Sideways Shakes Report

With COVID giving everyone the fits, it hard to really get into the swing of things and flat track racing has no exception to those rules. Having to find ways to social distance in sports has been difficult to say the least. Track promoters are struggling to balance the need to social distance and still be able to run racing programs that follow appropriate guidelines. Early on in this pandemic, racers were slated to run the track inside the Fiserv Forum during the Mama Tried/Flat Out Friday Event all the way up until right before the day of the event. Soon after the decision to cancel the event, the state had shut the doors to all non-essential businesses.

That, in a sense, has put a serious damper on all social gatherings and a large uncertainty to the 2020 flat track race season. Schedules have been slashed or canceled outright and promotors are scrambling to find venues that will allow flat track racing to happen. Since then, race promotors have taken the forward approach of finding states that are a little more lax with social distancing rules and applied a more “come at your own risk” approach to running these race programs. In this curious state of affairs, I had the privilege to head down to South Carolina Memorial Day weekend to Travelers Rest Speedway. There, we got to run with one of the largest groups of flat track racer classes I have been a part of to date. All the manufacturer pro teams were in attendance and in full force, Team Harley, Indian, KTM, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Ducati filled the pit areas. For me, watching the AFT circus roll out the show is something to behold. Full blown double decker trailers and teams with one, sometimes two back up bikes goes to show the professionalism of it all. It seriously made for an action-packed weekend of racing. The rules didn’t permit spectators admittance to the grounds, and because of this fact, the access to the racers was a little easier and amateurs like myself were pitting next to million-dollar teams. Getting to see the pro’s run the track is a real treat. I highly recommend anyone that loves any version of motor sports to take in a pro flat track race at least once in their life.

Coming up next is the 80th anniversary Sturgis Rally. I will be out there with a film crew and a bunch of hooligan racers for the duration of the event. The have slated Hill climbs, two short track events, a half mile race, and a TT. You can follow me as I will be going live on Facebook and Instagram during the duration of the event, so you can follow me around the event and grounds. If you are interested, or have any questions on how to follow me, you can check the www.sidewaysshakes.com website or follow me on Facebook and Instagram. You can also email questions or comments directly to me at SidewaysShakes@gmail.com

Stay Safe Friends,

Your Hooligan Racer #9x

Eric Schuelke

AKA ‘Sideways Shakes’

“Go Fast. Turn Left