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Event Reports

The Inaugural Lone Star Half Mile

Article By: Chris Callen

Originally Published In The July 2016 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

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We were lucky enough to attend the Inaugural Harley-Davidson Lone Star Half-Mile in Austin this past month and it was a night filled with surprises. At the world class Circuit Of The Americas (COTA) facility in what would be touted as the Grand Prix of the Americas Weekend, Jarred Mees took home the win. Round 3 of the 2016 season was a tough battle all around with some gnarly track conditions at times, but the few surprises that Lay ahead for moto-enthusiasts would lead to even bigger exhilaration. That came in the middle of the night as Roland Sand’s Super Hooligans took the track with a mystery rider in their ranks. Round after round fans waited to find out who it was until the final lap when the unknown racer took the wide line and the win over Roland himself. It ended up being Veteran Joe Kopp. Kopp, who has come out of retirement before for a race here and there was an incredible addition to the Super Hooligans program and the fans on hand agreed. The other even bigger surprise was a little talked about unveiling. While all flat track racing is a blast to watch the Twins are the best. Nothing better than the feel of big engines ripping laps in the dirt at a half mile course.

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While Harley has had a much storied and very successful reign as the king of this class since introducing it in 1934, the have begun to feel pressure from other brands who mean to knock the off their perch. Well, in Texas, after many rumors have circulated about the undercover operations of a flat track prototype, one single unmarked motorcycle took the field in an actual heat race. Number 67, Davis Fisher appeared in a single event atop the unmarked machine. At only 19 years of age Fisher has just this year been brought on to the Harley factory team and with this silent announcement you can kinda see the future for the sport from Harley’s perspective. This would be a huge point in the timeline of the motor company whose history is steeped in racing since they haven’t released a new engine for the sport in over forty years. You can imagine the advantages of the overhead camshafts and liquid-cooled eying of the Street 750 over its predecessor. This engine will need way less maintenance than the XR which for anyone who has fielded a flat track team in that class knows uses a lot of unobtanium in its construction. It’s something worth watching and we’ll be keeping an eye on it for you. The last surprise was of course in the stands when the star of the big screen Keanu Reeves was noticed in the VIP viewing area watching the incredible racing in the COTA dirt. Reeves, a longtime fan of motorcycling, is also part of the force behind the Arch Motorcycle Company. So there you have it, a star studded, historic inaugural event that will be hard to top. But hey, this is Texas, don’t let them

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