The Royal Enfield Slide School

Gary Birtwistle is a multiple Flat Track champion. He is the 2018, 2019 and 2020 UK Hooligan series champion, the 2019 European Hooligan series champion, and in 2022 and 2023, Gary won both the Pro Class DTRA British championship, and Twin class DTRA British championship. Not a bad resume. 

Gary rides for Royal Enfield these days and is fighting as hard as ever. 

As well as being a multiple championship-winning, professional Flat Track rider, he runs Dirt Craft.

In 2021 Gary set up Dirt Craft: A Flat Track school, running a range of training programmes, from riders with their own bikes who are competing in Flat Track, or would like to start competing, to absolute beginners looking to start off on the right track, with good riding position and technique, right up to seasoned racers trying to find a little extra race pace. They offer mixed ability group sessions, private hire group classes and even one-to-one tuition.

Life isn’t always straightforward, and we all have our own challenges. These days, I’m trying to take advantage of opportunities and trying to spend a bit more time living for today. As Gary once said in an interview with Dirt Hub, his philosophy on life is; “to live for the present as much as possible. I think we’re tricked into banking on tomorrow to the point that people forget to just enjoy today”.

I recently received an invitation to attend one of Gary’s Dirt Craft schools and jumped at the chance. I live and breathe motorbikes, it’s not a hobby, it’s a way of life and I have so much more to do on two wheels, things I haven’t tried. Flat Track was certainly one of them. 

The Dirt Craft programme we were going to be participating in was the Royal Enfield Slide School. This is an intro to flat track experience, 1-day course. 

“This program is designed to provide you with the knowledge that takes riders a lifetime to figure out on their own, the slide is an art, and once experienced, it’s hard to get away from the feeling”

The main points of the programme are:

• The basic concepts of flat track technique
• Riding style and body position
• The racing line
• Corner entry (backing the bike into the turn)
• Corner exit (drifting out of the turn)
• Throttle control
• Racing tips (track craft, passing, strategy)
•  

Arriving at the track, it was like driving onto hallowed ground. You can feel the history and almost hear the bikes and crowds who have endured the highs and lows of the gladiatorial battles between fierce rivals that have taken place over the track's life.

The Iwade Speedway Track has been around for over 50 years. 

Originally constructed as a training track, it has died and been born-again several times over its 54 year history, as teams folded and were reborn, and battles with the council over planning permission waged on for years.

Now home to the Kent Royals and the Kent Eagles, it’s one of the venues for the Royal Enfield Slide School.

The Royal Enfield Slide School uses a fleet of Royal Enfield FT450’s, a flat track special based on the new Guerrilla 450. 

The Guerrilla 450 has received a few choice upgrades and mods to enable it to become the FT450 flat track warrior it is. There’s a full exhaust system, a purpose-built flat track body kit which allows the rider to move on the bike, and to set the bike's stance for the dirt oval.

The FT450 also features 18-inch rims front and back, laced to custom hubs with Reise tourR 110/90-18 flat track tyres, and custom-made handlebars, enhancing leverage during slides. The headlight, indicators and dash have all been removed, and there’s a custom graphics set, embodying the spirit of Slide School. Oh, and there’s no front brake! That takes some getting used to, but you don’t want to panic and grab a handful of front brake mid-corner now, do you?

The rest of the bike is stock: engine, gearbox and suspension. The chassis setup is slightly firmer than standard, but you need compliance to allow the bike to move around and absorb the undulations on track. Too stiff, and you would lose traction. 

I haven’t ridden the standard Guerrilla yet, but this FT450 evolution is great fun, so I’m looking forward to seeing what the road bike is like. 

Flat Track is a low-grip sport. For us beginners, the 39.5 bhp of the standard 450 engine was more than enough. Most of us probably didn’t use more than half throttle. 

The DTRA even has a Slide School race class for anyone who wants to try riding in the heat of battle, using the FT450s. It shows how capable the bike is.

Our event was at Iwade speedway track, a 251-metre dirt oval. Well, it’s actually concrete with dirt on top. However, in the baking, near 30° heat, it was bone dry and like riding on ice. The track team were watering the track, but 10 minutes after they had watered it, the scorching sun had dried up any sign of moisture.

Flat Track races are held across the UK at a variety of venues. Surfaces vary from higher-grip fields to the very low-grip dirt-covered concrete at Iwade. This is one of the features that sets championship winners like Gary apart from the rest; you have to be an expert at all surfaces.

Our day was fantastic. It started with an introduction to the kit, the bikes and the technique, and session by session, Gary introduced new skills and let us practice, slowly building confidence. 

When you see Gary in action, flat track looks like the easiest thing in the world. Unfortunately, it isn’t.

He makes the bike dance, in total control, yet out of control at the same time. 

Body position, weight transfer, bike position, foot out, sliding, braking, accelerating, with enough throttle to break the rear loose but trying not to lose the front completely. There’s a lot to remember.

It’s exhilarating, frustrating, and exhausting, but exciting and rewarding. 

Our day was hot and dry, which meant the track was very low-grip. I would love to try this again at another venue, on another surface, to see what it felt like. 

When the track had been watered, the grip level was different. More grip at the front, harder to get the rear to let go, then 10 minutes in the baking sun, and the track was dry with no grip. 

The day was just amazing. Gary was patient and inspiring, the bikes were faultless and great fun.

If nothing else, learning to ride a bike on a low-grip surface has to help your confidence on the road. 

I highly recommend trying this for yourself, careful though, it’s just a little bit addictive.