AMA Flat Track: The Peoria TT, Then and Now, As We Preview Round 14 of the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Series

As the hills and valley at the Peoria TT fill with throngs of race fans, the 1975 round of the Camel Pro Series/AMA Grand National Championship Series saw the grand old days of riders throwing 310 lb.+ v-twin and parallel-twin motorcycles off the jump at speeds that would make mere mortals cringe-let alone in the wonderment of the thrill.

In this heat race action shot from August 1975, then-Harley-Davidson Factory tuner Bill Werner (and now co-owner of the Werner Springsteen Monster Energy Kawasaki team) can be seen in his usual white overalls and orange H-D hat looking on from the left side of the shot.  Werner later that year won his first of 13 AMA Grand National Championships with his then-rider, '75 AMA Grand National Champion Gary Scott.

Leading those in the frame of this Stu's Shots vintage vault shot, is Rex Beauchamp on his #31 H-D Factory XR-750, with unknown rider #18(?) following.  Just coming off the jump on his #65X Vista Sheen XR is Jay Springsteen, followed by Corky Keener on the #62 Harley Factory XR-750.  Dan Gurney's All American Racers-sponsored Chuck Palmgren on the #38 Yamaha XS650-based machine brings up the rear of this pack.  Sonny Burres out of Portland, OR. went on to win the romp at Peoria that year on his #69 Triumph.


Read on below as AMA Pro Flat Track and Stu's Shots bring you more of a preview of what is to come when round 14 of the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship Series hits the track at the long-standing, and hugely attended Peoria TT.
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Peoria TT Trifecta: "Prince" Carr Celebrated and Nixon Remembered, While Championship Battles Rage


DAYTONA BEACH, FL (August 16, 2011) - The AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track Championship will again roll out in front of Peoria Race Park's thousands of fans this Sunday for Round 14 of the 21-race series. The massive crowd that traditionally fills the shaded hillsides around "Thunder Valley" will be treated not merely to the biggest and baddest TT race on the AMA Pro schedule, but to race action heightened by close championship battles raging in each class.

The Peoria Motorcycle Club has been hosting fans since 1947, and this weekend's August 21 event will mark the venue's 82nd Grand National, the early years featuring both "Heavyweight" and "Lightweight" nationals on the same day. Current machinery has since changed the way riders approach the half-mile-long track, and the 100-mph front straight and monstrous back-straight jump are not for the faint of heart.

The Chris Carr "Farewell Tour" has been a big attraction all season long, but Peoria will surely be the most emotional stop for the seven-time Grand National Champion, as Carr has proudly worn the "Prince of Peoria" title for many years. He won his first Grand National main in Peoria in 1985 -- his first of thirteen victories there, twelve of them consecutive -- and has contended twenty-four Peoria mains in all, picking up five podium finishes in addition to his thirteen wins.

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Henry Wiles leads the pack on his #1 Monster Energy Kawasaki into turn one at the Peoria TT during heat 1 race action in August 2010.  Following closely is Jake Johnson on his #5 Zanotti Racing Honda, who finished the day in the 4th spot of the National main event, and went on to win the 2010 AMA Grand National Championship.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.
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While Carr will certainly be a sentimental favorite, however, it appears the heir to the Peoria throne may have already arrived: Monster Energy Kawasaki's Henry Wiles has reeled off the last six straight wins at the TT. Thus far, the only entity able to stop Wiles at Peoria has been Mother Nature herself, as the 2007 event was rained out.

Thanks to thin margins in the 2011 Grand National Championship battle, Wiles will have some hot-blooded competitors to deal with on Sunday, starting with Woody Kyle Racing/Fredericktown Yamaha's Sammy Halbert, who's led the title hunt since the opening round. Behind Halbert are the ever-relentless Jared Mees (Montgomeryville Cycle Center/Lucas Oil) and defending Grand National Champion Jake Johnson (Zanotti Racing) -- but neither intends to stay behind much longer.

All three contenders have had some success on the brutal TT in years past. Mees and Halbert went second and third, respectively, in the 2010 event, while Johnson -- the most experienced Peoria rider of the three -- has racked up his own second and third. The trio will have company, however, as there will be several young-guns looking to make their mark.

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Henry Wiles soars off the jump at the Peoria TT on his #1 Monster Energy/Don's Kawasaki/Shift Racing/Jones Bros.-sponsored KX450F in route to winning his 6th National main event in a row in Peoria, IL. in August 2010.  The defending (and soon to be 2-Time) AMA Pro Flat Track Singles Champion led runner-up Jared Mees home by over 11.3 seconds, with Sammy Halbert rounding out the podium.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.
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JD Beach -- who won four of the eight Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles races he entered last year, even while picking up AMA Pro Road Racing's Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport East Division Championship -- will be returning from the road race wars to take his shot at the national. Beach, who earned a podium finish in his first Expert main, is no stranger to Peoria, having won its 2009 and 2010 Pro Singles races. A pair of Rookie of the Year contenders, Brad Baker and Jeff Carver, also helped to fill the Pro Singles podium both years, and the three young riders will give a fresh look to the 2011 field while giving more-veteran riders some likely trouble.

Carr's final Peoria stop won't be the only emotional event on Sunday, as many riders will be paying tribute to flat track and road race legend Gary Nixon, who passed away in early August. Those riders will wear Nixon replica jerseys for the day, paying tribute to the popular, beloved rider who won back-to-back Grand National titles before beginning his road race career. Between celebrations of flat track's proud history and the intensity of its present-day action, this year's Peoria TT promises to be a can't-miss event.

For Peoria TT tickets and information, visit www.peoriatt.net or call (309) 697-4981 or (309) 635-1662. To be a part of the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track Championship, visit www.amaproracing.com and join us on facebook.com/AMAProFlatTrackSeries and twitter.com/AMAProFlatTrack.

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

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Round 14 of the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship Series, the Peoria TT.  Info can be found below.

Event results and schedule:

http://amaproracing.com/ft/events/event.cfm?eid=2011021165

Complete event info, including rider entry lists, practice & qualifying info, and results can be found here (PDF versions--scroll down for Peoria Round 14 2011):

http://results.amaproracing.com/

Official website of the Peoria TT (includes driving directions from I-474 Loop around Peoria's west side, to the track):

http://www.peoriatt.net/

Weather for Peoria, IL., thanks to The Weather Underground:

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=zmw:61601.1.99999
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Three men who most likely will have a large bearing on what happens this coming Sunday, August 21 at the Peoria TT, are shown on the podium after the Springfield Short Track round of the 2010 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Series.

JD Beach #95C (far left), had just done the near impossible (unless you know JD's racing ability) in bringing his RedBull/Top 1 Oil/Rockwall Performance/Craig Rogers-sponsored Honda CRF450R home in the 3rd spot, in what was his first-ever Expert main event at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Rodeo Arena.  Beach made use of the red-flag restart to work his way through the field from a second row, 9th place start and made the box in what was his first big foray into the Expert ranks.  Beach's previous two weekends before Springfield saw him win the Indy Mile and Peoria TT in his final races as an AMA Pro Flat Track Pro Singles rider.

JD is returning to the track at Peoria this weekend, having entered his #95 Universal City Kawasaki Motorsports-backed KX450F for the annual romp at the infamous TT event.  Having been contesting the AMA Pro Road Racing Series in the AMA Superbike Championship for the Cycle World Kawasaki team, Beach has the weekend off for the first time since this spring to come duke it out with the boys in the dirt.  Look for him to be part of the mix all day Sunday!

Henry Wiles had just taken his #1 Monster Energy/Don's Kawasaki/Shift Racing/Jones Bros.-backed KX450F to the win at the Rodeo Arena, and earlier in the evening had clinched his 2nd AMA Pro Flat Track Singles Series Championship by winning the Dash for Cash event.  Wiles has been all but unstoppable on the Singles bikes (especially in the State of Illinois) dating back to his first win at the Peoria TT in August 2004.

Coming off knee/leg surgery from an injury sustained at round 3 at the DuQuoin Indoor Short Track, Wiles went out with a bang in winning the Salinas Short Track round in late April.  Originally, Hammerin' Hank wasn't scheduled to return until this Sunday at Peoria, but was able to throw a leg over the #17 Greg Crow Racing XR at the Lake Odessa Half-Mile on July 23.  Looking as robust as ever, Henry qualified in the 6th position, and finished out the night's events in 12th in the main.  NOT a bad EARLY return.

Henry skipped the Sacto Mile the next weekend, but showed up for the return of the Castle Rock TT on August 6, and left little doubt that he is back.  After finishing 2nd in his heat and 3rd in the Dash, The Hammer brought it home 4th in the main, only 3.85 seconds behind winner Sammy Halbert, runner-up Jared Mees, and 3rd place finisher Brad Baker. 

As Tyler Porter pointed out last week in his InSlide Line column at Fight For Dirt Track.com, this IS the same Henry Wiles who came back several years ago after breaking his wrists in an off-track injury, to win at Peoria.  You NEVER count this man out, and at the end of the day on Sunday, he could be adding to his win list at Peoria.

Jake Johnson had just brought his #5 Zanotti Racing/Leo Vince/Arai/Tucker Rocky-sponsored Honda CRF450R home in 2nd at Springfield, as he gets interviewed during the podium festivities by Cycle News.com and The Rider Files.com's Larry Lawrence.  He eventually went on to finish the season with the coveted #1 plate in winning his first AMA Grand National Championship for the 2010 season, after having won the '06 and '08 Singles Series Championships. 

As was similar to last year, Jersey Jake already has some wins under his belt for the 2011 season, having won both the Salinas and Springfield TTs back in early and late Spring.  And Johnson's record at Peoria is extremely solid over the years, so expect to see him in the mix.  Johnson has historically come on strong at the end of the season over the course of the last few years, and this year should be no different with eight rounds left on the 2011 calendar.

Obviously, these three men only represent a small offering of who to keep an eye on this Sunday.  JR Schnabel on the #33 Monster Energy Werner Springsteen Kawasaki should be tough after his great run at the Springfield TT in May, in winning the Dash and coming home third in the main.  Jared Mees on his #9 Montgomeryville Cycle Honda will surely be in the mix (as always from Mr. Consistent!), as will Rookie of the Year shoe-in Brad Baker on his #12 Major League Moto/Baker Boys Honda.  Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. on his #2 Chaplin Kawasaki will be tough to beat, along with Chris Carr, in his final ride at the home of the Prince of Peoria, on his #4 American Motorcyclist Assoc. Honda.  Jimmy Wood on his #37 Southland Racing Honda will surely be in the mix, as should Shaun Russell on the #28 Werner Springsteen Kawasaki.  And you have many more that could be right there in the mix come Sunday afternoon!

And last but not least, you simply cannot overlook the current and season-long overall point leader, in Sammy Halbert on his #7 Woody Kyle/Fredericktown Yamaha.  Sammy tore everyone a new one at Castle Rock, and leads the series with four wins on the season, starting with the season-opening double rounds at the Daytona Short Track.  Don't forget his last-to-5th place finish at the Springfield TT in late May or his 5th place at the Salinas TT in late April.  The little man that lets his bike handling ability do the talk for him should be a force to be reckoned with come race time Sunday afternoon in the wondrous amphitheater setting outside of Peoria, IL.

Are you in, or are you out?  Time to get on board, as the men and women of The Rolling Thunder Show are getting ready to tear it up at Peoria as the stars hit the track at the annual return to the Budweiser Grand National Championship TT event.  Don't forget that another treat awaits you at Peoria-thanks to the great folks at Metro Racing, many in the field will be wearing Gary Nixon jerseys to help and honor the former 2-Time AMA Grand National Champion, who passed away on August 5.  This is a very neat gesture to honor the passing of one of the true heroes of the sport, and should make watching for your favorite rider look like an exercise of playing Where's Waldo. 

Buckle up, cuz this shows ready to roll on!
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Thanks to John Blackstock (from over at FlatTrack.com and Facebook) for posting the link to this great video, a brief review of the 2010 AMA Pro Flat Track Peoria TT event, where Henry Wiles won his 6th Peoria TT Grand National Championship event in a row (2007 was rained out):

http://www.grindtv.com/moto/video/henry_wiles_wins_his_6th_peoria_tt/#54114
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AMA Flat Track: Looking at the Xs & Os & History of the Harley-Davidson XR-750

Cliff 'Corky' Keener rode this #62 Harley-Davidson XR-750 to the win at the Terre Haute Action Track Half Mile round of the AMA Flat Track/Camel Pro Series Grand National Championship in September of '74.  Camel had just come into the series as the sponsor for select events during the '74 season, and Terre Haute was the last event of the year with them paying out the 'big bucks' in terms of sponsorship for the championship.  The inaugural Camel Pro Series events were held at the Laguna Seca road race, the Hinsdale, IL. Santa Fe Short Track and the final race in Terre Haute.  Camel would go on to sponsor AMA Flat Track and Grand National Championship Series racing full-time under the Camel and Winston brands (early 80s) until into the early-mid 90s.

Keener's XR shown wasn't just any XR, but one that at the time was receiving H-D factory support as well as being wrenched and sponsored by 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion Bart Markel, a fellow Michiganite like Keener, and another of a long-line of Michigan Mafioso to have blessed the dirt tracks of America in The Rolling Thunder Show of AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship Series racing. 
Keener and Markel had just hooked up together for the '74 season, and besides winning the Terre Haute event also teamed to win the Louisville Half Mile earlier in the year at Louisville Downs, of which Markel had also won at three different times while he was still an active rider in the championship.  Those two wins along with a series of runner-ups and top 5s and 10s saw Mr. Dirt end the season ranked as the 7th rider in the final year-end championship standings. 
Not too bad for a guy that would turn 30 years old less then two weeks after his Terre Haute win.  And even without doing any road racing, Corky ended up ranked 3rd in the three race Camel Pro events behind Kenny Roberts (who clinched the overall and his 2nd AMA Grand National Championship and Camel Pro titles with a second-place finish at Terre Haute) and Dave Aldana on the #13 Factory Triumph, who got third in the three-race series as well as at Terre Haute that day in September. (The Terre Haute race had been rained delayed from over five weeks earlier in the season.  Even in those days Mother Nature played into the hands of the series' schedule!)

Keener's great season would springboard him to become H-D Factory team mates with former '69 AMA Grand National Champion Mert Lawwill, Rex Beauchamp, rookie Greg Sassaman and eventual '75 AMA Grand National Champion Gary Scott in the '75 season, and for several years thereafter.  Jay Springsteen was also a 'part-time' team mate in his stellar rookie year when he wasn't riding his Vista-Sheen XR on his way to winning the 1975 AMA Grand National Rookie of the Year.
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Having orignally been introduced as an iron barrel model during the 1970 racing season, the Harley-Davidson XR-750 was re-done by the '72 season due to 'maintenance' problems under duress and re-introduced as an alloy model.  At the end of it's first full year in competition, Mark Brelsford took the #87 H-D Factory XR to three race wins and the 1972 AMA Grand National Championship, and the model's first of numerous race wins and titles that are still going strong.  2010 AMA Flat Track Grand National Champion Jake Johnson won the overall and Twins Series Championships while riding Zanotti Racing XRs in the series, while also winning two Twins Series events (the May Springfield Mile and season-ending Prescott Valley Mile in October) adding to the brand's long range dominance in the sport.

Looking back at the origins of the H-D XR-750, the weapon of choice for decades in The Rolling Thunder Show, Mark Gardiner, who many remember as Mr. Backmarker from the now defunct Road Racer X Magazine and Road Racer X.com, reviews this iconic model and it's beginnings from decades gone by. 

Thanks to Mark for this great piece of history.  Great stuff as always from the man who raced the Isle of Man and wrote his memoirs of doing so titled 'Riding Man.'  Mark is another fine industry journalist who does a great job of keeping abreast of the history of racing (and the industry as a whole!) that you should be reading regularly.  Check out this great story here:

http://backmarker-bikewriter.blogspot.com/2011/05/notes-from-blue-groove-historical.html

You can also check out more of Mark's great columns here thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track.  Look for his 'Notes From the Blue Groove' columns here:

http://amaproracing.com/ft/news/
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The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum look at an iconic H-D XR-750 that was ridden by '69 AMA Grand National Champion Mert Lawwill while he was with the Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Team.  This one holds some lore due to the fact that Lawwill was known to go through his factory mounts and perfect them even more then what they already were as provided by the factory team.  Great reading here:

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/asp/classics/bike.asp?id=46
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Happy Birthday to 3-Time Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen from Stu's Shots!!

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Jay Springsteen on the #65x Vista Sheen XR-750 leads Gary Scott on the #64 factory XR-750 in the middle of turns 1 and 2 at Terre Haute during the main event in August of '75. Springer went on to finish 3rd in the standings his rookie year behind Scott, who won the championship on a factory Harley tuned by Bill Werner, and Kenny Roberts on the factory Yamaha (and the '73-'74 AMA Grand National Champion). Springer was signed by Harley to fill the seat left by Scott (who bolted to run his own team after differences with former flat track manager Dick O'Brien) and went on to capture the '76-'78 Grand National Championships, and to become the first man in GNC history to win over 30 events in flat track competition. Of course Werner went on to amass 13 Grand National Championships overall with Scott, Springer and Scott Parker as well.
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Grand National #9 sits on the end of his transporter and talks shop with family, friends and fans in the pit area at the Indy Mile during MotoGP weekend of August 2009. Sitting out front just clean as a whistle was Jay's restored XR-750 that had at one time belonged to and was raced by former Grand National Champion Bart Markel. Jay was overheard to say it was what got him out of the house to be able to go have a beer, and that was how the project started in restoring it. Fine piece of equipment and there was a crowd around it checking it out and very appreciative of the effort put in by Ole No. 9! Great job! One of his own Bartel's XR's sat off to the side as well, but Jay was just spectating this event. Not too mention showing off his restoration abilities. Did I say great job!?
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Ken Springsteen #76x leads his brother Jay on the #65x XR-750 in between turns 1 and 2 at Terre Haute during practice in August of 1975. Vista Sheen was an outfit out of the Detroit-Flint, MI. area that manufactured custom t-shirt designs, i.e. racing team shirts and sponsor shirts. Ken and Jay came up through the old 'ladder' system in those days from the Amateur to the Novice class and then on to the Grand National class. I remember seeing them both unload along with Bart Markel and Corky Keener together at an indoor race at the old Market Square Arena here in Indy back in February of 1975, and pitting side-by-side in the pit area that was set up for the racers at the arena. The Michigan Mafia is still steeped in a very long line of hard-core racing talent from that area of the country. Must be in the water or the veggies...
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Cliff 'Corky' Keener on the #62 factory H-D XR-750 leads the field into turn one for the Expert Main Event in the October 1975 running of the AMA and ABC Race of Champions at Louisville Downs. Following are #31 Rex Beauchamp on another of the factory Harley's, Jay Springsteen on the #65x Vista Sheen XR, Scott Drake on the #91, #42 Steve Morehead, #45 Doug Sehl, #14 Hank Scott and the #92 of H-J Products-sponsored Steve Droste. Back in the mid-70's the AMA ran the 'race of champions' as a way of bringing together all winners of all the races , flat track AND road race, throughout the season into one big race or showdown. This was the expert main race-part of the program that was won by Hank Scott on the #14 XR that was actually Sehl's spare bike. Scott's Shell Thuett Yamaha broke earlier in the day. The main event Race of Champions itself was won by future '81 Grand National Champion and current AMA Flat Track Head Man Mike Kidd. Droste's sponsor H-J Products was based out of South Bend, IN., and used to have one of the regular ads in the classified section of Cycle News East that ran every week for several years back then. All competitors in the ROC and in this shot were on XR's, including '70 GNC Gene Romero who was in the event due to winning the Daytona 200 in March of '75 on a Team Yamaha-factory TZ750. Springer's first GN win came at Louisville in June of '75, and he went on to win two more in '75, including Harrington, DE. the next race weekend.
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Kevin Atherton on the #23 runs it into turn 1 at Springfield with Jay 'Springer' Springsteen alongside on the #9 Bartel's machine. Just behind on the #69 Earls' Racing Team XR is future AMA Superbike and MotoGP Champion Nicky Hayden, with 7-Time Grand National Champion #4 Chris Carr and #67 Ken 'The King of Cool' Coolbeth (and future 3-Time Grand National Champion) just behind. This was the AMA Hall of Fame race weekend Labor Day of 2001. Springer's last win came at Springfield in May of 2000, and I'm proud to say I saw his first and his last as well. The guy has been an ironman throughout his career, and if not for being temporarily derailed in the early 80's due to his stomach illness, he surely would have won many more races and championships. Other then some road racing the last few years, the 'ole gunslinger' is missed on the flat track scene. It never ceases to amaze me that when he does show up at a race, he still gets the loudest ovation of anyone on-hand. The guy is a great and likeable champion and person, and has a smile that would win the devil over with! A close friend of mine was spectating at the first MotoGP round here in Indy back in September of '08 and just happened to look over and see Springer spectating as well. He mentioned he had never met a nicer person and fun guy to talk to and with. Sounds just like Springer doesn't it?! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I remember showing up at the Louisville Half Mile in June of '75 and seeing this young guy everyone had been talking about for some time that was just flat tearing the track up.
In practice, feet-up slides and powering through the corners, everyone had their eyes on the #65x of Jay Springsteen on his Vista Sheen-sponsored H-D XR-750, and wondered what was to come. The quiet-in-speech but loud-on-the-track 18 year old youngster was making an impression. And the rooster tails he would lay out behind him were just part of it.
To another young 18 year old, myself, who was just starting to get in to the wonderful world of AMA Flat Track, I was amazed and thrilled to see what this young gun could do with the twist of his wrist and throwing the XR sideways into the corners. Little did I know at the time what a chapter in flat track history I was actually witnessing.
After having just seen my first two flat track races the summer before, I was bought and sold on the sport, and with Louisville being my third overall race to spectate at (and from inside the pits to boot!) I was getting a pretty good education. And when the teacher was done, I had witnessed-along with approximately 15K other people that night-the dawn of a new era in AMA Grand National Flat Track racing. The Springer Years were born on that night, as the ole gunslinger won the first of many of his long list of Grand National flat track races. And I was taken to school and loved every minute of it!
Springer will be celebrating his birthday on Thursday April 15th-tax day-and I for one will be sipping a cold glass of something in honor of the 'kid' who could flat hang it out on a flat track motorcycle. And after all these years, I still have the same-or even more, for that matter-level of enthusiasm I do for this great sport, and for the people who have made it what it is.
Jay Springsteen is one of those who made one heck of a dent in this sport in terms of good values, good racing, and good people. And he made quite the impression on another '18 year old kid' in the process. Let alone a life-long fan!
Hats and helmets off to Jay Springsteen, one of the best to ever throw a leg over a flat track bike, twist it sideways and rocket it down the 135mph front straight in a wild mile pack, Happy Birthday My Man! And thanks for all you have done to and for the fans and the sport of flat track, and for making at least one more green kid a little less greener.
Take a bow, Jay, you deserve it. Enjoy your day!!!
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Here's the AMA Hall of Fame page bio on Springer from his induction in 2003:
http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/hofbiopage.asp?id=307
The Motorsports Hall of Fame in Novi, MI. has a page on Jay written by ex-Cycle New scribe and flat track series contributor Scott Rousseau:
http://www.mshf.com/hof/springsteen_jay.htm
And Springer's long-time sponsor Bartel's H-D has a tribute page to him as well in the racing section of their website:
http://www.bartelsharley.com/racing/springsteen.shtml
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AMA Flat Track's Mike Kidd Tells Double L at The Rider Files.com That the Grand National Championship Will be Combined for 2010!!!

Some of the best news to hit the world of flat track racing in some time was released yesterday to Larry Lawrence over at http://www.theriderfiles.com/. Mike Kidd, the AMA Director of Flat Track Racing, and the former '81 AMA Flat Track Grand National Champion, announced that beginning this season that the Grand National Championship will be combined again for the 2010 season and beyond.

For what has been viewed as breaking from tradition with the split championships for the twins and the singles class, this will bring the whole championship scene back into play as it was originally designed--minus the road racing of course--for the first time since the '05 season. This is great news for not only the long time fans but for the new fans that are trickling into the sport. Bringing the championship together again is another great step that the AMA has taken in trying to gain more people in the seats, more rider and brand identification and more overall support of the series itself. The fact that they added a few more races to the schedule in itself is huge to the throngs of flat track fans, and we can only say 'bravo' for the effort involved by Mike and all of his staff out of Pickerington, OH. Unlike what has been happening with AMA Road Racing, the people in charge with AMA Flat Track put a man in charge with his eye on the road and his ability to run a solid show and also put fans in the seats. With Mike at the helm since the start of the '09 season, AMA Flat Track has seen some slow, BUT marked improvement within the series. His background in promotional efforts and running a solid series go back decades and that ability is now starting to shine in what he is helping to bring back to the flat track series that he was the overall champion in back in 1981.

Thanks to not only Mike and the AMA for making this move, and thanks to Larry Lawrence at http://www.theriderfiles.com/ for being on the cutting edge with this news release. You can check out Lare's super site as well as the 'unofficial'--you'll see why I say that--right here:

http://www.theriderfiles.com/?p=2861

To help celebrate this super news--or I should say at least what I consider super news for flat track--I dug into the archives vault of Stu's Shots to better signify what type of racing we have involved here in the four different forms of racing that make up AMA Flat Track. I picked an action shot each from half-mile, TT, short track and mile racing to showcase this super series that if you haven't seen live yet for yourself, well, you better get ready to check out the greatest form of motorsports there is. You'll have 21 chances this year, and just to refresh and put it out there, here is the updated schedule for the '10 season that kicks off in less then four weeks in Daytona:

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2010 Confirmed Events

March 3 DAYTONA® Flat Track (Daytona Beach, Florida) Short Track
March 4 DAYTONA® Flat Track (Daytona Beach, Florida) Short Track
May 1 Yavapai Downs (Prescott, Arizona) Mile
May 29 Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield, Illinois) TT
May 30 Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield, Illinois) Mile
June 5 Gas City I-69 Speedway (Gas City, Indiana) Short Track
June 19 The Red Mile (Lexington, Kentucky) Mile
June 26 Allen County Fairgrounds (Lima, Ohio) Half-Mile
July 10 I-96 Speedway (Lake Odessa, Michigan) Half-Mile
July 25 Castle Rock Fairgrounds (Castle Rock, Washington) TT
July 31 Calistoga Fairgrounds (Calistoga, California) Half-Mile
August 7 Hagerstown Speedway (Hagerstown, Maryland) Half-Mile
August 14 Beulah Park (Grove City, Ohio) Mile
August 22 Peoria Race Park (Peoria, Illinois) TT
August 28 Indiana State Fairgrounds (Indianapolis, Indiana) Mile
September 4 Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield, Illinois) Short Track
September 5 Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield, Illinois) Mile
September 11 Canterbury Park (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Mile
September 18 Knoxville Speedway (Knoxville, IA) Half-Mile
October 9 Yavapai Downs (Prescott, Arizona) Short Track
October 10 Yavapai Downs (Prescott, Arizona) Mile

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Since Mike Kidd has been one of the racers who I have followed since I got hooked on this flat track thing back in the summer of '74, and since he is in charge of the Starship Flat Track, I started off this wonderful post with a shot of Mike taking the checkered flag for a spin after he won the Terre Haute Half Mile back in August of '75 on his Kruger Racing-sponsored XR750.

Next up is a race location that was a one-and-done deal at the Pontiac Silverdome back in the summer of '76. They ran a double header that weekend of TT and short track racing--ala the Houston Astrodome events that were so strongly attended by fans and racers alike in the late '60s to mid '70s. Unfortunately Pontiac didn't pack 'em in the stands so, thusly, the one-and-done. However, the AMA Grand National regulars put on one heck of a show for those of us that did attend, as we see from some TT action over the infield jump involving future 3-Time Champ #25 Jay Springsteen, #1 Gary Scott and also the '75 Grand National Champion, and #29, the late Randy Cleek. Springer was on his tried and true 300 lb. XR while Scott and Cleek opted for the then-just released TT500 Yamaha singles that were soon to take over the class. And were at least 80-90 lbs. lighter then the XR's. No more wrestling a 300 lb. beast over those TT jumps for too much longer after this. That HAD to be a good thing!

I stuck the center shot in just because of the relevance and history that the men pictured have had on AMA Flat Track racing, from the early-mid '70s to the present. This shot was taken at the Inaugural AMA Flat Track Hall of Fame Race at Sprinfield over Labor Day Weekend in 1998. For the history lesson on this one, let's start with 19 AMA Grand National Championships, over 215 AMA Grand National Championship race wins, and over 100 years of AMA Flat Track racing experience in the lot, to boot. And that doesn't even count what Dave Despain, the man who organized this event, who hosted it and announced it--as he had done for years up to this point--let alone the man's enthusiasm about flat track racing.

Okay, in case you aren't sure here's a rundown on who's who in this shot and some of their accomplishments. From left the all-time winner of races and championships--over 90 race wins and 9 Grand National Championships. Number 1 in this shot and in the sport as a whole, Scotty Parker. Then you have Jay 'Springer' Springsteen, National #9 and 3-time former champ, with over 40 race wins. Speaking with Jay and partially obscured is former National #42, with 23 Grand National wins over the course of a 26 year professional racing career. And then you have Mr. Chris Carr, now the fastest man on two wheels in the world thanks to his run at Bonneville last fall to bring the crown back to the States with a run of over 367 mph! National #4, with 7 Grand National Championships, an F-USA Flat Track Championship, 7 600 Series Flat Track Championships, and over 70 Grand National Championship race wins. And he will be going in to his 26th year of professional flat track racing this upcoming year. Quite a roster of talent, eh?!

And don't forget the man who has stood for, spoken out for, and raved about the level of racing even now as he works for the folks at http://www.speedtv.com/. Dave Despain--in the white hat, blue and white shirt with the microphone at hand--has been and probably still is the official and unofficial rep and spokesperson for flat track even as he now largely covers the four wheel stuff for the folks at Speed. Dave Despain was the man who put together the Hall of Fame races at Springfield and who got the riders big money for those race purses.

We then see a shot of the field as they dive into turn one at Springfield during the Labor Day weekend running of this classic in '06. In no particular order you have #31 and soon to be when this shot was taken 3-Time Grand National Champion Kenny Coolbeth, #4 Chris Carr, #80 Rich King, #14 and the only Suzuki in this shot, Jake Johnson, #3 and 2000 Grand National Champion Joe Kopp, #28 Shaun Russell, and #42 Bryan Smith.

Last but not least we take another trip to those glory days of yesteryear with a shot of some short track action at the old Sante Fe Raceway in Hinsdale, IL., back in the summer of '75. Steve Morehead on the #42 leads '70 GN Champ Gene Romero on the #3 Yamaha DT360-based C&J Framed and sponsored entry, followed by #62 and Harley Sprint 250-based and mounted Corky Keener. Bringing up the rear is The King, Kenneth Lee Roberts, the '73-'74 GN Champ, on the #1 Yamaha DT360-based factory mount. This was taken during practice for the evening's event.

So, with some great news, a little history and a trip or two down memory lane, we close out this evening's post with a tip of the helmet and hearty thanks to Mike Kidd and the folks at AMA Flat Track, a thanks to racers and champions all for bringing us this wonderful sport of flat tracking, and an even bigger thanks to you for taking the time to come by and hang with us here at Stu's Shots. We hope you have enjoyed the trip and look forward to seeing you again soon. Have a great weekend!