About AMA Pro Road Racing
AMA Pro Road Racing is the premier motorcycle road racing series in North America and is univerally regarded as one of the most competitive road racing organizations in the world. The 2012 schedule consists of 11 rounds of competition on the country’s finest road courses.
The Series is comprised of four production-based classes: AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport and the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series. The performance characteristics of the motorcycles raced in each division are configured with the intent of providing platforms for riders to compete and hone their skills as they climb the ladder to the premiere AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike division.
National Guard SuperBike continues a motorcycle racing legend that began in 1976 and features fast, powerful large-displacement motorcycles based on a rule set that allows for a variety of performance modifications. Traditionally considered a 1000cc class, the rule structure has been updated to provide a platform for additional big-bore motorcycles to compete within the same performance envelope. Eight different brands were represented on the SuperBike grids in 2011: Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda, BMW, Buell, EBR and KTM.
The carefully designed rule package for Daytona SportBike provides a platform for motorcycles with different engine configurations to compete on even ground, and since the class debuted in 2009 it has become known for extremely close racing and a great depth of field. Due to the parity in performance, it is not uncommon to see packs of ten motorcycles from five different brands battling for the lead in every turn. Daytona SportBike is also the featured class in America’s premier motorcycle endurance road race, the Daytona 200.
Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport is the proving ground for up-and-coming motorcycle talent. The rules allow riders to select from the same diverse set of machines that are eligible for competition in Daytona SportBike but with fewer modifications. The events on the season’s schedule are divided into two divisions, East and West. To keep costs down for privateers, a rider only gains points toward a divisional championship for finishing positions they achieve in their declared division. At the end of the year, the highest-scoring divisional champion is crowned as the overall SuperSport National Champion. A special award highlighting the younger SuperSport riders is given to the highest-points-scoring 16- to 21-year-old rider.
The AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series made its debut halfway through the 2010 season, bringing with it the return of one of the most evocative names in motorcycling: Harley-Davidson. Using the Harley-Davidson XR1200 modified with a specially-prepared parts-and-accessories kit from famed motorcycle performance tuner Vance & Hines, riders can race the big twins on the national stage in a cost-contained manner that emphasizes rider skill.
On a typical event weekend, each of AMA Pro Road Racing’s three sport-performance classes, AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike and AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport, have their first practice and basic qualifying sessions on Friday afternoon. Grids are set following Saturday morning’s final qualifying session, and each class is featured in sprint races on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series follows a similar format, but the big Harley-Davidson twins have just one practice session and one qualifying session on Saturday afternoon before battling it out in a single sprint race on Sunday afternoon.
In addition to watching the thrilling on-track action, fans are invited into the AMA Pro Road Racing paddock and garage areas to meet the stars of the sport and to watch as the crew chiefs and mechanics work on the machines.
Most AMA Pro Road Racing events feature grid walks during opening ceremonies before the races on Saturday and Sunday. Fans can casually stroll on the surface of some of America’s finest race tracks while getting autographs, talking with riders and viewing race-prepped motorcycles positioned along the pit.
Track walks are also offered at select venues on the schedule, giving fans an opportunity to get up close and personal with AMA Pro riders as they walk the circuit following a day of competition. Event promoters further add to the experience by providing additional options for the fan agenda, including fan parties, vendor areas, manufacturer demo rides, motocross and BMX stunt exhibitions, street stunt riders, live music, fireworks and more.
