Hooligan flat track is really catching on in the US, and while there aren't too many people racing it yet, it's getting a huge amount of coverage. It's a class flat track for heavy street bikes, and is used by race organisers to up entry numbers at club races and add interest in between the more traditional race classes. The most popular bike is the Harley Evo Sportster, cheap in the US, the right manufacturer for many people, tough and with lots of knowledge and parts available to make them work surprisingly well.

We ran a feature on a few Hooligans in Sideburn 21, with a beginner's guide on how to convert a Sportster for short track hooligan racing written by Aaron of Suicide Machine Co.

We also hosted a very, very competitive Harley-Davidson-sponsored Hooligan race at Dirt Quake USA. The scene got a ton more coverage at last week's Sturgis rally in South Dakota.

If you don't already know, Sturgis is an enormous Harley rally in a stunning area for riding. The GNC hold the mid-week Black Hills National there and the promoters put on a demo race on National night, while The Speed Merchant and Harley-Davidson promoted a Hooligan race the next night on the Sturgis half-mile.

Racers travelled from all over the country to compete and the race was won by FTWCo rider Jordan Baber on a Sportster he and FTWCo's Brad were still building the day of the race. And they won it with a Sideburn sticker on board!

We'll post video footage of the race if/when we find it. Point us to good footage if you have seen it, please. The video below was made by Preston Burroughs as an advert to promote the race. G

After spannering myself at Coventry I got on the podium in the Restricted* Class at Scunthorpe on Sunday. There were a few riders missing, but it was still a 14-rider class and I beat some racers who have been on the podium this year - Tom Clemans and Ross 'The King' Herrod. I also came 5th in the 12-man Thunderbike final. Geoff Co-Built (pictured) got a third in the Thunderbikes.

Read a longer report over at FTW Racing. G

*For riders who haven't made a Pro Final or won the Restricted title.

Julian of Deus LA kindly organized a run-what-you-bring at the Perris track, two hours east of LA (crawling in rush-hour traffic), a loose rabble of Hell On Wheels, Deusites, Co-Built, a big Biltwell crew and other friends of Sideburn came out. Everything from crappy plastic scooters to a fully accessorised RGS1200 BMW was throttled around the short track until the sun went down. Iced Beer. Good times.
Co-Built Geoff on Conrad Leach's desert sled.
Dave Skooter Farm in his sparkly new Biltwell Gringo and Jeannette.
Dorinda ripping it up on her Triumph.
Nevin wing-ning-nign
Hayden's Hell On Wheels Triumph.
Mule showing the kids how to do it on his Yamaha TT500.
Bixby Moto showing us that your Mum's 150cc Amstar is all you need.
Gary on the Mule TT500.
Always good to have a seamstress on standby for every eventuality.
Homer Knapp bought his 1928 hand-shift Harley JD (featured in SB#7) along for us to try. An awe-inspiring bike - and man.
Put knobblies on anything and it's legit. Kiyo's CB750/4
Great to finally put names to faces and meet Richard 'Mule Motorcycles' Pollock.
Jen McClain of Deus. BP

UPDATE: some great photos by Shadra Wilson on the Biltwell blog

Last month I visited the Mid-West to go to the Mama Tried Show and took the opportunity to detour the six-hour drive to Des Moines, Iowa, for a flying visit to the new headquarters of FTWCo. I'd been to the old HQ a couple of years ago (on a cross-country ride). I arrived at 10.30pm and stayed talking till 3am with the two owners of FTWCo: Brad (aka Fatty. Red shirt) and Jeff Wright (the man behind Church of Choppers) plus the photographer and film-maker, Michael Schmidt (green shirt) who I was working with.
Their unit is an Aladdin's cave of creativity and good stuff.
Jeff's One Shot collection.
Jeff's Honda CB1100EX. Hyperpro shocks; Over Engineering swingarm; RCD-Tec fuel filler; Yoshimura exhaust; hand painted tank logos. It had 2 miles - TWO MILES - on the clock, when I took this photo.
 Brad's ironhead Sportster street tracker.
 Jeff's slabside GSX-R project.
 Road-going dune buggy with a keg fuel tank.
Up for 30 hours or more and still laughing. I love FTWCo.

I've always loved motorcycle builders that mixed different styles and genres of bike on one build and Jeff Wright (of FTWCo and Church of Choppers) does it better than most.

This is his latest build (though he always has four on the go). A Shovelhead that uses a Moriwaki ignition cover as a faux air cleaner cover, has proper brakes, RaceTech twin shocks and blows through a Racefit titanium Legend silencer. Jeff is a multi-talented mofo and made the stainless two-into-one himself.

If you don't check out the ever disparate, often surprising Church of Choppers blog (the daddy of all motorcycle blogs I reckon), you're missing out. G

Probably. FTWCo.

One of my favourite companies in the world, FTWCo, have updated their website. Go check it out at www.ftwco.com.
Pictured is one of their sponsored riders, Jordan Baber, Norton on the gas, front wheel off the floor. Bumpy track! G

FTWCo, Iowa, USA. G

FTWCo: good guys supporting some other good guys.
And they've got an awesome Hauler back in Iowa. G

Hanging out. Max, Drogo and Jason with my and Dave's bikes.