Class C Dirt Tracker: 1940 Indian Sport Scout

Dan Daughenbaugh’s 1940 Indian Scout Class “C” racer…

After World War II, the American dirt track scene exploded, fueled largely by the rise of AMA Class C racing and a whole new roster of riders fresh out of the military and ready for action. The AMA had created Class C back in 1933 as a production-based format to get more amateur riders into the sport.

The machines had to originate as street-legal models and could be raced with relatively few modifications, following the old “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” principle. The Great Depression ended up killing the more expensive Class A factory specials, and Class C became the dominant championship.

In the years after WWII, Indian and Harley-Davidson rose to dominance and the “Harley-Indian Wars” become more intense than ever. For Indian riders, the weapon of choice was the Sport Scout — a 750cc, hand-shift, three-speed V-twin featuring a two-piece frame, girder forks, and alloy cylinder heads.

In the 1950s, the racers of the “Indian Wrecking Crew” would become legends in their own time, winning on dirt tracks all across the country:

“They were family as much as friends, logging 60,000-mile years crisscrossing the country to race their handshift, hard tail Indians against increasingly more modern Harley-Davidsons and British BSAs and Nortons.” —Motorcycle Classics

One man who’s keeping alive the legacy of the Class C dirt track racers is Dan Daughenbaugh (@goodtimesdanny) of Pennsylvania, a world-class engine builder and racer who works out of a 230 year-old stone barn, which houses a fully-equipped machine shop and Dynojet dynamometer center! Dan competes in land speed racing, where he holds ECTA and LTA world records, and he’s also the #1 plate holder in the AMA District 6 and 7 Vintage expert class.

“I am the caretaker of a large collection of ephemera and photos from the ‘30s to ‘60s of Dirt Track in the North East of America. Many of these racers and their bikes were an influence to me, a few that come to mind are Billy Huber, Clem Murdaugh, Floyd Emdee, Ed Kretz, and Bill Kelly, in fact I run Bill’s old race number, 40A. He was a local legend.”

The bike you see here is a 1940 Scout Class C racer from the Rick Dillinger collection, which Dan built from the smallest parts on up. This is not a display piece, but Dan’s actual race bike, built to compete in the AMA Class C vintage national dirt track series — in which brakeless, hard-tail bikes slide into the corners at speeds approaching 100 mph!

“This series takes place at various tracks throughout the country for national points. The spirit of the series is to emulate the AMA events that took place directly after WWII.”

Just like the Class C racers of lore, Dan has worked to get maximize the power potential of the flathead V-twin — in accordance with class rules, of course:

“Some of my best speed secrets I’ve gleaned at Bonneville are inside the motor. I completely redesigned the combustion chamber and flowbench tested it in my shop. The cams are a special design made for me by a friend in New Mexico and heat treated in the Los Alamos A-Bomb Factory.”

Below, we get the full details on Dan’s Indian Scout dirt tracker, and more gorgeous photos from Raymond C Schwab (@RCS4).

Class C Indian Scout Flat Tracker: Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

My name is Dan Daughenbaugh and I’ve been riding motorcycles my whole life. I’ve raced motorcycles and motorcycle streamliners in dirt track and land speed events throughout the country. My workshop is in a 230 year old stone “Pennsylvania Bank Barn.” It’s a fully equipped machine shop and Dynojet dynamometer center.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?

1940 Indian Scout Class “C” racer from the Rick Dillinger collection.

• Why was this bike built?

I built the bike to compete in the AMA class “C” vintage national dirt track series. This series takes place at various tracks throughout the country for national points. The spirit of the series is to emulate the AMA events that took place directly after WWII. The days of the factory class “A” bikes were over and this allowed the sport to grow exponentially.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

I am the caretaker of a large collection of ephemera and photos from the ‘30s to ‘60s of Dirt Track in the North East of America. Many of these racers and their bikes were an influence to me, a few that come to mind are Billy Huber, Clem Murdaugh, Floyd Emdee, Ed Kretz, and Bill Kelly, in fact I run Bill’s old race number, 40A. He was a local legend.

• What was some of the major work done to the bike?

The bike was built up from the smallest parts so everything was major! Some of my best speed secrets I’ve gleaned at Bonneville are inside the motor. I completely redesigned the combustion chamber and flowbench tested it in my shop. The cams are a special design made for me by a friend in New Mexico and heat treated in the Los Alamos A-Bomb Factory.

• Does the bike have a nickname?

It does not.

• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?

Riding the bike on the track is incredibly smooth. The series we race, your bike has to be brakeless so you need to have 100 percent confidence in your abilities and machine sliding into the corners at near 100 mph. Since the bike is rigid you get so much feedback from the machine and track surface — once you realize you don’t need brakes it’s easy to ride.

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

One of the cooler things that almost no one notices is the Riley Racing Carburetor. Riley made carburetors for sprint and indy cars in the 1930s. They have some unique features in them not common to other carburetors that make them ideal. Pretty high technology for the era and most importantly, legal for the class I ride.

Follow the Builder / Photographer

Instagram: @goodtimesdanny @charlesfranklinsghost
Photos: Raymond C Schwab (@RCS4)