AMA Announces Changes to 2008 Supermoto Schedule

PICKERINGTON, Ohio-The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has announced changes to the schedule for the 2008 AMA Supermoto Championship.

The first round will now take place in July in the Northwest on July 13 at Pacific Raceways in Seattle. The national championship series will then cross the country, hitting venues in New England, the Midwest and the Southwest before the Nov. 8 finale in Las Vegas.

Two rounds have been removed from the schedule, the April 11-12 race at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego and another competition on August 1-2 at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles.

"The change is the result of our inability to come to terms with the promoter regarding the inclusion of the rounds in the AMA Supermoto Championship Series," said Bryan Cohn, AMA senior director of racing. "We're eager to start the season and look forward to our first round at the Pacific Grand Prix."

The AMA Supermoto Championship combines the speed of road racing with the incredible obstacles of motocross and Supercross and is one of the most entertaining forms of motorcycle racing in America.

Returning to defend his AMA No. 1 plate is Ohio resident Mark Burkhart. The Graves Yamaha rider had eight podium finishes in 10 races last year, including a season-leading six victories, edging out Troy Lee Designs Honda's Jeff Ward for the championship. Burkhart has also won a Supermoto Lites title.

"I'm really looking forward to the season. I hate the downtime and being off the bike, and I'm ready to race," Burkhart said. "Over the last couple years, I've learned a lot. Last year I had a couple of bad races, and I'm looking to get rid of those and defend this championship and win it again. I have a good team behind me, Graves Yamaha, and they want to win as bad as I do."

Registration for this year's AMA Supermoto Championship will be managed by XBux Inc. Registration information can be found at www.xbux.com.

Watch for more news to follow as the start of the series kicks off on July 13 with the Pacific Grand Prix at Pacific Raceways in Seattle.

2008 AMA Supermoto Championship
Date Location
July 13 Pacific Grand Prix, Pacific Raceways, Seattle, WA
August 10 New England Supermoto Classic, Hartford, Conn.
August 24 USA International Raceway, Shawano, Wisc.
September 7 Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah
November 1 Auditorium Shores, Austin, Texas
November 8 TBA, Las Vegas, Nevada