Mickey Fay once raced motorcycles on concrete oval tracks in the 1970s at the old Seattle Coliseum, the Memorial Coliseum in Portland and the Cow Palace in Northern California.
Now Fay hopes to help bring the sport back as a promoter as well as a father of two teen-age sons who race.
More than 30 professional motorcyclists are expected to compete for a $10,000 purse in the Northwest Extreme Flat Track Racing event at 7 p.m. April 17 at the ShoWare Center in Kent.
“There is a butt load of action,” said Fay, of Bonney Lake, the promoter of the event. “These guys muscle and bump each other. They move through a hole to pass. They are real aggressive.”
Fay, a former American Motorcyclist Association champion who no longer races, wants to hold events at least once and maybe even twice a year at the Kent arena if the initial show goes well. He plans to operate his flat track racing series for the seventh season this fall at a dirt oval at the Western Washington fairgrounds in Puyallup.
Racers use the same dirt track bikes and tires to race indoors on concrete.
“After a few hours of practice you get enough rubber down to haul butt,” Fay said. “The first few riders skate around a bit.”
Two of the top pro racers scheduled to compete in Kent are “Jersey” Jake Johnson and Jared Mees, of Michigan. Johnson won the flat track race on concrete March 27 in San Jose. Mees placed second.
Sam Halbert, of Graham, ranks as another top pro who could challenge Johnson and Mees for the title.
Mickey Fay Jr., 17, and Marty Fay, 15, the sons of Mickey Fay, also will compete in the pro class.
Racers will be timed in qualifying laps to determine the position starts in 10-racer heats. The racers with the fastest qualifying times earn the inside, front-row starting position for the heats. The main event will feature the top 12 racers from the heats.
The motorcyclists don’t reach high speeds on their 750cc bikes because of a lack of long straightaways.
“But their momentum gets going and if you have never seen them race before you will be amazed at how fast they go,” Fay said.
The event might include a few crashes, but Fay said the pros are pretty good at staying away from accidents.
“If someone gets too far off the rubber, you might see some crashes,” he said.
In addition to the pro class, the event also features freestyle motocross jumpers who will perform stunts with ramps; ten professional quad class racers; and 10 mini-quad racers featuring five boys and five girls ages 9-12 from the Puyallup series who will bring their action from the dirt to the concrete.
Fay started his motorcycle racing career at age 9. He won five American Motorcyclist Association titles. He said the sport drew good crowds in the 1970s and early 1980s racing in Seattle, Portland and California.
“I raced in the Seattle Coliseum, the Portland Coliseum and the Cow Palace on concrete,” Fay said. “Now I’m trying to bring it back.”
If you go
What: Northwest Extreme Flat Track Motorcycle Racing
When: 7 p.m. April 17
Where: ShoWare Center
Cost: $23 and $17
Tickets: www.showarecenter.com or 253-856-6999
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