New England's newest race track in 25 years, The Flat Track, is officially open Thursday after a ribbon-cutting ceremony with N.H. Governor Chris Sununu during the Laconia Motorcycle Week kick-off event at the North East Motor Sports Museum. The 0.25-mile dirt track, located behind the museum, is New Hampshire Motor Speedway's newest racing surface which will host its first event featuring American Flat Track, "America’s Original Extreme Sport," on June 15.
Governor Chris Sununu spoke about how Laconia Motorcycle Week is a great source of pride for the state of New Hampshire and shared in the anticipation of the new event.
"I’ve never seen a flat track race, and I’m actually quite excited to see that," said Sununu. “I watched it on YouTube last night, and it’s crazy! It’s like the hill climb - it’s a little bit nuts!”
Joining Sununu were other speakers, state and town officials, Cynthia Makris, Jennifer Anderson and Charlie St. Clair from the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association and American Flat Track rider Cameron Smith.
McGrath, along with 19-year-old Smith, spoke about the excitement this new event brings to New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“Less than a year ago, we met with the folks from American Flat Track, and we sat out in this gravel parking lot,” said David McGrath, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “The wonderful team at New Hampshire Motor Speedway worked tirelessly so they could get this track built, and last night, they were here until almost 10 o’clock working on the finishing touches. We are so proud to add this electrifying new event to the already iconic Laconia Motorcycle Week, and we can’t wait to see the bikes kicking up the dirt next weekend.”
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Smith did a lap on the track, marking the first time a motorcycle has taken laps on the new Flat Track.
“I’m just excited to come here and put on the first flat track race for you guys,” said Smith. “This track is small, so there’s definitely going to be very close racing. It’s going to be a good show for the fans. I can’t wait to get back on the track next weekend.”
Known as the fastest-growing sport on two wheels, AFT has added multiple new venues to its 2019 schedule, including the all new Flat Track, to accommodate its growing fan base. With over 3 million viewers tuning into the sport in 2018, AFT plans to capitalize on the partnership with NHMS to further this momentum, starting with the inaugural Laconia Short Track presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys event put on by AFT.
The Flat Track’s first event will be held during Laconia Motorcycle Week on Saturday, June 15. Race fans have a new reason to enjoy the thrill of racing in Loudon, as so much bar-banging, tire-rubbing action will be packed onto The Flat Track when these pro riders enter the arena.
General admission and VIP tickets for the Laconia Short Track presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys are available on AmericanFlatTrack.com. The race will also be streamed live on FansChoice.TV and broadcast on NBCSN on Sunday, June 23 at 2:30 p.m.
The Flat Track is the fourth racing surface to be added to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which already includes the famed 1.058-mile NASCAR oval, 1.6-mile road course and a 0.25-mile mini-oval.
In addition to the new Laconia Short Track presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys event (June 15), the speedway will host other on-track racing events throughout the week including the 96th annual Loudon Classic (June 16), the longest-running motorcycle race in the United States, plus all new camping options, Harley-Davidson, Indian and Yamaha demo rides (June 10-15), a vendor mall and a plethora of entertainment, making the speedway the home base for riders visiting Laconia Motorcycle Week.
Motorcycle Week at NHMS officially gets underway on Saturday, June 8 and is a top destination for riders during Laconia Motorcycle Week, which runs through Sunday, June 16.
For a full schedule of NHMS’s Motorcycle Week events, visit: NHMS.com/Events/Motorcycle-Week/Schedule or download a PDF version.
For ticket information for events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, including the June 8-16 Motorcycle Week at NHMS, the July 19-21 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 race weekend and the September 20-21 Full Throttle Fall Weekend, visit the speedway website at NHMS.com or call Fan Relations at (603) 783-4931.
