In January, Roadracing World Editor-in-Chief John Ulrich penned an editorial where he outlined his desire to create a three-event road racing series that would take place between the six-week time period of AMA Pro Road Racing’s first and second rounds.
This “triple crown” event would be help bolster the current five — hopefully to be announced six — events on the AMA Pro Road Racing calendar, which in-turn would help AMA Pro Racing teams and riders meet their obligations with their sponsors.
Ulrich also hoped in his article that some sort of tape-delayed TV package could be put together for the three events as well, another item desperately needed by AMA stakeholders, yet seemingly elusive for DMG officials to put together.
Several sources have now confirmed to Asphalt & Rubber that the triple crown series is a go, with Sonoma Raceway, Auto Club Speedway at Fontana, and Miller Motorsports Park to host the three rounds on its schedule.
Ulrich’s event will piggyback off the amateur racing schedules at those race tracks, making the triple crown event a proper Pro-Am outing of motorcycling’s best professional and amateur racers.
Expected to run two classes of motorcycle: Superbike and SportBike, in addition to the normal amateur race schedule, the triple crown events will essentially use the AMA Pro Racing rulebook in order to keep things simple for professional teams and riders who wish to compete.
With subtle differences between amateur and professional rules though, we imagine non-AMA riders wishing to enter will have to overcome some hurdles in their machine setup in order to be on the starting line come race day (AMA Pro Racing uses a spec Dunlop tire, for instance), but still it is a positive move for some talented AFM, WERA, etc stars to be seen under a national spotlight.
For fans, this means three races in the Western United States, something the AMA Pro Road Racing calendar is suspiciously devoid of, even though California boasts the highest motorcycle ownership volume in the USA by a sizable margin.
For professional riders, the triple crown could be a huge boon, as everyone involved in American road racing is watching the national series slowly give its death rattle.
If that trend continues, Ulrich’s triple crown event could even serve to be a lifeboat for teams and riders, as we are sure the possibility of expanding the series in the future is something already being considered by the Roadracing World editor.
With the DMG almost universally blamed for the fall of AMA Pro Road Racing, and with Ulrich already a paternal figure in that paddock, this year’s triple crown series could prove to be more than just a well-timed, and much needed, opportunity for teams and riders, but also a pivotal point for American road racing as a whole.
That is all a bit of hyperbole for now, but we expect full details and press release to be forthcoming shortly. More information as we get it.
Source: Bothan Spies
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