X Games Flat Track: Sammy Halbert Strikes Gold in Minneapolis

With a break in the busy American Flat Track schedule, the sport's stars headed to the Minneapolis, Minnesota for the biggest stage in extreme sports – the X Games. Although it was Indian Motorcycle's home turf, Sammy Halbert stole the show on his Estenson Racing Harley-Davidson XR750 and took Gold in the 3rd Annual Harley-Davidson Flat Track race.

Halbert hit the ground running on the short track built in the parking lot outside of the Mall of America. He led practice, qualifying and won his Heat. So it was safe bet to say that it would be Halbert’s night. But Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing’s Jared Mees had other ideas. The four-time Grand National Champion took the hole shot and led the race early. In the end, Halbert was not to be denied the win, something he had come so close to many times this year in American Flat Track, but fell short; usually to Mees.

Although the XR750 may have some years on it, it’s still a formidable weapon on a slick track. And Halbert used its strengths and his experience to his advantage.

“Right from when we unloaded, the Estenson Racing bike was so good,” Halbert said. “All I had to do was just nurse it around them corners, hit my marks and then gas it down the straights. Eventually I was able to roll up along the outside of him (Mees) in the middle of the turn and then square him up and get underneath coming off and take the lead. I wasn’t going to give it back.”

Privateer Jeffrey Carver, Jr. on the Carver’s BBQ Harley-Davidson XR750 carried his momentum in American Flat Track to the X Games and impressed many with a silver-medal performance. Unfortunately for Carver, all that hard work went pear-shaped with a flat front tire and the Illinois native had to limp his bike across the finish line in fourth.

That promoted Mees and Indian Motorcycle Racing backed by All State’s Brad Baker to second and third, respectively. Both Indian riders felt bad for Carver’s bad luck, but perhaps no one more than Mees who saw his X Games gold slip through his fingers at the inaugural race in Austin, Texas in 2015.

“I got a good start and was just kind of like holding my own and honestly was a third-place guy tonight,” Mees said. “It’s unfortunate what happened to Jeffrey Carver. He was silver all the way and we were bronze. He had some unfortunately luck. I had the same thing happen when I was leading it. I could feel his pain.”

As for Baker, he had a split-second thought of easing up to allow Carver the position until his racer instincts kicked in.

“I feel incredibly bad for Jeff (Carver),” Baker said. “To get a flat front tire out of all things, and on the last lap to miss out on a podium spot, it’s just terrible for him. When I was coming up on him, I barely got by. I was just like, ‘I don’t deserve this. He does. Should I shut off?’ But I had people breathing down my neck. Nobody else would do that for me. I turned around and went and talked to him. We’ve all been there, done that. It’s part of the deal.”