Flat Trackers?

[Big Dave]

Doing some research into Flat Track Racing.

http://kiwiridermagazine.blogspot.com/2010/01/bd-auckland-h-d-xr1200x.html

XR1200X pic set is on the page too.

I've done the google basics - You guys got any good links or interest in the machines - local content particularly - Motu?

[trustme]

The king & the evilest flat tracker ever. A repost but you may not have seen it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k8hJWKIVNs

Also have a squizz here
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=272954

[HenryDorsetCase]

http://www.sideburnmagazine.com/WELCOME.html

Gary Inman ex Performance Bikes

Somebody prove me wrong, but my understanding is if you want to go fast and turn left on diirt in NZ you have to do it on a speedway bike. Even long track (the equivalent to a mile oval or whatever) is speedway longtrack.

[Motu]

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You must have seen this video.
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They turn right and jump too.

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[Motu]

It's a pity Harley didn't have the guts to turn the XR1000 into a streettracker way back when,instead of making a dorky cruiser thing.The XR1000 is much more XR750 than the XR1200.

Local content? Not much these days,but late '80's to early '90's it was pretty popular,races all over the country,but mainly centered around Rosebank.The streettracker thread on ADVrider is great,there are some really nice streettrackers and real live flattrackers on there....and real flattrack riders too.Look out for the really nice R65 streettracker....

<img src="http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af212/bmwr65/P1020323.jpg">

[trustme]

Peoria
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fydwFFeJAUI

[trustme]

I'm frustrated , I can't find 3 seminal flat track pics.
1 The King, short track, cranked over with the front about a foot in the air
2 Nicky Hayden training for the day job
3 Jorgy on Ron's Norton, 80hp from a 750, It lived hard & died young.
[ I'm Nortie from way back ]

Any helpers ????

[trustme]

Jorgy.

It's not the one but it will do
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rotax.net/Photos/ajnorton.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/showthread.php%3Ft%3D512790%26page%3D3&usg=__MgOZCCu3QysCZowZIprPUETFSBk=&h=482&w=640&sz=76&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=zXk6u7oY7P-gJM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dalex%2Bjorgensen%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3De n%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26rlz%3D1I7ADSA_en%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

[Spuds1234]

The king & the evilest flat tracker ever. A repost but you may not have seen it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k8hJWKIVNs

That bike sounded amazing. I want one.

[Motu]

This is another good thread on ADVrider....http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243717&highlight=flattrack

This is a great shot of Scott Parker,who held the No1 plate 9 times,and shows just how close they run at high speeds.

<img src="http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/hofimages/Parker1.jpg">

And the Peroria jump,at 90mph....150kph.

<img src="http://cbxtc6.smugmug.com/photos/32526704-L.jpg">

[Motu]

How about a bit of history,my version anyway,so tear it to pieces.It started in the USA...tough times,abandoned horse racing tracks....pretty tempting I must admit.It spread to Australia,became pretty big,and then started in England.They let it develop itself,sticking to small 1/4 mile tracks,using cinders from iron works or power stations maybe,finding out what made a bike fast on these tracks.After several years the bikes and tracks had settled into a pattern,and rules were made to lock in speedway and the solo bikes we know.

In the USA it went along a different track - they stuck to the bigger horse racing tracks, 1/2 mile and mile,and ran them as they found them...hard packed dirt.Pretty soon the bike manufacturers took over - they made factory bikes for their factory teams to ride...if you didn't ride for a factory team you had no chance of winning.The powers that were at the time didn't like this,so made a rule that only ''stock bikes'' could race....bikes Joe Public could walk into a shop,buy and race the next day.So that is the fundamental difference - bikes and tracks allowed to develop by themselves....or bikes restricted to what was sold on the floor...street legal.

After WWII some organization was needed,and the National Circuit set up.Professional riders rode on 1/4 mile,1/2 mile and mile dirt tracks,and also road race circuits....after the season was up the rider with the most points wore the No1 plate on their bike,and down in that order.The US was not involved in motorcycle racing in the rest of the world,they did their own thing in their own little world.In the late '60's some like Gary Nixon went to race overseas - and the rest is history,starting with Kenny Roberts who took his dirttrack style to the seal and changed how powerful bikes were ridden.

Some will want to criticize Harley for forcing the rules to favour their own outdated bikes...and there is some truth in that.However,bikes have changed so much,that the XR750 is still a bike based on the old cast iron Sportster,and is perfect for high speed dirttrack.You can't buy an XR750 off the floor anymore,you have to make one.You can't really ride a modern bike on a Mile...but you can build one that can,and is still done.

[Motu]

For local content you need to talk to Owl Morris,he is a member of this site,but seldom comes here.Here is his home page and the history of his TT500,and involvement with flattrack at Rosebank.Owl wrote the MNZ rules for flattrack in NZ,and would know more about it than most.

http://owlmorris-ttsr500.4t.com/index.html

[Big Dave]

Gold thanks - I'll quote you.

[98tls]

Came across this pic of "the beast" over on the TL site,and a modern somewhat insane version.

[mctshirt]

Might be worth a look at Doug Fairbrother
http://www.times-age.co.nz/local/news/fairbrother-to-ride-rare-norton-racer/3672067/
http://www.silver-bullet.co.nz/news.php?id=2190

Can't find a link to the actual grass track mile world record attempts but from memory there was a couple...

Another grass track link from the Wairarapa
http://www.times-age.co.nz/sport/news/70-years-span-grasstrack-men/3604551/

Speedway was a big hit here too
http://www.historicspeedway.co.nz/Penlee%20speedway.htm

[yorkshire raceramesh]

Is anyone interested in getting flat / grass track started again here ? I've put a few feelers out amongst VMX guys who have tried a couple of times to resurect it but seems Kiwis just aren't interested.
I am starting a bike business up this year and am interested in building grass track and speedway (shale speedway like England, Europe not the clay version here) bikes. I would be very interested in getting racing going again if I could get enough interest. I might start another thread and see if there is anybody else out there. It's a FANTASTIC sport and can't see why it asen't caught on here. Any thoughts?

[Motu]

Flattrack was started in NZ in the late '70's by Bryce Sibritzky,to get more involvement at Rosebank speedway in Auckland...Rosebank had previously just been the practice track.The only rules were no brakes and no knobs,the 750 limit was not really relevant as no one was going to go out on anything bigger.The first few meetings saw about 25 bikes out on track - it was carnage! Then they split it up,but still a dozen bikes in a race....starting line 4 rows deep.Over the years it developed with a lot of riders on track,Owl brought in the American influence,as when the Owl gets interested in something,he's into it all the way.

Unfortunately what started as a feeder class into real speedway became more expensive as the bikes more sophisticated.In the last few years Shane Scanlon was ruling the roost with a Champion framed XR,and then a Husky 510 on alky.Others were using the latest MX bikes.Why spend all that money to race flattrack,when for a couple of grand you could get a real 2 valve speedway bike and do the real thing.

That's why it died....it just became too expensive for a marginal sport.Also there was a bit of the club snobbery,speedway riders looked down on flattrackers.I've heard the old flattracker's of the time talking about getting something going again,but like me they are too old to go around hitting walls.Young blood,that's what is needed....but how to get them interested? Get some motarders to put K180's on and hit the dirt.Don't see the point on riding a motard only on seal,but that's what they do in NZ.