Harley-Davidson Ups the Ante for 2018 Flat Track Season
A new factory team and new bikes promise to make this the most competitive season of American Flat Track ever!
Harley-Davidson has a long and storied racing history. So it only makes sense that they would do whatever it takes to field a competitive flat track team. But despite some promising moments in 2017, Harley finished outside the top three in the American Flat Track Grand National Championship rankings by season’s end. And as you might imagine, they aren’t going to take that lying down.
Harley-Davidson recently announced their plans for flat track dominance in 2018. And those plans begin with an almost entirely new team. Brandon Robinson returns for his second season with Harley. But this time he’s joined by seasoned pro Sammy Halbert and rising star Jared Vanderkooi on the factory squad. The new trio aims to “combine veteran savvy with youthful potential,” according to H-D.
The new team will also be competing on freshly revised Harley-Davidson XG750Rs. This past offseason, Harley teamed up with Vance & Hines Motorsports to extract more performance from their racers. As before, the race-modified, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected 750cc Revolution X V-Twin engine can be purchased through H-D dealers and modified for racing use by aspiring privateers.
Harley hopes these changes help catapult the brand back to the winner’s circle in a series they played a large role in building over the last 65 years. The 19-race AFT Twins series kicks off during Daytona Bike Week at the March 15 AFT Daytona TT. It’s there that teams will do battle on a brand new, enlarged course inside Daytona International Speedway.
The American Flat Track Racing series is already the most historic form of American motorcycle racing. But with a renewed interest from fans and more competition than ever, 2018 is shaping up as its best season yet!
