Today, Vance & Hines announced their separation from long-standing technical collaborators, Harley-Davidson, who will no longer field factory teams in American Flat Track and Drag Racing.
This development is significant for both racing circuits, as Harley-Davidson shifts its focus to supporting riders through dealer-sponsored programs, aiming to expand the pool of competitors.
The partnership between Vance & Hines and Harley-Davidson in NHRA racing comes to an end, marking the absence of factory teams in the NHRA.
Founder Terry Vance expressed gratitude to Harley-Davidson for their two-decade partnership, highlighting their joint successes in AFT and NHRA.
Vance & Hines employees were briefed earlier today on the restructuring of the Indy Operations Team, now renamed as Vance & Hines Racing Development Center (RDC), focusing on performance products for various vehicles. Despite the changes, Vance & Hines will maintain its racing involvement in 2021, sponsoring riders across multiple racing series. Additionally, the company will serve as the exclusive distributor for Harley-Davidson XG750R Production Twin motorcycles and Harley-Davidson XG750R Super Twin motorcycles, the latter securing the AFT Production Twins championship in 2020.
While Harley-Davidson will withdraw factory support from NHRA and AFT, they intend to reinforce grassroots flat track racing by offering support to their dealer network through contingency programs. Jon Bekefy, general manager of Brand Marketing, emphasized the brand's commitment to its racing heritage and dealer network.
Harley-Davidson will redirect efforts towards dealer racing programs in 2021, including the development of contingency programs for AFT. They have already pledged support to Latus Motors Harley-Davidson as they compete with their XG750R in the AFT SuperTwins series.
Following these changes, Indian Motorcycle emerges as the sole factory-backed team in American Flat Track SuperTwins competition, with no factory-backed teams remaining in NHRA.