The Man Behind The Curtain

as a reader of Cycle Source Magazine, I feel there are a few things that you don’t mind hearing about twice. One may be a bike style that just speaks to you; maybe it’s a nearly original but still custom Knuckle. For me, it’s Jimmy

Frizzell’s column each month. A few months back I told you about the joys of

Springfield Illinois. I wrote that story from the promotional standpoint of the event.

Since the Springfield Mile happens twice a year and its part of my “Grand Slam of Flat Track Races” I feel it deserves another story. However, this time, let’s take you INTO the pit area.

Professional flat track has always been one of the most accessible sports on earth. Maybe it’s the typical low incomes of the racers where fans literally help them get from race to race. Maybe it’s the basics of the sport; go fast, turn left.

The American Flat Track organization has done a great job at providing access to the fans. There are always open pits during the race day, both before the

Article By: Tyler Porter Photos By: Brent Pierce

races get started and after the races are over. This allows fans to be in the pits, get an autograph and see the teams at work. If you’re a true fan though, what if that isn’t enough? What if you have to know what REALLY goes on?

This entire story starts with a simple text message: Friday, August 31st 4:28 pm: From 2018 Moto America Supersport Champion JD Beach: “You want to help us on Sunday?” Me: “Do you guys need it?” JD:“Yes” At the time of this text, I’m actually racing during the Amateur day at the Springfield Short Track, just next door to the legendary mile. I had already made plans to party down Saturday night with my friends and then tailgate the infield during the races. Working for a racer would thwart both opportunities. Tuning for the mile is waking up early, working hard all day, and being too tired to move when all is said and done. Nevertheless, I took the job. The pay? A peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The rider? The Man in the Van with a Plan himself, a guy who is more like my little brother than anybody else on earth; Hayden Gillim.

While I’ve known Hayden nearly all of my life, this was a pretty big deal. Hayden is a full-time road racer in the Moto America series, finishing 2nd in this year’s Supersport Championship but he’s still a worthy dirt tracker, making all three AFT Twins main events that he had competed in so far in the season, finishing 4th at the Buffalo Chip TT, 12th at the Black Hills Half-Mile and 5th at the Peoria TT. However, Hayden had only ever been on a mile on a twin one other time, and never on an Indian FTR750, so the odds were stacked against us.

JD and I weren’t alone on this mission. Öhlins suspension technician Jon Cornwall hung around all day to not only monitor suspension performance and chassis adjustments, but he also knew how to work with the ignition mapping on the Indian Motorcycles FTR750 that Hayden had been loaned for his four race tour. We also had journeyman

racer, Rob McClendon, checking in, hustling down to the corners during practice to watch and listen to the bike as it made its way past to make sure our adjustments were spot on. My job? Very simple. Make sure nothing falls off, and make sure the bike is in staging on time. Pretty easy right?

Not so fast. A large amount of rain swept through the area in the week leading up to the event, meaning the track crew couldn’t lay down their normal prep. Because of this, the track surface was much rougher than usual. After getting some pointers from Factory Indian Race Team Tech Brandan Bergen, I knew what to watch for and how to take care of the bike. The track was coming apart in a hurry, meaning there was lots of roost stuck to the bike after every session. Race bikes like this skirt the lines of hot and boiling, so keeping the radiator clean throughout the day proved to be a never-ending task. The bumps coupled with the bike running near the red line for most of every lap meant that bolts started to loosen, so it needed a full inspection each time the bike came off the track.

Hayden wanted to switch handlebars from what he used on the TT track a few weeks before so that he could have more

control over the bike, and Jon suggested we change the offsets in the front end for a more responsive feel mid-corner. Rob and I handled that task. Because of the ever-changing track conditions, JD changed the gearing 6 times over the course of the day, and we did one tire “flip” where we take the quick-change rear wheel and basically switch the inner hub around so that we can use the other side of the tire, without taking the tire off the rim. It was a crazy day, and there wasn’t a single crash. I don’t want to imagine having to repair crash damage during the day as well.

Now let’s talk about the stress. On the Springfield Mile, large packs of riders tend to form, leading to epic drafting battles. However, this is a 140mph game of chess, with no margin for error. If something breaks or falls off of “your” bike, it could hurt or kill multiple racers. This has happened before. On the day of a mile, every tuner knows it. It’s serious business. On top of that, imagine the feeling of sending your “little brother” out on that track with the other racers, knowing you just had the entire front end off of the bike; knowing that someone else had the rear wheel off and changed a sprocket and flipped a hub; knowing there was no time to double check everything before the bike went out on the track. I can’t think of a time where I was more nervous in my life.

At the end of it all, Hayden raced his way into the last spot in the main. Sure, that gave him a tough starting spot, but he was in. He went 4 for 4 in his abbreviated flat track schedule. It also meant that he won the Mustang Seats Rookie of the year award. He learned so much throughout the race and ended up with a 10th place finish. Not a bad ride for a kid who had never ridden a mile on this bike before. A kid who had only raced a mile on one other twin in his life! After the race, I caught up with legendary team owner Dave Zanotti, and I told him, “Dave, I’ve always had so much respect for you, but after working on that bike today, I have 20 times more.” Dave replied, “Tyler, I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, and I’m still so nervous about my bikes and my riders that I don’t eat on race day.”

So, while a lot of you attending races may look longingly at the men and women in the pits with their team shirts on, hanging out with some of the most talented racers on earth, just keep in mind the stress and adrenaline that is coursing through their veins on race day. If I said I didn’t enjoy it, I’d be a liar.