American Flat Track Rider Bio

Bryan Smith

Rider Bio Show Hide

2016 Grand National Champion Bryan Smith is widely recognized as one of the preeminent Mile magicians in dirt track’s illustrious history. He enters the 2020 season with 25 career Mile wins to his name, equal for third all-time with Bubba Shobert, and just five short of eclipsing Chris Carr for second. Smith is perhaps the best strategist and tactician in the paddock and, as a result, is consistently able to outthink, outfox, and outmaneuver his opponents in drafting wars. That proven track record and well-earned reputation also grants him a mental edge he can work to his advantage in late-race duels. Besides his Mile mastery, Smith also boasts several career Half-Mile wins and can hold his own on TTs and STs even if neither are his strong suit. Among the Michigan native’s many achievements beyond the aforementioned ‘16 GNC are a pair of GNC1 Twins titles (2012 and 2013), the 2015 X Games gold medal, and a run of seven straight victories at the Sacramento Mile from 2011 to 2017. Smith has worked in tandem with crew chief Ricky Howerton for several seasons. The two first set the dirt track world on fire together with Kawasaki-powered dirt trackers from ‘12-16, then claimed seven combined wins on factory Indian Motorcycle equipment in ‘17 and ‘18. 2019 proved a more difficult season as the pairing attempted to take down the Indian juggernaut with a resurrected Crosley-Howerton Kawasaki effort. Despite coming up well short of that goal, they still managed to challenge for wins and concluded the season on a high note in the form of two consecutive runner-up finishes. Smith and Howerton are now committed to transforming the XG750R into a race winner and title contender as they join forces with Vance & Hines and the factory Harley-Davidson team for 2020. Smith is a brash, old-school racer. The “Mile Master” first cut his teeth racing BMX bikes at six before moving on to ice racing and dirt track a year later, putting him on an early path for eventual superstardom.

Career Highlights Show Hide

Early Career Began racing BMX at age six, then moved to Flat Track and Ice Racing at age seven.
2017
After coming short of the title in 2017, Bryan Smith is motivated more than ever to take that number-one plate back aboard the Indian Scout FTR750. He also looks to continue his climb in the record books. With four wins in 2017, “Mile Master” currently sits ninth on the all-time win list and fifth in Mile wins. Smith rode for the factory squad - Indian Motorcycle Racing backed by Allstate.
2017 Bryan Smith started strong in 2017, with seven podiums in the first eight races and four wins. He struggled a bit in the latter part of the season but was still consistent enough to finish second in the AFT Twins championship to eventual winner Jared Mees. Overall, Smith posted 9 podiums and 15 top-ten finishes on the Indian Scout FTR750.
2016
Smith took home his first Grand National Championship with eight podiums including four wins (Arizona Mile, Sacramento Mile, Springfield Mile, Black Hills Half-Mile). Raced for Crosley/Howerton Motorsports Kawasaki.
2015
Top contender and fan adored, Smith earned second in the GNC1 class behind rival Jared Mees, despite an impressive five victories. Raced for Crosley Brands/Howerton Motorsports/Kawasaki.
2014 Smith looked to have the GNC1 championship in his grasp until a smoking bike led to a black flag at Calistoga. Smith didn’t bring the bike into the pits and was later disqualified, forfeiting the points from a second place showing and putting himself just too far behind eventual champion Jared Mees. Smith’s remarkable season inclused a series-best five victories, including Kawasaki’s first ever Half-Mile win. Outside of the disqualification, Smith was in the top 10 in every race except for the opener at Daytona.
2013 Smith excelled on mile-long courses, winning two races on his way to earning the coveted GNC Expert Twins Championship.
2012
Two wins and 12 top 10 finishes helped Smith win the GNC Expert Twins Championship. Finished fourth in the overall standings and locked in 11 Top 5s. His two wins came at the Cal Expo and the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Both victories came on mile-long tracks.
2011 Smith won the California Expo Fair GNC Twins event. He also earned two Top10s and six Top5s. Raced with Fasthog.com Harley-Davidson/Honda.
2010 Smith had an impressive season winning the Indianapolis Mile in front of the MotoGP crowd onboard his Ninja 650 Kawasaki, and following it up with a win at the Springfield Mile Sept. 5th. Raced with Monster Energy/Kawasaki/Werner-Springsteen Racing team.
2009 Smith won the AMA Pro Grand National Twins race at Lima, podiumed twice at Indianapolis and Grove City, and had a total of six Top5 finishes. Raced with Moroneys Screamin Eagle Harley-Davidson race team.
2008
Finished 2nd in twins points, with one win at the Beulah Mile in Ohio. Also earned one podium in the singles at the Daytona Short Track.
2007 Finsihed third in the twins points, had one win in the single division at the Castle Rock ST.
2006
Won two GNC events - the opening round at the Daytona Short Track and the fall Springfield Mile, finishing the year third in the twins points.
2005 Joined the Moroney's H-D team and earned a few podiums.

Career Stats Show Hide

Year	Cls	Stnd	Pts	St	Wins	Best Fin	Worst Fin	Avg Fin	Poles	Best Qual	Worst Qual	Avg Qual	Laps Led
Note: Scroll to view full information.
2019	AFT Twins	13	140	12	0	2	17	7.9	1	1	15	7.7	1
2018	AFT Twins	5	191	11	3	1	10	4.1	2	1	12	4.0	25
2017	AFT Twins	2	298	18	4	1	15	4.6	3	1	9	4.0	53
2016	GNC	1	240	14	4	1	14	4.2	0			0.0
2016	GNC1	1	210	11	4	1	10	2.9	6	1	8	2.4	106
2016	GNC1	7	30	3	0	5	14	9.0	0	8	19	13.7
2016	XGames	11	0	1	0	11	11	11.0	0	3	3	3.0
2015	FTSuper	7	7	0	0			0.0	0			0.0
2015	GNC1	21	11	2	0	11	16	13.5	0	7	19	13.0
2015	GNC1	1	170	9	5	1	14	3.9	3	1	10	4.6	81
2014	GNS	10	34	3	0	7	10	8.3	0	6	13	10.0
2014	GNT	1	242	10	5	1	7	2.1	3	1	9	3.3	131
2013	GNS	8	41	4	0	3	17	9.0	0	4	18	10.3
2013	GNT	1	161	9	2	1	99	14.9	4	1	13	4.4	74
2012	GNS	10	48	6	0	6	17	11.0	0	5	17	11.5
2012	GNT	1	180	10	2	1	14	4.8	0	2	14	5.1	83
2011	GNS	19	28	5	0	8	19	13.6	0	4	18	9.8
2011	GNT	5	161	11	1	1	17	6.6	2	1	8	4.0	14
2010	GNS	8	52	5	0	5	14	8.8	0	3	16	10.2
2010	GNT	7	138	10	2	1	17	7.3	1	1	17	8.6	34
2009	GNS	18	17	3	0	9	19	13.7	0	7	8	7.5
2009	GNT	4	119	9	1	1	19	6.8	3	1	19	4.8	28
2008	GNT	3	16	1	0	3	3	3.0	4	1	16	5.3	53
2007	GNS	9	63	4	1	1	9	4.5	0	2	17	8.5	25
2007	GNT	3	147	11	0	2	13	6.0	1	1	14	6.2	19
2006	GNS	10	62	6	1	1	16	9.5	0	2	18	6.9	15
2006	GNT	3	127	11	1	1	18	6.9	1	1	9	5.5	17
2005	GNC	5	157	14	0	2	14	7.9	2	1	16	8.7	11
2004	GNC	11	95	11	0	2	16	10.5	0	3	17	10.9	4
2003	GNC	17	49	6	0	5	17	10.8	0	13	18	15.8