New Things Coming To The X Games?

The X Games took on Austin, TX a couple days ago (June 5th-8th) and after scorching the ice at the X Games in Aspen, the new Harley Davidson Street 750 is taking on the dirt. A new exhibition event was featured and now you have the chance to say if this exhibition should be turned into an actual X Games sport. I got the chance to talk with the reigning AMA Pro Grand National Champion, Brad “The Bullet” Baker, before he took to the track for the exhibition race at the X Games.

With the X Games coming up, what are some things that we can expect with the huge event?

Brad: Things you can expect at this event include endurocross racing, BMX, skateboarding, and freestyle motocross. With those four events alone it's an action-packed and full of excitement. From our standpoint, you can expect to see flat track motorcycle racing being portrayed with the new “Harley Davidson Street 750” as an exhibition race to be aired on ESPN during the X Games.

Now one thing I'm curious about is that as the reigning AMA Pro Grand National Champion, are there ever any nerves about upholding that title and continuing to make sure you are the champion?

Brad: Yeah, being the Grand National Champion at such a young age, it's been a complete honor to be able to hold that number one plate and to be representing and riding for a company like Harley Davidson, one of the oldest motorcycle manufacturers in the world. So for me being able to promote and ride the exhibition Flat Track race with Harley Davidson is a complete honor and I'm really excited for it.

So, what kind of training goes into a competition like this?

Brad: Like every sport you have to be in good physical condition. You have to be prepared mentally and physically. Everybody has different training methods including just riding a lot, practicing a lot, or being in the gym running and bicycling. There's a lot of different ways you can prepare yourself for it, but everyone has a little bit of a different way. I think a big thing is just being mentally prepared and being brave and determined in your mind to go there, do well, and hopefully come out with a win and a gold medal.

Well, I would think something like this that after the competition you maybe have a day to celebrate being the National Champion but then the next day, you are right back into that training routine, getting those workouts in, maybe getting on the bike and doing some practice runs, is that true?

Brad: Yeah definitely. To be able to do the sport that I do and to be one of the pioneers of two-wheeled motor sports in America, it's really intense. It's motorcycle racing over a 130 mph, coming into dirt corners at inches from other riders. To be able to do that you have to be in great condition and you always have to keep yourself focused on that. So you always have to have your mind set on the goal and after one thing's done you're continuing on for the next. And the next for me would be trying to get the great sport of Flat Track Motorcycle Racing with the new Street Harley Davidson 750 involved in the X Games.

So what exactly is being done to make sure this is something that succeeds?

Brad: It's all going to be on the fans and what they think of Flat Track Motorcycle Racing. They can get on social media sites, and use the hashtag X Games Flat Track and voice their opinion of whether this sport should be a part of the X Games for the future and then check out the rest of the things going on at the Summer X Games down in Austin, TX and enjoy the fun. We just want people to be able to get on Twitter and use that hashtag (#XgamesFlatTrack) and tell us what they think about Flat Track and whether it should be a future sport in the X Games.

Well, let's go over a little bit of what specifically Flat Track Motorcycle Racing is and what makes it different than some of the other games you see at the X Games?

Brad: Flat Track is an action sport dating back to the early 1900s. It's pretty much for all two-wheeled motorcycles and the racing generates from 18 riders in an event making it sideways on tight-driven track turns. We exceed speeds well over 130mph but sometimes do get down below 100 mph in a full lap so with riders being on a dirt surface sideways, inches a part from one another going that fast, it's really intense. And that's a little bit of the gist of what Flat Track is all about.

So it really does sound like this is something that can add a lot to the X Games and it can even bring in a whole different crowd who maybe isn't too familiar with that.

Brad: Yeah definitely. It is a lot different than the other events that are in the X Games right now. Of course there's motorcycles involved but as far as a competition standpoint and a good race, a lot of it is just one on one or one against the other. For this it's basically a free for all of 18 riders or more in one race. You always can see a race on the race track. There's no down time in a Flat Track Motorcycle race because it's always going. So it'd be a little bit different because it'd be a race not necessarily a competition. And I think it would be really entertaining and a different flavor to add to the X Games in the future.

So, how has training for Flat Track really changed training for you?

Brad: Flat track's what I've done my whole life so it's what I'm programmed to do. Me as a person and as an athlete, I think the best thing you can do for yourself is practice. Practice always makes perfect, whether it's racing flat track, racing/riding BMX, skateboarding, anything that you do...the best that you can do for yourself as far as training is actually to do the competition that you're going to be competing in.

And it's important to be in great physical condition which will come with riding and working hard at the gym or riding mountain bikes. Then you just need the drive and determination to do better. But it always comes down to race day or competition time to see what is going to happen. I think it's a lot of mental strength that comes into play and having the confidence that you're going to go out there and get the job done and do what you know how to do and what you love.

Best of luck at the games this year. Where can people go to learn more about Flat Track and to stay updated with you and everything else at the X Games?

Brad: Follow along through ESPN is the biggest way to be able to follow the X Games. Of course there will always be a lot of things happening on social media. You can follow us on the Harley Davidson Twitter and voice your own opinion about X Games Flat Track using that hashtag, #XgamesFlatTrack, but tune into ESPN to follow the games and feel like you are there.