In its return to professional flat track racing after more than 6 decades away from the sport, Indian Motorcycle Racing swept the 2017 American Flat Track Championship. It won 14 races of the season aboard the brand-new Scout FTR750 premier race bike, and this has hurt Harley Davidson of its dominance in the race until now.

Folks at the Milwaukee firm seems to be disappointed by this humiliating defeat by the Springfields and have come up with a contingency program to lift themselves up for the 2018 season. Making sure it doesn't repeat again, Harley Davidson is reportedly spending $562,500 for the 2018 American Flat Track race schedule.

With the Indian dominating the championship, Harley will be looking at reviving this lost cause with their brand-new XG750R American Flat Track race bike that was announced earlier this year. This is their first new development with their flat track machines in more than four decades.

Compared to the half a million contingency program money, Indian are spending just $350,000. There might be just another reason why Harley intends to spend so much.

Based on the FTR750 flat-track racer, Indian showcased the Scout FTR1200 Custom at the 2017 EICMA and is believed to also come with a production version of the same. Maybe Harley wants to also develop a production Street Tracker in the future and try to attract the young millennial bikers.

Although the FTR1200 Custom is nowhere close to being officially a production model but wraps its carbon-fiber body around the modern Scout engine and the FTR racebike’s frame. That is a tease well played by Indian.

Harley-Davidsons, in fact, was one of the first American manufacturers who tried paying homage to its famous XR750 Track race bike by giving us the XR1000 and the XR1200. But sales didn’t add up good numbers for them, and they were soon discontinued.

Harley's brand-new XG750R American Flat Track race bike is the race version of their Street 750 and Street Rod machines.