American Flat Track just announced an exclusive television partnership with NBC Sports (NBCSN) for the 2017 season. All 18 rounds, from the season-opening DAYTONA TT to the American Flat Track Finals in Southern California, will air in one-hour, tape-delayed telecasts on Thursday nights throughout the summer and fall.
Entering its 64th consecutive season, American Flat Track is the most historic form of American motorcycle racing and 2017 marks the dawning of a new golden era for the sport. The series boasts two diverse and highly-competitive classes and is headlined by powerful, twin-cylinder motorcycles in the AFT Twins class, with spirited single-cylinder machines battling it out in AFT Singles.
American Flat Track will debut inside Daytona International Speedway on a one-of-a-kind race course built on the famous tri-oval at the “World Center of Racing.” The DAYTONA TT will serve as the first battleground for the great American war brewing between Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles, marking the first time the big American factories have competed head-to-head on the race track since the 1950s.
“American Flat Track is America’s original extreme sport and NBCSN is the perfect platform to bring it back into the limelight,” said Michael Lock, CEO of American Flat Track. “We’re delighted to be partnering with NBC Sports Group, one of the most respected sports media organizations in the world. This partnership represents a huge milestone for the sport and a goal that we have been working toward for a long time.”
With nearly 85 million subscribers, NBCSN is the Home of Motorsports in America, providing coverage of NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula One, Mecum Auctions, Lucas Oil Pro Motocross and now, American Flat Track.
“We’re thrilled to add American Flat Track to the best motorsports portfolio in American media,” said Jeff Macaluso, Senior Director, Programming, NBC Sports Group. “We’re excited and proud to be a part of the resurgence of this historic series.
” NBCSN’s coverage will kick off 18 straight weeks of high-intensity American Flat Track telecasts, expertly produced by NASCAR Productions, LLC and highlighted by flag-to-flag race coverage of both classes. The shows will include exclusive features and editorial content telling the story of the world’s elite dirt track motorcycle racers as they battle for glory, while cutting-edge technology, including the latest in onboard cameras, will allow viewers to experience the pinnacle of dirt track motorcycle racing like never before.
In addition to the 18 primetime premieres, NBCSN will re-air each of the shows the following week, which will also be available on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. FansChoice.tv, a cornerstone of American Flat Track’s digital strategy, will provide live streaming coverage for every round of the 2017 season.
Great exposure for people new to motorcycle racing and great coverage for all of us “dyed in the wool” flat track fans. Maybe this will help that lovely young lady in Sturgis add some leverage in saving the Sturgis half mile track from the condominium mogols!
Waiting for the opportunity to go to a race I will watch on TV.
As someone new to motorcycle flat track racing, is it always conducted on dirt or is it on pavement sometimes?
Well there’s all of two ! All bets are this’ll fail miserably once the Nielsen ratings are tallied up . Then watch the advertisers run for the hills with MSNBCSN once again stuck with a motor sports loser on its hands . Sad fact is gentleman : Motorsports TV viewership and attendance of all kinds across the board and the globe are in steep decline . Fact is all sports viewership including the NFL are on the wane And this aint about to prove the exception .
RealityCheck.
MSNBC?
It’s NBC Sports (NBCSG or NBC Sports GroupP
You don’t seem to know much about TV and Nielsen ratings.
This is awesome news. Best bike racing in the US. And the world. Except for the IOMTT,of course.
Great news. Exciting racing and a lot of the racers have potential star power…excellent way to attract some young folks to motorcycling which we desperately need.
AWESOME ! I agree this is the best racing in the US.
Finally a sport I can watch and understand!
Get news that flat track will finally get the coverage it deserves. Bad news is that it will be tape delayed. These races will be long over, the results already known, when they air. Real race enthusiasts will have to stick with Fans Choice TV live streaming.
I will watch it, record it, and play it on my shop TV when the boys come over to hang out and have a beer. And “Reality Check” can shove it. If it fails, it fails. I applaud NBC for giving it a try. I never gave a rats ass about Nielson ratings.
A great first step in getting motorcycle racing on TV. I’d love to see a network start broadcasting MotoGP as well. Considering there are currently two races in the US each year, it’d be nice to actually see it on TV.