AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
FLAT TRACK
BY LARRY LAWRENCE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LARRY LAWRENCE
A
new era began in AMA Pro Flat
Track racing over the Memorial Day
weekend in Springfield, Illinois. In
response to the speed shown by Kawa-
saki EX650-based flat track machines
on the big Grand National miles, AMA
Pro Racing lifted the intake restrictors on
all motorcycles for 2014. Though it was
never explicit, everyone in the flat track
community knew the rules change was an
effort to keep the aging Harley-Davidson
XR750s competitive at the big tracks. But
at Springfield, Kawasaki-mounted Bryan
Smith overcame the unrestricted Harley-
Davidsons of Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. and Jar-
ed Mees and the Ducati of Jake Johnson
– albeit by the slimmest of margins.
Based on this past weekend's Spring-
field Mile, the new unrestricted rule
change did its job. This race could have
gone to any of the top three, and the win
for Smith was in all likelihood because of
his outstanding abilities on the miles and
because of his excellent last-lap strategy
- not simply because of his bike's speed
advantage. The top Harley riders were
encouraged and with team mechanics
continuing to work with unrestricted mo-
tors the XR750s should only get better
this summer and make for well-matched
racing.
ROUND 3/MAY 25, 2014
INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS/SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS
P58
RESTRICT THIS!
Smith and Kawasaki beats the unrestricted
Harley-Davidsons of Coolbeth and Mees