Bryan Smith Goes Green, Not Lightbulbs, Kawasaki….Again
$50,000 Pro Singles Contingency From Motorcycle-Superstore.com, Bell Helmets
Courtesy Motorcycle-Superstore.com
Motorcycle-Superstore.com is now accepting applications for the brand-new Bell Helmet Rider Support Contingency Program. This application is available for 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Racers competing in the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles class.
MEDFORD (December 16, 2011) Motorcycle-Superstore.com, the country’s leading motorcycle equipment retailer, presenting sponsor of the AMA Pro Flat 
Track Grand National Championship Series and title sponsor of the AMA Pro Racing Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Class, is proud to introduce a brand-new 2012 Bell Helmet Rider Support Program.
Calling all flat track racers! If you plan to ride in the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles class for the 2012 season, this is an incredible opportunity to join the Motorcycle-Superstore.com team. Motorcycle-Superstore.com has joined forces with Bell Helmets and designed awesome new custom team graphics for the Bell Star and Moto-9 racing helmets for riders who take part in our $50,000 Contingency Program.
The contingency program’s payout schedule for each race will pay down to 8th place as follows:
1st – $600. 2nd – $500. 3rd – $400. 4th – $300. 5th – $250. 6th – $200. 7th – $150. 8th – $100. Between all successful sponsored riders, a total payout of $50,000 is possible for the season. With a 20 race season held at tracks scattered across the country, this $50,000 Rider Support Program helps put some money back into the racer’s pockets.
“Flat Track represents the grass roots of motorcycle racing – one of the oldest forms of motorcycle racing there is – and one of the most exciting! That’s why we feel so strongly about supporting the series with a $25,000 rider’s points fund and now, in conjunction with Bell Helmets, a $50,000 contingency program for those athletes that fly our colors,” claims Erick Barney, VP Marketing for Motorcycle-Superstore.com. “This Bell Helmet Rider Support Program provides the racers with another opportunity to earn some money to offset their race expenses.”
Application for this program is simple and easy – just complete the application available through the link provided below, and our sports marketing representative will be in touch with you. Round one at Daytona International Speedway will be here before we know it, so… let’s get ready to go racing! Apply online at: www.motorcycle-superstore.com/rider-support.
About Motorcycle-Superstore.com:
Motorcycle-Superstore.com is the leading online retailer in the motorcycle and powersports industry. Serving motorcycle riders for over 12 years, Motorcycle-Superstore.com specializes in selling motorcycle and powersports helmets, riding apparel, accessories and parts at the lowest prices possible. Internet Retailer magazine has ranked Motorcycle Superstore in the top 10 of all sporting goods sites and in the top 200 of all e-commerce sites. Powered by a dedicated staff of motorcycle enthusiasts, Motorcycle-Superstore.com continues to impress customers by constantly raising its online shopping standards. Visit www.motorcycle-superstore.com.
About Bell Powersports:
Bell has been the preeminent designer and marketer of branded sports helmets and accessories for more than 50 years. More world champions have worn Bell Helmets than all other helmet brands combined. From Grand Prix racing through the Indy 500 to Olympic cycling, Bell Helmets have played a vital role in protecting sportsmen and women for generations.
Bell is committed to supporting the sports we were born from and the organizations that preserve, enhance and elevate these sports.
2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Schedule Announced…New Venues, More Mile Racing
Courtesy AMA Pro Racing
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (December 21, 2011) – AMA Pro Racing is pleased to announce the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track schedule. The 19-round 2012 AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com schedule has 16 confirmed dates and three additional events in final negotiations.
Of the 16 confirmed events, the fire-breathing Grand National Twins will appear 10 times, which includes five half-mile and five mile tracks, and the 450cc Grand National Singles will be featured in three TT and three short track events. Every event on the 2012 calendar will also feature the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles class, which debuted in 2009 and showcases the future stars of AMA Pro Flat Track piloting 450cc single-cylinder machines.
Once again the season will kick off with the traditional Bike Week doubleheader on March 15th and 16th, 2012 at the DAYTONA Flat Track, which is located just outside of Turns 1 and 2 at the mighty Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. In the 2011 contest, Grand National Championship title contender Sammy Halbert swept the mid-week openers in dramatic fashion.
In the world of flat track racing, Memorial Day Weekend and the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill. go hand in hand. May 26th, 2012 finds the Series at the Rodeo Arena for a TT race that serves to whet the appetite for the first “big bike” race of 2012, scheduled for the next day, May 27th, 2012. The Springfield Mile is one of the most coveted wins on the circuit and is one of the most highly-contested races each year.
Next up for the Series is a to-be-announced event scheduled for June 9th, 2012, with the series moving on to the first “cushion” race at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio three weeks later on June 30th, 2012. The 2011 season saw the return of pea gravel to the Lima half-mile oval and the return of the sideways, rooster-tail shooting action.
The Series heads farther East on July 7th as Hagerstown, Md.’s Hagerstown Speedway hosts the only round on the east coast that features what is typically a very smooth, and very fast, half-mile track. Many consider this venue the “home track” for defending Grand National Champion Jake Johnson, and the New Jersey native will surely be looking to repeat his 2009 victory.
I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich. returns to the series calendar on July 14th, 2012 with its always action-packed half-mile circuit, before the Series moves to the west coast on July 28th, 2012 for the Sacramento Mile at Cal-Expo in Sacramento, Calif., the highly-successful Bob Bellino-promoted event run alongside the California State Fair.
A drive up the coast will find the AMA Pro Flat Track stars back on their 450cc singles at the Castle Rock Race Park TT in Castle Rock, Wash. on August 4th, 2012. Next up is another TT, and the granddaddy of them all, scheduled for one week later at Peoria Race Park in Peoria, Ill. on August 12th, 2012. The Peoria TT has been a staple on the Grand National circuit since 1947 and still packs the hillsides with spectators eager to watch the high-flying singles take to the track.
The Indy Mile at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Ind., returns to the 2012 schedule on August 18th, 2012 and the event will once again coincide with both the Indiana State Fair and MotoGP’s state-side return for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Labor Day Weekend means a return to the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill. for a Short Track and another Mile, scheduled for September 1st and 2nd, 2012, respectively.
September 8th, 2012 will mark the return of the Series to Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa. The 2011 event saw one of the closest finishes in the AMA Pro Flat Track’s long and storied history and all signs indicate that next year’s race will be just as close.
Details about an event scheduled for September 15th, 2012 will be released soon; following that race the Series will head to the Santa Rosa Mile at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, Calif. on September 30th, 2012. The last time a Grand National was held at the beautiful fairgrounds was in 1970, which saw Jim Rice win the contest on a BSA.
The last to-be-announced event on the schedule is will be held on October 6th, 2012 before the 2012 AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com schedule comes to a close on October 13th, 2012 on the half-mile track at the LA County Fairplex in Pomona, Calif.
Complete 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Schedule:
March 15, 2012
Daytona Flat Track I
Daytona Flat Track, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Short Track
March 16, 2012
Daytona Flat Track II
Daytona Flat Track, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Short Track
May 26, 2012
Springfield TT
Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, Ill.
TT
May 27, 2012
Springfield Mile
Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, Ill.
Mile
June 9, 2012
TBA
June 30, 2012
Lima Half-Mile
Allen County Fairgrounds, Lima, Ohio
Half Mile
July 7, 2012
Hagerstown, Half-Mile
Hagerstown Speedway, Md.
Half Mile
July 14, 2012
I-96 Half-Mile
I-96 Speedway, Lake Odessa, Mich.
Half Mile
July 28, 2012
Sacramento Mile
Cal Expo, Sacramento, Cailf.
Mile
August 4, 2012
Castle Rock TT
Castle Rock Race Park, Castle Rock, Wash.
TT
August 12, 2012
Peoria TT
PMC Race Park, Peoria, Ill.
TT
August 18, 2012
Indy Mile
Indiana State Fairground, Indianapolis, Ind.
Mile
September 1, 2012
Springfield Short Track
Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, Ill.
Short Track
September 2, 2012
Springfield Mile II
Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, Ill.
Mile
September 8, 2012
Knoxville Half-Mile
Knoxville Raceway,Knoxville, Iowa
Half Mile
September 15, 2012
TBA
September 30, 2012
Santa Rosa Mile
Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Mile
October 6, 2012
TBA
October 13, 2012
Flat Track Finale
LA County Fairplex, Pomona, Calif.
Half Mile
GOPRO, Official Camera Of AMA Pro Road Racing…Is Flat Track Next?
Courtesy AMA Pro Racing
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (December 21, 2011) – Officials from AMA Pro Racing and GoPro® have announced an exclusive multi-year partnership naming GoPro as the Official Camera of AMA Pro Road Racing and the title sponsor of the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike class. In addition, AMA Pro Racing will name a special year-end points fund after GoPro for the athletic heroes that race in the Daytona SportBike division.
GoPro is the world’s leading activity image capture company, producing lightweight, wearable and gear-mounted cameras designed to capture adventure and action sports in high definition and from previously impossible viewpoints. The extreme racing action and engaging personalities of the AMA Pro Road Racing athletes lend themselves perfectly to creating feature content out of the captivating video produced by all-new GoPro HD HERO2® cameras. Teams will now have the opportunity to utilize this footage in their marketing initiatives to increase sponsorship value while also exposing to the world just how intense the gripping, non-stop action really is from the rider’s perspective. 
“We are very excited about this new partnership with GoPro and their very unique HD HERO product line of video cameras and accessories,” said David Atlas, Chief Operating Officer of AMA Pro Racing. “This is especially important to AMA Pro in that it will open up a new dimension of video content for fans and will significantly elevate our ability to display to the public the very exciting and close racing which our special athletes perform with such exciting regularity.”
The agreement calls for several at-track, in-market and cross-promotional marketing opportunities aimed at expanding each brand, including geo-targeted email campaigns, website promotions about upcoming AMA Pro Road Racing events and promotional sweepstakes for GoPro products. Full details about these exciting programs will be released in the coming months.
The 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing season will kick off with the historic Daytona 200 Week, scheduled for March 15-17, 2012 at Daytona International Speedway. Please visit GoPro.com for more information on GoPro and the award winning HERO product line.
The Brits Are Coming! Triumph Factory Invades American Flat Track
AMA Pro Singles Champion Mikey Martin Signs with Bonneville Performance Team
PORT ORANGE, FL – The flat track phenom who raced his way to the 2011 AMA Pro Motorcycle-SuperStore.com Pro Singles championship, Mikey Martin, is on his way to the Grand National circuit in 2012 as Triumph’s factory rider.
Martin starts his rookie season with the Bonneville Performance team put together by Bill Gately, who has been racing and perfecting the big British twin for several years,. “What drew us to Mikey is that he’s a talented, aggressive rider who’s also smart,” Gately said. “He only wants to ride in front, and that’s the kind of guy you’re looking for. He’s already a champion. Plus, he has a great personality and knows how to present himself off the track as well as on.” Despite his youth, Martin has a long pedigree in racing – and connections to Triumph. His father was a racer and currently is an AMA flat track promoter. His grandfather was a Triumph dealer who sponsored a number of riders in the late 60s and early 70s. “Joining the Bonneville Performance team and becoming the factory rider for Triumph is a huge honor, and the perfect fit for me,” said Martin. “Bill Gately has built an incredible machine. They’ve had their hand on every part of this bike and there’s nothing they haven’t improved. Their level of commitment and dedication is impressive. I’m excited to be on the bike and looking forward to a great season.” Bonneville Performance launches the 2012 campaign as the factory team for Triumph. “Triumph is returning to its racing heritage,” Gately said. “Clearly the brand is committed again to racing and we’re proud to be working closely with them to bridge their rich legacy of the past to the present.”
AUGUST 1, 2011, K&N Performance Filters’ 2012 Racing Support Season is now open
Resumes will be accepted from August 1, 2011 through November 30, 2011.
WHERE TO SEND: K&N Engineering, Inc.
ATTN: Powersports – Race Support
1455 Citrus Street
Riverside, CA 92507
WHAT TO INCLUDE:
RESULTS – 2011 Race Results, Organization raced, Class & Sponsors
SCHEDULE – 2012 Race Event Schedule, Organization and Class of race
PHOTOS – Still pictures of your Bike and Truck/Trailer (Show K&N Logos when possible!)
DEALER SUPPORT – Race for a Dealership? Include Contact info for your dealer
GRADES – In School? Send a copy of your most recent report card. That helps too!
RACE REPORTS – Monthly Race Reports are required as part of our race program. This is your opportunity to keep us at K&N up-to-date with what is going on in your world. We use these to decide who gets further help in future programs, marketing, and promotions and for the K&N News.
Keep in mind, if serious about the desire to use K&N in your bike, feel free to discuss opportunities with your local dealer. Promoting our product through your local shop is a great way to gain recognition while using products you truly believe in.
Thank you for your interest in K&N. We look forward to you being part of our race program.
CONTACT: Johnny Jump TEL: 951-826-4000 Ext. 4338
Brand Manager – Powersports E: johnj@knfilters.com
K&N Engineering, Inc., with headquarters in Riverside, California, has been the world’s leader in performance filter technology since 1969, serving the needs of the automotive, motorcycle, marine, industrial and military markets. K&N is heavily involved in nearly every form of motorsports from off-road and powersports to drag racing, stock cars and road racing. K&N is The Official Air & Oil Filters for the AMA Supercross Series, AMA Arenacross Series, NMA Amateur National Motocross Series, CMRC Amateur Superbike Series, XDL
Sportbike Freestyle Championship Series, and the Official Filter of NASCAR.
5 Straight For Wiles, Halbert Singles Champion
SPRINGFIELD, IL (September 4, 2011) – Round 15 of the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track Championship began with near-record temperatures and a few Illinois thunderstorms, but ended with an altogether different kind of bang as Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Henry Wiles claimed the top of the Springfield Short Track box for the fifth time in a row. “It just means so much to me to win this tonight,” said Wiles after the race. “I got to take my grandma along with the checkered flag — she’s done so much for my career over the years, it was just so special.”
The 25-lap event — hosted by the Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association at the Illinois State Fairgrounds — didn’t go Wiles’ way easily, however. The tight and tricky short track provided challenges aplenty for Wiles and the rest of the eighteen-rider field and required no fewer than five restarts as the pack tried to navigate the egg-shaped, high-speed oval.
After setting both the fast qualifying time and the fast heat time, Wiles got the holeshot in the majority of the starts, but rookie Jeff Carver (Van’s Yamaha/Stevens Racing Yamaha) grabbed the one that took. Wiles and defending Grand National Champion Jake Johnson (Zanotti Racing) jumped right on Carver’s rear wheel, waiting for the slightest mistake from last year’s Pro Singles champ.
“I got the holeshot in most of the starts,” said Wiles, “but Jeff got out front the last time. He had some good lines and it was hard to pass, but I just had to get by. There was a Honda all over me and I saw a front wheel a couple of times, [so] I knew I had to go. He just slipped once and I got by, but I almost slipped up too [and was just] able to get back away.”
Carver’s one mistake proved costly as both Wiles and Johnson charged by. “We were all running about the same speed,” said Johnson, “but when Jeff slipped up and Henry got by, it opened a hole for me too. I almost got Henry too, but he was able get it back together and started pulling away. I heard Jeff closing late in the race, so I started to race for second.”
Carver’s strong run saw him pick up the point for most-laps-led in addition to his best AMA Pro Grand National finish, a third. Crossing the line just one second behind Carver was fellow rookie Brad Baker (Brothers Powersports/MRV/Schenk Racing). Carver’s impressive night included a win in the 4-lap Dash for Cash, which allowed him to pocket $1,000 and the five bonus points that went with it.
While the battle went to Wiles, the war fell to Woody Kyle Racing/Fredericktown Yamaha’s Sammy Halbert, who’s solid fifth-place finish from the second row and its 14 attendant points were enough to earn him the AMA Pro Racing Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Expert Singles Championship. “I was able to work up to fifth,” said Halbert, “and that gave me top-five finishes in all the Singles races. Along with three wins, it was enough to give me the title.” Johnson finished just five points back in the Expert Singles championship, 175 to Halbert’s 180.
Halbert’s lead in the overall combined championship increased to eight over Jared Mees (Lucas Oil/National Cycle/Rogers Lake Racing), who finished tenth on a rare off night. Johnson, just two points behind Mees, sits third.
The Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles class, meanwhile, clearly has a new rising star in 16-year-old Briar Bauman, who pushed his Rod Lake Racing/Brown’s Cycles-backed Honda into first position on Lap 5 of the 16-lap main. Bauman, who took victory by a margin of nearly two seconds, said, “I really wanted to win this for my dad. We’ve had a couple of rough weeks after our problem in Peoria, but people make mistakes and you just have to overcome them.”
Early leader Will Cato (Shoe Racing) held on for second, while Gerit Callies (Twenty Six Suspension/G2 Ergonomics) filled out the podium in third. Weirbach Racing’s Mikey Martin turned in a sixth-place finish good enough to hold on to the points lead, but with Callies just four points behind and Mikey Avila (SDI Insulation/M.E.H. Corp) seven down from Callies, Martin is far from safe.
The AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track Championship returns to the Illinois State Fairgrounds today for the legendary action of the Springfield Mile. Opening ceremonies kick off at 1 p.m. local time; for information and tickets, visit www.illinoismda.com or call (217) 753-8866 or (888) 468-1622. To learn more and 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.
Number 7, More Than “Lucky” For Henry Wiles In Peoria
Courtesy AMA Pro Racing, Photos by Yve Assad
PEORIA, IL (August 22, 2011) – Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Henry Wiles came off the injured list to continue his winning ways at the historic Peoria Motorcycle Club Grounds, dominating the Peoria TT — Round 14 of the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track Championship — to claim the seventh consecutive victory of his career at the popular TT track. The win didn’t come as easily as some of his past versions, however, as Jared Mees (Lucas Oils/National Cycle/Rogers Lake Racing) forced Wiles to earn every inch of his advantage.
“That was the hardest race I’ve ever had here,” said Wiles. “It was like a twenty-five-lap wrestling match. When I was rehabbing from my knee surgery, the hope was just to be able to ride here. I just rode as hard as I could, and it was good enough for the win.” Wiles spent those twenty-five-laps working to hold off Mees’ unrelenting charge, but by the finish Wiles had eked out a 1.560-second margin of victory. Series points-leader Sammy Halbert (Woody Kyle Racing/Fredericktown Yamaha) was a lonely third more than five seconds back, but Halbert at least managed to build a safe cushion of four seconds between himself and defending AMA Pro Grand National Champion Jake Johnson (Zanotti Racing).
“Henry just has this place wired,” said Mees. “He rode great. Last year we were second to Henry by 11.5 seconds and this year it’s 1.5 seconds, so we’re getting closer.” While Henry kicked off the race with a holeshot, there was plenty of action farther back in the running order, as Halbert and Mees exchanged second on Lap 4 and the battle for fifth was fierce. Rob Pearson (Matt Reecy Racing), Bryan Smith (fasthog.com), Johnny Lewis (Scott’s Powersports), Matt Weidman (Snip/Shoei), Chris Carr (AMA/DFW Honda), and Kenny Coolbeth (Chaplin Kawasaki) all fought tooth-and-nail for the position, Pearson regaining it late in the race. Making the best of his final race at the challenging TT venue, the “Prince of Peoria,” Chris Carr, slipped around Pearson briefly, but the local rider quickly charged back to hold Carr to a sixth-place finish. Weidman, Smith, Coolbeth, and Lewis filled out the top ten.
In the overall points standings, Mees coupled his second-place finish with a victory in the Dash for Cash to close to within just three points of Halbert. Their tallies currently stand at 268 to 265.
The Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles class had its twist and turns — and heartbreak — as young Briar Bauman triumphed over a mechanical, a back-row start in the Last Chance race, and a last-row start in the main to claim his first win in the Pro Singles class, only to have to relinquish it moments later when his fuel was found to be out of compliance. “It’s the kind of news AMA Pro tech officials really hate to deliver,” said AMA Pro Flat Track Director Dan Johnsen, “especially when we know it was inadvertent on the part of the rider and team in question. We’re obviously duty-bound to follow our own rules, though, so all we can do is wish Briar and his supporters much future success — he certainly showed he’s capable of it tonight.”
Following Bauman’s disqualification, runner-up Mike Avila and the rest of the field advanced one position in the results. While Avila took the points for a win, second went to Gerit Callies (Twenty Six Suspension/G2 Ergonomics), with Mack Daddy Racing’s Stephen Vanderkuur, TNT Harley-Davidson’s Andrew Smith, and points-leader Mikey Martin (Weirbach Racing) filling out the top five.
Despite Avila’s five wins, he remains third in points behind Martin and Callies. The championship race between these three has narrowed to a fifteen-point spread.
The AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track Championship next heads to Springfield’s Illinois State Fairgrounds for the Springfield TT on September 3, followed by the Springfield Mile II on September 4. Rounds 15 and 16 on the schedule add up to the best way for any flat track fan to spend the Labor Day weekend; for Springfield tickets and information, visit www.illinoismda.com or call (217) 753-8866 or (888) 468-1622.
To be a part of the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track Championship, please visit www.amaproracing.com and join us on facebook.com/AMAProFlatTrackSeries and twitter.com/AMAProFlatTrack.
Monster Energy’s Henry Wiles, Back In The Saddle For Peoria
Courtesy Monster Energy by Pat Shutte
The past six times they’ve run the famous Peoria (Ill.) TT one guy has stood along atop the podium – Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Henry Wiles.
A longstanding tradition on the AMA Flat Track Championship circuit, Peoria’s famous for its high speed (upward of 90 mph) jump that sends racers some 120-feet through the air, and back to earth with half the suspension of a traditional MX bike on their highly modified 450cc bikes. And Wiles has this track wired, to the tune of six consecutive wins.
Sidelined in April with an pretty burly knee injury to his all-important left (inside) turning leg, Wiles’ has since answered the post-surgery bell, got up off the couch (nearly against his doctor’s wishes) and is grinding himself back into shape with plans on defending his impressive win streak this weekend at Peoria.
So here’s Henry Wiles, the defending 2010 AMA Singles class Flat Track champion and Monster Energy’s fastest flat tracker, getting the Monster Army caught up on the AMA Flat Track Championship’s big weekend in Peoria.
Monster Energy: Yeah, Henry. Just to re-visit this a bit, you were injured in a while back and decided to get your knee cleaned up.What actually was wrong with your knee, ACL?
Henry Wiles: (laughing) All the CLs!
Monster Energy: Man, that’s rough. Especially considering it’s your inside turning leg in the Twins class. How’s things been going?
Henry Wiles: It’s getting a lot better, definitely still on the mend. It doesn’t hurt much on a day-to-day basis. The main thing is getting the muscle back, 
which has been hard to do because they (Wiles’ doctors in Mich. and Calif.) didn’t really want me to do anything. I tried to do little things here and there, then go to the races and just hang out. Dr. Ting got me back on the bike quicker than anywhere else. I came back five times quicker with him than for a couple other surgeries I’ve had with other doctors. That’s my guy … Dr. Ting. I hate to see him, but if I have to that’s where I go.
Monster Energy: What have you been doing to get your knee in racing shape?
Henry Wiles: Dr. Ting told me it was about a six month injury (to come back). Some athletes come back in four, and I told him I’d be back in three. I actually raced a half mile race at I-96 Speedway (Mich.). That race was a Saturday night and the next Monday was three months. I cut the time in half, basically. Rehabbed a lot, flew out and saw Dr. Ting for about a week and a half, hit that pretty hard then came home and kept up with it. That’s pretty much it. He even told me ‘Hey, I’d rather you just sit on the couch (than be out riding). I tried to ride a bit, but it was just mainly some play stuff – nothing serious.
Monster Energy: So were you at the gym, on a road bike at all?
Henry Wiles: Nah, not really. A little bit at the gym, but Dr. Ting didn’t want me on the stationary bike at all, going hard, and then blowing it up to where it’s really swollen and you’ve got to get it drained. He didn’t actually come out and say it, but I think he felt that would end up slowing the healing process rather than speeding it along.
Monster Energy: You still in some pain, discomfort?
Henry Wiles: No, no real knee pain. As far as the whole surgery went I never had any pain in my knee. But it was my leg that was killing me. It’s wake me up at night, sit there and hit my leg with my fist. It was kind of like massaging it.
Monster Energy: So was that part of your designed rehab, multiple fist-strikes to the knee?
Henry Wiles: (laughing) Yeah, I don’t know about that.
Monster Energy: So along with Lake Odessa (I-96), where else have raced prior to Peoria this weekend?
Henry Wiles: I also raced Castle Rock (Washington) the week before. We were looking good, set up for a podium spot, I was kind of all by myself in 3rd. Then we had a red flag halfway through the race and I made a mistake on lap 19, which caused me to lose a spot. Got back going and ended up with my fastest lap being lap 23 (of 25). So that made me feel pretty good about my endurance. And that was on a bike we never rode before and never tested.
Monster Energy: Talk about your Peoria TT efforts in the recent years – you’re practically unbeatable there!
Henry Wiles: We’ve had a real good run at Peoria, won six in a row – the last three being on a Monster Energy/Kawasaki. Couldn’t be more happy with the results that we’ve had there. We’ve won it in a dominating fashion.
Monster Energy: What is it about that race that allows you to succeed at a much higher rate than the others?
Henry Wiles: Well, Peoria is really a rider’s track – unlike, say, Castle Rock which is smaller, slower speeds and more to do with the technical/setup side. Peoria really comes down to who’s riding the best and who wants to man up. You hit the jump at Peoria in 4th gear – pinned – and it shoots you out there anywhere from 100 to 130 feet. That’s not much by today’s standards, but you gotta remember our suspension’s cut in half from a regular motocross bike so we can get through the corners faster. So being able to handle that, every lap for 25 laps, I think is a big part of it.
Monster Energy: Your first national win came at Peoria in 2004 – and you’ve won it every year since (with 2007 getting rained out). That said, and coming off your injury and surgery, what’s the best you feel you can expect out of yourself this weekend?
Henry Wiles: I think the bike will be running good, everything will be there. I want to be as careful as I can, but at the same time ride hard. I think, obviously, I know what’s on the line. I’ve been in this position before and I think I can for sure run at the front – especially if I get some good starts.
Monster Energy: “Prince of Peoria,” Chris Carr – in his prime – vs. Henry Wiles with two good legs – who wins and why?
Henry Wiles: Chris definitely rode in a different era, where they rode frame bikes (as opposed to a twin spar dirt bike frame). And they had 600cc motors in them. But our bike handle better over the jump because we’ve basically riding 450cc motocross bikes – although they have a lot less torque and horsepower (than the 600s). Without really saying him or I, I did break the 25-lap record there last year. So …
Monster Energy: What are your plans for the remainder of the season?
Henry Wiles: I’m going to race all the rest of the nationals, including the Springfield (Ill.) short track, which I’ve won the last four years. And after Peoria here race all the races I can because we missed so much racing this summer.
Monster Energy: Right on, Henry. Well hey – good luck this weekend!
Henry Wiles: Thanks. Stop by the truck if you’re at Peoria this weekend and say Hey. Look forward to spreading the good word on Monster Energy.
Smith Victorious In “Best Race Ever” At Sacramento
Courtesy AMA Pro Racing, Photos by The Fast and Dirty
SACRAMENTO, CA (July 31, 2011) – An estimated 9,000 people cheered on a star-studded AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Flat Track field when the championship returned to the Cal-Expo Fairground’s Sacramento Mile, and the sold-out, standing-room-only crowd was treated to one of the most dramatic wins in recent history. After twenty-five furious laps, Fasthog.com/American Harley-Davidson’s Bryan Smith claimed victory over local hero Chris Carr (American Motorcyclist Association/Classic Harley-Davidson) by a margin of just .042 seconds. 
“Nobody is more surprised than me,” said a joyful Smith after running down early leaders Carr and Jake Johnson (Zanotti Racing). “I thought Chris was just playing with me — it seemed like he could pass me any time he wanted to. He has that ‘Tolbert Horsepower,’ you know.”
Carr led the eighteen-rider field into Turn 1, but had fallen back to third by the end of the lap, trailing defending Grand National Champion Johnson and reigning points leader Sammy Halbert (Kings Kustoms/Larry Zumbrun Racing). By Lap 2, Carr was back at the front — looking to repeat the ‘99 Sacramento victory he’d earned when the series last visited the venue — and had Johnson in his hip pocket. Harley-Davidson Motor Company’s Kenny Coolbeth slipped into a short-lived third place, but with the two leaders pulling away, Smith took over third and set out after them. Carr and Johnson continued to swap the lead all around the track, but by Lap 16, Smith had caught the leaders and split them. From there it was a battle to the finish, all while Carr craftily managed to rack up laps-led honors by frequently leading the trio across the line. It didn’t look like Carr would be satisfied with the point for most laps led, however — it looked like he had a plan.
“I thought I could draft him at the line,” said Carr, “but I spun up off [Turn] 4 and that was the end. Throughout my career,” Carr added, “I’ve said second sucks — and I haven’t changed my mind.”
Johnson filled out the podium, just .139 of a second behind runner-up Carr, while last round’s winner, Roger Lake Racing/Blue Springs Harley-Davidson’s Jared Mees, recovered from a second-row start to finish fourth over Halbert. Lloyd Brothers Motorsports’ Brad Baker came out on top of a very tight race for sixth, bringing his Ducati in ahead of Coolbeth and Jeff Carver (Eddie Adkins Racing/Van’s Yamaha), while Luke Gough (Digger 57/Dick Ford) and Willie McCoy (Harley-Davidson of Wausau) rounded out the top ten.
The results added a single point to Halbert’s overall lead, but both Mees and Johnson now trail by only four points as the series looks toward Halbert’s “hometown” track in Castle Rock, Washington.
In the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles contest that preceded the Expert main, California’s Mikey Avila (SDI Insulation/M.E.H. Corp) and Mike Martin (Weirbach Racing/General Engineering) waged war over the Pro Singles spoils, taking turns at the front. While the two leaders were fighting it out, RLT Racing/Lancaster Harley-Davidson’s Shayna Texter stalked them from third.
By the halfway point, Briar Bauman (Rod Lake Racing/Brown’s Cycle) had put himself in the middle of the action, the former AMA Horizon Award winner making the most of his first Pro race-start to rise as high as second on the white-flag lap, but was shuffled back by Texter and Martin, the latter drafting from fourth to first on the last lap to secure his third consecutive Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles main even win.
For Texter, who routinely got big cheers from the crowd, it marked her first podium finish of 2011. The win boosts Martin’s points lead to 16 over Avila with
Weirbach Racing’s Gerit Callies just another four back.
The series next heads to Washington’s Castle Rock Race Park August 6 for the Castle Rock TT. For tickets and information, visit www.mshmc.org or call 1-888-71-TICKETS.
To learn more and 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.
