Why do hardcore flat track fans love the Lima (Ohio) Half-Mile so much? One of the reasons is because the Allen County Fairgrounds track is perhaps the most challenging racing surface AMA Grand National riders have to face all season. The track is made up of finely crushed limestone, which makes it both spectacular to watch and treacherous to ride. The biggest challenge is the transition from the straights to pitching it into the turns. Riders fight hard to keep from losing the front end before they’re able to bring things back under semi-control by dialing on the throttle. Seven-time AMA Grand National Champ Chris Carr perhaps put it best when he said that Lima is a “young rider’s track”.

AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson leads a Heat race over Brandon Robinson (No. 44), Jimmy Wood (No. 37), Shawn Baer (No. 32), Adam Carpinello (No. 58), Scott Baker (No. 11) and others at the Lima Half-Mile on June 25, 2011. The track famous for its cushion racing surface. (Larry Lawrence photo)