International Dealer News IDN 148 April/May 2019 | Page 22

THE AMERICAN REPORT
AFT Series secures
widespread industry
support for 2019
With a new rider roster for 2019
featuring defending champion Jared
Mees, Indian Motorcycle has
reinforced its support for the series
with a contingency. As the American
Flat Track (AFT) series heads into
another season and with its popularity
continuing to grow, Indian is offering
nearly $360,000 in prize contingency,
and an impressive line-up of team
sponsors is headed by S&S Cycle,
Parts Unlimited and Drag
Specialties, Indian Motorcycle
Oil, Alpinestars and Bell Helmets.
The 2019 series also has significant
contingency programme backing from
Suzuki, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and
KTM as OEM sponsors. This year's
series features an 18-round
championship and 12 AFT Production
Twins events for twin cylinder engine
production bikes from BMW, Ducati,
Harley, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and
Yamaha street bikes between 649 -
800 cc.
In the premier AFT Twins presented by
Vance & Hines, the line-up of
aftermarket brands supporting the
series is impressive. In addition to their
sponsorship of the Indian Motorcycle
factory team, as reported elsewhere in
this edition, Parts Unlimited and Drag
Specialties return as the series' Official
Parts and Accessories Distribution
Partner.
Danish specialist SBS Brakes is now
into the second of a three-year
commitment to AFT, with North
American Market Manager Chris
Lyngkilde Jensen commenting "we
could see the success that lay ahead
National Cycle's backing for AFT has
run deep, having sponsored Jared
Mees for many years; Sales Director
Ann Willey seen here. This year the
company is sponsoring AFT as the
series' Official Windshield
for the series, it is proving to be a
classic case of the right format at
exactly the right time - that is why we
were very happy to commit for three
years."
Maywood, Illinois windscreen
specialist National Cycle has
renewed its involvement for another
year. In 2018, National Cycle served as
a sponsor to AFT Twins presented by
Vance & Hines champion Jared Mees
and heavily supported his campaign to
victory. After a successful season,
National Cycle has now stepped up its
support of the sport by joining the AFT
series family of partners.
Motion Pro, founded in 1984 by
International Six Day Trial (ISDT) gold
medallist Chris Carter, is deeply rooted
in the racing community and returning
as the Official Tools, Cables and
Controls of AFT in 2019.
Concord, Ohio based Cometic
Gasket returns as the Official Gasket
of AFT, with fellow Ohio business
Wiseco returning as the Official Piston
for the 2019 season. Also owned by
Pro-X parent company Race Winning
Brands, Wiseco's sister company
Rekluse returns as the Official Clutch.
Swedish suspension manufacturer
Öhlins is continuing its AFT
partnership for 2019, with Doug
Shaw, Racing Manager of Öhlins
USA, saying that "Öhlins is all about
hardcore racing, and AFT is the peak
of that mountain". Cycle Gear is back
as the Official Retailer, Arai as the
Official Helmet and Dainese is Official
Safety Partner.
AFT official brake pad sponsor SBS
AFT has confirmed its NBCSN
broadcast schedule for the 2019
season, maintaining its valuable
weekend afternoon programming
slots within two weeks of each event.
Telecasts reached 41% more viewers
in 2018 than in its first year; this spike
in viewership delivered a record-
breaking total of more than two
million viewers tuning in during prime
weekend programming slots.
Gang of six OEMs forms safety consortium
Six motorcycle manufacturers
have announced a collaboration
in the United States to increase
on-road rider safety through
data driven approaches and
collaboration with relevant
stakeholders.
The Safer Motorcycling
Research Consortium (SMRC) is
a collaboration between Harley-
Davidson Motor Company,
Indian Motorcycle Company
American, Yamaha Motor
Corporation U.S.A., BMW
Motorrad, Honda Motor
Company and Kawasaki Motors
Corp., USA.
22
The Board of
Directors,
appointed by the
founding member
companies, will
"coordinate and
facilitate pre-
competitive
research activities
in collaboration
with the interests
of relevant
federal agencies.
SMRC will also include input
from associate members
consisting of other OEMs,
motorcycle industry suppliers,
INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - APRIL/MAY 2019
and technical or scientific
organisations engaged in the
field of on-road motorcycle
safety."
The SMRC is "committed to
increasing the safety of riders
through the pursuit of
meaningful pre-competitive
research and advancement of
modern traffic safety."
The organisation was formally
incorporated in Washington, DC,
as a 501(c)(6) non-profit entity
to develop strategies to
advance and integrate on-road
motorcyclists' safety through
data driven research and
collaboration with relevant
stakeholders.
www.SaferMotorcyclingResea
rchConsortium.org
www.idnmag.com