Flat Track Racing 1949 Indian Arrow Motorcycles with Essex Technical Director Mike O'Neil

Many of us at Essex are lifelong gearheads, and our enthusiasm isn't limited to four-wheeled machinery. To say that our Technical Director Mike O'Neil is passionate about motorcycles is a bit of an understatement. He's been heavily involved in the flat-track racing and vintage bike communities for decades, not just on the technical side but as an outstanding competitive rider himself. Mike has been known to take all seven (yes, you read that right...) of his 1949 Indian Arrows out to Coleridge Speedway, where he and six other riders put them through their paces on the dirt track.

In addition to Mike, this particular grid included two former professional flat track riders, along with two former pro road racers. Fun fact: while not original, the tires being run on these bikes are actually older than two of the riders! Here's some video footage from one of the races. That's Mike on the #6 machine with the holeshot at the start!