I haven't been to a Flat Track race since 1974.  They used to have races at the Carol County Fairgrounds in Carrollton, Ohio.

The schedule shows there is a race in Lexington, KY on June 3rd.  I may have to make ride down there to see it - that is about 1.5 hours from home.

Maybe we can schedule a Savage group ride in that area and go see the race!  The Daniel Boone National Forest and Natural Bridge is in that area, and there are good roads to ride on.

About 6 miles from here http://erieramblers.net/

Any old bikers are likely familiar with Robinson Motorcycles in Wheatley, ON Canada. Jim was quite a guy http://www.robinsonmotorcycle.com/about-us/ and I bought my first bike from him in 1964. Jim was an Erie Rambler from the get-go
He passed away a few years ago at the local flat track.

In the 1960's I would work at Jim's in the evening to pay my bills off.

I asked Jim one night if he held the bike up in the turn with his knee -
he smiled and said: "Give it a try .. you'll know by the second turn if I do."

Bart Markel https://www.google.ca/?gws_rd=ssl#q=bart+markel

The morning of my very first race was at a scrambles track inside S/J mile,we got in real early for a practice lap or two,while the other riders were practicing me and my buddy did two laps on the mile track before we got stopped & yelled at by the promoter. . What a thrill first lap was scarey,second lap I held it wfo all the way around on knobbies at 72 mph on my 83 xr200r , at the finish line this really pissed off dude was waiting for us , he was so mad at us I thought he was going to vapor lock and drop dead from a stroke. Been there done that !

I like the sound of that thought. 😎

went to a couple of Louisville Mile races in the late '80s, staggering number of bikes in the parking lot, maybe 3000 +.  Lexington race looks like a good one.

http://www.cycleworld.com/indian-motorcycle-turns-flat-track-on-its-head-with...

I can't wait to see the new Indian FTR in person.

At all of the AMA PRO events that I've been to, the promoters open up the paddock to spectators between practice/qualifying and the start of the heat races. You can wander around the pits, look at the bikes up close, take pictures, and talk to the riders and mechanics. Most of the riders are very friendly and really make an effort to be accessible to the fans.

At Rolling Wheels last summer I asked every rider I was able to speak to what they thought of the track. "Slippery" was the answer I got from everyone.  Finding traction coming off the turns so the bike accelerated instead of just spinning the tire was a real challenge there.

When I talked to Bryan Smith. # 42, he said that the exit of turn 4 was especially hairy. I didn't really understand what he meant until the pits were closed and I walked down to that turn and took a look.

At Rolling Wheels, there is no outside barrier at turns 1,2 and 3, or along the outside of the back straight. If a rider runs too wide, or can't get the bike turned in 1,2,or3, he just runs off the track. At the exit of turn 4 however is the beginning of a five foot masonry retaining wall that runs along the front straight just below the grandstands. Run wide coming off turn 4 and you are going to bounce off that wall like a billiard ball bouncing of the cushion. Jeffery Carver actually did exactly that in the Main. If you watch the video I posted the link to you can hear the announcers talking about it.

That turn and the wall  looked really  scary to me, but when Smith mentioned it he had a big grin on his face. He didn't seem to be worried about it at all. These guys( and gals; there are a few girls that race at this level)  have got some pretty big b*lls, I believe.