Slammin’ Sammy Halbert ranks as among the most decorated motorcycle dirt track racers of the past two decades, even if his accomplishments have tended to be slightly less than conventional by modern-day Progressive American Flat Track-centric metrics.

Whereas it's easy to rate his contemporary, Jared Mees, by his stack of ten Grand National Championships, a fair and accurate assessment of Halbert requires a bit more nuance.

May we present his status as a Grand National Champion as Exhibit A. Halbert took the overall points title in 2009 – a season in which that went unrecognized officially in favor of separate GNCs for Twins and Singles. And then he won the GNC Singles crown in 2011, after the series reverted to crowing a single overall Grand National Champion.

As a result, Halbert’s relationship with the sport’s ultimate honor is difficult to define precisely. Yet had he simply reversed the order in which he earned them, he’d officially be considered a two-time Grand National Champion, no disclaimers needed.

Added to those convoluted-yet-worthy distinctions are other prestigious-if-adjacent dirt track achievements, such as the 2017 X Games Flat Track Gold Medal and multiple AMA Hot Shoe national titles.

And earlier this month, Halbert added yet another breathless paragraph to his eventual AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame biography by becoming the first American rider to win the FIM Flat Track World Championship.

The honor came three years and three days after Sammy was effectively retired from full-time Progressive AFT championship contention as a result of the horrific and borderline stratospheric fall he suffered during the ‘21 season finale at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Following his recovery from the resultant broken arm and leg, Halbert chose to limit his participation to Short Tracks and TTs while avoiding the high-speed Half-Miles and Miles. Serendipitously, that decision and the more open schedule it produced, made Sammy’s entrance to the world stage a possibility.

As an American master of this definitively American form of motorsports, Halbert was both a dream free agent and ultimate measuring stick for the global series – which was first introduced as the FIM Flat Track Cup in 2011 and graduated to full FIM World Championship status in 2020 – as it sought to both increase its profile and cement its legitimacy.

Halbert said, “(NJK Leathers President) Kelcey Gordon and (four-time FIM World Speedway champion) Greg Hancock reached out to me before the 2023 season. Greg was working with the FIM as they’re trying to help grow this FIM Flat Track series. They asked me if I'd be interested in coming over.

“It kind of worked out well, considering I wasn’t racing full time in the States anymore. And I thought it would be cool to take on a new challenge, get in a bit of traveling, and experience some other cultures.”

Photo: FIM Flat Track World Championship

What also worked out was that the hurdles preventing Sammy from competing full-time in the States these days were not an issue in a series that features 450cc singles not dissimilar from those found in the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles class competing on purpose-built quarter-mile speedway circuits.

“I basically quit doing the Half Mile and Mile tracks, trying to keep it under 69 miles an hour, and their tracks are right around that. They need to keep the tracks nice and smooth and well prepped for the speedway bikes, and they're super fun to ride. You can just hammer down. There's a lot of throttle and it gets sideways. It's a little bit of a mix between American Flat Track and speedway. So it suits my style quite well because I like to be sideways.”

Willing to give it a go, Halbert was linked up with Fabrizio Vesprini, one of the series early stars, who now fields multiple riders in his powerhouse VFR team aboard GASGAS equipment, and set loose in the world championship for the 2023 season.

In his debut season, Halbert finished the year ranked seventh with two podiums, including a victory in the season finale. That result proved a harbinger of what was to come, as the Graham, Washington, native racked up seven podiums in seven attempts in 2024 – two wins, three seconds, and a third – to defeat the series’ defending champion, Czech rider Ervin Krajčovič, for the crown.

Halbert said, “It was definitely a big relief to win it this year because it's a long ways to go over there and to make the commitment to go do it. And then with not getting it done last year, I felt like I needed to check that one off, so I didn't regret it later. Going over (as an established American star) you're kind of expected to win. So it's cool to go in with that expectation and still get it done.

“It was definitely cool to go over there and show the American flat track style – definitely showing the Slammin’ Sammy way with my style of riding.”

Whatever the expectations were, Halbert is quick to admit he found himself seriously tested by the international competitors.

“The level increased again from last year – the guys are really tough on these speedway-style tracks. I was able to compete at the top level in the States and fight for wins this year, and then go fight for wins over there – but not win everything – which shows that the level there is actually really, really high.

“It ended up being a real challenge, so it means a lot. I’m stoked to have done it, and I loved having all the experiences from the journey.”

Becoming the first American to win the FIM Flat Track World Championship was not the only chapter Halbert penned in the sport’s history books this season. He also authored a worthy conclusion to the epic tale of the Harley-Davidson XR750 as it officially exited the sport more than five decades after winning the first of its 37 Grand National Championships and 502 premier-class victories.

While Halbert narrowly missed out on upping that number of 503, he demonstrated its continued potency to the end, notching up a pair of podiums and three Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge wins aboard the iconic machine.

While Sammy’s speed, aggressiveness, and experience helped send the bike off in style, he credits the XR750 with providing him renewed relevance in Progressive AFT action as well.

“The XR actually gave me a bit of a boost this year,” he said. “I went part time in American Flat Track starting in 2022, and I had yet to finish inside the top five since doing so. So to come out at Daytona – first race of the season – and be back fighting for wins, and then grabbing some dash wins and a couple podiums along the way – that was a nice little resurgence for my career. And to do it on the XR – the bike I had most of my success on – was pretty fitting for me for where I’m at in my career.

“Honestly, it’s been a really rad year.”

And what might Halbert do for an encore in 2025? That remains to be determined.

“I’m working on next year now. For sure I'm going to do select events in the States – Daytona and some other American Flat Track races.

“I think there's a chance I take a year off from chasing the World Championship, but a little bit of that depends on how things fall into place with support. If I don't go to Europe as much next year, I may just do like one wild card there… and maybe do a couple MotoAmerica races and throw in some other random events along the way.

“Whatever it takes to keep it fun.”