Sacramento Mile Resurrected and Will Return to 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Schedule on July 26

In what amounts to an eleventh hour reckoning, AMA Pro Flat Track and the new promoters of the Sacramento Mile have come together to resurrect what is one of the west coast's most popular events and venues.

The announcement was made early this afternoon that a group of people, one of which is former and original AMA Superbike contenders Steve McLaughlin (SMI), have banded together to bring back the Sacramento Mile at the Cal-Expo Fairgrounds on Saturday, July 26. McLaughlin may be best known for competing against the likes of 3-Time AMA Superbike Champion Reg Pridmore back in the late '70s when the class was first started alongside the then premier Formula One class in AMA Pro Road Racing. Since his retirement from the sport, McLaughlin has been involved in sports management and promotions, and this is just another fine example of the types of great shows that the former racer and racing icon can and is able to put together, which makes it doubly-excellent for those west coast fans who were left out in the field when the cancelation of the event was announced several weeks back due to what was thought to be conflicts with the horse racing crowd at Cal-Expo.

Now, without a doubt, fans will get a chance to see if Flyin' Bryan Smith can make it four-in-a-row at the Sacto Mile, and they for one, can thank McLaughlin and AMA Pro Flat Track for being able to put this together. Smith won the 2011 Sacto Mile while riding his own machines as tuned and wrenched by his Father, Barry, on a Moroney's FastHog.com XR-750, and won the last two years running while riding the rocket Kawasaki of the Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports team.

In the shot above, riders, mechanics and machines get ready to head out for rider intros at the Springfield Mile II National main event over the Labor Day weekend on September 1 at round 11 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship at the Illinois State Fairgrounds mile oval cathedral of speed.

(L-R) Jake Johnson's #5 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Ramspur Winery-sponsored Ducati sits at the ready, alongside Steve Bonsey and former crew chief Ted McDermitt of the #80 Zanotti Racing/RGR-backed XR-750 team. Ronnie Jones' #74G Salina Harley-Davidson-backed XR sits at the ready, while the former holder of the #16 number plate can be seen just behind Greg Crow of Greg Crow Racing (alongside the #61 GCR/Gardner Racing-backed XR of Dustin Crow) wiping his face from the intense heat over the Labor Day weekend in Springfield. And on the far outside can be seen one of the team members of Nichole Cheza-Mees, steadying her #15 Global Products/Harley-Davidson Motor Company-sponsored XR.

You can check out the full press release below thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track, and for all of you west coast fans, be sure to fire off an e-mail to these great folks and thank them and McLaughlin and his SMI company to let them know how stoked you are that they went to this kind of trouble to bring back this great event. Great job and bravo!

Sacramento Mile to Return to California State Fair on July 26, 2014 as part of AMA Pro Flat Track Schedule

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (May 12, 2014) - Officials from Cal Expo and AMA Pro Racing announced today that the Sacramento Mile will return to the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track schedule. The historic event, which was previously removed from this year's calendar, is back on track to take place at Cal Expo in Sacramento, Calif. on July 26, 2014 with event promotion from SMI.   (Left to right: Rick Pickering - CEO of Cal Expo, Steve McLaughlin - CEO of SMI, Nick Nicora - VP of Ovations Food Services / Partner of Cal Expo) "We're thrilled to be able to get the Sacramento Mile back on the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track schedule," said Michael Gentry, Chief Operating Officer of AMA Pro Racing. "The race is always one of the most prominent events on the schedule and I'm really looking forward to watching our riders take to the track at the Cal Expo in late July."   The Sacramento Mile returned to the AMA Pro Flat Track schedule in 2011 after a nine year absence and has once again stamped itself as one of the most exciting events on the Grand National Championship tour. Over the last month, negotiations have been ongoing with the intent of creating a long-term agreement for the event that will honor the history of the Sacramento Mile.   "We are excited to be able to continue the rich tradition of the Sacramento Mile for our region and for AMA Pro fans," said Rick Pickering, CEO of Cal Expo. "We appreciate the leadership and commitment of SMI in stepping forward to take the Sac Mile to the next level of success,"   "The Sacramento Mile has been one of the highlights of the Cal Expo season and we are looking forward to seeing it here for its 100th event," said Nick Nicora, VP of Ovations Food Service. SMI, a company owned and operated by AMA Hall of Famer Steve McLaughlin, will be the event promoter and AMA Pro Racing sanction holder, with event sponsorship, marketing, promotion and advertising handled by Don Henry of Henry Advertising. Lynne H. Saunders will be director of Operations and Dennis Pearson, Dirt Productions will build and maintain the track.   "The Sacramento Mile was a must attend when I was a young AMA Pro racer," said Steve McLaughlin, event promoter. "Cal Rayborn tried to get me on the Mile but as a Road Racer I couldn't understand racing with no brake lever on the right side of the handlebar. We are very close to the event and will be doing our best to get the word out and improve the fan experience as well as value. As a new promoter, my first act will be offering free standing room only tickets to children 12 years old and under, and all other ticket prices for children 12 years old and under will be 50% off. Also, Sacramento Mile attendees that arrive by motorcycle will park for free."

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