2009 AMA Pro Racing Classes Finalized

After months of discussions and revisions and the threat of a competing series formed by the Motorcycle Industry Council, the American Motorcyclist Associations professional road racing arm has released its official 2009 class rules and named spec fuel and tire providers.

The class structure we are announcing today bears little resemblance to that which we proposed several months ago, however I believe it will accomplish our goals of increased safety, parity and cost containment, says Roger Edmondson, president of AMA Pro Racing. The program we have worked out with input from the industry will provide for participation by a wide variety of brands, and should provide a showcase for the best riders in American racing, with the added benefit of running at the best venues in the United States. We were fortunate to have the assistance of many stakeholders in the creation of the program, including the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC).

Headlining each race weekend will be the American Superbike class featuring four-cylinder machines weighing under 375 pounds with engine displacements from 749cc to 1,000cc and two-cylinder bikes under 390 pounds with displacements between 901cc and 1,200cc. Most race weekends will feature two 50-mile American Superbike races.

AMA Pro Racing weekends will also feature the new middleweight Daytona Sportbike class which will replace the AMA Supersport and AMA Formula Xtreme classes. The list of motorcycles eligible for homologation for competition in 2009 Daytona Sportbike includes: Aprilia RSV, BMW HP2 Sport, Buell 1125R, Ducati 848, Honda CBR600RR, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, KTM Super Duke, Suzuki GSX-R600, Triumph Daytona 675 and Yamaha YZF-R6.

The SunTrust MOTO-ST Series will return on select events under a new name: SunTrust MOTO-GT. The revamped series will include 600cc four-cylinder machines and have two classes (GT1 and GT2) instead of three.

Many 2009 race weekends will also include the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup featuring riders aged 14-16 on KTM RC125 bikes.

AMA Pro Racing has also named Dunlop as its official tire supplier for all classes.

Dunlop is a logical selection, and the continuation of a long partnership Dunlop has fostered with many of the AMA Road Racing teams, says Edmondson. We are confident they will continue to supply an outstanding product for AMA Road Racing. Having all of our competitors on the same tires will help us in our drive for parity, safety, and cost containment.

Sunoco has been chosen as the spec fuel provider. All AMA Road Racing classes will use Sunoco 260 GTX unleaded racing fuel.

We are extremely honored to have been selected as the official fuel of AMA Road Racing, says Rob Marro, general manager of performance products and automotive events for Sunoco. We look forward to playing an integral role as AMA Pro Racing executes its vision for professional motorcycle racing in the U.S.

AMA Pro Racing has also announced a contribution of $10,000 on Sunocos behalf to be presented as a special award at the season-ending awards banquet.

The 2009 AMA Pro Racing schedule begins March 6 with the Daytona 200 with a nighttime race at Daytona International Speedway.

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2009 AMA racing schedule released