To be in the X Games is huge
The winner of the inaugural Harley-Davidson Flat-Track Race at X Games Austin will take home a gold medal and a brand-new Street 750.
“This is great for our sport,” said Brad Baker, Harley-Davidson Factory Flat-Track team rider. “X Games is about performance, and flat-track racing is the perfect addition to this competition, allowing athletes from around the world to showcase just how they push the boundaries in their sport.”
Harley-Davidson Flat Track will feature a 3/8-mile purpose-built track with tight corners and long straights designed to provide a test of rider skill over anything else.
“To be in the X Games is huge,” said Briar Bauman, rider of the #14 Hart Racing Kawasaki. “We’re looking at a whole new fan base, so hopefully people watch us on TV and then see what we’re all about and what we do. Thanks to Harley-Davidson for stepping it up to make this happen.”
Flat track racing is as pure a test of man and machine as there is in racing. The difficulty of going fast on dirt has made the sport a popular training tool for the world’s top motorcycle road racers like MotoGP superstars Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi. Throughout the history of road racing, many of the world’s top athletes came from dirt track racing backgrounds.
Harley-Davidson flat-track racing will feature athletes racing high-performance motorcycles in close proximity around an oval track at speeds up to 130 mph. With the roots of flat-track racing dating back to the early 1900s, the sport is one of the most traditional motorcycle racing disciplines.
MORE DETAILS TV fans, take note: The Harley-Davidson Flat-Track Racing competition is scheduled to air on ESPN at 9 pm (EST), June 4. For more details on the race, and a list of invited flat-track athletes (which was not available when this was written), visit xgames.com. ESPN and ABC will televise a combined 20 hours of live X Games Austin competition, which will also be accessible via WatchESPN. Additional coverage of sports and music will be carried on ESPN3 as well as the latest coverage across ESPN digital platforms, including XGames.com, X Games app and X Games pages across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more.
All twenty-four of the riders invited to compete in the X Games are active riders in the elite Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines class in AMA Pro Flat Track competition. Reigning Harley-Davidson GNC1 Champion Jared Mees will be challenged by Factory Harley-Davidson rider Brad Baker, Kawasaki pilot Bryan Smith, three-time champion Kenny Coolbeth Jr. and others from an elite group of riders selected from the best flat trackers in the world.
Invited Flat-Track Riders: Brad Baker, Briar Bauman, JD Beach, Stevie Bonsey, Jeffrey Carver, Kenny Coolbeth, Sammy Halbert, Jake Johnson, Michael Kirkness, Doug Lawrence, Johnny Lewis, Wyatt Maguire, Mikey Martin, Jared Mees, Nichole Mees, Robert Pearson, Brandon Robinson, Mikey Rush, Jake Shoemaker, Bryan Smith, Cory Texter, Shayna Texter, and Henry Wiles.
