AMA Pro Racing Releases 2017 Schedule for American Flat Track Series (formerly know as AMA Pro Flat Track)

AMA Pro Racing, the sanctioning body for the newly rebranded American Flat Track series (formerly known as AMA Pro Flat Track) today released the new schedule for the 2017 season. The release of the schedule this early is the first time in years (and maybe more then a decade) that it has been released in it's entirety before the middle or end of November.

With many returning favorites (Springfield, Lima, Peoria, Rapid City, Sacramento, and Charlotte), some new venues added to the series' ranks (Elbridge, NY, Mechanicsburg, PA, Fort Worth, TX, Perris, CA, Woodstock, GA, and Phoenix, AZ) and some returning sites that have been visited in previous years (Lexington, KY, Calistoga, CA, and Oklahoma City, OK), two newly revamped races have also been added to the circuit (Daytona TT and Sturgis TT) making for an 18-race romp through the season that will kick off in Daytona on March 16 and wrap-up at the Perris Auto Speedway on October 7.

Overall the schedule will visit seven half-mile venues, five mile venues (with Springfield running their usual spring and late summer dates), three TT venues and two short track venues that will showcase the series' new 'Twins-only' platform across the board in all forms of racing.

In the shot above, riders roar off the line during the restart of round 6 of the 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines series at the Springfield Mile I on May 29.

(L-R) Eventual 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Champion Bryan Smith on the #42 Crosley Brands/T&T Construction/Howerton Motorsports Kawasaki leads the charge that will eventually see him bag the win after the 25-lap National main held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds mile oval.

Following along off the front row are 2015 AMA Grand National Champion Jared Mees on the #1 Las Vegas H-D/Rogers Racing/Harley-Davidson Motor Company XR750, Brandon Robinson on the #44 Kennedy Racing/Armbruster Racing/J&H Repair Kawasaki, 2016 Saddlemen AMA Pro Flat Track Rookie of the Year JR Addison on the #24F Smith Racing/J&F Construction/Moto Option Kawasaki, Brad Baker on the #6 Harley-Davidson Motor Co/Vance & Hines/Screaming Eagle factory XR750 and Jake Johnson on the #5 Zanotti Racing/Classic H-D/Harley-Davidson Motor Company XR750.

Also seen in this shot are 2016 Canadian Flat Track Champion Doug Lawrence on the #73 Glidden Racing/Dreyer Motorsports/Doug Lawrence Racing Kawasaki (just over JR Addison #24F's right shoulder coming off of the second row) and Kenny Coolbeth on the #2 Zanotti Racing/Harley-Davidson/Gator H-D XR750 (also coming off the second row and seen over Jake Johnson #5's right shoulder.)

It's great to see the schedule released so early for the first time in what seems like ages, which will undoubtedly help not only the teams, sponsors and riders but especially the fans to be able to schedule their travel and vacation plans this far in advance for a change. Bravo to AMA Pro Racing for getting this pulled off so early!

With the long winter months getting ready to set in in and around the Midwest, we can at least look forward to 2017 some 40 days off, and with Daytona set for the middle of March again that means that racing in the greatest two wheeled racing show in the world is now only five months and five days away!

You can check out the full press release and schedule below thanks to AMA Pro Racing and the newly renamed American Flat Track series dates and venues and start making your plans now.

AMA Pro Racing announces 2017 American Flat Track schedule

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 11, 2016) – AMA Pro Racing is proud to announce an expanded 18-round schedule for the debut season of the newly rebranded American Flat Track series (formerly AMA Pro Flat Track). The 2017 calendar includes improvements to geographic diversity, the mix of track configurations (six Miles, seven Half-Miles, two Short Tracks and three TTs) and boasts the most rounds on a schedule since 2011. American Flat Track has been re-envisioned for 2017. In addition to a rebranding of the series, the class structure and event format have also been modernized. Every event on the 2017 schedule will feature the world’s best flat track motorcycle racers competing on powerful, twin-cylinder motorcycles in the AFT Twins class, while the rising stars of the sport battle it out on spirited single-cylinder machines in AFT Singles. AMA Pro Racing’s subsidiary promotions company AFT Events, which was formed in 2016 to develop the event experience and bring the sport to new markets, has expanded from a single round in 2016 to eight next season. That expansion has allowed for careful consideration in the planning of the calendar, which features an efficient, streamlined flow of events aimed at minimizing costs for participants.   The 2017 season will kick off on March 16 during Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Fla. on a new TT circuit under the bright lights inside Daytona International Speedway. The debut event is moving inside the “World Center of Racing” on a one-of-a-kind .6-mile TT track designed by seven-time Grand National Champion Chris Carr. The DAYTONA TT will mark the dawning of a new era for America’s most historic form of motorcycle racing, and will serve as the first battleground for the great American war between Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles in 2017. 2017 American Flat Track Schedule   March 16: DAYTONA TT – Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla. March 25: Georgia Short Track – Dixie Speedway, Woodstock, Ga. April 1: Charlotte Half-Mile – Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C. May 13: Arizona Mile – Turf Paradise, Phoenix, Ariz. May 20: Sacramento Mile – Cal Expo Fairgrounds, Sacramento, Calif. May 27-28: Springfield Mile I* – Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, Ill. June 3: Red Mile – The Red Mile, Lexington, Ky. June 17: OKC Mile – Remington Park, Oklahoma City June 24: Lima Half-Mile – Allen County Fairgrounds, Lima, Ohio July 8: Rolling Wheels Half-Mile – Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, Elbridge, N.Y. July 29: Calistoga Half-Mile – Calistoga Speedway, Calistoga, Calif. Aug. 6: Buffalo Chip TT presented by Indian Motorcycle – Buffalo Chip Campgrounds, Sturgis, S.D. Aug. 8: Black Hills Half-Mile – Black Hills Speedway, Rapid City, S.D. Aug. 13: Peoria TT – Peoria Motorcycle Club, Peoria, Ill. Sept. 2-3: Springfield Mile II** – Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, Ill. Sept. 9: Williams Grove Half-Mile – Williams Gove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, Pa. Sept. 23: Lone Star Half-Mile – Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas Oct. 7: Perris Short Track – Perris Auto Speedway, Perris, Calif. * AFT Singles will race a TT on May 27 ** AFT Singles will race a Short Track on Sept. 2   Next Up: American Flat Track will kick off the 2017 season during Daytona’s Bike Week on Thursday, March 16 with the all-new DAYTONA TT, built inside the trioval at the “World Center of Racing.” The DAYTONA TT will mark the dawning of a new era for America’s most historic form of motorcycle racing, and will serve as the first battleground for the great American war between Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles in 2017. T Tickets for the DAYTONA TT are now on sale and can be purchased at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com. How to Watch:   FansChoice.tv is the official home for live streaming coverage of American Flat Track events. The site also provides coverage of IMSA's development and single-make series, and NASCAR's touring and weekly series. Catch all the action at http://www.FansChoice.tv.   About American Flat Track:   American Flat Track is the world's premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. For more information on American Flat Track, please visit www.amaproracing.com/flat-track follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or live stream the on-track action on FansChoice.tv. About AMA Pro Racing: AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

For additional information contact:     AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com