New Delhi: Royal Enfield made its debut in the FIM Flat Track World Championship on May 9th at the opening round in Roden, Netherlands, marking the first time the maker has taken part in the series. The brand brought the Sherpa FT Mk2, which is a purpose-built flat track machine ridden by Gary Birtwistle.
The Sherpa FT Mk2 is based on the brand’s 452cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine, also used in the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 and Guerilla 450. While full specifications are unknown, the race bike is likely to produce more output than the road-going counterparts.
The bike was raced by Birtwistle, who is a two-time British national flat track champion and has three Twin Championship titles to his name. In the opening round at Roden, he finished 20th overall after showing promising pace at the start but retiring during one of the qualifying heats.
With about nine rounds remaining in the expanded 2026 calendar, the team will get multiple chances to develop the Sherpa FT Mk2 and improve on the results.
Armando Castagnna, former Italian international motorcycle speedway rider, noted that the times were very exciting for the FIM Flat Track World Championship, with growing interest from makers, riders and fans. The involvement of such a long-established and big names like Royal Enfield coming to take part in the event.