. X Games Gold Medalist Mees stole the X Games crown from Smith this year, and aims to recoup from last year's mechanical issue at Charlotte to take the crown in North Carolina too. Mees is the reigning GNC1 champion and has won the ultimate title three of the last four years. Sitting just 13 points back of Smith in the standings, and entering Charlotte fresh off three-straight races where he finished second or better, Mees has proven that he's more than capable of running Smith down and capturing his fourth GNC1 championship in the last half decade. The No. 1 Las Vegas Harley-Davidson XR750 pilot was poised to earn the Charlotte Half-Mile win a year ago before a bike malfunction on the last lap of the main event forced him from the race and gave Smith the victory.

 Entering Charlotte third in the point standings is Sammy Halbert, who is changing teams mid-season and arrives at Charlotte as the rider of the No. 69 Wiebler's Harley-Davidson. Halbert is coming off his worst performance of the season, 13th at the previous round in Lima and is aggressively looking to get back to the front this weekend. Replacing Halbert on the No. 23 BriggsAuto.com Harley-Davidson is Jeffrey Carver, Jr.

Charlotte Last Week/ Springfield Tomorrow

Last weekend, the 2015 GNC series rolled up to Charlotte Half-Mile, North Carolina for the Don Tilley Memorial. I won't give the result here, for those that might have missed it, because you can see it at your leisure at FansChoice.tv (and it's worth watching). 

Cory Texter (Shayna's brother) debuted a new framer with a Kawasaki Vulcan S (the parallel twin cruiser), supported by Cycle World magazine.

The Basic twins ran at Charlotte, this is the GNC2 class on twins. This has been the most half-baked of recent AMA innovations. The idea was to prepare the GNC2 'Juniors' by having them ride twins at mile rounds, and also not thrash their 450s to death on the big tracks. But the idea fizzled out and the GNC2 riders raced 450s at some miles in 2014. Now they're totally forgotten from 2016 onwards in the new rules...
Anyway, this is Rob McLendon III's Triumph, the only Triumph to make the main in the GNC2 class.

 Henry Wiles and Stevie Bonsey

Having broken his leg after hitting something on track at the Black Hill,s South Dakota round, Brad Baker turned up to sign posters. #5 Jake Johnson has been standing in for him on the factory Harley.

GNC1 rookie Jarod Vanderkooi and Brandon Robinson. Vanderkooi has been great this season and Robinson's making the Triumph work much better than Shayna Texter did last year.

Johnson and Sammy Halbert. Sammy is running 69, instead of his normal 7, in memory of his recently deceased brother, Jethro.

Flyin' Bryan Smith.

Photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.

Pomona Half-Mile

The final race of the season. The decider. Mees, Smith and Johnson can all win it, going into this race. Smith had already won the Dash for Cash (for the top six qualifiers) by this point... G

Bryan Smith at the Mega Mile

AMA Pro Racing are serving up some great video content this year: full races and smaller features like track walks with the top  races.
This is an interesting short. I'd like to see Bryan Smith win the #1 plate this year.

An in-depth tech feature on SMith and his 2013 Crosley Kawasaki 650 twin is featured in SB15. G

Smith wins fourth consecutive SacMile

Bryan Smith left it very late to announce which team he'd be racing for in 2014, after the Howerton team decided to call it a day, but it hasn't affected his performance. He's retained the same engine and the same form that saw him losing out on the number one plate (in the twins class) at the very last year of 2013. He's won three out of eight races so far and leads the title race at the halfway point. 

Jared Mees (#9) kept the pressure on with another podium finish. I wouldn't bet against him to win the title.

Above and below. Qualifying streamlining. #44 Brandon Robinson finished fourth in the main. #7 Sammy Halbert's comparatively so-so results continued. He came seventh, losing a place to Brad Baker on the run to the line. The race he was nailed on to win, Lima, ended early when his bike broke.
#16 Young gun Wyatt Maguire made the main, coming in 14th.

Coolbeth, #2, had another great start, but faded to finish in no man's land in fifth, away from the leading four, but more than four seconds ahead of sixth.
I'm really interested in Jake Johnson and the Lloyd's Brothers' Ramspur team. This year Jake has run an XR750, Ducati 1000 and, above, a Kawasaki 650. Plus he runs a Honda on the short tracks and TTs. Who else, at the very highest level, runs four different makes of bike in one season (all in the same team's colours)?

Next GNC race is the Castle Rock TT this Saturday. 

Photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.

When Thor Went to Elma

Last weekend, the GNC series visited Gray's Harbor, Washington for a half-mile race. Our good friend and fellow Dirt Quake USA organiser, Thor Drake of See See Motorcycles went along...

I packed up the ol’ Purple Hog with the bare escentals; tent, sleeping bag and Polaroid camera. No plan in place, just a destination, 130 miles north of Portland to Grays Harbor Racetrack in Elma, Washington for the half-mile AMA GNC dirt track race. My little lady was on a separate trip with her family, coincidentally on the way. I met Tori in a logger bar about halfway to Elma. I roll up on my old leaky Harley, she jumps out of a car, we both load up on the Harley and hit the road. I wonder if this made any sense to the bar keep? 

The sun was shining and was about 85 degrees out, almost perfect conditions for a nice little jaunt up the coast. Leaving the house I had some sense to pack a leather coat knowing full well that in the Pacific North West the weather can change at a moment's notice. Exactly what it did about 20 miles away from the track. In an almost comedic way a black cloud wrapped its arms around the general vicinity of Grays Harbor, living up to its name apparently?!

As we made our way up the hill a slow mist coated us in a chilly blanket. Tori and I arrived at the turn off to the track, I saw some familiar faces headed the other direction. This does not bode well, I think to myself. Still holding on to some lick of hope we pulled into the parking lot. A guy in a golf cart rolled up and said, “Race cancelled.” Just to be sure, as though it was some surprise, I asked again. You mean to tell me the race is cancelled? “Yup” 

Tori and I set up camp in the field next to the track. We cracked a cold one and strolled over to say Hi to group of old timers, Some you may recognise.
They told us it was going to be dry in the morning and with any luck they will be racing by 1:30. 

We woke up at the crack of 10 the next morning to the sound of the intercom followed by some unmistakable V-twin engines. A quick “pack em up” and we purchased our $35 general admission tickets. We watched some practice, the Pro Singles and the Big Twins bouncing around the banked corners. Sammy Halbert #7 throwing down the fastest lap. 

A brief intermission gave me a chance to stop by the pits and say Hi to Brad Baker and Sammy. For whatever dumb reason I alway get super nervous in the pits, and this time was no exception. I was stumbling for words and spilling my drink all over myself while trying to take pictures. 

The races started promptly at 1:30 The first race was the Pro Singles. Jarod Vanderkooi yaking the win. Behind him local nice guy, Davis Fisher, in 3rd. Ryan Wells. Davis always gets a little nervous when he has to talk on the intercom. Poor guy choked up pretty good but rode one hell of a great race.

The main event for the Pro Twins followed. Sammy was in pole position and jumped out to an early lead. Pacing the pack for the first half of the race. He was caught about mid-race by both Bryan Smith and Jared Mees. Smith led the race for the next 6 or so laps and was passed right at the end by Jared Mees. Sammy and Brad scrapped for 4th and 5th. The top riders all aboard the HD XR750s, with exception of Bryan on his Crosley Kawasaki. Man, I love flat track racing. 
Tori and I jumped back on the hog and split southbound for a warm shower and a home-cooked meal.
Thor Drake, Portland, 21 July 2014

Smith wins in Hagerstown

Bryan Smith broke Harley's decades-long grip on AMA pro half-miles when he won last weekend's Hagerstown half-mile in Maryland. This is his second win of the season, after dominating the Springfield Mile. 

We have an in-depth tech feature on Smith's Crosley Kawasaki ER-6 (same engine, different chassis to this bike) in Sideburn 15. 

 Jared Mees came in second leads the championship. 

Jake Johnson has Ramspur XR750, Ducati 1000 and Kawasaki to choose from. He picked the Harley for the Maryland race and continued his good run of finishes with a sixth place.

Jake Shoemaker - who made his first main in 2012 - got his best result so far, a third on another Kawasaki. Nine Kawasakis made the main. There was one Triumph - Mikey Martin's, the rest Harleys.

After the cruel luck of breaking down while having a clear lead at Lima, Sammy Halbert came in 5th in the main, one place behind...

 ...Brandon Robinson.

Like Sammy, in the last race, Kenny Coolbeth was in the lead and way ahead when his Zanotti XR750 broke down. A few laps later his teammate, Bonsey's bike expired. Very unusual from this championship-winning team.

Like he did at Springfield, Smith won the Dash too.

Semi action. Johnny Lewis, #10, on the KTM. Mikey Martin, #91, on a Triumph, Steve Murray, #51, on a Harley. Only the Triumph rider made it to the Main.

Henry Wiles overheating on the startline.

Johnson and Halbert.

Smith and Mees.

Next race: Grays Harbor Half-Mile, Elma, WA - July 19.

All photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.

Mees wins Lima

2012 champion Jared Mees was there when it mattered to win the Lima Half-Mile on a very rough and tough looking cushion track. Sammy Halbert, #7, had won the Dash for Cash (for fastest qualifiers) and had ridden away from the field in the main, when his engine let go... It looked like Bryan Smith would be the first non-XR750 to win a Pro half-mile Main since prehistoric times, but Mees hunted him down, passed him and cleared off.

Dash for Cash - Halbert, Baker, Bonsey, Smith, Mees, Bauman.
It finished Halbert, Baker, Mees.

Smith led a few laps of the main when Halbert pulled off, but couldn't hold off Mees. He faded towards the end and was passed by another Kawasaki, with Brandon Robinson (#44, below).

Jake Johnson seemed to really struggle and had to use a once-per-season get out of jail pass to make the main, when he didn't get out of his semi. It was a good gamble as he eventually came 5th in the main.

The standings are now 1. Coolbeth (who came a solid 4th at Lima) 2. Johnson. 3. Mees. 

Defending Champion, Brad Baker is in 10th in the championship after a DNF when his factory XR750 broke.

The next race is tomorrow, 5 July, Hagerstown Half-Mile. 

All photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.