Arizona Mile 5/14/16

rpoint116
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rpoint116
Edited Date/Time 5/17/2016 10:47am
Did anyone go to the AMA flat track race yesterday at Turf Paraidise? I couldn't make it.

How was it?

Any pics?

I always thought it would be cool to have a moto race at a horse track.
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MX45
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MX45 5/15/2016 2:20pm
5/15/2016 2:20pm
I went. To be honest the track was so big, the racing was pretty gapped.
It was hot, and because there are no lights it was over before 6pm.
For $40, wasn't worth it.

Compared to the one other flat track I've seen live, which was Daytona at the old Municipal Stadium location, 1/4 mile and banked. That was awesome.
BiggieSmall373 5/15/2016 3:21pm
5/15/2016 3:21pm
Kawasaki 650 won and also finished 6 of the top ten spots. Looks like the factory HD 750 race engines are not up to it on the mile. Three more mile races in the next month and a half. Kawasaki,Ducati,KTM and HD all running in the flat track series. I have box seats for OKC mile.
Agent717
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Agent717 5/15/2016 8:14pm
5/15/2016 8:14pm
I went. Couldn't believe how many people showed up. It was packed! Unfortunate that it was nasty hot though.
eazrider
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eazrider 5/16/2016 10:06am
5/16/2016 10:06am
Great racing, but to truly enjoy the skill of these guys spectators need more access to the track. I went to Del Mar a couple times and to view the racing from the middle of turn 1, or turn 3 is beyond description when they throw the bikes sideways at 135+...Can't see that from the stands..Good racing, but I was disappointed, wouldn't pay 40$ to be restricted to the front straight away again...

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kzizok
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kzizok 5/16/2016 11:28am
5/16/2016 11:28am
BiggieSmall373 wrote:
Kawasaki 650 won and also finished 6 of the top ten spots. Looks like the factory HD 750 race engines are not up to it on...
Kawasaki 650 won and also finished 6 of the top ten spots. Looks like the factory HD 750 race engines are not up to it on the mile. Three more mile races in the next month and a half. Kawasaki,Ducati,KTM and HD all running in the flat track series. I have box seats for OKC mile.
What venue for the OKC mile?
tmx860
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tmx860 5/16/2016 11:38am
5/16/2016 11:38am
BiggieSmall373 wrote:
Kawasaki 650 won and also finished 6 of the top ten spots. Looks like the factory HD 750 race engines are not up to it on...
Kawasaki 650 won and also finished 6 of the top ten spots. Looks like the factory HD 750 race engines are not up to it on the mile. Three more mile races in the next month and a half. Kawasaki,Ducati,KTM and HD all running in the flat track series. I have box seats for OKC mile.
kzizok wrote:
What venue for the OKC mile?
Remington Park
TheSlinger482 5/16/2016 6:39pm
5/16/2016 6:39pm
MX45 wrote:
I went. To be honest the track was so big, the racing was pretty gapped. It was hot, and because there are no lights it was...
I went. To be honest the track was so big, the racing was pretty gapped.
It was hot, and because there are no lights it was over before 6pm.
For $40, wasn't worth it.

Compared to the one other flat track I've seen live, which was Daytona at the old Municipal Stadium location, 1/4 mile and banked. That was awesome.
It was worth the 40. all day. The history behind that race was worth the 40. must have just started racing yesterday cause even despite the "heat". Don't complain to much youll run off the race. best thing to happen to AZ in a long time.

Michael Blose
TheSlinger482 5/16/2016 6:40pm
5/16/2016 6:40pm
and that kawi 650 was a beast....!!!!! that hurley had nothin for that jap ripper.

Michael Blose
look out below
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look out below 5/16/2016 7:22pm
5/16/2016 7:22pm
So what was the deciding factor of the entire series not being run with twins? I heard some vicious rumors on what the riders were gonna do if it went thru.
RandyS
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RandyS 5/16/2016 8:54pm
5/16/2016 8:54pm
eazrider wrote:
Great racing, but to truly enjoy the skill of these guys spectators need more access to the track. I went to Del Mar a couple times...
Great racing, but to truly enjoy the skill of these guys spectators need more access to the track. I went to Del Mar a couple times and to view the racing from the middle of turn 1, or turn 3 is beyond description when they throw the bikes sideways at 135+...Can't see that from the stands..Good racing, but I was disappointed, wouldn't pay 40$ to be restricted to the front straight away again...
I grew up around flat track in the late 60s and 70s. I've said probably a dozen times over the years on here, if AMA could figure out a way to put every spectator in the infield at the entrance to turn 1(or 3) at a mile the sport would be as big and important as it was in the mid/mid late 20th century.
DannoJ919
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DannoJ919 5/17/2016 10:42am
5/17/2016 10:42am
I've heard rumors that it was going all twins next year. Maybe giving some of the brands time to sort out their twins. Bryan Smith is a baddass on the miles and then you put him on that rocket he rides and he runs away from them this week. Good guy that works his ass off. Photo swiped from Cycle news. Not sure who shot it.



DannoJ919
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DannoJ919 5/17/2016 10:47am
5/17/2016 10:47am
I also think Kawi Ninja 650's had like 27 of 36 spots in the mains. GNC1 and GNC2. Taking over.
lostboy819 6/19/2016 10:00pm
6/19/2016 10:00pm
Just got home from the Oklahoma city mile and it was a fantastic event ! All of the box seats and premium eats were sold out weeks in advance and a huge crowd and a great track and awesome racing. not moto but a lot of guys on this forum did some dirt track back in the 70s.










Bearuno
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Bearuno 6/19/2016 10:37pm
6/19/2016 10:37pm Edited Date/Time 6/19/2016 10:45pm
I love Flat Track, ever since I saw it in On Any Sunday in the early Seventies.

And, nowadays, it's so easy to watch on the internet.

Good to read here that it was packed - sometimes the stands you see in the broadcasts seem scarily empty. Though, I wonder if the lowered attendance, at times, is a direct result of said coverage?

You could see how, on a Mile, the bikes / racing could be 'lost' - a perfect scenario for the Big screen in the infield, I reckon.

I still see some people writing how it's contrived to favor the Harleys. Nowadays, it seems they've long since stopped that foolishness, with a large variety of bikes being very competitive. More makes than most other series. And, a few more to come.

With the venerable XR showing it's age (surely, some of the most beautiful / purposeful looking race bikes ever seen, especially in these later, monoshock years - I so very much want one, but, they bring a pretty penny), HD are developing the XGR750 based on the 60 degree street engine, Indian have announced their FTR750 project, with Mees down to develop it, and surely the Yamaha 700 Twin will be developed by more than teams than Babe Demay's(?)

Who would have ever thought that Kawis' Ninja / Vulcan 650 Twin would come to be one of the most versatile, serious race engines there has been in the last decade? Flat Track - Super Twins / Mini Twins / Lightweights ( the Brits seem to have a lot of class names for the series they do so well in).

The riders seem to be anything but pampered Divas - they are wide variety of down to earth riders. One of the most scary racing moments I've seen in years happened to Henry Wiles (I think it was he) last year, when another competitors bike disintegrated during a prang, and the entire front end flew back across the track, just glancing Wiles helmet / screen. He calmly replaced the helmet / screen, and joined in the re-start. Nerves of steel, that man.



kzizok
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kzizok 6/19/2016 10:46pm
6/19/2016 10:46pm
rpoint116 wrote:
Did anyone go to the AMA flat track race yesterday at Turf Paraidise? I couldn't make it. How was it? Any pics? I always thought it...
Did anyone go to the AMA flat track race yesterday at Turf Paraidise? I couldn't make it.

How was it?

Any pics?

I always thought it would be cool to have a moto race at a horse track.
I forgot about it or I would've gone. Seems like the track at Remington would be significantly larger than normal?

I think that is a cool idea, regardless.
lostboy819 6/20/2016 9:48am
6/20/2016 9:48am
The track was wide so the red cones are the outside boundaries and a small berm with white chalk marked it on the straights,the corners had enough room so even if they got out in the cushion they had lots of room so only saw 1 rider slide into the padded barriers and he had almost slid to a stop by then. They were running 40 second laps so just over 100mph average speed. Sitting in a air conditioned restaurant sure made it nice and easy way to enjoy the race.

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