Article By: Tyler Porter
Photos By: Savannah Rose
Originally Published In The May 2020 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine
As motorcyclists, I would venture a guess that most of us got into it for the freedom, some of us maybe even as a little rebellion. Others, to be different. Rules were the one thing we were all seeking to escape. After all, isn’t being a true biker all about not letting “The Man” keep us down? Well, In the racing world, this isn’t always the case. Racing isn’t a democracy. There are rulers, and with those rulers come rules. I think I’ve talked about the change to the format in the Super Twins class enough. However, there are some new things in the works for 2020 that are going to shake up the series outside of the class structure change.
The first major change is how the races are run. Gone are the lap counts that have been used since, well, organized flat track races were held. Instead, AFT has taken a page out of the Motocross and Supercross realms and, in the main events, have replaced laps with time. While the heat races and semi’s will still run A with lap counts, the mains will now be completed on a time-based schedule based on what type of track they are at. For the Production Twins and Singles, they will run 6 minutes plus two laps on Short Track events, 8 minutes plus two laps at TT and Half Miles, and then 10 minutes plus two laps at the Mile race tracks. For the Super Twins, they will be on the track longer, the way it’s always been. For Short Tracks, their mains will be 10 minutes plus two laps, TT and Half Miles will be 12 minutes plus two laps, and the Miles will be 14 minutes +2 laps.
This is going to add a LOT of track time in for the racers. Before this year, for the Singles, the main events were 15 laps. At a place like Springfield Short Track, with the typical qualifying time around 13 seconds, that will be nearly 30 laps now. Even at the other Short Tracks, where lap times are around 19 seconds, that’s nearly 21 laps by the times the checkers fall. On the Super Twins side of things, on what I consider to be the most physically demanding track, the Peoria TT, we’ll be going from the typical 25 lap main event to a 12 minute plus two lap affair, which will take the main into the 28 lap range. That’s a lot of time wrestling a 320-pound, 100 horsepower bike around a track where there is absolutely no time to relax. At the Springfield Mile, a 25 lap Super Twin main will change to 14 minutes plus two, which will only make it roughly 26 laps under the new format.
My opinion? My only worry is that with the smaller rider counts allowed in racing for 2020, that there is going to be a drop in field depth. And we might see more absolute runaway races, especially with more time on the track. In 2020, if your favorite rider gets a bad start, this gives them a LOT of time to work their way back up to the front. I think the fans win here, just because the races are longer. I do have a concern about the track prep, because the longer the bikes are on the track, of course, the more that track is going to be torn up. A major concern here would be the Laconia Short Track, which is on the schedule again for 2020 and was easily the roughest track that our series had visited in many years. Enough with the format, right? Let’s get to the technical specs. The biggest news is in the Super Twins. And in typical rule book fashion, the most important rules aren’t in the books. There are things like front brake lever guards that are mandatory for TT events, and padded material must be present on handlebar crossbars and bar mounts, but that’s tickie tack stuff. For 2020 in super twins, AFT has approved Aluminum as a suitable frame material. That’s huge. Since I can remember all frames have been required to be made of steel, however, I do realize I haven’t been around a long time. I believe that steel, with its tendency to allow flex, has more referable characteristics for flat track. But these OEM’s may have some new designs up their sleeve, which could be exciting for us all.
The “behind the scenes” rule for Super Twins? Well, American Flattrack is trying to level the playing field and put an end to the nearcomplete domination put on by the Indian FTR750. Teams can no longer adjust flywheel weights on the FTR750. Even with this the Indianans don’t have many restrictions. This may open up opportunities for the other brands. It’s no news that you can run up to 900cc on productionbased equipment. However, when Harley Davidson figured out the production XG750 wasn’t going to cut it, their XG750R was put into the “race only” category, so it was held at 750cc just like the Indian. However, that motor has been taken back off of the “race only” category, so now, even with their race only cylinder head, they can push it to up to 900cc. I don’t know enough about the inner workings on that bike to know exactly how high the team can push the displacement limit, but I know where the rule is. It will also be interesting to see if a “900cc” XG can even put the power to the ground. Remember, that’s what makes the Indian FTR750 so successful, it has such a heavy flywheel that it can put every single horsepower to the ground. In talking with some Yamaha riders, they have told me they could definitely make their bikes bigger, but they already have issues with laying the power down. I wonder if Harley is going to balance the same issues. No matter what, faster Harley’s are a GOOD thing for our sport. We’ve got longer races, more horsepower, and a newly restructured class for 2020. I think I can forgo the “Victory Celebration” rules in this column and just say that we are in for an exciting season of racing with many more storylines to come. Stay Fast.