Words and Images by Rick Spada
My name is Rick from Chicken Fried Choppers, and I have a bold statement to make. The only thing more fun than riding a Harley-Davidson is racing a Harley-Davidson! Last year, I attended my fourth Flat Out Friday race in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and even had the opportunity to capture the event on behalf of H-D. Flat Out Friday is both a motorcycle race and show with upwards of 10,000 fans packing out the Fiserv Forum. Children, teenagers, adults, and elders sign up every year to race their motorcycles with a skill level ranging from first-time racers to seasoned professionals. Flat Out Friday was the very first flat track race I participated in back in 2021, and you would be hard-pressed to find a more welcoming community of racers to help get you started and share the track with. I'm here to highlight my five favorite Harley-Davidson motorcycles that participated in the 2024 race, so let's begin.
Up first is Stephanie Sunker with her Hooligan Sportster, who made the trip up to Wisconsin all the way from Texas. The Hooligan class rules state that your motorcycle must be a 1986 and newer street-legal, twin-cylinder motorcycle and have at least 750cc. The Harley-Davidson Sportster is by far the favorite choice of the Hooligan class, but it's not for the faint of heart - these bikes are HEAVY and very demanding to race.
How about a Harley-Davidson that's a little easier to toss around when you're riding into a corner surrounded by a dozen other racers? Enter Kaleb Zink, who just finished restoring his 1975 SX175 just days before the big race. The SX175 was produced from 1974 to 1978 and was one of the very few 2-stroke models Harley-Davidson ever made. The original owner had purchased Kaleb’s SX175 brand new for his wife to ride on the street, and when she upgraded to a bigger motorcycle, her husband started racing it in off-road events. Both the husband and wife who originally owned Kaleb’s SX175 were in the stands to watch him race it, so it was a very special moment indeed.
My favorite part about Flat Out Friday is that you never know what you will see out on the track. Danger Dan brought up a few bikes to race all the way from Texas, one of them being his 1959 Panhead chopper. Your eyes are not deceiving you; flanking Dan on the track is a CVO Road Glide that managed to stay right-side-up throughout the race.
Here is a photo of Terry Vestal and his wife during the flag ceremony. Later in the night, Terry took home a first place win on his Hooligan Sportster.
The crowd’s favorite race is always the Goofball class, and it’s traditionally the last race of the night. Bryan Ames painted his 1942 WLA 45” race bike pink before driving out from Pennsylvania to race it as the Pink Power Ranger. The Goofball class is exactly as it sounds - you submit your wackiest idea to team Flat Out Friday, and if they love it, you get to race for free. We have seen portable toilets, lawnmowers, jet skis, snowmobiles out on the track - you name it! More than a few of the racers in this class have ended up going viral online just because their race vehicle was so over the top.
Did you think I was going to sit on the sidelines watching all the fun? In between running around and taking pictures of everyone running what they brung, I snuck out on the track with my 1953 Harley-Davidson KK and raced in the vintage class. After the last few years of participating in the Goofball class, I wanted to try my hand at racing in a traditional race class. The vintage race encompasses many types, makes, and models of motorcycles; your bike must have brakes and be from a model year no later than 1985. I had a blast and even made it from 10th place all the way to 9th!
Want to get in on the fun? The only thing you have to do to get out on the track is sign up before your class fills up. If you would rather enjoy the race from the comfort of home, each race is live-streamed on YouTube so you can watch it for free.
Thank you to Harley-Davidson for letting me recap one of my favorite events of the year. Looking forward to seeing you in the pits next year!
From the rumbling bikes to the roaring crowds, the energy was palpable and every scene was filled with the soul of Harley-Davidson.
A yearly music and moto event at Loretta Lynn’s ranch, just outside of Nashville, Tennessee.
There are more than a few reasons why they call it “The One.”
We sent photographer Josh Bell to capture the new Harley-Davidson® x Dickies® collection launch party.
Rick Spada from Chicken Fried Choppers shares his firsthand experience at Born-Free.
We hit the streets with photographer Ben Christensen to capture The 84th Annual Daytona Bike Week.
Women riders go camping in Borrego Springs, California.
Greetings from Southern Louisiana!
Rick’s favorite bikes from the 10th annual Mama Tried Show.
Some of my favorite finds at Sturgis 2024!