DIRT TRACK 101 THE BASICS

WRITTEN BY RICHARD BRODOCK

Interested in participating in AHRMA Dirt Track? Or just like to watch and have some questions? In this multi-part series, I hope to answer questions, provide a little history, and explain terms with the goal of making your dirt track experience even more enjoyable.

The Tracks

Let’s start with the basics: the tracks. Dirt Track is often referred to as “Flat Track,” although not all of the tracks are flat, or dirt. There are four distinct types of race circuits in dirt track: Mile, Half-Mile, ST (Short Track), and TT (Tourist Trophy). Any track between the length of 1/8 - 3/8 miles is considered a Short Track (ST). Stepping up from there is a Half-Mile (HM) track which can range from 3/8 to 3/4 miles in length. Anything over 3/4-miles long is considered a Mile track. By far the prestigious mile races of the year is Springfield, IL. On these mile tracks you can see the effects of drafting as man and machine reach speeds up to 120mph on dirt. All these tracks are oval in shape and can be flat or banked. The term TT does not have the same definition as it does for international forms of racing. In dirt track, these are purpose-built, non-oval courses consisting of at least one right-hand turn and at least one jump. Also note that front brakes are only allowed on TT tracks and even then they are still optional. Peoria TT is one of the most well known TT tracks around. There’s nothing like watching Chris Carr or Henry Wiles take a big twin off the jump at Peoria.

The Surface

Next let’s talk about surface. The racing surface can vary greatly from track to track, and even from region to region. “Cushion” and “blue groove” are the two main terms used to describe the track surface. A cushion track refers to a surface mainly made of pea-gravel or crushed limestone that tends to get ruts as the racing goes on. This type of surface requires constant maintenance throughout the day but can make for some exciting racing. There can be anywhere from a few inches deep to 12+ inches deep of cushion on the track. The deeper the cushion, the “looser” the track surface. These are the tracks where you see bikes sideways wide open throttle throwing a roost behind them through the entire corner. The Lima, Ohio Half-Mile is one of the well-known cushion tracks. If you look up any flat track race at Lima on YouTube, you will not be disappointed.

Blue groove tracks are built with a high content of clay and get watered and packed down to create a hard surface. This hard-packed surface lends itself to higher speeds; as bikes slide into the corners, the tires will deposit rubber on the track. This rubber appears blue and is where the term comes from. A wide groove or narrow groove refers to the part of the track that is packed from riding on it. If someone “slips off the groove” they have run wide and are running a part of the track that can have less traction due to less deposited rubber or loose dirt sitting on the surface. A good example of a blue groove track is the Black Hills Half-Mile in Sturgis, South Dakota.

While cushion and blue groove tracks are the main types there are several other variations including asphalt and indoor cement. In the 1990’s there was a series in the southeast known as the Motorcycle Asphalt Racing Series (MARS). This series ran on asphalt car tracks up to half mile in length. This type of racing hasn’t been around in several years although it does pop up every once in a while. At the 2022 AHRMA Classic MotoFest™ in Topeka, KS, we raced on a 1/6-mile asphalt track. In 2023 we will return to Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka and do it again, but this time on a track size of a 1/4 mile. Today, it’s rare to see outdoor races on anything besides “dirt;” however when the racing moves indoors during colder months, that all changes. There are several indoor tracks that are dirt or clay like the outdoor venues but the cement tracks are growing in popularity. To be clear, it is not just a race on polished indoor cement like you find in most arenas, but instead the cement is covered with Coke Cola syrup. Imagine opening a Coke and it overflows on your hands. That sticky residue is what the floors of these indoor cement races feel like, giving just enough traction to go but not enough to keep from sliding around.

Racing

Now that you know the track sizes and surface types, lets cover some basic race procedures. From amateur to Pro, the length of a race varies. For simplicity, we’ll use the current AHRMA Dirt Track lap structure of six lap-heats and eight-lap mains. The day starts out with practice like most racing. Usually two to three practice sessions are held, lasting for either a set time or a set number of laps. From there, the classes are broken up into heat races.

Depending on the number of entrants there can be as many heats as needed to cut the number of riders down for the main. Most heats have six to eight riders or as many as might fit on the front row safely. Again this is in reference to AHRMA races. From there we take the results of the heats and if needed can run semi-finals or a Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) to fill the main grid.

For the main, depending on track size, the riders are lined up in two or three rows deep and anywhere from six to eight riders on a row. The rider’s starting position depends on their heat race finish position. Winners of the heat races start on the front row with first pick of starting spot. From there second place finishers fill in and so on. While the winner from the LCQ will make the main, that rider will have to start from the back row and will have more work to try and make the podium.

That’s it for Dirt Track 101: The Basics. Next time we will cover some of the equipment used and how it differs from other motorcycle sports, and we’ll dig a little deeper into what to expect during a day at a Dirt Track race. Also to come: engine displacement and how it has changed over the years, machines and racers who impacted the sport, what the future of the sport looks like and what challenges Dirt Track faces, and even get into some basic riding techniques for Dirt Track.