American Flat Track Riders: Trackers

Francis Wallis has always had a passion for motorcycle culture, that strange bond that occurs between man and machine and the freedom it represents to them. For this film, 'Trackers', he wanted to delve into that primal emotional response that comes from speed, how it transcends age, a common bond shared by all bike enthusiasts from your amateur grease monkey right up to the cutting edge and high precision of the professional racer. There’s a risk and adrenaline that Francis has always been drawn towards and wanted to explore in this short passion piece. Off the back of shooting a video out in Los Angeles, Francis took the opportunity to make the best of his three days off and got in touch with Perris raceway track with the intention of documenting one of their riders. He was pointed in the direction of an old timer ex pro called Jeff Johnson. On meeting him he realised that Jeff represented everything he was looking for, someone who would never let go of the thrill of the ride, an addiction to the speed even as life hurtled towards his latter years. Jeff brought with him a young contemporary and current pro Nick Armstrong and Francis was able to spend a memorable evening capturing the two as they raced around the track. The finishing touch of the voiceover works really well with a nod to the Americana, using a poetic interpretation that brings out an authentic feel in the film.