Royal Enfield Twins FT Debut at American Flat Track Competition

Published On: 15 September 2020
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Royal Enfield in their 119-year-old history for the first time took part in American Flat Track Competition (AFT)

Royal Enfield Motorcycles continues to break new grounds in the motorcycle industry. Recently, Royal Enfield Twins FT made their highly anticipated debut at the American Flat Track Competition (AFT). Racer John Lewis introduced the twins to the flat track world after months of development and rigorous testing. The Royal Enfield Twins FT is the result of a collaboration between the Indian manufacturer and Moto Anatomy, the racing team of which Lewis is the owner. The debut of Twins FT came as the result of the hard work put over the last six months. Lewis and team worked alongside Royal Enfield Motorcycles, racing chassis builder Harris Performance and engine tuning experts S&S Cycle.

The AFT appearance is a major milestone in the Chennai-based manufacturer rich 119-year old history. The current focus is to improve the Twins further but also remain competitive. The AFT will give the team a chance to understand what’s working and what needs to be done over the course of the season.

Lewis further elaborated and said, “We had quite the journey to get to this point,”. “We’ve been working consistently over the past six months to develop a competitive package for Royal Enfield. The latest iteration of the race bike was shipped over from India in pieces on Monday (September 07th) and we’ve been working around the clock to put it together. I’ve really enjoyed the development process of the motorcycle and Royal Enfield along with the other partners involved have worked hard to make this happen. The bike performed well and we’ve got a great foundation to build upon.”

The AFT competition was earlier scheduled to be held in March 2020 but due to the on-going COVID-19 Pandemic it got delayed. With uncertainty surrounding everyone, Lewis and co started first with the prototype development. Regular communication between 3 different stake holders, ensured that the development carried on. With chassis changes and plenty of other updates, Lewis tested the prototype at his Center Hill, Fl facility. Lewis and the team overcame challenges of overseas equipment shipping and different time zones. The debut of the FT production twins is a testament to the commitment and innovation of Royal Enfield in India and UK, Harris Performance and S&S. The team is going to compete in the next race scheduled to be held at Dallas Half-Mile on the 25th and 26th of September 2020.

Further Lewis at the Atlanta and Daytona Beach AFT rounds will be joined by the participants of Royal Enfield’s BUILD TRAIN RACE (BTR) program. BTR team will take part in the exhibition with the custom INT 650 motorcycles. Lewis and team will be taking part in the AFT calendar to gather data and feedback on the Royal Enfield FT package before the 2021 AFT season starts. Lewis claimed an impressive seventh place to finish off the weekend.