AMA Supermoto Championship

AMA Supermoto Championship
Category Motorcycle sport
Motorcycle racing
Country United States
Inaugural season 2003
Folded 2009
Classes Supermoto / Supermoto Premier, Supermoto Lites, Supermoto Unlimited, Honda Red Riders Junior Supermoto
Constructors Honda · Kawasaki · KTM · Suzuki · Yamaha  Husqvarna Motorcycles
Last Constructors' champion Austria KTM
Official website www.amaproracing.com

The AMA Supermoto Championship was an AMA Pro Racing-sanctioned Supermoto motorcycle racing series that ran from 2003 through 2009.[1] AMA Pro Racing was a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Motorcyclist Association. An amateur national championship, known as AMA Supermoto and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association as AMA Sports,[2] was launched in 2013 with USA Supermoto as the new promoter.[3]

Classes

Main classes consisted of Supermoto (also later known as Supermoto Premier) for 400-450cc, four-stroke, single-cylinder motorcycles, and Supermoto Unlimited, open to two-stroke, single-cylinder motorcycles 490cc and greater, four-stroke, single-cylinder motorcycles.[4] Support classes included the Honda Junior Supermoto Challenge with riders on identically prepared Honda CRF150Fs,[5][6] and, beginning in 2005, Supermoto Lites for 200-250cc, four-stroke, single-cylinder motorcycles.[7]

Course design

Racecourses were designed with approximately 80% pavement and 20% dirt, with jumps, whoop sections, and a flat-track-style turn. Courses were between .6 and 1.1 miles in length.[8] Tabletop and Kicker "Urbancross" jumps were designed, fabricated, and then built on-site by ASD (a subsidiary of All-Access Staging and Productions) and these added an extra Motocross dimension to the paved portion of racecourses.[9]

Venues

Unique to the AMA Supermoto championship were the use of temporary race venues in addition to traditional, purpose-built courses. Temporary venues such as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (unused portion of the racetrack and a parking lot), Reno (public streets), Columbus (public streets and parking lots) Dallas (Reunion Arena parking lot), Las Vegas (Rio Hotel parking lot and Bally's Casino[10] parking lot), Copper Mountain (parking lot) were converted into racecourses complete with dirt sections and Urbancross ramps. Kart tracks (Miller Motorsports Park, Road America, USA International Raceway[11] ) were also used as the tight, winding circuits lend themselves nicely to the agility of Supermoto motorcycles. Dedicated racecourses (oval automobile courses with infield road courses) were also used. Examples include South Boston Speedway, Irwindale Speedway, and Music City Motorplex.

2003 Championship Format

The 2003 Red Bull AMA Supermoto Championship (6 rounds) was structured in a winner-take-all format in order to attract riders from other motorcycle racing disciplines who may not have otherwise been able to compete in the new series. The first five rounds were used as qualifying rounds for the final round, the Red Bull Supermoto-A-Go-Go held at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Riders and teams were able to participate in the final championship event based on points earned in earlier rounds. Seventy-four riders qualified for the Championship finale.[12] The unique championship format was successful in attracting racers who were competing in other series. Examples include Ben Bostrom, Eric Bostrom, and Jake Zemke (AMA Superbike), Chris Carr, Joe Kopp, Jay Shelton and Roger Lee Hayden (AMA Flat Track), and Grant Langston (AMA Motocross). In addition, many riders who had retired from competition in other disciplines participated in the 2003 series. Among them were AMA Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath, AMA Flat Track and Superbike racer Larry Pegram, AMA Superbike Champion and Grand Prix racer Doug Chandler, ACU British National Motocross Champion Kurt Nicoll, Grand Prix Champion Kevin Schwantz, AMA Motocross Champions Micky Dymond and Chuck Sun, AMA Superbike racer Mike Smith, FMM Champion Omar Isaak, and French Ice Racing Champion David Baffeleuf.

2004–2009

In 2004 and subsequent years, the Supermoto Championship was a traditional cumulative points championship with points from each round contributing to the championship.[13]

Television

The series was broadcast tape-delayed on the Outdoor Life Network from 2003 through 2005, with the 2003 Red Bull Supermoto-A-Go-Go televised live on November 21, 2003.[14]

AMA Supermoto champions

YearSupermotoSupermoto UnlimitedSupermoto LitesJunior Supermoto
2003 1) United States Ben Bostrom (Honda)
2) United States Doug Henry (Yamaha)
3) Scotland Jeff Ward (Honda)
1) South Africa Grant Langston (KTM)
2) United States Benny Carlson (KTM)
3) United Kingdom Kurt Nicoll (KTM)

N/A


1) United States Mike Alessi (Honda)
2) United States Jamie Siever (Honda)
3) United States Aaron King (Honda)
2004 1) Scotland Jeff Ward (Honda)
2) Germany Jürgen Künzel (KTM)
3) United States Doug Henry (Honda)
1) United Kingdom Kurt Nicoll (KTM)
2) United States Micky Dymond (KTM)
3) United States Benny Carlson (KTM)

N/A


1) United States Chad Cose (Honda)
2) Justin Hanna (Honda)
3) Taylor Clemons (Honda)
2005 1) Germany Jürgen Künzel (KTM)
2) Scotland Jeff Ward (Honda)
3) United States Chris Filmore (Honda)
1) United States Micky Dymond (KTM)
2) New Zealand Darryl Atkins (KTM)
3) Australia Troy Herfoss (Husqvarna)
1) United States Mark Burkhart (Yamaha)
2) United States Brandon Currie (Kawasaki)
3) United States Joel Albrecht (Kawasaki)
1) UNK (Honda)
2) UNK (Honda)
3) United States Michael Johnson (Honda)
2006 1) Scotland Jeff Ward (Honda)
2) United States Doug Henry (Yamaha)
3) United States Chris Filmore (Honda)
1) United States Benny Carlson (KTM)
2) United States Micky Dymond (KTM)
3) France David Baffeleuf (KTM)
1) United States Cassidy Anderson (Honda)
2) United States Brandon Currie (Yamaha)
3) France Alex Thiebault (Husqvarna)

N/A


2007 1) United States Mark Burkhart (Yamaha)
2) Scotland Jeff Ward (Honda)
3) Australia Troy Herfoss (KTM)
1) United States Benny Carlson (Aprilia)
2) United Kingdom Kurt Nicoll (KTM)
3) United States Robert Loire (Husaberg)
1) United States Brandon Currie (Yamaha)
2) United States David Pingree (Honda)
3) Australia Adam Cini (Husqvarna)

N/A


2008 1) Australia Troy Herfoss (KTM)
2) United States Chris Fillmore (KTM)
3) United States Cassidy Anderson (Honda)
1) United States Steve Drew (KTM)
2) New Zealand Darryl Atkins (Aprilia)
3) United States Josh Chisum (KTM)
1) United States Brandon Currie (Yamaha)
2) United States Matt Burton (Yamaha)
3) United States Joel Albrecht (Kawasaki)

N/A


2009 1) France Sylvain Bidart (Honda)
2) United States Mark Burkhart (KTM)
3) United States Brandon Currie (Yamaha)
1) United Kingdom Kurt Nicoll (KTM)
2) United States Steve Drew (KTM)
3) United States Justin Ross (KTM)
1) United States Danny Casey (Honda)
2) United States Matt Burton (KTM)
3) United States Dustin Hoffman (Honda)

N/A


References

  1. "Supermoto Gains Momentum". American Motorcyclist. August 2003. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 21, 2015. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
  3. http://www.amanationalsupermoto.com/#!about/cjg9
  4. "New 2003 Supermoto Championship series announced". Motorsport.com. March 7, 2003. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  5. "Honda Red Riders Junior Supermoto Challenge Begins Its Third Year". SupercrossKing.com. April 6, 2005. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  6. DiSanto, Ralph. "Honda Junior Supermoto Program Discontinued for 2006". Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  7. "2005 AMA Supermoto schedule announced". Motocross Action Magazine. March 24, 2005. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  8. "AMA Launches Super Moto Series". RoadracingWorld.com. March 6, 2003. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  9. Hoffman, Scott. "All Access Portable Supermoto Ramps" (PDF). SMR. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  10. Pak, Mark (November 11, 2004). "Veteran Ward ready to cap amazing Supermoto comeback". USA Today. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  11. "Hiemer wins AMA Supermoto Championship debut". ESPN. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  12. http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/who-qualified-for-ama-supermoto-final/
  13. "AMA Pro Racing Announces 2004 Supermoto Schedule, Details". Roadracing World. May 26, 2004. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  14. "AMA Supermoto Championship To Air on OLN Starting in August". Retrieved November 21, 2013.
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