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Indian Contingency Calculations

Feb 20

Indian Contingency Calculations

Indian officially announced that they would run a two-man Wrecking Crew (as we reported earlier in the week). This is made up of a one-man factory team of reigning champ Briar Bauman, and the factory-supported independent (but not a true privateer), the former champ, Jared Mees. This is the first time in the new Indian team's lifespan that they've had two-rather than three riders on their 'Wrecking Crew' (see why we think that make business sense in BronBo Goes Private). On t

BronBo Goes Private

Feb 17

BronBo Goes Private

News has broken that Bronson Bauman will be riding a privateer Indian FTR750 for the 2021 season. The younger of the Bauman brothers will be supported by Indian Motorcycle of Oklahoma, among others. He says, 'I plan to contest the entire series and chase down the championship on my own dime and time. I want to thank all of the supporters who stepped up to keep me on the racetrack this year. Racing for a factory for two seasons was a dream come true, but I still have goals to

AFT: Relentless

Oct 8, 2020

AFT: Relentless

AFT's relentless Covid-era schedule continues this week with another double-header. The Charlotte Half-Mile, a banked clay, car racing half-mile. Racing is taking place on Friday and Saturday. Depending how results go, all three championships could be wound up this weekend, but as it stands, AFT SuperTwins is most open. Briar Bauman, #1, is just 12pts ahead of Jared Mees, #9, the latter coming off the back of a double-win last weekend at the Atlanta Short Track. Third place S

AFT Atlanta Rnd 1

Oct 3, 2020

AFT Atlanta Rnd 1

Not too many shock results last night, but that doesn't mean they weren't noteworthy. AFT SINGLES Dallas Daniels #32 is the most hyped young rider in more than a decade and he's proven his supporters were right. Four race wins on the trot, six wins in total this season, more than the rest of the field combined and stretching his title lead over Henry Wiles in second m the title race. Wiles came in 5th on the night. Mischler, #13, was second, Brandon Kitchen third. It's just n

Indy: Sweeps, Grand Slams & Records

Aug 29, 2020

Indy: Sweeps, Grand Slams & Records

Earlier this week we reported how unpredictable the 2020 AFT Singles was. We believe there is not even a hint of a dominant week in, week outr acewinner yet. AFT SuperTwins is far more easy to bet on. The winner is going to be on an Indian FTR750. Four races, four Indian wins, two to Mees two to current #1 Briar Bauman. Out of the 12 possible podium positions so far in 2020, only one position has been filled by a non-Indian rider, Bryan Smith's third place at the second Indy

11 Things We Learned From Volusia

Jul 21, 2020

11 Things We Learned From Volusia

Vance & Hines Harley Still Has A Long Way To Go Harley's best finish from the Volusia double-header was delivered by new boy Dalton Gauthier, 7th on Friday. The next day not one of the three factory riders could get in the top 10. Gauthier was top again but this time in 11th, ahead of the more experienced Smith and Vanderkooi.. Yamaha Might Have Even Further To Go I can't imagine JD Beach had a pair of tenth places in mind when he signed up for a full season of AFT on the Est

Golden Couple

2019 AFT Champion: Briar Bauman

Sep 23, 2019

2019 AFT Champion: Briar Bauman

Congratulations to Briar Bauman for sewing up the 2019 title with one race to go. We interviewed him before the start of the season for Sideburn 36. When I asked, 'I have $1000 to bet on the 2019 AFT championship. Should I put it on #14?' Briar replied... 'I’m not much of a betting man, so that is a tough one to say. I can be a bit loose at times so maybe not the best idea.' He got that wrong. The Singles and Production Twins classes are going to the final round, with Dalton

Springfield Mile 1 Thoughts

Sep 1, 2019

Springfield Mile 1 Thoughts

So, the schedule caught up with me and I couldn't follow every race live. I missed the SacMile, but watched the Peoria TT after racing myself the same day, so I was just observing, not making notes. Briar was on it at Peoria, and the king of that track, Henry Wiles, was out injured. Such has been Wiles domination that no other current Twins rider had ever won at the track. Then it was onto the rescheduled Springfield. Friday night was Singles Short Track night, and, again, af

Black Hills HM Thoughts

Aug 7, 2019

Black Hills HM Thoughts

Less than 40 hours since the Buffalo Chip podium the AFT riders were back in action at the Black Hills Half-Mile, another race that is part of Sturgis Bike Week. After the one-line TT of the Buffalo Chip, which I'm indifferent to, the Black Hills track is fast, allows various lines and offered up some great racing. Unfortunately, being an AFT addict in Europe is a ballache. I watched till about 12.15am, then set the alarm for 1.15, watched another 40 mins, set the alarm for 3

Buffalo Chip TT Thoughts

Aug 6, 2019

Buffalo Chip TT Thoughts

This is getting daft. Sunday's race was delayed nearly two hours because of rain, so the first singles practice started at 11pm UK time. I saw the new schedule, watched singles Qualifying 1 (Q1), then set my alarm for 1am and slept for a bit. I woke, watched the singles heats, then set the alarm for 3am and watched the semis and mains. It all finished, for me, after 4.30. I set the alarm for 7 for work on Monday and tried to get some sleep. And I'm not even that fussed about

Lima Half-Mile Thoughts

Jul 5, 2019

Lima Half-Mile Thoughts

This is a little bit later than usual for a couple of reasons, but I saw this race live in the flesh, having flown out to the Midwest and driven for hours on end to follow the fortunes of Red Torpedo-sponsored riders, Jared Mees and Shayna Texter. And it was a great experience. My full story will be in the next issue of Sideburn with photos by Ed Subias, but here are some thoughts. The race is promoted by Jared and Nichole Mees. That means they put up the money to bring the A

Laconia ST Thoughts

Jun 16, 2019

Laconia ST Thoughts

American Flat Track debuted a new racetrack yesterday, the purpose built short track in Laconia, New Hampshire. Why there? It hosts the oldest bike rally in the US, like a smaller Daytona or Sturgis. It's a decent idea, but there were problems. I was watching on Fanschoice, not live, but the crowd looked quite thin. As the reputation grows, hopefully so will the crowds, but if this was anyone's first flat track race as a spectator perhaps they won't have had the greatest expe

Sideburn x Indian Beginner's Guide: ONLINE NOW

Jun 5, 2019

Sideburn x Indian Beginner's Guide: ONLINE NOW

We have produced a neat 24-page beginner's guide to flat track in conjunction with Indian Motorcycle. Indian ordered a limited edition of 1000 issues to be printed, and gave them out at the MCN Festival and the Bike Shed Show. If you weren't in the exact right place at the exact right time we've put the guide online for you. It's a mix of the most relevant Get Schooled guides (most relevant to a beginner) all illustrated by Ryan Quickfall and written by me, Dave Skooter Farm

What's Happened to Bryan Smith?

May 13, 2019

What's Happened to Bryan Smith?

The 2016 champion was missing from the So Cal Half-Mile on Saturday, the second race he, or his team, have decided to sit out this season. Giving the Super TT a swerve was somewhat understandable if they were struggling, and they seem to be. Bryan Smith's weakest discipline are TTs, but missing this half-mile was harder to fathom. Smith is well known to be a mile specialist, but in his title-winning season he scored a first, second and fourth at half-mile tracks. He did fail

So Cal Half-Mile Thoughts

May 12, 2019

So Cal Half-Mile Thoughts

Continuing reactive reports and thoughts the day or so after AFT races, here is the latest. Because this was a west coast night race I only caught the first few laps of practice and the Singles and Twins mains. Here goes... TWINS I went to bed thinking this must be the easiest year ever for a rider to gain their national number. There were only 19 riders entered for a 16-rider main. Make the main and you get your national number. Go back to Pomona, another So Cal race, in 201

Arizona Super TT (& Texas HM) Thoughts

Apr 30, 2019

Arizona Super TT (& Texas HM) Thoughts

I'm going to keep splurging these top of the head reports if I watch the AFT races on Fanschoice. I had to get up early for a flight on Sunday morning, so I set my alarm for 3.30am to watch a bit before I left, then streamed it on my phone, making a massive dent in my data allowance. I listened on headphones to the seemingly endless adverts until something was about to happen, then pulled into petrol stations to watch the action. Such is the life of a UK-based AFT fan. AFT Tw

Atlanta Short Track Thoughts

Mar 24, 2019

Atlanta Short Track Thoughts

As with the Daytona TT Thoughts, this is bullet point top of the head notions, hot reactions to AFT 2019 round 2 - Atlanta Short Track. SINGLES In one heat race there is a crash at the fastest point of the track, just before the braking point. The rider rolls down the track, gets up looking dazed. He obviously has a damaged helmet, but the AFT/AMA official looks to be helping him make the restart. This happens numerous times during the night, and occurs at every AFT race, but

Daytona TT Thoughts (UPDATED)

Mar 15, 2019

Daytona TT Thoughts (UPDATED)

Sideburn ed's morning after bullet point debrief of the Daytona TT TWINS We have been getting very excited about new Estenson Yamahas and team changes, but the entry list for the twin class was very thin. 26 riders aiming for a new, reduced, 16-rider main. The track took what looked like a 1/4-mile drag detour down the tarmac banking, before braking hard for a hairpin. The dirt section had two dogleg kinks, one each before and after the jump. The jump itself was a decent size

Sideburn 36: Pre-Order

Mar 11, 2019

Sideburn 36: Pre-Order

The new issue will arrive later this week, subs orders will be sent out ASAP after arrival. If you're not a subscriber you can either subscribe now, or pre-order to have your magazine out in the first delivery. We have two alternative covers. All subscribers will get the cover above. We've also had to raise the cover price for the first time since 2015. Sorry. PRE-ORDER SIDEBURN 36 NOW or SUBSCRIBE TO SIDEBURN Here's what's in the latest issue... COVER 1: Toshiyuki 'Cheetah'

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