Royal Enfield are pushing flat track from various different angles. Last week we posted news that Johnny Lewis is going to race the Royal Enfield Harris Twin in selected AFT Production Twins races. Last year we flew out to India to find out about the Royal Enfield Slide School the company has launched in India, again with the help of Johnny Lewis, using modified Royal Enfield Himalayans, like those built by S&S we featured in SB39. Recently they announced Built Train Race.
They describe this as 'Over the course of the next two months, four women, each with a unique background will customize Royal Enfield INT 650 motorcycles for flat track competition. The motorcycles will debut during Flat Out Friday on March 13 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where the women will compete in the all-new 749cc class aboard their custom flat track motorcycles. The women participating in the BUILD TRAIN RACE program are professional road racer Melissa Paris , Women’s Moto Exhibit creator Lanakila MacNaughton , DIY shop owner Andrea Lothrop and amateur flat track racer Jillian Deschenes.'
It has now turned into five women, as Brazilian show organiser and wall of death rider has been drafted in for any of the original four who cannot make one of the five race dates.
Flat Out Friday - 13 March
AFT Atlanta - 28 March
SuperHooligans, Austin - 4 April
AFT So-Cal, Perris - 9 May
AFT Laconia - 13th June
Below are the racers, with introductions by Royal Enfield.
THE RACERS
ANDREA LOTHROP
Andrea knows a little something about the mechanics of motorcycles. Andrea and her partner run and operate a DIY motorcycle club in Toronto, Canada. You can find Andrea at her shop working on motorcycles nearly every day of the week. And when she isn’t wrenching she spends time empowering other riders to get their hands dirty and work on their own motorcycles. Moto Revere has brought together Andrea’s diverse skills and interests such as her BFA in sculpture, a life-long drive to own a business, a passion for building communities and urban life.
In the last four years Andrea has built a community focused on self-empowerment. In Toronto, the riding season and wrenching season are about 50/50 which allows Andrea and her partner to dedicate time to work on projects and dream about adventures until riding season starts back up in the spring.
JILLIAN DESCHENES Jillian is the Midwest contingent of the BUILD TRAIN RACE program and was born and raised just north of Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2019, Jillian won the District 23 AMA Flat Track women’s championship in only her second year of racing.Just last month Jillian was one of 5 selected riders to participate in a joint project between S&S Cycles and Royal Enfield, riding the S&S Flat Tracker Himalayan at the Speed Ranch in Viola, WI. When asked why Jillian was keen on being part of the BTR program she responded,
When she’s not at the track, Jillian works as a hospice nurse helping patients and families in their final journey.
MELISSA PARIS
Melissa began riding motorcycles much later than most. She learned to ride at age 20 and a year or so later she started competing in local club races. After a few years racing primarily on 125cc and 250cc machinery she made her professional debut in the 2009 Daytona 200. That same year she became the first woman to qualify for a World Supersport event.
Since then she’s had the opportunity to race in MotoAmerica, Spanish CEV championship and several 24 hour World Endurance events. In her spare time Melissa likes to train by riding motocross and flat track. She also has a two-year-old son.
LANAKILA MACHAUGHTON
Lanakila is a Portland-based photographer and motorcyclist. Involved in many outdoor sports from a young age, Lana began documenting her experiences through photography. After developing a passion for motorcycles in her early twenties, she started documenting the many facets of motorcycle culture through her lens and started The Women’s Moto Exhibit, a traveling photo exhibition highlighting female motorcycle culture.
Lana photographs her subjects with a medium format Hasselblad CM. Lana has also co-founded several grassroots motorcycle events including The Dream Roll and Paradise Road Show. Additionally, Lana is one of Royal Enfield’s Brand Ambassadors and uses her Himalayan to get around town.
BRUNA WLADYKA
Bruna is a Brazilian motorcyclist, event producer and a Royal Enfield dealer in the south of the country, in Curitiba. She will be our acting substitute for this racing season. Initially, she will be subbing in for Melissa Paris at the first racing event on March 13th during Flat Out Friday, as well as any other scheduled location in which any of the riders cannot attend. Involved in the motorcycling industry for almost 10 years, Bruna is the co-director of one of the biggest motorcycling events in Brazil. She is also responsible for the one and only Wall of Death in Latin America.
Find out loads more and watch videos introducing all the riders at Royal Enfield BUILD TRAIN RACE