**Attention all Riders**
2014 Spring Practice Schedule
Saturday April 26th – 10am – 4pm – Paris Speedway ST- 139 Silver st. , Paris, On
Saturday May 3rd – 10am – 4pm – Paris Speedway ST
Sunday May 4th – 12pm – 5pm – Wheatley – Erie Ramblers Club- 2205 Deer Run road, Leamington On. N8H 3V7
Saturday May 10th – 10am – 4pm – Paris Speedway ST
Sunday May 25th – 12pm – 5pm – Welland County Speedway
The Canadian flat track scene has produced some great racers over the years, and that can most likely be attributed to some fantastic bar banging battles that occur every weekend during the summer. Despite the great racing offered here however, there has always been the appeal for our riders to head stateside to try their luck. Whether it is for a race or two or for a whole season and whether your goal is to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Chris Carr or to obtain the status of grizzled veteran John Parker (who seems to be the unofficial mayor of the TT in Medina, NY), Canadians still want to head south to race. See More..
Cambridge, On. April 15, 2014 – Flat Track Canada is excited to announce HINDLE EXHAUST SYSTEMS as a sponsoring partner of the 2014 Flat Track Canada Championship Race Series. The Series kicks off on May.17th at the Paris Speedway Half Mile in Paris, Ontario.
Lee Hindle of Hindle Exhaust notes, “, We are truly proud to support racing in Canada, in either road racing, motocross & now flat track. Our goal is to help & promote racing from the novice level to expert. We understand that in order for each rider to succeed, they need help from industry related companies like Hindle. We are looking forward to a great year of racing“
Flat track racing has been building momentum and increasing in popularity in Canada. “I’m honoured to have HINDLE support us to keep that momentum building. HINDLE EXHAUSTS SYSTEMS has been around since 1982 and offer a wide range of quality exhausts products. All of the design and manufacturing process are done in house in Port Perry, On. HINDLE has strong brand recognition and we’re proud to see a truly Canadian business help another,” stated Aaron Hesmer, President of Flat Track Canada Inc.
HINDLE will be offering discount program for flat track racers. Racers will receive between 30% and 50% off of product and there will be opportunity for contingency in the near future.
Flat Track Canada is an organizing body that promotes, organizes and sanctions motorcycle race events in Canada. The organization is a member of the Motorcycle Confederation of Canada (MCC) competition counsel. For more information about the organization and the race schedule, please visit www.flattrackcanada.com . For more information about HINDLE EXHAUST SYSTEMS and its product line, please visit www.hindle.com .
April 3 2014 Cambridge, On – Flat Track Canada is pleased to announce the new CHAMPIONSHIP RACE SCHEDULE for 2014. The opening race still remains at The Paris Speedway Half Mile, Saturday May.17th, at the Paris Fairgrounds in Paris, Ontario.
The changes come at an exciting time in flat track racing. “We are building momentum in the sport and the energy put in, cannot go unnoticed. The eventual goal is to create a healthy National Race Series with a very well structured Provincial and Regional grass roots race events. We are aiming very high, but by building a strong network of unity, together we can obtain the goals in a realistic fashion. The fundamentals of flat track racing are powerful to the industry and exciting for any motorcycle enthusiast. I’m proud to be a part of a sport that people are so passionate about,” states Aaron Hesmer, president of Flat Track Canada.
A recent addition to the schedule is the Western Fair District, London, On, a world class facility which sees millions of users per year and features an OLG Slots and Casino. The Racetrack is a 5/8 mile, premium cushion dirt, grandstands that seat 4500 people and offers an exclusive VIP lounge. The Western Fair District is a co- promoter of the event and confident to see a sold out venue.
Another recent addition is the Erie Ramblers Motorcycle Club promoted events in Leamington, On, a premium cushion dirt half mile and Wheatley, On, a premium cushion dirt quarter mile. The Thunderfest weekend events are amazing to watch and have a long traditional history of flat track racing. The seamless event features a built in audience which typically sees over 7500 people per weekend!
2014 Championship Race Series Schedule
May.17th – Paris Half Mile – Paris,On
May.18th – Paris Short Track – Paris,On
May.24th - Burford Fairgrounds – Burford,On
June.7th - Welland County Speedway – Welland,On
June.21st - Welland County Speedway – Welland,On
July. 19th – Leamington Half Mile – Leamington, On
July.20th – Erie Ramblers Club – Wheatley, On
Aug.2nd - Woodstock Fairgrounds -Woodstock,On
Aug.23rd – Western Fair District – London,On
Aug.30th - Paris Short Track – Paris, On
Sept. 13th – Erie Ramblers Club – Wheatley, On
For schedule times, addresses and entry fees, please visit our website; www.flattrackcanada.com
The simplicity and value of entertainment of flat track are obvious reasons that the sport is growing in popularity. Our job at Flat Track Canada is expose the sport and show people what it really has to offer. The sport is rich in history and has a culture that is second to none.
For more information about the Western Fair District, please visit; www.westernfairdistrict.com
For more information about the Thunderfest weekend events and the Erie Ramblers Motorcycle Club, please visit; www.thunderfest.ca
March 26 2014 Cambridge, On – Flat Track Canada is pleased to announce the new changes in class structure for 2014. The changes will be in place for the opening race at The Paris Speedway Half Mile, Saturday May.17th, at the Paris Fairgrounds in Paris Ontario.
The changes come at an exciting time in flat track racing. “We designed the structure to build an even playing field for riders as we start to develop the series. We are adding more venues that are larger in size, therefore bike size and design start to become an advantage or even a disadvantage. We are also trying to increase industry involvement in the sport and we have to consider pride and motorcycle sales go hand and hand. We are seeing a very rapid increase of growth and popularity of the sport but also a changing demographic. A major part of our rider base is between the ages of 4 and 15 years old, therefore the natural progression has to be at pace in class structure,” states Aaron Hesmer, president of Flat Track Canada.
The idea is to develop a production bike class, which allows current day offroad bikes to be converted to flat track style bikes aka DTX. Typically an example of this would be a modern KX450F be converted by lowering the suspension, changing the tires and losing the front brake mechanism. The Open class will stay the same and in hopes to shine light on the former glory of flat track. Generally you’ll see purpose built frame bikes running the open class filled with engines like the Harley XR750, the Kawasaki 650, or KTM’s 990. The big tracks with big engines are really impressive to see, but the sports growth comes thanks to the ease of building a DTX.
Class structure for 2014:
Open Expert
Open Intermediate
Open Novice
Production Frame Expert
Production Frame Intermediate
Production Frame Novice
250 Novice
Vet 40 +
Vintage (pre 90’s era)
Open ATV
ATV Youth
85cc Youth
65 Youth
50 Chain (ages 5 – 9)
50 Shaft (ages 4 – 8)
Speedway
The simplicity and value of entertainment of flat track are obvious reasons that the sport is growing in popularity. Our job at Flat Track Canada is expose the sport and show people what it really has to offer. The sport is rich in history and has a culture that is second to none.
For more information on Canadian flat track, please visit www.flattrackcanada.com .
To the untrained observer, most tracks that hold flat track races may appear to be very similar. This is to say that they are all somewhat oval, and they all have four turns. While the size difference between certain tracks should be obvious to most, other characteristics such as track surface may be harder to spot from your seat in the bleachers on a Saturday night.
Moto Social Night – Flat Track Canada awards ceremony
Hosted by Flat Track Canada and World Enduro Canada
Mark your calendars folks!
You are invited Saturday February 15, 2014 at the Mowhawk Inn near Milton, Ontario conveniently located just off the 401.
Flat Track Canada and World Enduro Canada invite all of our friends to join us for a fun night out to socialize, enjoy some music and watch the Supercross!
No tickets or reservations required, just a $5 cover charge at the door. Everyone is welcome to come, bring your friends & family. Food and Drinks available (cost based on order) at 6:30pm, followed by a short Flat Track Canada awards ceremony. After the brief awards will be a live music from local hot shots “Ernie and the Alternators”. There will be no need to rush home after this as we’ll all watch the Supercross on the big screen live from Arlington, Texas. Cool announcements from World Enduro Canada and Flat Track Canada will be made regarding the exciting 2014 race season.
For those that want to make a late night of it can book a room at Mowhawk and enjoy all the festivities until the wee hours.
Come early and have a great dinner in the restaurant or come later for socializing and refreshments.
This all takes place at the Mohawk Inn, 9230 Guelph Line Campbellville, ON, Canada L0P 1B0.
For more information;
www.mohawkinn.com
www.worldendurocanada.com
www.flattrackcanada.com
or you can contact
Aaron Hesmer
226.755.2208
Flat Track Canada attended the Motorcycle Supershow at the International Centre in Toronto this past weekend. It was a very successful event, with many attendees showing a strong interest in the booth and in the sport of flat track. There were 2,500 season schedules printed for the show, and we will definitely need to print more for next year as we were starting to run low mid-day Sunday! A huge thanks goes out to Kim, Todd and Braden Vallee, Matty Ward, Shane Corbeil, Bob Howard, George Kennedy, Mallory Fischer, Josh Fenton, Mike Zelaska, Joe Hesmer, and Katalin Hesmer for helping with the booth and teaching others about Flat Track Canada.
Ever wondered about the history of flat track racing? The AMA introduced the sport in the early 1930′s. Since then, it has always been considered a truly American sport. In the 1970′s and into the 1980′s, the Grand National Championship proved to be a fertile training ground for world champion road racers, as AMA dirt track racers, such as Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey all went on to win the 500cc road racing world championship. In recent years, Nicky Hayden won a MotoGP world championship, and he comes from a flat track background. Many riders worldwide are recognizing the value of training in flat track racing. Only recently, in 2011, was flat track racing recognized by the FIM. Regardless, flat track racing’s entertainment value cannot go on without notice. World competitors are taking interest in the sport and it’s creating a buzz. Valentino Rossi posts videos on YouTube of himself and his buddies racing flat track on a regular basis at his home ranch.This weekend, January 11th, will see a huge event in Barcelona, Spain. Spain’s top competitors, such as Pol Espargaro, Marc Marquez, and Maverick Vinales, will be racing in the Superprestigio Dirt Track race, which is basically DTX-style flat track racing. The interesting thing is that they’ve invited 2013 AMA Grand National Champion, Brad ‘The Bullet’ Baker, as well as Xavier Galindo, Fabrizio Vesprini, and Francesc Cucharrera, to join them. Next weekend, January 18th, will have a very impressive world rider field at the annual Troy Bayliss Classic in Taree, Australia, which includes Troy Bayliss, Jason Crump, Karl Muggeridge, Chris Vermeulen, Shayne King, Jeff Leisk, Robbie Phillis, Henry Wiles, Masatoshi Ohmori, Chris Watson, Darcy Ward, Stephen Gall, Matt Davies, Phil Lovett, Jack Miller, Cam Donald, Toby Price, Dave Armstrong, Barry Cockle, Damian Cudlin, Vaughn Style, Mick Kirkness, Anthony Gunter, Sammy Halbert, Gary McCoy, Alex Cudlin, Troy Herfoss, Jamie Stauffer, Sean Giles, Chris Hollis, Paul Caslick, Wayne Maxwell, and Josh Waters. Why are we excited about this? Never before has the world been this interested in flat track racing! This is amazing! The industry hasn’t given flat track too much credibility in the past, but now it’s our time to shine! Flat track racing has a very strong grass roots foundation that is similar to motocross, therefore it’s easy, affordable and sustainable. Because of this, flat track racing around the world is starting to grow, and Canada could potentially see a world event! Only time will tell, but with the continued hard work of Flat Track Canada, there’s definitely a possibility.
