Today our article will be devoted to flat tracking. One of the most popular types of motorsports in America, but little known in our country. An important reason for its success was its extremely simple rules. In essence, flat tracking is racing on an oval (often mud) with all participants starting at the same time.
Flat Track Racing appeared in the USA already in the 20s of the last century, as soon as the motorcycle became a more or less popular form of transport. The pioneers in the production of bikes for this sport were the largest companies of that time - Harley-Davidson, Indian and Excelsior.
In Europe, the movement gained popularity after World War II. The impetus for its spread was the mass production of bikes by the British companies BSA, Norton and Triumph.
After another 2 decades, the Japanese also joined the fight for their share of the flat tracking motorcycle market. Today, almost every major Western manufacturer has one or two product lines focused specifically on this sport.
History of flat trackers
In America, where racing on all kinds of ovals today is almost a national idea, the twenties of the last century were marked by the emergence of a new type of competition - Flat Track Racing. It is essentially a dirt oval race with a mass start. In the early days of this discipline, the most popular motorcycles represented in these races were Harley-Davidson, Indian and Excelsior.
After World War II, British motorcycle manufacturers also joined them: BSA, Norton and Triumph. In the 1970s, the Japanese intervened in the fight for the title, ousting the British. Years passed, the geography of popularity expanded, favorites changed, but at all times Flat Track racing was for especially desperate thugs.
Characteristics and parameters of the Flat RACK CONTAINER container
*container parameters may vary slightly depending on the manufacturer
| Inner dimensions | Door sizes | Weight | Volume | Loading | |
| 20 FT FT | mm | mm | kg | m3 | kg |
| length | 5935 | — | 2560 | — | 21440 |
| width | 2398 | — | — | — | — |
| height | 2327 | — | — | — | — |
| 40 FT FT | mm | mm | kg | m3 | kg |
| length | 12080 | — | 5480 | — | 25000 |
| width | 2420 | — | — | — | — |
| height | 2103 | — | — | — | — |
Design features of motorcycles
A flat tracker is a sports motorcycle designed for dirt oval racing. The cornering technique in such races involves riding in a controlled drift, on a motorcycle specially prepared for this.
ON REGULAR MOTORCYCLES THERE IS NOTHING TO DO ON A DIRT OVAL. IT'S LIKE TRYING TO GO DOWN THE CORBET'S COULOIR SLOPE ON BISTRITSA CROSS-COUNTRY SKIS |
All modifications come down to giving the motorcycle high power and refined handling for riding in deep slides.
TRAVEL |
Replacing the serial crossbars of the front suspension with tuning ones, with an offset axis - to increase the steering angle.
PENDULUM |
Replacing the pendulum with a shortened one, as well as modifying the frame to install a monoshock absorber.
GAS TANK |
A short and narrow gas tank, located towards the front of the motorcycle, to allow the pilot to load the front wheel when entering a turn.
STEERING WHEEL |
Installing a wide-shouldered steering wheel (flat track bar), which allows you to operate the throttle effectively, as well as finely feel the balance of the motorcycle when sliding.
Drivers in this racing series do not use brakes for their intended purpose. Therefore, motorcycles are deprived of front brake mechanisms in principle. The design includes a rear brake, which is used exclusively to stall the rear wheel into a skid before a turn, as well as to control traction and the gyroscopic effect in general.
Legendary flat trackers
HARLEY-DAVIDSON XR750′ 1970
The XR750 can rightfully be considered the most famous motorcycle in the sports motorcycle history of the United States of America. In 1970, there was a change in technical regulations; to match the changed requirements, Harley-Davidson released a new motorcycle, the V-shaped two-cylinder engine of which developed a power of 82 horsepower. A pair of shock absorbers included in the design instead of the “dry” frame of the KR model, the predecessor of the XR750, had a positive effect on handling.
| Between 1972 and 2008, riders won 29 of a possible 37 AMA championship titles at various times, more than any sports motorcycle racing series in the world. By the way, the stars of MOTO GP - Colin Edwards, Nikki Hayden and Kenny Roberts - began their careers in Flat Track racing on these bikes. Behind the scenes, the Harley-Davidson XR750 is called the most successful sports motorcycle in the world. |
YAMAHA TZ750 DIRT TRACKER 1975
| If the motorcycle of William Harley and the Davidson brothers was famous for its good handling, then the Yamaha TZ750 earned the fame of “the most evil ever built” motorcycle in the history of motorsports. I imagine you've often heard the comment that the 500cc grand prix motorcycles of the seventies and eighties were incredibly difficult to ride due to the torque characteristics of two-stroke engines. |
So, this is baby talk compared to the TZ750. Despite Yamaha's winning years in 1973 and 1974, their factory rider, Kenny Roberts, still complained that the bike lacked power. By the 1975 season, Yamaha had resolved the issue radically. They borrowed a 750cc liquid-cooled two-stroke engine that produced a whopping 125 horsepower. With. from a grand prix motorcycle and installed it on a flat tracker. For riding on gravel. No front brake. The result is predictable: the motorcycle turned out to be monstrously powerful and practically uncontrollable. Only Kenny Roberts could cope with his daring temper, who, however, once managed to win the race in Indianapolis, in August 1975. After some time, the American Motorsports Federation banned the participation of this motorcycle.
Kenny Roberts The King on the TZ750 | “YOU HAVE TO THROW IT INTO A SKID AT 150 mph BEFORE TURNING TO SLOW DOWN AT LEAST A LITTLE SPEED. THEY DON'T PAY ME THAT MUCH TO DRIVE LIKE THIS"Watch the video |
RON WOOD BMW F800
A flat-tracker with 30 years of experience, Ron Wood's bike doesn't wow you with its power or athletic prowess. He managed to finish only sixth in the national championship. Designed around an in-line twin-cylinder 80-horsepower engine from the BMW F800, this motorcycle can be considered one of the ten most beautiful in the world. Perhaps this is where its advantages end.
A flat track is coming to us
Flat track is one of the oldest motorcycle disciplines, which was formed at the beginning of the twentieth century, when other types of racing were mostly in their infancy and were seriously different from what we see today.
The main feature of flat track is its democracy. It does not require complex, expensive infrastructure, like motocross, and especially road racing. The track is a dirt oval that can be rolled on any sufficiently large piece of land. And if there is asphalt all around, pour it and compact it. Therefore, such races are very popular among organizers around the world. And racers love them for the simplicity of the technical part. Flat track is reminiscent of the speedway we know well, but people ride there not only on exotic motorcycles, which need to be taken somewhere and somehow prepared. There are quite accessible classes in the competition, where slightly modified production models compete. There are also amateur races where street motorcycles ride, including ones that seem to be not at all intended for sports, such as large tourers and cruisers. The famous customizer Roland Sands is holding an entire Super Hooligan Racing championship in the USA for heavy street motorcycles with an engine capacity of over 750 cm3. Superprofessionals also ride large iron motorcycles. In the most prestigious class of the American championship, AFT Twins, Harley-Davidson and Indian competed even before World War II. In the last two years, after the "Indians" passed into the hands of Polaris, these battles have resumed. Flat track develops the skills needed for other sports, including road racing. Valentino Rossi has a dirt training track, Marc Marquez competes as an invited guest, and Casey Stoner successfully competed in the Australian championship before joining MotoGP.
Over the past 20 years, Russia has learned all the main types of motorcycle sports. But for some reason the flat track passed us by. On April 6–7, 2022, the first big Motul In Dust We Trust competition will be held in Moscow. An oval track will be built between the Expocentre pavilions, where the MotoSpring exhibition will be held at this time, so you can combine watching the race and viewing the exhibition. The track will be organized in accordance with the best standards: a substrate will be made on the asphalt, and a special soil will be placed on top of it, which after rolling becomes hard and slippery, the most suitable option for skidding. Both professionals from a variety of types of motorsports on prepared equipment, as well as people who have never participated in racing on road motorcycles will be able to take part. Naturally, they will be divided into different classes, which will be more than enough.
Separate races will be held for supermotos, scooters, pit bikes, custom bikes, road bikes with different numbers of cylinders, and racers with factory support. A junior race, demonstration races at the Urals, and team competitions “Moscow - St. Petersburg” are planned. There will be a super final of the fastest racers of different classes. The rules are simple: four laps, whoever is first wins. There is no clarity on the tires yet; pros will most likely ride on road rain tires, amateurs – on regular road tires with a limit on the tread height to avoid “checkers”. The information is still preliminary, the final regulations and other related materials will be published as they become available on https://powersport.motul.com. It is quite likely that guest stars will arrive to show how the real elite drive. In general, the event should be interesting for participants and spectators. The presence of a large title sponsor promises a high level of organization, democratic rules - a large number of riders, a compact, visible track - an interesting spectacle.
Without support > January 28, 2022 10:15 Nikolay Bogomolov
Custom motorcycles
Returning to the first paragraph of our story, I would like to note that custom flat tracker motorcycles are less radical than their sports counterparts, which is why they are called street trackers. In their technical part, they are maximally adapted to driving around the city: they have a front brake, lighting equipment, slightly larger fuel tanks and a noticeably lower power supply. True, there are exceptions. Last year, out of the gates of Roland Sands's workshop came a flat tracker converted from the grand prix 220-horsepower Ducati Desmosedici RR, which FURFUR talked about in the material “General Motors: The 10 Most Reputable Motorcycle Workshops from Around the World.”
For the most part, admirers of style choose less expensive motorcycles. Yamaha SR400/SR500, XS650, Honda CB400SS, Kawasaki W650, 250TR, Triumph Bonneville - this is an incomplete list of motorcycles that more often than others go under the knife to be reborn as a stylish street tracker. On the other hand, in the custom world the currents are so mixed that at exhibitions every now and then there appear semblances of flat trackers, transformed from cruisers, sportbikes and other enduros. Therefore, when planning to build a tracker, rely solely on your taste and wallet size.
