AMA Pro Racing Releases Statement on Passing of Long-Time Cycle News Journalist Henny Ray Abrams

Statement on the Passing of Henny Ray Abrams

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 28, 2013) - Statement from AMA Pro Racing on the passing of Henny Ray Abrams: AMA Pro Racing is deeply saddened by the loss of longtime motorsports journalist Henny Ray Abrams. Since the 1970s, Abrams has covered nearly every form of motorcycle racing and his contribution to the AMA Pro Racing paddock and the sport of motorcycle racing as a whole will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with the staff of Cycle News, his family and friends at this difficult time.

Long-time Cycle News journalist Henny Ray Abrams passed away today at the age of 57 years young.  He will be sorely missed throughout the motorcycle racing community.  Photo courtesy of Cycle News and AMA Pro Racing.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com. For additional information contact: AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

Jake Mataya Takes 2013 ICE Speedway Manufacturers Cup Championship in Grand Finale at Evansville's Ford Center

Jake Mataya on the #29 Kawasaki KX450F takes the outside line during heat race #3 at the ICE Speedway Championship Manufacturers Cup round at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington, IL. on January 21, 2012, and went on to win his heat and take the 3rd-place spot on the evening behind eventual winner Jared Mees and runner-up Kevin Anderson.  Holding firm on the inside line is Bryan McKenna on the #19 Honda CRF450R, with Mark Cheza #16 on his Honda just behind, with Brandan Bergen on the #26 Honda just behind Mataya.

With the mostly absent Mees not running the full schedule during the off-season after capturing the 2012 title, Mataya dominated the ICE Speedway Cup Series in 2013 and won the championship for the first time over runner-up Kirk Cheney by 32 points (330-298 total points) in the eight-race ICE Speedway Championship.

Last weekend's final event of the season, held in Evansville, Indiana's Ford Center, saw the 2013 title decided in front of a packed house for the 37th Annual World Championship ICE Racing Series.

You can check out the full press release below thanks to the great folks from the ICE Speedway Championship, and be sure to mark this one on your calendar for next winter, as the action is hot and heavy and well worth the price of admission!

2013World Championship ICE Racing Series
37TH ANNUAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ICE RACING SERIES GRAND FINALE FEBRUARY 23, 2013 THE FORD CENTER EVANSVILLE, INDIANA MATAYA & CROUCH TAKE HOME WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GOLD!! A packed house was on hand at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana to see the Grand Finale of the 37th Annual World Championship ICE Racing Series. You could cut the tension with a knife as everyone in the building knew there were two World Championships on the line. The racing was very exciting with plenty of thrills and spills to wow the fans. Cup Bike Heat Races started the night's action off. The first was a wild one that ended with contact and tempers heated. "Sideways" Sammy Wiggins-Coatesville, PA made the last lap pass as he dashed to the finish line over Shea Knuth-Bloomington, IL and Tom "Freight Train" McGrane-Gap, PA. Knuth took exception to the "Freight Train's" aggressive riding style and let his opinion be heard throughout the pits. Fortunately cooler heads prevailed. Other Round-1 Heat winners were "Fly'n" Brian McKenna-Boston, MA and Jake "The Snake" Mataya-Blaine, MN. Round-2 Heats were won by Wiggins; McKenna and "Captain" Kirk Cheney-Hastings, MI keeping his World Championship hopes alive. Both Cheney and Mataya had a win and a second in their Heats so there was no change in their 32 WC Point spread led by "The Snake". With 40 WC Points up for grabs to win the Main Event it was still wide open on who would be the 2013 Champion. Tom McGrane with 3rd and 4th place Heat finishes was now mathematically out of the WC Title Chase. Next up was the Bike LCQ to decide who would make up the back row starting positions of the Main Event. Hard charging Austin Greenland-Spring Mills, PA dominated this race start to finish followed by Jay "The Jackhammer" Maloney-Oakland,NJ; Tom McGrane and Darren Carter-Bloomington, IL all transferring on to the Main. Done for the night in respective order were Knuth; Kyle McGrane-Gap, PA; first timers on the ice Nick McFadden-Owensboro, KY & Greg Childers-Evansville, IN followed by Brittany Powell-Bloomington, IL who is improving every start she makes. The Main Event was now set and ready to go. All the marbles were on the line - the 2013 World Championship and the first ever Evansville Ice Racing Champion was about to be decided. Cheney shot out from the gate to take the early lead. He desperately needed to win for a chance at the Title. But on the second lap Greenland amazingly forced his way to the front from a second row starting spot to lead Cheney and Mataya. On the 4th lap of this 8 lapper "The Snake" struck once again to take second from Cheney setting his sights on Greenland. Going in to the final lap it looked like Jake was going to have a shot at the win but Greenland gutted it out to hang on for his first major league ice racing victory. He was followed closely by Mataya; Cheney; McGrane; McKenna; Carter; Maloney and Wiggins respectively. 2013 was an awesome competitive season of racing for the ICE Manufacturers World Cup Motorcycles crowning a great new World Champion in Jake "The Snake" Mataya. Cheney kept things close through the last night of racing. Greenland promises to be a strong contender for the future. ICE Rookie-of-the-Year honors went to young Kyle McGrane. Special ICE MVP Awards were given to Tom McGrane and Kirk Cheney for extraordinary efforts on and off the track. Congratulations to all the racers for a great season! The ICE Unlimited Outlaw Quads had their own World Championship battle on the line tonight with three racers still in the hunt at the Grand Finale. Dusty Crouch-Topeka, KS with a 32 WC Point lead over Kevin "Cool Hand" Smith-Overbrook, KS and Mandy "Wild Child" Brodil-Poplar Branch, NC with an outside chance to win her 6th WC Title. The First Round Heat Race winners were Brian Sommers-Burlington, WI; Jeff Brodil-Grandy, NC and Crouch. Round-2 winners were Jeff Brodil; Ken "Stuntman" Remer-Burlington, WI and Chuck "The Ice Man" Calvert-Madison, WI. In this last Heat Race of the night Mandy Brodil and Smith got tangled up going into turn one sending her #1 Quad to the infield. In the process she looped her machine backwards throwing the "Wild Child" to the ice surface. She landed on her back hitting her head violently on the ice. After several minutes Mandy decided to compete in the re-start finishing second. A short time later Mandy became ill in the pits and sought out help from the attending medical crew. She was diagnosed with a concussion, her second in two seasons, and subsequently transported to the hospital for further observation. Her hopes for a 6th World Championship Title were over. The Outlaw Quad LCQ was all Sommers taking the lead from the Pole and never looking back. The three other riders transferring to the Main in order of their finish were Ryan "Hit Man" Kaufman-Table Grove, IL; Anthony Demeo-Woodland Park, NJ and Smith. Just missing the cut was Brandon Davis-Danvers, IL on the Harley powered Thunder Quad and Cody Norton-Cooksville, IL. The Outlaw Main was a wild one that would determine this year's World Champion. When the starting gate was released by ICE Official Referee Robert Arms Jeff Brodil, Mandy's Dad, shot off the Pole staring position with front wheels in the air! By the time he reached the first turn he was being pushed hard from the outside into the infield. Brodil wasn't able to recover as the rest of the field raced on. Crouch had excellent position on the track racing away in the lead followed by Calvert and Remer. On lap two of this six lapper Remer forced the issue and got by Calvert for second followed through by Demeo and Smith. Then suddenly, on lap three, Demeo cuts under the turn 1-2 pole markers causing his disqualification. The very next lap saw Kaufman get by Calvert for 4th and that's how it all ended up as they crossed the finish line. Crouch had won the race convincingly and his first World Championship! Remer finished second, his career best, with Smith taking the last Podium spot locking down 2nd overall in this year's WC Title Chase. The rest of the field as they scored were Kaufman; Calvert; Sommers; Jeff Brodil (DNF) and Demeo (DQ'd). All the Special Awards and WC Points Fund checks and trophies were presented at the private banquet immediately following tonight's event. ICE Rookie-of-the-Year honors went to Eric Jennings-Otisville, NY; co-ICE MVP's were Ken Remer and Chuck Calvert. The prestigious Bob Hetrick Memorial Sportsman Award was presented to Mandy Brodil for outstanding achievements and goodwill, on and off the track, supporting and promoting the sport of World Championship Ice Racing. Unfortunately Mandy and her family were unable to be present to accept the award due to Mandy's injury. The last word was Mandy is improving and was cleared to travel home to North Carolina. I know I'm speaking for all her friends and fans in ice racing wishing her a speedy and complete recovery. On a special night of racing a very special moment took place on the ice. Shortly after his third successful attempt this year at the Ring of Fire Quad Jump in Evansville, under the spotlights and on the house PA system, Ken Remer proposed to his long time girlfriend Kristie Knack. Totally surprised she accepted! On that happy note we'll sign off for another great season of World Championship ICE Racing. Congratulations to the new World Champions Jake Mataya and Dusty Crouch! Get well soon Mandy! SEE YOU ALL NEXT WINTER FOR #38!!!   (FOR COMPLETE RESULTS AND STORY CLICK HERE)   THE GREATEST SPECTACLE ON ICE!TM   37TH ANNUAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ICE RACING SERIES SCHEDULE: (Click Link for Tickets)   Fri-Dec 14th 7:30 PM - Showare Center - Kent, WA Sat-Dec 15th 7:00PM - Comcast Arena - Everett, WA Fri-Jan 4th 7:00PM - Maverik Center - Salt Lake, UT Sat-Jan 5th 7:00PM - Maverik Center - Salt Lake, UT Sat-Jan 12th 7:30PM - US Cellular Coliseum - Bloomington, IL Sat-Jan 19th 7:30PM - Hampton Coliseum - Hampton, VA Fri-Feb 15th 7:30PM - Sun National Bank Center - Trenton, NJ Sat-Feb 23rd 7:00PM - The Ford Center - Evansville, IN     I.C.E. World Headquarters, P.O. Box 8648, Myrtle Beach, SC 29578 P: (843) 750-0741; E:info@icespeedway.com ; www.icespeedway.com     THE GREATEST SPECTACLE ON ICE!TM -Celebrating 37 years of arena motorsports entertainment excellence-	Photos From Evansville (CLICK TO ENLARGE) International Championship Events, LLC. PO Box 8648 Myrtle Beach, SC 29578 EMAIL I.C.E. HERE
Copyright International Championship Events, LLC. & Icespeedway.com 2011-2012

Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Announces Renewed Sponsorship with Motorcycle-Superstore.com for 2013 SuperSport Class

Motorcycle-Superstore.com Renews Title Sponsorship of GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing's SuperSport Class

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 27, 2013) - Motorcycle-Superstore.com and AMA Pro Racing have announced the extension of their existing partnership with GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing for the third consecutive year. Motorcycle-Superstore.com will once again be named as the Official Motorcycle Parts and Apparel Online Retailer of the Series and the title sponsor of the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Supersport.com SuperSport division. As part of the agreement, AMA Pro Racing will distribute $25,000 to riders in the form of a year-end points fund due to the gracious support of Motorcycle-Superstore.com. "We are excited to have Motorcycle-Superstore.com return to the paddock with us for the 2013 season," said Michael Gentry, Chief Operating Officer of AMA Pro Racing. "The relationship in years past between Motorcycle-Superstore.com and AMA Pro Racing has clearly been very beneficial for all parties involved. We are very thankful for the continued dedication and support the company has granted AMA Pro Racing competitors through the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Year-End Points Funds." As part of the agreement, Motorcycle-Superstore.com will once again have access to on-site activation at each GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing event in 2013, in addition to an expanded online presence in AMA Pro Racing's website content and social media initiatives.                         Devon McDonough is shown on the #63 Motorcycle-Supertore.com-sponsored Yamaha YZF-R6 during one of the on-track activities at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca in July 2012 in the Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport Series class.  AMA Pro Road Racing announced today the renewal of sponsorship to the class with Motorcycle-Superstore.com set to be the title sponsorship of the up-and-comers series.  AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Brian J. Nelson.      The $25,000 Motorcycle-Superstore.com Year-End Points Fund for the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport class will be split between the East and West divisions, with additional bonus money paid to the overall SuperSport National Champion as well as the recipient of the all-new Superstore Sportsmanship Award. The payout for the year-end points fund will be structured as follows:   East Coast: 1st place, $5,000; 2nd place, $3,000; 3rd place, $2,000 West Coast: 1st place, $5,000; 2nd place, $3,000; 3rd place, $2,000 Overall Champion: $2,500 Superstore Sportsmanship Award: $2,500   The Superstore Sportsmanship Award will go to the recipient who attends every round of the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport series and who best displays sportsmanlike qualities including fairness, respect and fellowship towards their fellow competitors and the race staff. The winner will convey an enthusiastic image and positive public promotion of the sport throughout the season. They will be selected by Motorcycle-Superstore.com through an accumulative effort including recommendations from members of the paddock, the industry and AMA Pro Racing officials. The 2013 GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing season will kick off with the historic DAYTONA 200 Weekend, scheduled for March 14 - 16, 2013 at Daytona International Speedway. For tickets, please visit http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com. About Motorcycle-Superstore.com:   Motorcycle-Superstore.com is the leading online retailer in the motorcycle and powersports industry. Serving motorcycle riders for over fifteen years, Motorcycle-Superstore.com specializes in selling motorcycle helmets, riding apparel, accessories and parts. Internet Retailer Magazine has ranked Motorcycle-Superstore.com in the top-ten of all sporting goods sites and in the top-200 of all e-commerce sites. Powered by a dedicated staff of motorcycle enthusiasts, Motorcycle-Superstore.com continues to impress customers by constantly raising their online shopping standards. Visit www.motorcycle-superstore.com.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com. For additional information contact: AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

AMA Pro Flat Track Announces J&P Cycles as New Title Sponsor for Pro Singles Championship Series for the Upcoming 2013 Season

Round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season saw the series head to the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, OH. for the annual running of the Ohio National Championship held at the Lima Half-Mile. 

Lining up for heat race #2 in the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Championship Series on the front row are (L-R) Zakk Palmer on the #81C Double Dick Bandits Honda CRF450R (who went on to finish second in this heat and claim the overall win later in the evening), eventual 2012 AMA Pro Singles Champion Stephen Vanderkuur on the #10J Parkinson Brothers Racing Honda (who would win this heat), Robbie Treinen on the #71L FM Ceiling and Remodeling Honda, Michael Bickerton on the #28P Hogwrench Racing Honda, Matt Zacher on the #15B Zacher Construction Honda, and Brandon Laursen on the #82J Laursen Racing Honda.

Also seen on row two are Chaz Springsteen on the #29J TCR Honda, Coy Matthews on the #30F Kings Kustoms Honda, and Jordan McCready on the #11J Parkinson Brothers Racing Honda (who would take home the 3rd-place spot in heat 2.)  Shayna Texter can be seen lining up on the back row on the #25A DFW Honda CRF450R.

AMA Pro Flat Track announced today that J&P Cycles will be the new title sponsor for what will now be called the AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles Championship Series, taking over where Motorcycle-Superstore.com had been in charge for the last couple of seasons.  J&P will also be ponying up a $25K point fund total (of which $10K will be payable to the 2013 AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles Championship Series winner) for the new season ahead.

You can check out more on this great news below thanks to the press release from AMA Pro Flat Track, as we get ready to gear up for the new season, which will kick-off in fine fashion at the Daytona Short Track doubleheader on March 14 and 15 in just over two weeks' time.

J&P Cycles Named Presenting Sponsor of AMA Pro Flat Track and Title Sponsor of J&P Cycles Pro Singles Division

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 26, 2013) - AMA Pro Racing is pleased to announce a newly formed partnership with J&P Cycles, naming J&P Cycles as the Presenting Sponsor of AMA Pro Flat Track and Title Sponsor of the AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles class. As part of the agreement, J&P Cycles will contribute a $25,000 Year-End Points Fund for the rising stars of the AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles Class after the motorcycle parts and accessories giant.   "We are very excited to begin this partnership with J&P Cycles," said Michael Gentry, Chief Operating Officer of AMA Pro Racing. "I see great things in store for the future in the ranks of the J&P Pro Singles class and look forward to the success our up and coming riders will attain thanks to this new relationship. The support that J&P Cycles has pledged through the year-end points fund is vital to the growth of the sport and is deeply appreciated by the entire paddock."   J&P Cycles will have access to a number of marketing and promotional activations in 2013. At each event on the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles schedule, the company will have access to on-site activation. The two companies will also be working together to develop unique and engaging website content and social media initiatives in order to further the sport by engaging the younger demographic.                               Zakk Palmer #81C leads the rest of the field during round 16 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Mile II during the running of the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Championship Series.  AMA Pro Flat Track announced today that J&P Cycles out of Anamosa, Iowa will be the new title sponsor for the Pro Singles Championship Series for the 2013 season.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.     "J&P Cycles is proud to be a part of the AMA Pro Flat Track series this year," said J&P Cycles Vice President/General Manager Zach Parham. "AMA Pro Flat Track represents the grass roots of racing at its best, and we are pleased to be a part of this sport with so much history. The racing this year is going to be exciting and we look forward to sharing the excitement and action with our customers."   The J&P Cycles Pro Singles division is the deepest it's been in recent years. The talent pool is impressive and growing, and the Championship is almost guaranteed to come down to the wire when the season concludes in Pomona. Defending champion Stephen Vanderkuur will be gunning for a repeat season, but the Michigan product will undoubtedly have his hands full as aggressive competitors such as Jake Cunningham, Dominic Colindres, Shayna Texter, Gerit Callies and many others all share the same aspiring title hopes. As if pride wasn't enough for these young stars, a $10,000 bonus will now be awarded to the 2013 J&P Cycles Pro Singles Champion. The complete pay structure for the J&P Cycles Year-End Points Fund is as follows: Champion, $10,000; 2nd place, $5,000; 3rd place, $4,000; 4th place, $3,000; 5th place, $2,000; 6th place, $1,000.   The 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles season will kick off as part of the historic DAYTONA 200 Week. The AMA Pro Grand National Championship and J&P Cycles Pro Singles divisions take to the track in a set of one-day events on March 14 and 15, 2013 at the DAYTONA Flat Track, located just outside of the Daytona International Speedway's west banking. For tickets, please visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.   About J&P Cycles:   J&P Cycles is the world's largest retailer of aftermarket parts and accessories for Harley-Davidson and V-Twin Cruiser motorcycles. In business for 34 years, we carry a full line of products from the brands you trust: Kuryakyn, Vance & Hines, Performance Machine, Mustang Seats and many more. J&P Cycles carries tens of thousands of items in stock, in print and online, delivers the best customer service and return policy in the industry. For more information, visit www.jpcycles.com and start building your dream today!

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com. For additional information contact:   AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

AMA Pro Flat Track Releases 2013 Competition Rulebook

2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Rulebook Available Now

To: AMA Pro Flat Track Community

From: AMA Pro Competition

Date: February 25, 2013

Subject: 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Rulebook Available Now

The 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Rulebook has been released and is now available at the Competitor Information section of AMAProRacing.com. All changes from the 2012 rules package are printed in red bold italic type and items that are indicated with a strikeout are no longer valid.

 

Direct links to the files follow:

• 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Rulebook
• 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Rulebook (With Redline Changes and Strikeouts)

If you are unable to open PDFs on AMA Pro Racing's website, please do the following:

• If you are using Google Chrome, please try another web browser. There is a known compatibility problem with Chrome's built-in PDF viewer and PDFs created with certain versions of Adobe Acrobat.
• Ensure that you have the latest version of Adobe Reader installed. Visit http://get.adobe.com/reader/ for installation instructions.
• Visit the Competitor Information section of AMA Pro Racing's website
• Right click on the link for the file you would like to view and click "Save As..." or "Save link as..."
• Browse to the file and double-click to open it in Adobe Reader

AMA Pro Racing

 

 

AMA Pro Flat Track: Looking Ahead to the 2013 AMA Grand National Championship Season While Reviewing the 2012 Season Highlight Video by The Fast & Dirty.com

With less than three weeks remaining before round 1 & 2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season kicks off at Daytona Beach on March 14 and March 15 (and the 'unofficial' season kick off at Savannah, GA's Oglethorpe Speedway the weekend before), it's time to get your bags packed and your bets placed as we get ready for another great year of racing in The Rolling Thunder Show.

With several technical rule changes mandated during the off-season in order to even up the playing field (not to mention to quiet all of the naysayers throughout the land, especially in the Twins Series), the upcoming season should add even more excitement to the racing and even level out the overall competition in the greatest racing series on wheels in the world.

With additions to the confirmed schedule for the new season expected to be announced in the near future (I am hearing strong rumblings about two new races at Reno, NV and Black Hills, SD being added to the currently-listed 14 events) the 2013 racing schedule is really looking up.  And even with the loss of the TT and short track events on the National calendar at Springfield, Steve Nace Racing has stepped-up along with the the IMDA to bring you All-Star Series events for the Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend rounds at the mecca of flat track motorcycle racing, the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

The 2013 season will again see the return of a big handful of long-time events on this year's calendar.  The Peoria TT, the Lucas Oil Indy Mile, the Hagerstown Speedway Hub City Classic Half-Mile, the Castle Rock TT, the Ohio National Championship round at the Lima Half-Mile, the Sacramento Mile, and the season-finale at the Pomona Flat Track Finales at the LA Fairplex are but a few of the fan-favorites and racer-favs that will be coming down the pike this season, besides the aforementioned Daytona season-openers and everyone's favorite mile events in Springfield.

And for those of us who can't make all (or even any, in some cases) of the races this year, you will have a strong bevy of options in being able to keep up with them in the comfort of your home.  As has been the case for the last couple of seasons, Miriam Deitcher and her Flat Track Live on Facebook will be on-hand to keep you in-the-know with the happenings at the track with her brand of great racing coverage, Chew and Mia will be keeping you up-to-date on their FlatTrack.com on Facebook along with their updates also available on the FlatTrack.com forum.  AMA Pro Flat Track will again be offering the bitchin' Live Timing and Scoring (again to be sponsored by Cortech), and Cycle News.com will be there to cover the races as they have for decades now.  And as we have tried to do here at Stu's Shots over the course of the last few seasons, we will again be doing our best to bring you the news, photos and reviews of today's action with yesterday and today's photos to keep you informed from a standpoint of a long-time fan.  And these are only a few of the options out there at this time to follow along from the comfort of that couch!

As we look ahead to the new season, we can be sure of one thing....the racing will be stellar and the competiton will be first class.  And thanks again goes out to Will Fulford and his lovely and wonderful bride, Yve Assad-Fulford for bringing us more of their great coverage of the races via their offerings of photos and videos. 

One of those offerings (as available below) helps to highlight last year's great racing from coast-to-coast, that brought us another season of racing in The Rolling Thunder show as highlighted in the photo above from round 16 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Mile II. 

With returning series favs and stalwarts, including Jake Johnson on the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D-sponsored XR750 (who for only the second year-ever will be again wearing the #5 National number plate), Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. on the #2 Screamin' Eagle/Harley-Davidson Motor Company-backed factory XR (who again will be the lone full-time factory-backed entry in the GNC), Jared Mees on the #9 Rogers Racing/Saddlemen-backed XR (who will be now sporting a new tuner in Kenny Tolbert to go along with his newly-earned #1 National number plate), the year ahead is looking as good as ever.  Brandon Robinson on the #44 Werner-Springsteen Racing/Monster Energy-sponsored Kawasaki (who has made his move to the T.J. Burnett Farms/USC Racing Kawasaki fold for the '13 season), Bryan Smith on the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports-backed Kawi (who for the new season will be backed for the full season by his great sponsor, Crosley Radio) and JD Beach on the #95 T.J. Barnett Farms/USC Racing/-sponsored Kawi (when he is not working his full-time gig in the Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Series in the Daytona SportBike Series class), are just to name a very few of the riders and teams you can look forward to watching and thrilling over in the months to come.

So buckle up, strap in and hang on as the new season gets ready to open the door to another big year of The Rolling Thunder Show.

A big thanks to Will & Eve from The Fast and Dirty.com for this great season wrap-up video from the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.  Great work as always guys and your work is truly appreciated (and adored!)

AMA Pro Flat Track: Gerit Callies Looks Set to Return to the Track in the AMA Pro Singles Championship at Daytona

Gerit Callies is seen signing autographs for the fans at round 5 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Lima Half-Mile on June 30, during the fan walk festivities at the Allen County Fairgrounds in between the on-track action.

Callies and his #76L Fun Mart Cycles/Rod Lake/Power Brokers/Gillespie-sponsored KTM 450SX-F team had a solid 12-point lead in the 2012 AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Series Championship heading into round 9 of the season at the Peoria TT (having won three events on the season), before being involved in one of the nastiest-looking crashes of the season during the Pro Singles main event.  Due to injuries suffered in that devasting bang-up, the South Dakota resident missed the remaining 11 rounds of the season and slipped to 8th-place in the final year-end tally.

However, great news came out of the Callies' and AMA Pro Flat Track camps yesterday in that he looks to be ready to return to action in next month's season-openers at the Daytona Short Track.

You can check out the press release from Gerit Callies and AMA Pro Flat Track here that talks about Callies' return this season at Daytona in just under three weeks' time.

2013 eni World Superbike Championship Season Set to go at Phillip Island This Weekend

All set for 2013 World Superbike Season Opener at Phillip Island

 

Phillip Island (Australia), Sunday 17 February 2013 - The countdown to the 26th edition of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship is almost over, as the upcoming Season Opener weekend will officially start the international motorsport year. The six manufacturers involved in the series (Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki) will once again aim to achieve the ultimate goal of victory.

 

As on a continuing basis since 2009, the production-based racing championship kicks off at the fascinating Phillip Island GP Circuit, one of the most spectacular and renowned track of the whole motorcycle world scene. The refreshed Australian venue has recently undergone a 3 million dollar resurface.

 

Many potential title contenders among the nineteen full time entries for the crown left unattended by Max Biaggi, including last season's runner up Tom Sykes who missed the final achievement last year for a mere half-point gap. The Kawasaki Racing Team rider - flanked once again by Frenchman Loris Baz - will try his best to bring back the 20 year long awaited title to the Akashi manufacturer.

 

BMW realignment effort brings Marco Melandri and BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team a double challenge, with the Italian division led by Andrea Buzzoni now in charge of race operations. The Ravenna-born rider sets his sights on what his and Brand's first title in the series would be, after marking his name in BMW history thanks to six individual race wins in 2012. Following a positive Superbike debut season, Chaz Davies was selected as the second rider of the team.

 

The resounding comeback of Alstare Team and its two-year partnership with Ducati goes hand in hand with 1199 Panigale R World Superbike debut. Borgo Panigale's brand-new bike will be brought on track by former champion Carlos Checa and team mate Ayrton Badovini. A third Ducati will be lined up on the grid by MR-Racing Team and returning Max Neukirchner.

 

Aprilia launches its two World Title defence campaign with a brand new rider duo, with confirmed Eugene Laverty joined by new signing Sylvain Guintoli. The manufacturer from Noale will have two private teams on its side: Althea Racing Team featuring Italian rising star Davide Giugliano and Andrea Petricca's Red Devils, with Michel Fabrizio as the team's sole rider.

 

Leon Haslam crossed path again with Honda to join fellow Brit Jonathan Rea. The golden wing brand and its WSBK outfit chose to keep the faith on Northern Ireland's star, the only one rider able to place the CBR1000RR on the top step of the podium over the last four seasons.

 

FIXI Crescent Suzuki Team takes on its second World Superbike season, following a tough debut year. Jules Cluzel, graduated from Supersport after an impressive rookie season in the series, will be alongside Leon Camier. 2013 is going to be the 16th consecutive year in the series for the Pedercini Team. Sweden's Alexander Lundh - already with the team in the last four rounds of 2012 - and Italy's Federico Sandi will tackle their first full WSBK campaign.

 

Two welcome comebacks, both onboard BMW S 1000 RR, end our World Superbike season preview: Vittorio Iannuzzo, new signing for Grillini DENTALMATIC SBK Team and Ivan Clementi, a five-season World Superbike veteran who joined forces with the debutant HTM Racing Team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Supersport

 

The FIM Supersport World Championship is now getting into its 15th edition and showing again the competitive level of these mid-sized production-based racing bikes, proved by the increasing interest of Manufacturers in this series - six this year (Honda, Kawasaki, MV Agusta, Suzuki, Triumph e Yamaha) - and the huge number of permanent riders on the starting grid (35 in 2013).

 

Turkish triple Supersport Champion Kenan Sofuoglu will race this year to defend the current title for the first time. The race bike #1 shows up after three years and it's the ZX-6R of MAHI Racing Team Kawasaki, a new project started less than one year ago, once the season had already started, to build up on 2013 with ambitious goals - the Team also hired 2002 World Supersport Champion Frenchman Fabien Foret.

 

Performance Technical Racing, better known as PTR, does not sit back and goes for an all-new five rider line-up with an average of 21 years of age. Sheridan Morais will be leading PTR's World Supersport assault after a positive rookie season in the series and a 6th final place.

 

Former PTR rider Sam Lowes moves to Russian Team Yakhnich Motorsport to join confirmed rider Vladimir Leonov. Pata Honda World Supersport Team's Lorenzo Zanetti and Michael van der Mark will both embark in their first WSS season, as the Italian stepped down from Superbike class and the Dutch rising star promoted after winning the European Superstock 600 title. 2011 runner-up David Salom and multiple race winner Luca Scassa make their comeback to the series after a year. Both of them will be part of Josef Kubicek's Intermoto PonyExpres Kawasaki Team.

The MV Agusta F3 is set to make World Supersport debut thanks to the partnership made by the Italian motorcycle maker with Giuliano Rovelli's ParkinGO Team. Roberto Rolfo and Christian Iddon are the ones chosen to race the 675 cc Italian bike. Suriano Racing switches back to team owner's beloved Suzuki and put the GSX-R 600 in the hands of Mathew Scholtz and Roberto Tamburini.