Johnny Lewis debuted the Royal Enfield Twins FT in the Production Twins class at the American Flat Track Williams Grove Half-Mile I in Mechanicsburg, Penn., on Sep. 11. Royal Enfield and Lewis’s Moto Anatomy teamed up to produce the Royal Enfield Twins FT. It was the first time a factory Royal Enfield entered an AMA-sanctioned flat track national in the 119-year history of the marque. Lewis finished in P6 in the racebike’s first appearance.
“We had quite the journey to get to this point,” said Lewis. “We’ve been working consistently over the past six months to develop a competitive package for Royal Enfield. The latest iteration of the race bike was shipped over from India in pieces on Monday, and we’ve been working around the clock to put it together. I’ve really enjoyed the development process of the motorcycle and Royal Enfield, along with the other partners involved, have worked hard to make this happen. The bike performed well, and we’ve got a great foundation to build upon.”
A fully international effort over the last six months, Harris Performance in Herford, England, and S&S Cycle in Viola, Wis., worked with India’s Royal Enfield and Moto Anatomy in Center Hill, Fla., to move the Royal Enfield Twins FT from prototype to the half-mile.
“This has been a team effort across the board,” said Marketing Lead for Royal Enfield Americas Breeann Poland. “Seeing the Royal Enfield Twins FT in a race setting was an impressive accomplishment for everyone that worked nights and weekends, and ultimately lost sleep over the project. We couldn’t have asked for better partners like Johnny, the Royal Enfield team in India and the U.K., Harris Performance, and S&S Cycle to make this happen. There’s still plenty to be done from a development standpoint, and we are realistic with our expectations, but this is a step in the right direction.”
Royal Enfield considers 2020 to be a development year, despite Lewis’s impressive P6 result at Williams Grove Half-Mile I. The following day, Lewis nearly repeated the performance with a P7 finish in the Williams Grove Half-Mile II. Lewis was about a half-second off the winner’s pace in both rounds.
“The team will continue testing and development during the next two weeks leading up to the Dallas Half-Mile events with support from Royal Enfield staff in both the U.S. and U.K.,” according to a Royal Enfield spokesman. “This will provide Lewis and team the opportunity to continue making improvements to engine durability and chassis setup. This weekend was an incredible learning experience, with invaluable data gathered. The Twins FT proved to be a genuine contender right out of the box, and the team ready to do anything to make sure it races.”
