Images of the early days of motorcycling are difficult to evoke without seeing a crazy man in a suit screaming down a dirt road at sixty, wearing nothing but spectacles to keep him from certain death. This period of motorcycle history, and more especially the sports that arose from it, has long captivated me. The best American motorcycle racing, in my opinion, is flat track racing. I think of Flat Track when I think of ardent American motorcycle racing, even if we host Moto GP at COTA and have Nicky Hayden on the track somewhere. Bruce Brown’s “On Any Sunday” comes to mind. Steel boots and no brakes come to mind.
Gushue, Ted: Begin at the beginning and stop when you reach the conclusion. Michael Lock: The history of where we are is actually pretty fascinating. We have a genuine American tale to tell, which I believe is grabbing everyone’s attention, which is one of the reasons we’re currently gaining so much momentum. The history of flat track racing dates back to the 1920s. It is the first motorcycle race in America.
TG: Who were the men taking part at the time? At the time, this had to be among the riskiest kind of motorsport. ML: I don’t believe that is in question. To begin with, the machines were quite simple. Second, someone had thought of the brilliant notion of racing bikes without brakes. TG: Many of these were tank shifters. dangerous devices.
ML: I see. I believe that in 1924, the American Medical Association officially sanctioned the first race, which would be considered the beginning of the professional sport. As they have done until recently, Harley-Davidson was the industry leader back then. That race was won by Harley. It actually got its start there. TG: Explain to me why you decided to remove the brakes. What were they contemplating?
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