The American Flat Track Series , formerly known as AMA Grand National Championship and AMA Pro Flat Track Series , is an American motorcycle racing series. The race series, established and approved by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1954, originally covered five different forms of competition including; miles of dirt racing tracks, half a mile, short-tracks, steep TTs and race races. The championship was a major motorcycle racing series in the United States from the 1950s to the late 1970s when, the supercross event held in the accessible main league stadium became more popular.
Video AMA Grand National Championship
Histori
In 1932, the AMA approved a racing class called the Class A Dirt Track championship that allowed for motorcycle manufacturers to enter the prototype machine. In 1933, the AMA introduced a new class called Class C which featured street-legal motorcycles in an effort to make motor racing cheaper for regular motorcyclists. When producers cut the race budget during the Great Depression, it spelled the end of Class A competition and, the Class C championship became the most important championship. In the years before World War II, the Class C champions helped sparked fierce competition between Harley-Davidson and India, the two major American manufacturers of that period. During the Second World War, no championships were held between 1942 and 1945.
From 1946 to 1953, the AMA Grand National Champion was crowned on the basis of a single race, Springfield Mile held at Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack. The side valve engine has a maximum capacity of 750cc, while the upper valve engine is limited to 500cc.
In 1954, the Grand Championship series introduced introduced four different types of competition: three of the competitions (Mile, Half-mile, TT) were held on the ground track, while the fourth was held in a paved paved field. With the collapse of the Indian motorcycle company in 1953, the Harley-Davidson plant was abandoned to dominate the series. The Harley-Davidson racer Joe Leonard won his first Grand National Championship in 1954 and won the title two more times before moving on to his career in auto racing. Carroll Resweber became the first four-time champion, winning four consecutive championships for Harley-Davidson from 1958 to 1961. Since 1961, the brief event became part of the Championship; the races have 250cc displacement limits.
In the 1960s, British manufacturers seeking to increase sales in the emerging US motorcycle market began to compete in the championship. Dick Mann won the national title for BSA in 1963, marking the first victory for foreign producers. Triumph will win three Grand National championships in four years with Gary Nixon winning back-to-back titles in 1967 and 1968, and Gene Romero took another title in 1970.
New regulations for 1969 abolished replacement penalties for air valve engines; in the streets of dirt brake tracks allowed for the first time. Mann will win the second crown for BSA in 1971 before the British motorcycle industry collapsed in the face of tough technology competition from Japanese manufacturers. In 1973, Kenny Roberts of Yamaha will win the first Grand National championships for Japanese companies. Since 1973, the displacement limit for short-track events has been upgraded to 360cc, but the two-step multi-cylinder engine is still limited to 250cc.
In 1975, the championship got a full sponsorship from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and known as the Camel Pro Series . Between 1979 and 1982 the series was named the Winston Pro Series , back into Camel's brand in 1983.
In 1976, dirt track machines were limited to a maximum of two cylinders; in 1977 the short track machine was limited to 250cc and limited to one cylinder. When Yamaha's team withdrew from the Grand National championship after the 1977 season, Harley-Davidson was left once again to dominate the series. In 1983, the Grand National Championship has become the most widely attended land racing track in America, either with two-wheelers or four wheels. This will be a high point for such championships, other forms of motorcycle racing such as motocross and road racing are beginning to take over tracking the land in popularity. In 1984, Honda entered the championship and broke the grip of Harley-Davidson with Ricky Graham winning the championship. Honda followed with three consecutive national championships by Bubba Shobert before they resigned in 1987, leaving Harley-Davidson once again as the only major producer in the series. In 1984 a short line rule gave the 500cc switch limit for a four-stroke engine.
In the 1970s and beyond until the 1980s, the Grand National Championships proved to be a fertile training ground for world-class street racers such as, AMA's dirty track racers such as Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey all going to win the Championship 500cc road racing world. Motorcycle racing technology in the late 1970s featured machines with more power than they could handle by the framework and tires of the day. The resulting tire rotation creates a more riding style reminiscent of a dirt landing lane, where shifting the rear tire to one side is used as a method to drive a motorcycle around the corner. This proved to be a great advantage for American soil track racers who used to shift their bikes. When the Grand Prix racing motor evolves into the current MotoGP formula with electronic traction controls restricting the rear wheels, the advantage once held by former dirt trackers has been reduced.
After the departure of the Honda team in 1987, the Harley-Davidson factory racing team dominated the series with rider Scott Parker winning nine national championships over a period of eleven years. During this period, racing tracks of land continue to decline, in part due to the fact that motocross and motorcycle racing roads can be purchased directly from the manufacturer, while the track racers of the land must be hand made.
In 1986, the AMA recognized the changing nature of motorcycle racing by making the Grand National Championship into a land-only series; round road-racing branched out into a separate championship that eventually became the AMA Superbike Championship. In that season, Camel approved the two series, named Camel Pro Dirt Track Series and Camel Pro Road Racing Series .
In 1987 and 1988, the sponsor's strategy changed again and the name Camel Pro Series refers to a particular series based on the selected rounds of the Grand National and Superbike championships.
New rules for 1987 banned two-stroke engines from race tracks; a single cylinder engine has a maximum displacement of 600cc, while the twin-cylinder has a limit of 750cc. Since 1989 only double cylinder engines are allowed in the miles and a half mile activities. Since 1989, the Camel Pro Series has been restored as the main sponsor for the National Championships; the sponsor lasted until the end of the 1992 season. New ground track classes were also introduced to attract young riders to the sport and, new rules for engines were adopted in an effort to ease motorcyclists to compete with motorcycles available from manufacturers. While the Grand National Championship is no longer a major racing series in the United States, it continues to have a loyal following.
In 2002 the single cylinder engine was limited to 550cc (push-rod) or 505cc (OHC); the twin-cylinder class is expanded to include production engines lowered to 1250cc.
In 2006, the Grand National Championship was divided into two series: Grand National Championship Singles (for short tracks and TT events) and Grand National Championship Twins (for half a mile and mile show); no overall title was awarded, although in 2007 there was a de facto champion for winning both championships. One-cylinder engine is limited to 450cc.
Since 2010, the Grand National Champion title has been restored and awarded to riders who earn the most points.
American Flat Track Championship
In 2017, the Grand National Championship is again labeled as America's Flat Track Championship. The new series changes the classification of motorcycles, logos, racing formats, and rules. The main changes featured two classes of motorcycles: twin-cylinder (650-999cc) motorcycles in the upper and second-tier classes for one-cylinder (450cc) motorcycles. Indian motorcycle rider won 14 out of 18 races in 2017.
First-class cylinders include motorcycles from a number of manufacturers including Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Husqvarna, and KTM.
As in 2017, the American Flat Track series in 2018 will be a battleground for one of the oldest rivalries in motor racing - Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle. Indians emerge from a swinging gate in 2017 with a specially designed and functional motorcycle in the FTR750, then sign three AFT riders to drive it. Harley-Davidson continues the development of a street-based XG750R engine instead of its legendary XR750, and finds itself playing a few unseeded roles in 2018. AFT Twins also includes Kawasaki-powered engines and teams in which it won three AFT Nationals in 2017. Some other manufacturers compete -a race to earn a place on the AFT Twins victory podium in 2018, including Yamaha, Ducati, Honda, and more.
NBCSN will air a recording of the championship-delayed on Thursday night.
Maps AMA Grand National Championship
Events
- The Mile: The race held on an oval-shaped ground is about a mile long. The race became popular because of the availability of horse racing throughout the country, and is usually held during horse racing season. This event usually supports motorcycles with larger engine displacements such as the Harley-Davidson XR-750. Races typically feature many lead changes at speeds of up to 140 miles per hour.
- Half Mil: An event similar to a mile race, also held on an oval-shaped ground with a shorter lap distance. Regardless of distance, the track may vary in length, as it is often held in the same place as the World of Outlaws car show.
- Short Track: The race held in an oval-shaped field is about a quarter of a mile long. These rigorous courses have been held indoors at places such as Houston Astrodome and supporting light motorcycles based on a two-stroke motocross machine.
- TT Steeplechase: A race held in an irregularly shaped field that usually has one right hand turn and one leap. The event also supports lighter motorcycles, but larger motorcycles have also been successful. TT's initials stand for the Tourist Trophy, taking its name from the days when a street-legal motorcycle was known as a motorcycle tour then, the tour trophy marks the class for a street-legal motorbike.
- Road Race: The race held on a paved and tailor-made race track, the most famous event on the AMA calendar is Daytona 200.
List of champions
References
External links
- American Flat Track racing house
- Peoria TT's home page. The longest running dirt track activity in the United States.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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