Danny Mischler topped an all-Harley-Davidson podium in the Harley Hooligans final at X Games Minneapolis. Mischler, riding a modified Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycle backed by Mischler Harley-Davidson of Beaver Dam, Wis., passed for the lead in a tough battle on a tight-and-rough 1/8-mile dirt track laid out on the floor of US Bank Stadium.
“Flat track racing is the original American action sport, and Hooligan racing gets down to the sport’s grass roots,” said Harley-Davidson Marketing Lead Eric Jensen. “The Hooligans put on a great show for both the fans here in the stands and the millions of viewers watching around the world. Our partnership with ESPN allows us to showcase this sport as part of X Games Minneapolis.”
Mischler, whose grandfather William Mischler opened a Harley dealership in Beaver Dam in 1958, grew up racing on local flat tracks in the state. The 34-year-old racer has become a top competitor on the Hooligan scene, building and tuning his own bikes.
Harley Hooligan racing is a grass-roots series for amateur riders aboard “run what you brung” home-built motorcycles. Hooligan racing has minimal rules and usually takes place on short oval courses on a dirt or hard surface.
A series of heat races paired 48 Harley Hooligan qualifiers down to six racers for the 20-lap final, broadcast globally both via ESPN and Facebook Live during the X Games coverage on Sunday. In the final, Benny Carlson took the lead on a modified Harley-Davidson Sportster but let Mischler by on lap six. Mischler stretched his lead to 1.6 seconds at the finish. Jimmy Hill was second on a modified Harley-Davidson Street 750 motorcycle. Carlson finished third.
Veteran flat track star Jake Johnson, racing a Harley-Davidson XR750 motorcycle, won the bronze medal in the Harley-Davidson Pro Flat Track race on Sunday. Johnson was one of 24 top pro flat track racers invited to compete in the ESPN X Games event. The field also included Harley-Davidson® Factory Flat Track Racing Team riders Sammy Halbert, Jared Vanderkooi and Ferran Cardus, and Harley-mounted racers Cory Texter, Johnny Lewis, Robert Pearson, Jake Shoemaker, Larry Pegram, and Kolby Carlile.
