Progressive AFT - News - X Games Harley-Davidson Flat Track Athlete Spotlight

X Games Harley-Davidson Flat Track Athlete Spotlight - Michael Kirkness

June 2, 2015

Note: AMA Pro Racing will be highlighting all 24 of the athletes racing in X Games Harley-Davidson Flat Track, which will take place Thursday, June 4 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and be shown live on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. PT.

Mick Kirkness will be the only Australian in the field for X Games Harley-Davidson Flat Track, and he’s one of just two international riders in the field.

Kirkness has raced sparingly with AMA Pro Flat Track over the last few seasons. Between 2009 and 2010, however, he raced in a total of 20 main events, so he’s proven he can race with the best flat trackers in the world.

In 2013, Kirkness won the Troy Bayliss Classic, a flat track exhibition race hosted by his fellow countryman, Troy Bayliss. That event attracts some of the best talent in the world from all forms of motorcycle racing. This past year, it was current Grand National Champion Jared Mees who won the Troy Bayliss Classic.

Past success for Kirkness has come on all kind of tracks. Although his top performances have come on TTs, he’s a seasoned Mile rider as well, so he shouldn’t have any trouble adjusting to the brand new 3/8-mile oval built at Circuit of the Americas for the X Games.

Name: Michael Kirkness

Home: Wauchope, New South Wales, Australia

Age: 29

Ride: No. 87 Goodwin Racing Harley-Davidson XR-750

In their words: "I can't wait to get there and have a ride. I am riding a sweet XR750 of Garry Goodwin's that's been built by one of the best in the business. I think it can do wonders for the sport so long as we have a good racy track and it all runs as it should."