AMA Flat Track: Mikey Martin National #91 Bonneville Performance Triumph Grabs 9th-place Spot at the Sacramento Mile

One of the team members works on getting the pit area readied in the Bonneville Performance Triumph pits during round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Mile I on May 27.  Team patriarch and head-man-in-charge Bill Gately can be seen in the left side of the shot hawking the team's street tracker-versions of the parallel twin machines.

Mikey Martin, the team's new rider and 2011 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Champion, pulled out a great 9th-place finish at round 7 of the season at the Sacramento Mile on July 28.  Having struggled throughout the earlier rounds in the Twins Series events, Double M put the big twin into the National main event for his first time ever in his rookie year as an Expert-ranked rider, after coming home in the 4th-place spot in his heat race at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in California.

Martin was in a deeply-stacked heat that saw eventual event-winner Bryan Smith, former rookie of the year Stevie Bonsey and 2-Time Singles Champion Henry Wiles finish ahead of him to secure their spots in the National main.  Mikey finished just .886 seconds behind heat winner Smith to secure his spot in the 25-lap main event.

Mikey ended the evening on the left coast after finishing in the 9th-place spot, 9.164 seconds behind Bryan Smith, and scored his first points of the season in the Expert class in his first National main event of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  He rode the #91 Bonneville Performance Triumph/Wiseco/Safety Kleen/Eddie Atkins-sponsored parallel twin to a great run that will surely see him and the team moving forward as the season continues.

Congrats to Mikey for his great run, we knew you guys would get that big twin headed in the right direction!

You can read the full press release below from Mikey and the Bonneville Performance Triumph team.

Press release courtesy of Mikey Martin National #91, 2011 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Champion & Bonneville Performance Triumph AMA Pro Flat Track team.


Mikey Martin Puts Bonneville Performance Triumph in the National Main at the Sacramento Mile and Brings Home Solid 9th-place finish.


Hey everyone,

Here is my race report from Cal Expo in Sacramento, CA.

I was going into this race feeling confident in front of my hometown crowd as I only live 35 miles away.  Last year as a Pro I did a "clean sweep" meaning, I set the fastest qualifying time, won the fastest heat, and won the main event.  I wanted this to be the day that I make my first main event on the Triumph.

The temperature was up to 98 degrees on Saturday and the grandstands were packed full of spectators.  I had friends, family and neighbors there rooting me on.

In the first qualifying session I qualified fourth and in the second qualifying session I qualified fourth which meant I qualified fourth overall and earned a front row start for the heat race.

Mikey Martin #91 shows his form on the Bonneville Performance Triumph during round 7 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds hosted Sacramento Mile on July 28.  Photo courtesy of Mikey Martin/Bonneville Performance by Dave Hoenig/Flat Trak Fotos.com.


There was a long intermission so we set up an autograph signing.  I was a little shocked when Frank Gillespie (former National #76 in the early-mid '70s), a former Triumph icon came over and asked for my autograph.  He mentioned to me that I was his new hero and traded a picture of him for my autograph.

Near the end of the opening ceremony two Marine Helicopters did a "fly by" over the track, I was thrilled when the pilots showed up to meet and take pictures with the Bonneville Performance Team.

In the heat race I was on the front row in a really stacked heat . I got a good start, was in second about half the race.  I was battling with Steve Bonsey and Bryan Smith.  I lost third position when Henry Wiles passed me on the last lap.  I ended up in the fourth position this meant a direct transfer to the main event.

Mikey Martin on the #91 Bonneville Performance Triumph took home a hard-earned 9th-place finish at the Sacramento Mile on July 28.  Photo courtesy of Mikey Martin/Bonneville Performance by Amanda Jones/Revved Up Photography.


My bike was working well.  We made some changes to the suspension setup for the main and put on a new tire.

In the main event I started on the second row.  I got a good start and was in seventh until the halfway point.  I kept spinning up coming out of turn 2 and Jeffery Carver got past me coming out.  The white flag came out and I was in eighth up until this point when I slipped off the grove in turn 3 and let another rider get by me.  I finished the race in the 9th-place position, which was my first top-10 finish this year.  I was extremely happy for our team.

<sup>Mikey Martin 91 / Bonneville Performance – Factory Triumph Racing

I would like to give a special thanks to everyone at Triumph Motorcycles and Bonneville Performance.

Thanks to our great sponsors:

AC Racing, Acerbis, All Balls, Alpinestars, Andrews Brothers Racing, Applied Coatings, Arai Helmets, Barnett, Crank Works Inc., CV4, Durelle Racing Suspension, D&D Exhaust, Eddie Adkins, EBC Brakes, K&N Filters, Kibblewhite Precision Machining, Lightshoe, Mayberry Construction, Millennium Technologies, Mike Cougle, Motion Pro, MTFX Graphics, PMP Sprockets, Pro Plates, R-3 Powersports, RK Chain, R&S Erection, Saddlemen, Safety Kleen, San Joaquin Chrome, San Joaquin Steel, Spectro Oils, Spider Grips, SPY Optics, SHY, Triumph Motorcycles, Vortex, VC Graphix, Web Cams, Wiseco Pistons, Woody Kyle Racing, Works Connection</sup>