AMA Pro Flat Track & Circle Bell Motorsports Announce Cancellation of 2014 Sacramento Mile

Sad news from the west coast comes from the Bob Belino-helmed Circle Bell Motorsports folks, as they have announced the cancellation of the July 26 Sacramento Mile due to issues with the local horse racing industry and it's issues regarding track conditions.

With the news of the loss of what would have been round round 8 of the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season, the series' schedule will now consist of 15 rounds for this year. The next event scheduled is the Springfield Mile I on May 25 over the Memorial Day weekend.

In the shot above, Bryan Smith gets ready to roll out for his heat race on the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports Kawasaki at the Indy Mile in round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship on August 18, with the help of team stooge Jeff Gordon and team owner Rick Howerton (manning the starter box.) Smith's Dad, Barry, can be seen just behind Bryan on the #42 rocket.

Smith used the #42 Howerton Kawasaki to win the Sacramento Mile in 2012 and 2013.

Before joining up with the Howerton team for the 2012-2013 season, Smith and his Dad, Barry campaigned the #42 Moroney's FastHog.com/American H-D-backed XR-750s to win the Sacramento Mile in July 2011, making it three wins in-a-row for the Flint, MI. native.

In the shot above, Flyin' Bryan's lethal and pristine pair of #42 Moroney's FastHog.com/American H-D-backed XRs sit in the pit area undergoing preparation by his father, Barry at the Springfield Mile II on September 4, 2011.

This is a sore hit to the gut for not only the loss of this great event overall, which always draws a great crowd thanks to the great work done by the Belino squad on the left coast, who do a fantastic job of promoting the majority of the west coast events, but also due to the loss of one of what would have been four west coast events on the 2014 schedule. And the Sacto Mile has been one of the big mainstays on the series' tour for some time, and always seems to draw a great crowd.

You can read the official press release from Circle Bell below, courtesy of AMA Pro Flat Track.

2014 Sacramento Mile Canceled

Sent on behalf of Circle Bell Motorsports: SACRAMENTO, Calif. (March 29, 2014) - Unfortunately, and due to unforeseen circumstances, the Sacramento Mile, an AMA Pro Flat Track event originally scheduled to take place on July 26, 2014 at the Cal Expo in Sacramento, CA, has been canceled. "This is a very unfortunate turn of events," said Bob Bellino, promoter of the Sacramento Mile for the last four years. "We're sorry that we won't be able to host the AMA Pro Flat Track races at the Cal Expo venue this year. There were unexpected complications with the horse racing industry regarding track conditions that have led to the improbable cancellation of the event.  It is very disheartening to me that we won't run the Sacramento Mile in 2014." The news comes as an obvious disappointment to fans, sponsors and riders, as the Sacramento Mile has been an exciting mainstay on the AMA Pro Flat Track schedule for the past four years, with a rich history that dates back to 1959. Jethro Halbert #69, Nichole Cheza-Mees #15 and Kayl Kolkman #98 battle to the finish line for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th-place spots during the semi race at the Sacramento Mile in late July 2013. Circle Bell Motorsports' Bob Belino and AMA Pro Flat Track have announced the cancellation of the 2014 Sacramento Mile on July 26 due to issues with the horse racing industry in the area. AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig. The good news, however, is that though the Sacramento Mile has been canceled, there are still a number of AMA Pro Flat Track events scheduled to take place out west, including a half-mile at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, WA July 19, the Castle Rock TT in Castle Rock, WA August 2, the Santa Rosa Mile scheduled for September 28, 2014 in Santa Rosa, CA at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, just an hour and a half west of Sacramento, and the Flat Track Finals at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA.

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