Triumph Motorcycles has made history on the closing Sunday of the Sturgis Rally when veteran flat track racer “Slammin’ Sammy” Halbert won the inaugural American Flat Track AdventureTrackers race during the class debut at the Sturgis TT run through the middle of town. Fittingly, the very first Sturgis Rally was actually a race held on August 14, 1938, with 9 competitors. Fast forward to August 11th, 2024, where 9 racers once again lineup on the starting grid of a new race. Hot on Halbert’s heels was the five-time World Enduro Champion, Iván Cervantes, cementing Triumph’s moment in history.
“Sammy and Ivan’s results on the track are a true reflection of their talent,” says Triumph Motorcycle America Marketing Director Adam VanderVeen. “The AFT AdventureTrackers race has proven to be a fantastic platform to showcase the capability and versatility of modern adventure bikes. In the spirit of the race, Triumph made a point to leave the bikes as stock as possible. Seeing Sammy and Iván on the podium is a proud moment for Triumph, and it validates the performance and potential of our Tiger 1200 motorcycles.”
“I’m stoked to take the win in the first ever Sturgis TT AFT AdventureTrackers race,” said Halbert who parked the vernable Dodge Bros. XR 750 he started the season on in order to see if he could hold that Tiger! “The Triumph Tiger 1200 was surprisingly easy to ride –especially in the dirt sections. No matter how hard I pushed it, the bike handled flawlessly. I’m proud to bring home this victory for the team at Triumph.”
“I was trying my best to learn the track and the bike during the practice sessions and worked to get better each lap while learning the other riders,” claimed Cervantes, a 5-time World Enduro Champion and Guinness World Record holder for the greatest distance on a motorcycle in 24 hours, “It seemed that all the racers were very fast on the asphalt, and I believed my best option was to take advantage of the dirt section. After a bad start, I made a quick pass on turn two and held on to the end of the race. I want to thank Triumph and the amazing team very much for the confidence in me and for the invitation to participate in the AFT AdventureTrackers Race.”
Rounding out the Triumph line-up was Triumph dealer and race team manager Rob McClendon; current Super Hooligan National Championship racer Kole King, and two stunt performers, Ernie Vigil and Nick Brocha.
The new class made its much anticipated debut at Round 13 of the Progressive American Flat Track Championship season, as the Sturgis TT was held for the first time ever in the streets of downtown Sturgis. VanderVeen adds, “The AdventureTrackers race showcased the incredible versatility of the Tiger 1200 GT Pro in near stock trim, as riders navigated a challenging TT course, blending road and dirt elements.”
2024 AFT AdventureTrackers Race Results
• 1st Place: Sammy Halbert – (Triumph)
• 2nd Place: Iván “TORITO” Cervantes – (Triumph)
• 3rd Place: Danny Eslick – (Harley-Davidson)
• 4th Place: Rob McLendon – (Triumph)
• 5th Place: Kole King – (Triumph)
• 6th Place: Frankie Garcia – (Harley-Davidson)
• 7th Place: Dan Bromley – (Honda)
• 8th Place: Ernie Vigil – (Triumph)
• 9th Place: Nick “Apex” Brocha – (Triumph)
