Royal Enfield’s first year of competitive Flat Track racing on European Soil came to a perfect finish, achieving a clean sweep of the season wins in the “Twins Class” category – with teammates Gary Birtwistle and Paul Young combining to claim the chequered flag at all 5 rounds of racing, and securing both 1st and 2nd places in the Championship.
The fifth and final round of the 2021 DRTA season, culminated in a unique TT circuit at Greenfield Dirt Track, Lincolnshire. With an additional right-hand turn and a jump incorporated into the track, it was all to play for going into the season-ending weekend.
With Royal Enfield’s principal rider, Gary Birtwistle, having his season cut short with a broken scaphoid bone in his wrist (after having won all of the first 3 races), it all came down to teammate Paul Young to secure the Championship Crown for the Royal Enfield Team.
With years of GP2 racing experience under his belt, but relatively new to flat track, Paul flew through the qualifying heats and found himself at the front of the grid heading into the final. While being pushed hard all the way to the final lap, the chequered flag and the 2021 championship crown looked destined to be only taken by Paul and Royal Enfield.
The result marked Royal Enfield’s first “factory” European championship win since the legendary Johnny Brittain won the ACU Star – the National Trials Championship – all the way back in 1956. After a winning hiatus of 65 years, this marks an exciting new milestone for the brand as Royal Enfield further develops their footing in the world of competitive racing.
