Flat Out Friday – a frenzy of flat-track racing motorcycles taking over Fiserv Forum on Feb. 20 ahead of the Mama Tried showcase – is fueled by an intense love of the sport. “I think it’s racing in its most distilled form,” says organizer Jeremy Prach.
A Milwaukee Public Schools teacher, Prach has always been into motorcycles but got into flat-track racing through his son. When Mama Tried co-founder Scott Johnson brought Prach to the showcase, Prach was surprised and excited by the youthful energy. “I had thought I’ll ask Scott, a longtime friend, if I could put a flat-track race on the same weekend,” he says. Soon, Flat Out Friday became the biggest event of its kind and a cornerstone of Mama Tried.
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The motorcycle bonanza highlights a diverse group of racers, as well as the many contours flat-track racing can take. Fifteen unique classes are geared for bikers from ages 4 up to 85. It’s a rapid-fire lineup, meant to keep the action moving and fit in as many racers as possible.
Prach is more interested in creating a galvanizing, inclusive atmosphere than crowning winners. “There’s a narrative that the fastest person wins and the second is the first loser,” he says. “I want to make the event empowering. … I’m trying to do a diverse palette of people participating so I’m celebrating the sport.”
One staple in the schedule is the costume-compulsory Goofball race, where crowd favorites include a motorized porta-potty and a remote worker on a Zoom call broadcast to the jumbotron. “I’m encouraging folks to put together anything on two wheels, that’ll make the crowd giggle,” Prach says.
To ensure traction and keep all those racers upright, the track is coated in sticky soda syrup. How much? Less than you’d think, Prach says, and he swears by Dr Pepper. Anything else, and riders will know the difference.
It takes a lot of planning and careful logistics to put on the event, including trucking in loads of nonfrozen dirt and using Bobcats to mold the track. “I’ve been a 27-year Milwaukee Public Schools teacher, and I’m renting the Fiserv,” Prach says. “I’m proud of that. It’s very do-it-yourself.” And he strives to keep tickets as cheap as possible, to make sure the niche sport’s most passionate fans can enjoy its biggest spotlight.
