Recently, American motorcycle manufacturer, Harley-Davidson, announced the launch of India’s first Flat Track Timed Trials at the 2019 India Bike Week. Flat Track is a form of motorcycle racing that started in the early 1900s in America. Harley-Davidson has witnessed tremendous success over the last few decades with the popular XR750, as it has been the undisputed Flat Track motorcycle for almost three decades. Flat Track races are held on oval dirt tracks where riders race against each other without any front brakes only using their skill to slide the rear tire to turn left into fast corners.
At the 2019 India Bike Week, Harley Davidson received registrations from over 500 people for the Flat Track Time Trials but only 150 people were selected. The participants then got the opportunity to ride a Flat Track racer modified by Rajputana Customs and based on Harley-Davidson Street Rods. Each racer could take the bike for a four lap session around the track set up specifically for the event at IBW. The best lap was counted and the contestants with the top 10 best lap times were invited to come back to the track to battle it out once again. Sanjay Kumar emerged the winner, while Abrar Bin Ayub and Dev Venkatesh took second and third place.
Also Read: Harley Davidson Launches Limited Edition Street 750, Prices Start From INR 5.47 Lakh
Mr Sajeev Rajasekharan, Managing Director, Harley Davidson India says, “India Bike Week is the only true motorcycle festival in the country that celebrates the genuine spirit of Motorcycling. It’s great to see different brands and genres of motorcycles and riders come together to engage with each other over a glorious weekend. Harley-Davidson has been proud to be a part of this great migration and we applaud the great work done by IBW to put this festival together. It’s exciting to see a wide variety of races this year and we are overwhelmed with the participation received for our Flat Track Time Trials. With motorcycles getting larger and more powerful year after year, it’s important to cultivate the right skills to be a confident rider. H-D India could not find a better occasion to launch the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy which is a focussed attempt aimed at helping current riders enhance their skill sets to become more confident and safe riders. The programme will be open for both competition owners as well as Harley riders.”
Mr Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor, Autocar says, “The biking culture in India is on the rise. There has been a drastic increase in the number of people heading out on road trips, forming communities and breaking gender norms when it comes to riding. We at Autocar, wish to build an emphasis on safety within the biking community. This is where we think properties like India Bike Week and Harley-Davidson Riding Academy play a significant role. We are really excited to bring Harley-Davidson Riding Academy to India to promote a safe biking culture.”
