For the first time in the history of AMA Grand National flat track, the series raced on an indoor, concrete surface at the Cow Palace in San Francisco this past weekend, and Chris Carr came out the victor.After testing in Texas during the previous week, the Ford QCCPOV Team decided to use their newly acquired KTM motocrosser, modified for dirt track use, to tackle the tiny indoor oval, and the decision proved to be rewarding. Along with his seventh career short track victory, Chris gave KTM its first-ever Grand National win - amazingly in the machine's first race for the team.
Now armed with the series points lead, Carr appears to be marching toward a sixth AMA title. The team visits a new venue, Florence Speedway in Kentucky, in three weeks' time.
"We had been testing the week before down in Belton, Texas with the help of Ed Beckley, making sure we had a suitable facility for us to practice on, and I'm sure glad we had that, because we went to the Cow Palace and made very few changes to the motorcycle whatsoever and we were in the hunt the whole night. I got good starts, and that's a key to having success at indoor racing - qualifying well and having a good starting position.
"I was able to lead my heat race and having it be one of the two fastest put me in a prime spot for the start in the main event. I was fortunate enough to get the holeshot and then every holeshot after that on the red flags. We ended up doing what we needed to do, and to win indoors, you've got to have good starts, you've got to have good luck, and you've got to stay out of trouble, and we stayed out of trouble all night."
You also gave KTM its first Grand National win.
"To be honest with you, that's something we're really proud of. To be able to do that in its first race is awesome. We did something similar with the VOR brand last year, although that was in a flat track chassis, but to race an OEM motorcycle for only the second time in my career and come out a winner in that brand's first race - that was something special for our team, something as a whole we're very proud of."