AMA Pro Flat Track News & Updates Heading Into the Season-Opening Rounds at Daytona on March 14-15

Former 2008 AMA Pro Flat Track Rookie of the Year Matt Weidman spilled the beans on Facebook earlier this week that he would be campaigning the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track J&P Cycles Grand National Championship Twins Series events on the Scott Powersports Kawasaki again, after having campaigned the 650R-based mounts throughout the second half of the 2012 season.

Weidman, who took over the seat on the Scott Powersports team midway through the 2012 year after initial rider Johnny Lewis left the team after round 6 of the season at the Hagerstown Speedway, is listed as an early entry for rounds 1-2 at the Daytona Short Track next week on his DFW Honda/SNIP-sponsored Honda, and is expected to resume his spot in the Scott Powersports saddle at round 3 that is still a TBA on the schedule on May 4 (although I have heard this round may not happen.  Should that be the case, Mighty Matt's first time riding the Scott Kawi this year should happen on May 11 at the Stockton Mile.)

In the shot above from round 13 of the 2012 season at the Springfield Mile II, Matt stands in line during rider intros, along with the help of his Mom, Rachel and Dad, Guy, who were on-hand to help him out at the Illiniois State Fairgrounds rain-delayed event.  Team owner and stalwart, Mike Scott, was not able to be at the track due to scheduling problems, so Matt's parents gladly came out of 'retirement' to help the New York resident out on the day with set-up on the #20 Scott Powersports/Saddlemen/Fiorio Investments/SNIP-sponsored Kawi.  It was great seeing them back at the track helping him out as they always bring a big lending hand and another pair of big smiles to Matt's efforts.  Matt also did a nice job of rocking former National #20's leathers, Johnny 'Show Time' Murphree, but is slated to wear a nice new set for the upcoming year.  Check it out below.

You can check out a picture of Matt in his new Scott Powersports leathers here from Matt's Facebook page, and we wish the hard charger and Daytona 2012 round 2-winner the best of luck, again, for the upcoming season!

Briar Bauman, the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Saddlemen Rookie of the Year, will be making a big change to his 2013 campaign in the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season as he will be riding for one of the long-time tuners and supporters of the series this year.

After riding for the USC Racing/Hart Racing and Rod Lake Racing teams in his rookie campaign in the 2012 season, Bauman has been slated to ride for the Memphis Shades Yamaha team, helmed by none other then former factory Yamaha and Harley-Davidson tuner and wrench to the stars, Babe DeMay, with factory backing from the Yamaha Motor Company.  Bauman will be tasked with riding the new Yamaha Tenere, which will make it's debut this season in the Twins Series events.

The California resident will also be switching numbers for his 2013 season, and bolting on the #14 plate to his machines, following in the footsteps of Jake Johnson (who wore the #14 up until the 2010 season when he switched to the #5) and Hank Scott, who in this old timer's eyes made that number pretty darn famous from the '74 season until his retirement at the end of the '88 season.

In this shot from round 12 of the 2012 season, Bauman puts the #10Z Rod Lake Racing/Browns Cycle/Arai/Gene & Gail Cummings-backed Honda CRF450R through it's paces during the final practice session of the final Springfield Short Track on September 15.

Thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track for this link to the official press release about Double-B #14 hooking up with one of the long-time supporters and campaigners of the series, the legendary Babe DeMay.

A pair of Bonneville Peformance Triumph/Wiseco/Safety Kleen/Eddie Atkins-sponsored Triumphs sit at the ready for 2011 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Champion Mikey Martin #91 at round 4 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season on May 27. 

Martin and the team, in their first year together, finished in the 20th-place spot in the overall standings of the 2012 season, and showed some real promise throughout the second-half of the year after making their first National main event together at the Sacramento Mile in late July, and making four more mains (Indy, Knoxville, Santa Rosa, Tucson) to round out the year.

The California Kid with the big afro haircut and the Bonneville Performance Triumph team announced the other day that they would be pairing-up with the just-announced team of Latus Motors Triumph (with rider Johnny Lewis and former Grand National Champion Joe Kopp heading up the team) for the upcoming Twins Series events for the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season.  And they will be bringing new sponsorship on-board in the form of the U.S. Marines.

You can read more about this great news for the Bonneville Performance team and rider Mikey Martin here, again thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track.

After riding for the the Werner-Springsteen Racing/Monster Energy/Cometic/Barnett-sponsored Kawasaki team in the 2012 season, Brandon Robinson #44 has hooked up with the T.J. Burnett Farms/USC Racing/James Hart Racing/Arai-sponsored Kawasaki team for the upcoming season, as was announced in November.

The team got off to a fantastic start to the season yesterday at round 1 of the 2013 Steve Nace Racing AMA All-Star event at Oglethorpe Speedway outside Savannah, GA. with BRob44 taking home the wins in both the Expert Singles and Expert Twins events over other AMA Pro Flat Track headliners Jake Johnson, Rob Pearson, JD Beach, Henry Wiles, Kenny Coolbeth and a big handful of others.

The former Expert Twins Champion tears it up in the shot above aboard the #44 Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki at round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season at the Allen County Fairgrounds-hosted Lima Half-Mile on June 30, during one of the final practice and qualifying sessions of the day.

Great job guys, what a way to start the first big race of the season, congrats!

You can see the full event results here thanks to Chew & Mia, The Fans in the Stands from FlatTrack.com.


The Steve Nace Racing 2013 AMA All Star National Flat Track Series by Golden Tyre heads to Volusia Speedway Park tomorrow in Barberville, FL. before rounds 1-2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season kick-off on Thursday, March 14-15 at the Daytona International Speedway-hosted short track.