FLAT-TRACK A DANCE OF BALANCE, POWER
This unique form of two-wheel racing enjoying a resurgence on the Prairies
Riding a motorcycle to the limit around an oval dirt track involves pinning the throttle, leaning to the left and spinning the tires.
That statement overly simplifies the sport of flat-track racing because there’s much more to the technique. With its roots dating back to the early 20th century, flat-track racing was as popular as the faster-paced motoring events that took place on wooden-board tracks. The wood-based tracks, however, were problematic. Safety was a concern as the wood easily splintered, and maintenance was an ongoing issue. Race promoters began constructing more dirt ovals and an increasing number of racers learned to slide around the tracks.
Flat-track motorcycles have no front brake, and riders wear a steel shoe on the left foot. Around corners — racing action always goes counterclockwise and that means the bikes turn left — the foot slides along the dirt as the motorcycle is leaned well over before traction is found upon exit. It’s a delicate dance of balance and power, and watching racers who have mastered the racing technique is a treat.
In Alberta, fans of flat-track racing will have back-to-back races where they can witness some of Canada’s best dirt trackers compete.
Round 8 of Flat Track Canada’s National Championship schedule will be held on Saturday, August 18 at Strathmore’s 5/8-mile facility. The following weekend (Saturday, August 25) at Dinosaur Downs Speedway, Round 9 will take place on the half-mile track. On Sunday, it’s the Flat Track Canada Provincial Race. Right now, times for both the Strathmore and Dinosaur Downs events are the same, but that could change. The back gate is open for racers from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and practice starts at 12:30 p.m. Spectator tickets are $30, and the public is welcome at 1 p.m.
Heats commence at 3 p.m., opening ceremonies are at 5:15 p.m., with the feature event at 5:30 p.m. Check flattrackcanada. com for more specifics about both events. Dinosaur Downs maintains a Facebook page, so fans can check there for updates.
For Alberta-based fans and flat-track racers alike, this is big news because it signals a significant resurgence in the sport.
“Flat track was very popular here throughout the 1960s and 1970s and well into the 1980s,” says Don Galloway. “But around 1984 or 1985, it just stopped.”
Galloway is vice-president of Cycle Works, a group of Albertabased motorsport facilities with five locations, including Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer. He opened the first store in 1980 as a small service and snowmobile machine shop. It was a spot where he built fast competition sleds and performed work for customers while participating in all manner of racing.
“Being in the business, I tended to do things that were hot at the time,” Galloway recalls, citing his race history aboard snowmobiles, ATVs and motocross bikes.
Around 2004, however, Galloway joined a group of enthusiasts in the fledgling Alberta Vintage Flat Track Association. At the time, the AVFTA was formed to help bring new awareness to the sport that had literally disappeared from the province.
“We started at the Thorhild track,” Galloway says. “It was very, very grassroots. We just went out and went around and around.”
Thorhild is about an hour northeast of Edmonton, and the
track is a 3/8-mile dirt oval. Galloway began collecting vintage flat-track motorcycles, buying many BSA, Norton, Triumph and Yamaha-based racers from the U.S.
Galloway will be at both Alberta-based events. Being over 60, he can race in the 50-Plus Class and just about any of the other racing classes, including Vintage Twins, depending on which machines he brings to the races. Before he competes at home in Alberta, Galloway will have campaigned his No. 35 race plate at nine flat-track events in the U.S.
“I’ll come back ready to go or too tired to compete,” he says with a laugh.
“This doubleheader with two weekends of racing will benefit the sport,” he says. “There will be guys coming from Ontario, a group from B.C. and some from Saskatchewan. They’re all tied for points and vying for the national championship in the 450 class — they pretty much have to come and race. That hasn’t happened here since the 1980s.”
Galloway says he is excited about getting onto the track at Dinosaur Downs
“It’s going to be lots of fun and I’m really stoked. For spectators, they’ve got a great view of the track and racing action, but they’ve also got a great view down the Red Deer River valley. It’s one of the best scenes from a track anywhere in North America.”