AMA Pro Flat Track Announces Yamaha to Provide Increased Contingency Awards for 2015 Grand National Championship Season

No, Kenny 'The King' Roberts isn't coming out of retirement to contest the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season, but his former team and sponsor, Yamaha, has announced that they will be providing over $100K in rider contingencies for the upcoming season in The Rolling Thunder Show for riders competing in both the GNC1/Expert Twins and Singles Series, as well as in the GNC2/Pro Series aboard the company's FZ07 and YZ450F machines.

Rumors have been spreading rampantly since late last fall that several teams had acquired the newly released FZ07 engines to set up for the Twins Series events in order to compete at the top level against the long standing XR750 and the XR-killer Kawasaki EX650 that has taken the sport by storm since Bryan Smith's inaugural win aboard a Werner-Springsteen Racing Kawasaki at the Indy Mile in August 2010. Cory Texter showed up for Bike Week aboard a Babe Demay (one of Roberts' former tuners back in the day) built and Memphis Shades sponsored FZ07-inspired mount.

Shown in the shot above, The King distances himself from the field on the #2 Yamaha Factory Racing/Goodyear Tire/Bell Helmets-sponsored Yamaha XS650-based mount at the Terre Haute Action Track in route to his win in August 1976. Notice the rear wheel on Roberts' bike showing visible air underneath due to the rough conditions seen at Terre Haute that eventually led to the series leaving the track due to unsafe conditions after former '81 AMA Grand National Champion Mike Kidd's huge crash during the '77 event that led to Kidd breaking his wrist.

This is top line news for The Rolling Thunder Show as it opens up more chances for riders to pocket extra bucks while riding the marque's new FZ07, which as a parallel twin motor closely resembles the Kawi EX that has taken the sport by storm over the course of the last five seasons, and adds to the competition level in terms of more involvement for the sport and more choices for the teams and riders to work with in campaigning the course of the season. Bravo to Yamaha for stepping up to the plate in order to increase the monie$ available and choices available to go fast and turn left. Thanks goes to Yamaha for getting back into the action even deeper!

Check out the full release below from AMA Pro Racing to read all about the particulars in this great announcement from late last week.

AMA Pro Flat Track riders receive increased contingency commitment from Yamaha

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 19, 2015) - AMA Pro Flat Track riders on Yamaha equipment will benefit from a dramatically increased contingency program by the manufacturer in 2015.   Yamaha has expanded its program to both the premier Harley-Davidson GNC1 class presented by Vance & Hines, and the GNC2 class, offering up to $1,500 for individual riders per race in the top class and $500 in GNC2. A total of $106,400 is up for grabs between both classes for eligible "bLU cRU" riders over the course of the season.   "We can't thank Yamaha enough for increasing their commitment to flat track racing," said Michael Gentry, Chief Operating Officer of AMA Pro Racing. "Strong involvement from the manufacturers is key to keeping our sport among the most competitive in the world. It will help drive future growth, and we are confident any relationship with manufacturers, such as Yamaha, truly is mutually beneficial."   The increased commitment coincides with the recent debut of Yamaha's FZ-07 motorcycle. A number of FZ-07 engines were made available for flat track teams and an FZ-07-powered machine could make its AMA Pro Flat Track debut May 24 at the historic Springfield Mile in Springfield, Ill.         JD Beach on the #95 Van's Yamaha YZ450F is shown in action during the season-opening rounds of the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Daytona Short Track earlier this month. Yamaha has announced an increased contingency program for riders in both the GNC1 & GNC2 ranks, both in the Twins and Singles Series, for the season ahead. Photo courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.         "I think AMA Pro is making a big effort to improve flat track racing, get it out there and get public awareness," said Keith McCarty, Racing Division Manager for Yamaha. "Now we have an FZ-07 engine that's going to be able to do well and compete in the twins class. We legitimately have a chance to win a twins championship now, which we really didn't have in the past. At Yamaha, racing is in our DNA, all forms of racing, and certainly dirt track is tied in. We want to be a part of it and show competitors we want to be a part of it by offering increased contingency."   For more information on Yamaha's contingency program, please visit: http://www.yamahamotorsports.com/sport/pages/2015-yamaha-off-road-racing-contingency-program   Every round of the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track season will be available live, in high definition and free of charge for fans to watch online at www.FansChoice.tv.

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.

Racing Historian Larry Lawrence Brings Us Some Great Reading About Former 'Trophy Girl' Lynn Griffis From the Camel Pro Series Days of the AMA Grand National Championship in This Week's Archives Column of Cycle News

Back in the early-mid '70s when I found the great sport of AMA Pro Flat Track and the AMA Grand National Championship (thanks to a great friend from the day, my motorcycle racing mentor Dick Jones), Camel cigarettes had just started sponsoring the Grand National Championship in what started as a three race pilot project to sponsor what was then known as the Camel Pro Series.

One of my very first races that I attended in September of '74 was one of those original Camel-sponsored races at the Terre Haute Action Track, located off of Highway 41 just south of Interstate 70 in the community of Terre Haute, Indiana, approximately 70 miles west of my home in Indianapolis.

What made finding this great sport even better and more special then I ever could have imagined, was watching Kenny Roberts on his Yamaha factory/Shell Thuet-tuned XS650-based flat tracker take 2nd-place to winner Cliff 'Corky' Keener (on one of Bart Markel's Harley-Davidson XR750s), and Dave 'Bones' Aldana taking the factory Norton to 3rd-place in what was the first half-mile race I ever attended. It was also the day that Roberts captured his second AMA Grand National Championship as a result of his 2nd-place finish.

As a result of what Camel considered a grand pairing, they went on to sponsor the whole schedule beginning with the '75 season, and what lasted into the early '90s (with a couple of years mixed in with Winston as the title sponsor) and turned the greatest form of two-wheeled racing into what is now considered the heydays of the Grand National Championship.

One of the brightest spots in those early years was Camel's 'trophy girl' Lynn Griffis, who represented the brand and the racing community in a grand way, and as noted by unofficial racing historian Larry Lawrence in this week's Archives column in Cycle News, made her 'The Most Memorable Miss Camel' along the way.

Ms. Griffis was a wonderful sight for a young lad such as myself, having just turned 18 and who not only lusted after the great racing afforded at every single moment when the bikes were on the track (and off), but after the beautiful woman that she was in gracing the racing community with not only her presence, but with her warm and welcoming attitude.

In the 1st shot above, the Sante Fe Speedway track announcer talks with Sante Fe Short Track AMA Grand National winner Hank Scott in August of '75 after former AMA National #14 Scott took the win on his Shell Thuet-tuned Shell Racing Specialties Yamaha 360 at one of the greatest short tracks I have ever had the pleasure of attending just outside of Chicago. Thuet is mostly obscured, in white shirt, behind Ms. Lynn Griffis, the Camel 'trophy girl' to Hank's left, and 3rd-place finisher Steve Freeman #68C to her left.

This was the first of many short tracks I have attended in my over five decades of watching and attending the great sport of the AMA Grand National Championship, and needless to say was one of the greats with one of my all-time favorite riders having just captured the win on a hot August night many moons ago.

In the 2nd shot above, Ms. Griffis helps The King, Kenny Roberts, celebrate at the Terre Haute Action Track in August '76 after KR had just scored the win on the half-mile over runner-up Jay Springsteen and 3rd-place finisher Hank Scott in what was the second-best half-mile race of the season (the first being the Columbus Half-Mile earlier in the year in which Springer turned the tables on The King in a fight that went down to the finish between the two racing icons.) Many of you may remember this shot from some of my previous articles here on Stu's Shots, and it has also appeared in print in the March/April 2012 issue of Inside Motorcycles. Also seen in this shot (far left, center, with hat on) is former Harley-Davidson factory team manager Dick O'Brien, who was Springer's boss in what was his first year as a factory Harley-sponsored racer and in what was his first of three in-a-row AMA Grand National Championship-winning seasons.

Needless to say, those were (and still are to this day) some of the best moments of my life that I have had the great privilege of being able to attend and get behind the scenes of, and in those days it was as much of a magical experience being able to take it all in as a young lad and still remains so to this day.

So enough with my ramblings of my youth long past (and still relived at every race I can still attend to this day), so take the time to check out Double L's great column from this week's CN about the lady that was a huge presence and who made her wonderful mark on the flat track racing community, and on a young kid who was fortunate enough to find what is still the best racing on wheels in the world.

Read on here! And thank you Grif (Lynn) Griffis for all you did to support the great sport of the AMA Grand National Championship, and for leaving long lasting (and lusting) thoughts on this once young kid!

AMA Flat Track: Mert Lawwill, On Any Sunday, and Backmarker

'70 AMA Grand National Champion Gene Romero on his #3 C&J Frame-sponsored Yamaha XS650-based parallel twin, leads '69 AMA Grand National Champion Mert Lawwill on his #7 Harley-Davidson Factory XR-750 v-twin during heat race action at the Terre Haute Action Track in August 1975.  The summer stop-off at the Indiana half-mile venue as part of the '75 Camel Pro Series/AMA Grand National Championship Series was a hot day on and off the track as riders dueled for their spot in the 18 rider main, hoping to get to the next weekend's stop of the calendar at the Indy Mile, some 75 miles east and six days later.

Two of the greats of the sport, Romero now runs his West Coast Flat Track Series, while Lawwill is still working with his 'Mert's Hands' company that helps injured riders return to the track via the use of prosthetic devices.  Both featured in the movie that changed it all for flat track fans in the late '60s/early '70s, "On Any Sunday" saw the former and soon-to-be-current AMA Grand National Champions battle the long and arduous trek to attain (or retain) that coveted #1 Grand National number plate.

Mark Gardiner, who used to pen his great column 'Backmarker' on the now-defunct Road RacerX.com, is now at it again, but over at Motorcycle-USA.com.  The 'Riding Man' himself caught up with the former National #7 recently, and was gracious enough to contact me for the use of some shots from back in the day.  Being how I was a big fan of Mert when I was still getting my legs as a young fan (and fanatic) of AMA Flat Track, I had just the ticket to help him out, and with pleasure!

You can check out the above photo, as well as a few others that Mark and Motorcycle-USA.com were gracious enough to use AND give me credit for in the latest installment of Mark's 'Backmarker' below.  Thanks to both Mark and M-USA for showcasing some of Stu's Shots 'been in the vaults a long-time' shots from the AMA Grand National Championship Series trail.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mark Gardiner penned the following story in his latest Backmarker column (now being featured at Motorcycle-USA.com) about one of the true living legends of the sport of AMA Flat Track and AMA Grand National Championship Series racing.  Mert Lawwill came through to the top of the ranks when the 'so-called' glory days of racing were at their peak, in the mid-late '60s, and he was featured in the film 'On Any Sunday' by Bruce Brown that helped to bring some new fans to the track in AMA Grand National Championship racing and expose the greatest show on wheels in the world.

Check out Mark's latest column as he gets the chance to catch up with former Grand National #7:

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/811/10708/Motorcycle-Article/Backmarker--Mert-Lawwill.aspx
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And you can read more of Mark's great stuff below.  The author of 'Riding Man,' Mark's exploits in dropping everything in his life to attain his quest of riding the Isle of Man TT is a great read for any motorcycle racing fan, let alone one that is a fan of racing at one of the iconic and deadliest circuits in the world.  When Mark isn't penning for any of the online rags, you can keep up with his work at his Bikewriter site here:

http://backmarker-bikewriter.blogspot.com/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kenny 'The King' Roberts Set to be Honored at 2011 Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Kenny Roberts on the #2 Yamaha Factory XS-650-based parallel twin leads Hank Scott #14 on the Shell Racing Specialties Yamaha XS-based machine during action in the August '76 AMA Camel Pro Series Grand National Championship main event at the Terre Haute Action Track Half-Mile National.  Roberts would go on to triumph over second-year rider Jay Springsteen on the #25 Harley-Davidson Factory XR-750, with Scott coming home in the 3rd spot.  However, at the end of the year, and for the second year in a row, Roberts would not be able to add to his '73-'74 AMA Grand National Championships, and Springer would go on to earn his first of three championships after the season-ending event at Ascot Park.

The King would go on to campaign the '77 AMA Camel Pro Series Grand National Championship Series, before turning his, and the world's attention to his quest to campaign the 500CC World Championship in Europe.  Roberts showed up on the European scene early in the '78 season to find that just about everyone figured he didn't have a chance against the likes of 2-Time World Champion Barry Sheene and the rest of the paddock in 500CC racing.  Just about everyone but The King, who would go on to earn his first of three consective 500CC World Championships and cement his status as one of THE all-time greats in world-level road racing.

The man who earned the double 'Grand Slam' in the AMA Grand National Championship Series (winner of each of mile, half-mile, short track, TT and road racing events in AMA GNC competition) would go on to campaign teams in the 250CC and 500CC World Championships for the likes of Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, John Kocinski, Mike Baldwin and many others, and would win three-500CC titles and one-250CC title as an owner, with Kocinski ('90 250CC World Champion) and Rainey ('90-'92 500CC World Champion.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The man who would be 'King,' Kenneth Lee Roberts from Modesto, CA., will be honored at the year-end Motorcycle Hall of Fame Ceremonies in Las Vegas as part of the AMA Legends and Champions Weekend at the Red Rock Casino.  Roberts, who was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998, won two AMA Grand National Championships in '73-'74, and then after the '77 season headed off to Europe to contest the 500CC World Championships, winning his first of three in a row titles in his 'rookie' season in 1978.

You can read the official announcement from the Motorcycle Hall of Fame below, as we all take time to bow to The King!

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/News/11-07-20/Motorcycle_Hall_of_Fame_Legend_Kenny_Roberts_to_be_honored_at_2011_induction_ceremony.aspx
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AMA Flat Track: Cycle News.com's Larry Lawrence 'Archives' Captures the '76 AMA Grand National Championship Series Season

Lynn Griffis, Miss Camel Pro, helps winner Kenny Roberts do the hat dance on the podium of race 19 of the 1976 AMA Camel Pro Series Grand National Championship Series season at the Terre Haute Action Track Half Mile on August 15, 1976, after a fast and close battle of 20 laps.  Roberts, on his Team Yamaha 750 parallel twin, had just outlasted a charge by runner-up Jay Springsteen on his #25 Harley-Davidson Factory XR750 and Hank Scott, on his #14 Shell Racing Specialties Yamaha 750 parallel twin.  The race only lasted 9:10:31, but it seemed much longer with the fight at the front going on between three of the legends of AMA Flat Track Series racing.  Roberts and Springer had earlier in the season fought tooth-and-nail at the Columbus, OH. Charity Newsies Half Mile at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in a race that had gone down to the wire, with Springer coming out on top in that 20-lap thriller in late June.
Springer went on to win his first of three-in-a-row Grand National Championships when the dust had settled at the final round of the season at the Ascot Park Half Mile in Gardena, CA. in October of '76, and clinched his seventh win of the season (and ninth overall at that time) and his first championship over '75 AMA Grand National Champion Gary Scott by a margin of 21 points, 301-280.  The King rounded out the top three on the season with 265 points, doing an admirable job at the time of keeping his Yamaha in sight of the powerful and almost-perfect XRs of the H-D Factory team.  Also seen in this shot on the far left side is former H-D Factory Team Manager, the late Dick 'O.B.' O'Brien, wearing a Camel Pro hat with his wire rimmed glasses, and a smile that wouldn't go away after having replaced former rider Gary Scott with Springsteen in between the end of the '75 season and the first round of the '76 season in late January at the Houston Astrodome doubleheader rounds.  For that matter, some of you other older heads out there may even recognize others in this one!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After having followed AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship Series racing since mid '74, I have to admit I'm a big sucker for the nostalgia of the years gone by of having been able to see stars like Kenny Roberts, Gary Scott, Mike Kidd, Hank Scott, Rex Beauchamp, Corky Keener, Jay Springsteen and many others battle it out in the 'glory days' of racing.  These were the legends of the day, much like stars such as Jake Johnson, Henry Wiles, Sammy Halbert, Joe Kopp, Kenny Coolbeth, Jared Mees and a host of others are in today's AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship Series.

The years that shaped the grooming of a young high school kid who had found the addiction of his life were very powerful, so when I come across some great reading about those days, I pretty much turn to butter.  Larry Lawrence maintains his website, The Rider Files.com, and as many of you know writes one of the best columns for Cycle News.com, 'Archives.'  Paying tribute to those years of lore and lust from the earlier days in motorcycle racing history, LL's column is a MUST READ for anyone even slightly interested in the racing of those days gone by.  Whether it be road racing, flat track, motocross or hare scrambles, this column is sure to bring back memories to those of you who have come up through the years around motorcycle racing of some sort or another.

This week's Archives in CN looks back at the '76 AMA Camel Pro Series/Grand National Championship Series season, when The King, Springer and that same host of other legends of the sport criss-crossed the country in a 90K mile journey to capture the coveted #1 plate in Grand National racing in what was a 28 race series schedule. 

You can read part one of Larry's great trip back in history here:

http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20110510#pg84
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And just to keep your palate wet while we wait on what will surely be a super part two review of the '76 season, you can read this great article written by Sam Moses, and posted in Sports Illustrated's archives.  This story was originally penned in November 1976 and appeared in print in S.I.:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1091761/index.htm
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AMA Flat Track Tweeks 2011 Grand National Championship Series Schedule

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Canadian racer Dave Sehl on his #16 H-D XR750 leads a pack of riders during the main event finale at the Terre Haute Action Track round of the Camel Pro Series/AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship Series in August of 1975. Rookie Expert #80C Greg Sassaman out of Georgia (who had just won his first National main event at San Jose earlier in the year) tries to work the outside line on Sehl as the riders come onto the back straight out of turn two during the 25 lap main final. Eventual '75 AMA Flat Track Grand National Champion Gary Scott keeps the gap close on the duo while riding his H-D Factory, Bill Werner-tuned #64 mount, while Rookie Expert Jay Springsteen tries to keep the trio close on his #65X Vista Sheen-sponsored mount. Springer had also just won his first two main events earlier in the year at Louisville and Harrington, and would clinch the Rookie of the Year title for '75 before going on to win the AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship in the next three seasons, '76-'78.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AMA Pro Flat Track Announces Changes to the 2011 Season Calendar

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 7, 2011) - The 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Series continues to undergo changes to the season calendar, a shift that sees dropped dates offset by expanded events and opportunities for greater series exposure. LTR Promotions Inc. has announced exciting plans to double the Salinas Grand National flat track experience, replacing the original one-day round with a stellar two-day event April 23 and 24. The inaugural 2011 Salinas TT will run Saturday at the Salinas Sports Complex, followed on Sunday by the series' hard-changing Short Track racing. Promoters at the Yavapi Downs venue in Prescott Valley, Arizona, have announced the unfortunate cancellation of the round originally scheduled for May 1, but are looking forward to hosting a successful October 9 event. And while the AMA Pro Flat Track Series was sad to see the withdrawal, due to economic factors, of Montana's MetraPark facility from the 2011 calendar, Michigan's I-96 Speedway was quick to note the suddenly availability of the prime July 23 date. Originally slated for July 16, promoters of the half-mile I-96 Speedway event now see an opportunity to run their AMA Pro Flat Track round in conjunction with the area's popular River City Bike Week, for which I-96 Speedway will be re-branded "DMX Nation" and play host to the DMX Motorsports Show, whose crew will film five days at the Speedway. The Letter of Intent AMA Pro Racing has received from I-96 Speedway for the July 23 date offers an exciting opportunity for further series exposure. For Salinas Sports Complex tickets and information, visit www.salinassportscomplex.com; for I-96 Speedway and Yavapi Downs information, visit www.i96speedway.com and www.yavapaidownsatpv.com, respectively. For all information related to the AMA Pro Flat Track Series, visit www.amaproracing.com.

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the full updated schedule over at AMA Pro Flat Track.com:



http://amaproracing.com/ft/events/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AMA Pro Racing Moves Former AMA Flat Track Grand National Champion Mike Kidd Into Sponsorship Sales

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike Kidd throws his #72 Kruger Racing Harley-Davidson XR750 into turn one in route to his heat race win (and eventual main event win) during the Terre Haute Action Track round of the Camel Pro Series/AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship Series in August of 1975. Kidd, who would go on to win the '81 AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship and help to usher in Big Red Honda into the sport of AMA Flat Track in the early-mid '80s, was named the Director of Sales for AMA Pro Racing yesterday. The man who led the resurgence of The Rolling Thunder show for the last two years as Director of Flat Track Racing, will now oversee sponsorship sales in AMA Pro Racing for both of it's Flat Track and Road Racing brands.
Dan Johnsen was named the new Director of Flat Track Racing several weeks back, and will now oversee operations for AMA Flat Track, while Kidd works on building the entertainment and sales operations that the sport has suffered from of late. After retiring in the mid '80s, the man who one time held the nickname of Mr. Hardluck, Mike went on to operate and run the ArenaCross Series in the sport, later selling it off to Clear Channel Entertainment and then running it for them. Mike knows racing, and better yet, racing fans and has been doing this for years!
Kidd was brought into the new DMG/AMA Pro Racing ranks in late 2008 to oversee the turnaround in the Greatest Show on Wheels in AMA Flat Track after the Nascar group purchased the rights to the racing side of things from the AMA group out of Pickerington, OH. His ability to sell the entertainment side of the sport and to promote the brands, makes and sponsors within and around the sport is legendary in all forms of racing since his retirement. AMA Flat Track will be losing a great leader, but AMA Pro Racing overall should see an upsurgence in the sport with Kidd at the helm. The man knows the fans, the sport and the demographics to get it done, and his contacts and ability to sell the sport should lead to great things, especially with the economy of late at least looking like it is starting to level out and move forward somewhat.
Stu's Shots wishes one of his long-time heroes (let alone a new and great friendship gained throughout the 2010 season) the very best in this new endeavor. After having being around this sport since the early-mid '70s,I can't think of anyone within the industry that has a better grip on how and what the sport needs and the fans want, let alone how to go about bringing it to fruition in growing the sport and fan base. Just my honest opinion, for what it's worth.
Congrats to MK and Bravo to AMA Pro Racing! If Mr. Johnsen can continue to grow and progress with AMA Flat Track while following in the steps of Mike Kidd, the sport should see an even better year in 2011 after the great turnaround of 2010.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AMA Pro Racing Announces New Sales Position for Industry Veteran Mike Kidd

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 11, 2011) - AMA Pro Racing is pleased to announce the appointment of longtime AMA Pro Flat Track participant, champion, and administrator Mike Kidd to the post of Director of Sales for AMA Pro Racing. The winner of twelve AMA Pro Flat Track races and the 1981 AMA Pro Grand National Championship, Kidd is an AMA Hall of Fame inductee who also acted as Director of AMA Pro Flat Track from 2009 through 2010. He'll now utilize his considerable talents, relationships, and experience in the industry to sell sponsorships of both the AMA Pro Road Racing and Flat Track series. "We are delighted that Mike can continue to benefit AMA Pro Racing," said David Atlas, C.O.O. and Managing Member of AMA Pro Racing. "His experience in this sport is unrivaled, and he has a proven record of putting together strong sponsorship packages." "I have held several roles throughout my career in the motorcycle industry," said Kidd, "and it's an honor and privilege to be appointed AMA Pro Racing Director of Sales for our flat track and road race properties." Kidd has already begun his new assignment, and is currently working to finalize a number of dynamic 2011 sponsorship programs for AMA Pro Road Racing and Flat Track. Visit www.amaproracing.com for more information on all of AMA Pro Racing's exciting championship series.

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 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'69 AMA Grand National Champion Mert Lawwill Talks to Flat Track.com's Fans In The Stands, Chew and Mia Larcom

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'70 AMA Grand National Champion Gene Romero on his #3 C&J Frame-sponsored Yamaha leads '69 AMA Grand National Champion Mert Lawwill on his #7 Harley-Davidson factory XR750 during heat race action coming out of turn 4 at the Terre Haute Action Track in August of 1975. The event on the half mile track was an annual stop for several years in the early-mid '70s during the heydays of the Camel Pro Series/AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship. Riders such as Kenny Roberts, Corky Keener, the late Rex Beauchamp and Mike Kidd took wins on the track, but the venue was dropped after the '77 round produced numerous crashes, one involving Kidd which caused him to break his wrist.

The AMA Flat Track Series returned one more time in the '97 season, but alas, the track had not improved after years of sprint cars pounding the track and it again posed more problems for riders and their equipment. Several riders suffered major crashes and at least one bike caught fire after crashing and at least one rider was also ferried out in a Medivac helicopter after suffering serious injuries. Terre Haute still hosts USAC and World of Outlaws events that are still well-attended.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mert Lawwill is a former competitor and champion in the AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship Series, winning the coveted #1 plate in the 1969 season. But since his retirement from riding after the '77 season, he has been involved in several ventures in and around the motorcycle racing community. Building street tracker motorcycle is one of those ventures, but probably one of his greatest accomplishments is manufacturing and building prosthetic devices for amputee riders to be able to compete after losing a limb.

Lawwill actually started working on some of these projects while still a rider, but since his retirement has concentrated on it regularly for over 30 years now. I can think of nothing better that a person can do to help his given trade or profession than to be able to give back to it, especially in the way that he has been able to do in the use of prosthetic devices for these riders.

Chew and Mia Larcom, who are the TRUE Fans In The Stands from the Flat Track.com community, got the chance to talk with Mert recently and hear what he had to say about the resurrection of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Series, what those days were like racing in the '60s and '70s, and his work with prosthetics in getting riders back on the track. To those of you unfamiliar with Flat Track.com, it is THE place for anything and everything flat track racing. Chew and Mia are two people who represent the site and post race reports and videos promoting the great sport of AMA Flat Track, the greatest racing series on wheels.

Thanks to Chew and Mia for this great interview over at Flat Track.com:

http://www.flattrack.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1031&Itemid=32

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And thanks go out again to Chew and Mia for posting these shots on the Flat Track.com community forum. This is a group of shots I took of Mert Lawwill back in the day when I was just a rookie to the great sport of AMA Flat Track Racing and The Rolling Thunder Show. Scroll down to see the shots in the link to check them out:

http://www.flattrack.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=46&func=view&id=128581&catid=3#128581

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RIP Rick Hocking, Former AMA Flat Track Grand National Competitor

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rick Hocking on the #31Z Rocky Cycle-sponsored Yamaha XS650-based machine brings the checkers around in September of '74 after winning (if my memory serves me correctly) the Trophy Dash race as part of the AMA Grand National Championship Camel Pro Series event at the Terre Haute Action Track. Hocking's sponsor was at the time one of, if not THE largest motorcycle parts and accessories distributor in the U.S., and a couple of decades later became known as Tucker Rocky. As a Rookie Expert in the series, Hocking would bag his first and second Grand National Championship race wins at the Albany, CA. mile and at the infamous Ascot half mile, and finish in the 9th spot in the season-ending standings for the year.
Rick carried the #13 plate in AMA GN/Camel Pro Series competition from '75-'77, the #17 plate from '78-'81 and also wore the #48 plate from '91-'95. He was also a competitor in Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series up until a couple of weeks ago, competing at the South Point Casino round in Las Vegas.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The flat track racing community has been hit especially hard this week with the passing of some of the greats of the sport. Late yesterday we got word that Rick Hocking, a Californian who started contesting the AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series as a Rookie Expert in 1974 (also my rookie year), had passed away.

Hocking, who I first saw race in the summer of 1974 when I was just a youth in high school, was one of the guys I remember around the track that always had that 'million dollar' smile. He also had the ability to drag the cases on a Yamaha parallel twin while going into turn one at the Terre Haute half mile that simply amazed me as a then-new devotay of AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series competition. And his equipment was always top notch and clean as a pin when it rolled out of the van for the next event.

Godspeed to Rick Hocking from Stu's Shots and thanks for the great memories from my youth!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Larry Lawrence did a super job of putting this article together on Rick's life over at Cycle News.com. RIP Rick Hocking, and thanks for the great life story on Rick here, Larry!

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/flat-track/2011/01/19/rick-hocking-passes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike Kidd Helped Lead AMA Flat Track Back Into the Limelight and People Are Starting to Notice

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Kidd on the #72 Kruger Racing XR750 leads Rex Beauchamp on the #31 Harley-Davidson Factory XR during main event action at the Terre Haute Action Track Half Mile on August 17, 1975, in what was one of the all-time classic battles in racing. Kidd, the former contender for Rookie of the Year, who came into the AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship Series with a loaded class of top-talent riders several years earlier (Kenny Roberts and Gary Scott also made their debut in the '72 season) would go on to pull away from Beauchamp later in the main to win his first main event since returning from injuries suffered in the '74 season. The rider who at one time had held the nickname of 'Mr. Hard Luck' would return on fire to the series, and would eventually win the elusive #1 plate, that had remained out of his grasp for what seemed like decades, at the end of the 1981 season.
After riding for teams that included the Triumph factory and the Harley-Davidson factory during his career, he also helped to develop Honda into a major powerhouse in the series. Probably one of his biggest accomplishments was bringing the U.S. Army into the sport in the late '70s as his primary sponsor. At that time, outside the industry sponsorship was very rare in AMA Flat Track, and to this day the U.S. Army still sponsors teams in Nascar and NHRA. Whether he was ever recognized for it or not, MK probably helped open the door (if not down right kicking it in) for many other outside the industry sponsors to show up in AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship Series racing.
After retiring as an active rider at the end of the '83 season, MK stuck around in AMA Flat Track for several years, and along the way also worked with/for Kenny Roberts, Mert Lawwill and Dick Mann with the Yamaha Virago project of the day. But in spite of his greatness as a talented rider AND knowing talent IN riders, Kidd's strength and legacy could and very well should be his ability to know the show and recognize the entertainment value of the sport. Owning and operating AMA Arenacross, he saw the value of motocross racing in smaller, out of the way venues to attract the paying customers and fans of motocross racing. Eventually selling his brand to Clear Channel (and then working for them on his baby for several years after), he later was involved with the Formula USA Flat Track Series of the late '90s.
Which brings us to today. The current AMA Director of Flat Track Racing was brought in by the Daytona Motorsports Group when their purchase of the AMA Pro Racing properties came about during the 2008 season. Knowing that Kidd knew the product, the fan base, the background and especially the entertainment value, the DMG folks gave him full rein to help turn around the Titanic of racing, AMA Pro Flat Track.
With dwindling crowds, a falling out of participants, and sponsorship dollars going the way of the Great Recession, AMA Flat Track was all but headed for it's own iceberg before Mike and Gary Kidd (MK's brother and long-time partner in racing) came in and took the helm. While also retaining former AMA GNC competitor Steve Morehead to help head up the team (who in all fairness was doing a great job with what he had to work with before the DMG takeover), Team Kidd and Company headed up a current AMA Flat Track team that has done a superb job of leading the series into a new, and revived decade. Concentrating on track preparation, obtainable racing equipment and the entertainment value of The Rolling Thunder Show, AMA Flat Track came out pouring the coals on during the 2010 season.
Ushering in new markets and venues, working on the timeliness/entertainment value of the series, and tweaking the rules to make multi-brand racing a headliner for the season, AMA Flat Track saw a season of positives all along the way, and also getting paying butts back into the seats at the race track and bringing in much-needed title sponsorship to the series in the way of K&N Filters and the Motorcycle Superstore.com folks. And 2o11 looks to be even better, if that is possible after the stellar year the series had.
With Mike Kidd heading up the team, anything is possible. And in this writer's eyes that is very positive as well! Go MK and Team AMA Flat Track!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In what I would like to call an 'it's about time' moment, Motorcycle-USA.com posted a super video today reviewing what they consider to be the 'bests' of the 2010 motorcycle season. And the best thing about it is they kicked it off by finally giving kudos to the man that headed up the great turn around in AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship Series Racing.

Mike Kidd, the current AMA Director of Flat Track Racing, was honored by the Motorcycle-USA.com folks for being the "Industry Leader" in motorcycle racing for heading up and turning the great sport of AMA Flat Track around during the 2010 year. Although I've been bragging on him for quite awhile now, I think it's super that someone that is a Nationally known site (compared to my little window of viewers here) took the time to brag on him as well!

With The Rolling Thunder Show adding more venues and new and returning markets for the 2011 season, this year looks to be even better then the break-out year achieved by the NEW and IMPROVED AMA Flat Track that we saw and loved in 2010. And you better get your ticket now cause when this train pulls out of the station, it's going to be hitting a fast pitch that will be hard to grab ahold of until the end of the year. AMA Pro Flat Track Racing is on a roll!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to the great folks at Motorcycle-USA.com for this great video saluting the 'bests' of the 2010 season. And of course they showed the best first in honoring Mike Kidd for his work in spearheading the turnaround in the great sport of AMA Pro Flat Track. I also have to take the time to thank them for using a few of my shots in this great honor to Mike Kidd (who is and has been one of my long-time heroes in the sport) when they put this together.

Just into the intro of the video when they list MK as the Industry Leader is one of my shots of Mike in his blue AMA shirt when he came over to shoot the sh*t with Larry Lawrence (The Rider Files.com and Cycle News.com) and myself during the Springfield Short Track on Saturday Sept. 4, 2010. And just a little further they also used two of my black & white 'back in the day' shots of MK in action at the Syracuse Mile on his #72 Kruger Racing XR750. They come by fast, but you'll see them both just after the 22 second mark of the video.

Thanks guys, I appreciate seeing my stuff used for something so cool as this, let along giving credit where credit is due to the 1981 AMA Grand National Champion, Mike Kidd for helming the ship at AMA Flat Track Racing!

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/1016/Motorcycle-Video/Motorcycle-USA-Best-of-2010-Dirt-Video.aspx?WT.i_e_dcsvid=197374949
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Jacobson, Sr. wrote this great article that just appeared at Todays Cycle Coverage.com the day before yesterday, recognizing the great turn around in the sport and the team that helped to make it happen. Check out his spin here:

http://www.todayscyclecoverage.com/wordpress/2011/01/04/guest-editorial-rushing-the-gate-with-greatness/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All Hail The King: Happy Birthday to Kenny Roberts From Stu's Shots!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kenny Roberts twists the throttle on the infamous Yamaha TZ750 flat tracker during practice for the Syracuse Mile round of the AMA Camel Pro Flat Track Series in September of 1975. The first event after his legendary win on the Indy Mile on August 23, 1975, The King didn't have the luck at Syracuse that took him to the front in the last few feet of the main at Indy some 14 days earlier. Not only was he not able to get the big TZ to hook up on the New York State Fairgrounds mile oval, but he crashed his parallel twin later in the day, shearing the front end off of the #1 machine and pretty much ending his run to three-peat his title to his rival Gary Scott on the #64 H-D Factory XR, with only four events left on the season. Roberts was able to put the TZ into the field at San Jose some two weeks later, with middling results, and the AMA eventually banned it and all multi-cylinder machines from AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship events at the end of the '75 season.
Although The King is most remembered for that Hot August Night at Indy for his mastery of the big TZ on the mile oval, his prowess in all forms of AMA Grand National Championship Series events reaped rewards to the tune of the '73-'74 AMA Grand National Championships, as well as winning the coveted Grand Slam in GN competition, only the second rider at the time other then Dick Mann to win on the mile, half mile, short track, TT, and road racing circuits that comprised the series in the day. And he did accomplish that feat twice while racing in the AMA GNC/Camel Pro Series.
He accomplished his second Grand Slam during the '75 season, which was comprised of 20 events that season, only three of which were road racing events. Roberts won 2 of those 3 at Monterey (now better known as Laguna Seca) and Ontario, with Yamaha road racing team mate Gene Romero winning the Daytona round. He also won the season opening round at the Houston TT, the Dallas Short Track in April, and the Ascot Half Mile in late September. He still holds the record for the 'quickest rider to complete' the Grand Slam, doing so in two years, six months and 20 days of racing in the top tier series, when he won his first Grand Slam between January of '72 and August of '74. KR still sits seventh with 33 total AMA Grand National career wins after all these years, 18 of those coming in road racing events which were still part of the series before they split the championships in the mid-late '80s.
Roberts did his best against the might of the H-D XR, but the alloy-based V-Twin was too much for the parallel twins of the Yamaha, Triumph and Norton machines of the day, thrashing the competition in the flat track series, something it has been able to still do some three and a half decades later. By the end of the '77 season, Yamaha shut down the flat track team, and The King was off to Europe to take on the world.
Hitting the shores of Europe with a big bang, he won the '78-'80 500CC World Championship and set the bar for future U.S.-based riders to continue his legacy in the World Championships. After retiring from active competition, he later won four World Championships as a team owner ('90-'92 500CC with Wayne Rainey, '90 250CC with John Kocinski) and helped to raise rider salaries and improve safety along the way.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The King slides it through turn one at the Terre Haute Action Track during a heat race for the half mile round of the AMA Camel Pro Flat Grand National Championship Series in August of '75. A little over six days later The Man from Modesto would make motorcycle flat track racing history, but on this hot summer afternoon he was doing his best to keep the XS650-based parallel twin within reach of the XR-strong field.
This was the first year that the Yamaha Factory had scaled back it's flat track efforts to just Roberts, after running the 'super team' of '70 AMA Grand National Champion Gene Romero and Donnie Castro on the team in '73-'74 as The King's team mates. KR ran the team and contracted all of the work, while Yamaha supplied the bikes. Although he eventually lost the championship to long-time competitor Gary Scott in '75, The King still took the twin to wins at Ascot in late '75 and '76 at the San Jose Half Mile and Terre Haute Half Mile.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With 2010 winding down, Stu's Shots wanted to close out this great season of racing by wishing The King, Kenny Roberts, Sr. a Very Happy Birthday! The Man From Modesto, who took U.S. flat track racing and road racing by storm in the '70s, and eventually the World road racing scene down the same road of competitive devastation, turns 59 today.

One of the most outspoken, let alone out right competitive riders to ever throw a leg over a motorcycle racing machine, Kenny, Sr. set the bar for motorcycle racing all over the world in the '70s and early '80s as a rider, and into the '90s as a team owner. Winning two U.S. titles and three titles as a rider in Europe, he also won four titles as a team owner after retiring from regular, active competition in the early-mid '80s.

Stu's Shots wants to take this time to wish The King a Happy Birthday and honor him with these two never-before seen or published photos that I took of him in AMA Grand National Championship competition in the summer of '75, when I as well was just a young one.

Coming from the archive vaults of yesteryear, we salute The King on his day!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kenny Roberts' bio at Wikipedia.com:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Roberts
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Happy Birthday to Mert Lawwill: '69 AMA Grand National Champion and AMA Hall of Famer

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mert Lawwill gets a leg down in practice in between turns 1 and 2 at the Terre Haute Half Mile round of the AMA Grand National Championship Series in August of 1975. Mert captured the '69 AMA Grand National Championship as well as competing in over 160 events as a pro on the AMA Flat Track scene from the early '60s until his retirement in 1977. He also won 17 AMA Grand National Championship Series races throughout his career and went on to be inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 1998 as well as being inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1997 for his ground-breaking work in the mountain bike industry. Mert still works in the frame and suspension areas with bicycles and motorcycles and also works with amputees in helping to develop prosthetic limbs. His son Joe is a well-known competitor in downhill mountain bike competition.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mert strolls the pits at Terre Haute in '75 while then-National #77 Eddie Wirth walks back to his pits behind him. Sitting in his pits on the right side of the shot is Ken Springsteen #76X with his Vista Sheen-sponsored XR750's sitting just over Mert's right shoulder. Ken and Jay ('76-'78 AMA Grand National Champion) were team mates on the Vista Sheen team during their rookie seasons in the AMA Grand National Championship Flat Track Series and had been sponsored by them for a couple of years coming through the amateur and novice ranks in the AMA's ladder system of AMA Flat Track Racing.
Some of Mert's ventures outside of the flat track motorcycle racing scene involved working with and developing prosthetics for amputees as well as his legendary work in the mountain bike industry. He also teamed with Kenny Roberts in the late '70s/early '80s on the Roberts/Lawwill Racing Team, which included riders Jimmy Filice and former 2-Time Grand National Champion Dick Mann as one of the team's advisors. The bike was based on the Yamaha Virago V-Twin engine that was very popular on the street some 30-odd years ago. It was also one of Yamaha's strongest selling and most popular platforms for street use as well. It never really quite came around in the flat track scene, unfortunately.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heat race action at Terre Haute in '75 with a talent pool that was to say the least, pretty deep. Leading on the #3 C&J Frames-backed Yamaha parallel twin is 1970 AMA Grand National Champion Gene Romero, followed by '69 AMA GNC Mert Lawwill on the #7 factory H-D XR, '73-'74 AMA Grand National Champion Kenny Roberts on the #1 Yamaha factory XS650-based parallel twin, and former National #77 Eddie Wirth just coming into the shot on his privateer XR. 1981 AMA Grand National Champion and current AMA Pro Flat Track Manager and overseer Mike Kidd won the main event at the Terre Haute Action Track that day.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stu's Shots wants to take the time to wish '69 AMA Grand National Champion Mert Lawwill a VERY happy birthday which he will be celebrating on Friday, September 24th. Having caught on to AMA Flat Track Racing in the summer of 1974, Mert was one of the main men on the scene in those days, and always seemed to have a smile on his face to go along with his will of iron and tenacity on the track.

Besides competing on the pro scene for some 15 years, Mert was one of many riders in the day to come out of the Pacific Northwest area of the United States in the late '50s/early '60s, although by the time he was racing in the pro ranks he was based in California. He is not only a member of the '98 AMA Hall of Fame class, but was an inductee into the '97 Mountain Bike Hall of Fame class as well for his ground-breaking work in the industry with mountain bike frames. He was also inducted into the Washington State Motorcycle Hall of Fame and was one of the inaugaral inductees into the AMA Flat Track Hall of Fame at the Springfield Mile in late summer of 1998. His work in the area of hand prosthetics goes back to the mid/late '60s when he first worked with a former team mate who had lost his hand in a racing accident, and to this day works to develop limbs through his company Mert's Hands.

You can check out some more info on former National #7 below and help in wishing one of the all-time greats of AMA Flat Track and AMA Grand National Championship Series racing a big happy birthday. Thanks for all of the racing memories, Mert, and thanks for all you have done throughout your life to help people as well. Have a great day!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is Mert's official site on the net. Check it out, some pretty cool stuff going on here:

http://www.mertlawwill.com/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the site that features Mert's work in the area of prosthetics, a VERY worthy cause for helping racers that have lost a limb (or a portion of) that can sustain a day-to-day 'normal' routine with the use of a replacement attachment. Mert actually started working with prosthetics back in the late '60s after being approached by a former team mate. Read on and check this out as there is some VERY cool stuff here:

http://www.mertshands.org/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The AMA Hall of Fame inducted Mert into their order in '98 and here is their page on his racing accomplishments:

http://motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=7

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mert was originally from the Boise, ID. area, but the Northwest area of the U.S. is a hotbed of flat track and especially TT race courses. The Washington State Motorcycle Hall of Fame has a great story and interview with Mert about his career and past accomplishments. Great reading here:

http://www.wsmchof.com/mert-lawwill.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mert went from motorcycles and prosthetics into the world of mountain bike racing, and was one of the genre's earliest real pioneers of the sport. He was inducted into the Moutain Bike Hall of Fame in 1997 for his numerous accomplishments and here is their page devoted to Mert:

http://www.completesite.com/mbhof/page.cfm?pageid=6&year=1997&memberid=43

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And finally, what most people remember Mert for is the legendary movie "On Any Sunday" that was produced by Bruce Brown in the late '60s/early '70s. Mert was one of several people profiled in the epic film along with other big names such as the late Steve McQueen and '70 AMA Grand National Champion Gene Romero. Here Bruce talks about the film and it's place in motorcycling history:

http://www.brucebrownfilms.com/sunday.htm

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9-Time AMA Grand National Champion Scott Parker Spills The Beans.....

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scott Parker on the #1 H-D Factory XR leads Jay Springsteen on the #9 Bartel's H-D XR during practice at the Terre Haute Half-Mile in July of '97. Parker won 9 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championships over the course of his two decade plus career, along with 94 races. 55 of those wins came on mile tracks. Springer was the '76-'78 AMA GN Champ, and among friendships they both shared 13-Time AMA Grand National Champion tuner Bill Werner among their respective camps while riding for the H-D Factory Team. Parker retired in 2000 and can occassionally be found checking out the action at the track. Springer teamed with Werner during the '09 off season to form Werner Springsteen Kawasaki Racing and added rider #42 Bryan Smith to ride their pro twins mounts.
Terre Haute was a unique half mile that hosted AMA Flat Track regularly through the mid '70s, and still is one of the hottest tracks on the schedule for USAC and World of Outlaws sprint cars. From '74-'76 the AMA hosted some great events for winners Corky Keener, Mike Kidd and Kenny Roberts. Roberts also was handed his second GNC #1 plate their at the '74 running of the event. But when the AMA showed up again in '77, the series of ruts and holes that had been pounded into it and exposed from all the sprint car action, was rougher and more dangerous then ever. '75 event winner and future '81 GNC and AMA Flat Track Manager (currently) Mike Kidd crashed hard there and showed up at Indy the next weekend with a cast on his arm. It didn't slow HIM down much, but it put the writing on the wall for the AMA not to return for 20 years.
However, return they did in '97 to a track that was rougher and more dangerous then it was two decades earlier. Numerous crashes, bike fires, and a couple of riders helicoptered out put the writing on the wall and the AMA never returned to the Terre Haute Action Track.
Looking closely at the photo you can see the washboard look the track developed and the ruts that combined looked like glazed hell. It was, unfortunately. Back in the old days TH would draw one heck of a crowd and the riders were able to put on one hell of a show for the crowd.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Great interview over at Motorcycle-USA.com with former 9-Time AMA Flat Track Grand National Champion Scott Parker. Scotty talks about some of his racing highlights, how he handled tracks like Daytona when he was really considered a mile specialist, and some work he has been doing for the Harley-Davidson Factory in regards to the new XR1200 series Sporster just released this year here in the States.

As always, Scotty is very open, colorful, personable and humble in talking about his career and accomplishments. And whether you are a fan or not, this is a must read!

Check it out, and good to see Scotty on the scene! Hope to see you at some of the races again this year!

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/779/7389/Motorcycle-Article/Scott-Parker-Flat-Track-Racing-Interview.aspx
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------