Ever since Royal Enfield introduced the Sherpa platform, the company has launched two vehicles based on its new 452cc liquid-cooled engine – the Himalayan 450 and the Guerrilla 450. Multiple styles of motorcycles are planned on this platform as well. These could include the Continental GT-R 450, Scram 450 or more.
Based on this Sherpa 450 platform, Royal Enfield is now back into racing as the company enters the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship with an all-new purpose-built motorcycle. It is called Royal Enfield Sherpa FT MK2 and it has been launched recently. Let’s take a closer look at this flat track racing motorcycle.
Royal Enfield Sherpa FT MK2 Debut
Earlier this month, Royal Enfield announced that they will race in the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship. It is a nine-part racing series and the season finale will take place in Argentina in late October 2026. The championship was scheduled to begin on May 9, 2026 in Roden, Netherlands.
For this, Royal Enfield has created a purpose-built racing machine which they are calling the Sherpa FT MK2. It is a derivative of the Guerrilla 450 and is positioned on the same Sherpa 450 platform. For the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship, the Royal Enfield Sherpa FT MK2 will be driven by Gary Birtwistle.
He is a two-time British Flat Track Champion and founded the Dirt Craft Race School. The predecessor of this machine, called the Royal Enfield FT450 (or MK1), had the Guerrilla 450’s stock fuel tank with wire spoke wheels. In comparison, the MK2 has alloy wheels and then the fuel tank has been redesigned and more purpose-built this time.
There is a new design for the paintwork on the MK2 and then we can see a new exhaust. At the heart of this machine, is the same 452cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine as the Guerrilla 450 and Himalayan 450, but it is likely to be re-tuned to extract more power and torque and match the features of this new exhaust.
Will it go into production?
Weight saving measures on the Royal Enfield Sherpa FT MK2 include a smaller fuel tank that can hold less fuel, removal of the headlight and front assembly, removal of ABS equipment and the entire front disc brake assembly, less body work and more. The bike looks like it has a carbon fiber swingarm and bodywork. The side number plates along with the large number plate at the front are typical of the flat tracker style.
Royal Enfield is working on a scrambler version of the Guerrilla 450 based on the same Sherpa 450 platform. Its name could be Scram 450. Internally codenamed K2K, this upcoming Scrambler version is expected to launch sometime in 2027. Royal Enfield may consider developing a production-spec version of the Sherpa FT Mk2, which is also based on the Guerrilla 450, to rival the Triumph Tracker 400.
