Alta Motors of California are building seriously capable electric off-road bikes. MX legend Kurt Nicoll raced one in an EnduroCross race (indoor assault course for motorbikes) and won his class. The same weekend, Alta prepped a dirt tracker for Evan Anders to compete on at the recent CFTA Santa Rosa short track round. Alta have experienced dirt track mechanic/engineer, Dale Lineaweaver on board. I saw the bike, and was impressed by the whole set up. I'm not sure if electric bikes are the future, but I like the idea of them. Silent motorcycling, stealth blasting through the countryside. Yes, please.
We're going to race it over the winter. Until then, this is what the company said about their Santa Rosa experience.

Think of [the short track] format like the Roller Derby to EnduroCross's Tough Mudder. It is handlebar-to-handlebar chaos, with riders skating on the edge of traction non-stop from start to finish around an 1/8th mile dirt oval. Dirt track racing has tremendous ("hyuuuge") historic and cultural significance in America as the roots of our motorcycle racing, and has experienced a recent revival with major manufacturers like Ducati, Triumph, and Yamaha introducing street bikes based on the dirt track aesthetic. 

'This format should be a stretch for the Redshift MX, built as a Lites class (250cc equivalent) motocrosser with 40hp, competing against tuned 450cc gas-powered bikes putting down 50% more horsepower. Under up-and-coming rider, Evan Anders #32z, the Redshift blew some minds, taking a 2nd place in a Friday night heat and taking a holeshot and leading for three laps of the Saturday night semi-finals. As with the EnduroCross, no one outside of Alta was expecting this kind of result. This same event was Polaris' Indian Motorcycles' first race campaign of their brand new purpose-built FTR750 flat track racer, with a massive presence at Santa Rosa including a top pro rider, banners, booths and sponsorship of a few racing classes. In the pits, despite a much more modest presence, the buzz was about the Alta. It's hard to describe what it feels like to hear that excitement and enthusiasm from such a traditional crowd, but it tells me that the revolution has started and because we did this right, from the inside out, it's actually being welcomed.

Tonight's Santa Rosa short track is on fanschoice.tv. I was out at Friday night's racing and the track is short and tight, which makes me* a little nervous as I'm racing one of Roland Sands' Indian Sport Scout Superhooligans in a field of fast and rabid hooligan regulars tonight. Big thanks to Indian Motorcycles and Roland Sands Designs for the opportunity. It'll be the first time I've ever sat on one these. What could possibly go wrong?

Practice/Qualifying: 6:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. PT)
Afternoon Heats: 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT)
Opening Ceremonies: 9:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. PT)
Evening Heats: 9:45 p.m. ET (6:45 p.m. PT)
Super Hooligan Main: 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT)

Read about Travis's debut on the Indian Superhooligans at the US Superprestigio in SIDEBURN 24.

The short track meeting is organised by our friends at the CFTA, and is the curtain raiser to Sunday's AMA Pro season finale on the mile race, that will see Bryan Smith v Jared Mees, Kawasaki v Harley-Davidson for the 2016 title. Only 2pts separate them. It's a Sunday afternoon race and also live on fanschoice.tv

Practice/Qualifying: 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT) Pre-race Show: 2:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT) Opening Ceremonies: 2:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. PT) Heats: 3:00 p.m. ET (12:00 p.m. PT) GNC2 Main: 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT) GNC1 Main: 5:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. PT) * Sideburn ed, Gary Inman

I've stopped posting round-ups of AMA GNC racing the day or two after AMA GNC races because Fanschoice.tv posts full races for the world to catch up with at their leisure. It's awkward for European viewers to get to see the races live because of the time difference, so I don't want to spoil the possible excitement of watching a recorded race you don't know the result of.

There was another great race at Springfield last weekend. If you haven't seen the result, I won't mention it. Click fanschoice.tv to watch the 25-lapper. It'll take less that 18 minutes of your life and this is one of the few mains of the season that didn't get red flagged and restarted.

Mile racing is what people think of when they think of dirt track, but there isn't often the same excitement as good short track racing. This race is an example of cat and mouse and pure racecraft. I loved it.

Also on the agenda for this post: the commentators, Chris Carr and Scotty Deubler, regularly refer to Bryan Smith's appeal. Not a lot has been said about this on public AMA channels at least, just that it happened. Here's what I know....

At the previous race, the Central NY Half-Mile on August 20, Smith came second to championship leader, and reigning champ, Jared Mees. Meanwhile, there was a protest, it seems, by Mees' Las Vegas H-D, Rogers' Racing team about Smith's Crosley Kawasaki.

READ ABOUT BRYAN SMITH'S RADICAL CROSLEY KAWASAKI TWIN IN SB26

The protest, from what I can discover, was about an overweight rear wheel. If you're not 100% embedded in flat track that may sound strange. Every other motorsport spends £1000s making their wheels lighter, right? Well, yes, but a heavier rear wheel, in some circumstances and only up to a point - you wouldn't want a lead wheel, aids traction. Because of this, there is an upper weight limit in the AMA Pro Racing rulebook, for complete wheel and tyre assembly.

Riders fit the heaviest, heavy-duty tubes to help their bikes hook up, some riders have even been known to fill tubes with water rather than air to weight a rear wheel, but no one would risk that at an AMA race. So Smith was disqualified and his team appealed. Some buzz is saying they had approval to run the wheel and tyre assembly that later led to their disqualification.

Below is the report from AMA Pro Racing's tech log. It doesn't mention any pre-approval.
The Smith/Crosley Kawasaki appeal is a week today. That is crucial, because the final round is coming up on Sept 24 at the Santa Rosa Mile.

Conspiracy theorists are pointing to this being the XR750's final year and H-D doing everything they can to win the title. Firstly, teams are still going to race XR750s. No private teams are going to ditch the XR for an unproven XG750 until they're forced to, and XRs are still legal as far as I'm aware. Indian have just entered with a bespoke race engine, that has no production bikes roots.

Others point out that Mees was accused and proven to use banned tyre softening chemicals last season, but didn't lose points. Other conspiracy theorists point out that Mees now does a burn out celebration to cover up his continued use of those chemicals. I don't believe he'd risk getting caught and losing a hatful of points, he's too good and is always in with a chance of a win/podium, but what do I know?

I'll tell you what I know, Santa Rosa is going to be a great, high pressure finally. Including 2016, the season has gone down to the final race, between Mees and Smith three times in a row now. Bryan Smith has been second in the championship the previous three years (to Baker is 2013, the Mees twice). But don't believe he's going to win just because it's his turn. Ask Dani Pedrosa about coming second...

Our good friends at the CFTA are involved with promoting the Mile race. CFTA head man, Randy Kremlacek, has contributed features to Sideburn for years, before he got to busy race promoting.

There is going to be racing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

And it sounds like Sideburn is going to be there! G

If you can't make it to Dirt Quake IV this weekend because, oh I don't know, you live in California or some other lame excuse, you should try support the California Flat Track Association.
The series is run by Sideburn contributor Randy Kremlacek. I've raced at one of his events, and they attract a great variety of riders and bikes. Plus they're very welcoming of new riders and novices, so get in touch and help grow the California grassroots, or get along and take inspiration from the wild race bikes.
This weekend they are promoting an indoor cushion short track!
I know it says quads welcome, but don't let that put you off. If you all start racing perhaps they can drop them (and whatever you say will not make me like quads).
Find out more at California Flat Track Association. G

The chances to race a national mile track as an amateur are very limited, but now is your chance to

RACE THE SACRAMENTO MILE!

... and it happens the day after the GNC National. This is a dream set-up. Do a race school on Friday, watch the National on Saturday and race on Sunday.

You need an AMA licence, $40 or so.
Good leathers and modern Snell-approved helmet
You must pre-enter - through California Flat Track Association.