| About Supermoto
A Brief History Lesson
It began back in the late 1970's when someone wondered who the best all-around motorcycle racer was and from which racing discipline would he come. Would it be a road racer, an off-road racer or perhaps a flat-track pilot?
From that was born the notion of a new type of motorcycle race. It was first called Superbikers and it blended on- and off-road racing by featuring a track comprised of both pavement and dirt. Motocross bikes proved to be the best choice for this new form of racing, and with minimal modifications, a racer could easily build a competitive mount.
The discipline prospered in the United States for awhile and then disappeared, perhaps because of the trend towards specialization. It found a home in Europe and grew modestly. Stateside, local clubs began to emerge as interest returned.
In 2003, supermoto returned to where it all started in the form of an all new national series called the AMA Supermoto Championship, created and sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.
The Bikes
As was true during the Superbikers days, a motocross-based bike is the weapon of choice for the AMA Pro Racing brand of supermoto.
Only a few motorcycle manufacturers, KTM being the largest, produce a "supermoto" style machine, so teams and riders are forced to work with one of the many motocross-based bikes as a platform. Key changes are needed to these machines for them to be able to handle the diversity of supermoto racing.
A purpose-built supermoto racing bike has to be able to handle high speeds on paved sections of the track, as well as negotiate large dirt and steel jumps. To handle this range of terrain, a motocross bike's knobby tires are exchanged for smooth, ungrooved and grippy "slicks". 17-inch spoked wheels go on the front and rear, coupled with a large diameter front brake better able to handle the higher speeds of supermoto. Suspension parts are reworked, and the entire machine is built to be closer to the ground for better handling.
The production-based racing championship consists of three different racing classes. The Supermoto class is for four-stroke motorcycles with displacement up to 450ccs. The Supermoto Unlimited class features motorcycles displacing 490cc and more. Supermoto Lites, created at the start of the 2005 season, utilizes four-stroke equipment with displacements up to 250cc.
Each class has a distinctive front and side number plate. The front plate in each class includes the rider's last name. To help differentiate between each class, the Supermoto class machines' number plates have a white background. The Supermoto Unlimited plates have a blue background.
The Riders
With motocross-based machines the real weapon of choice in supermoto, it shouldn't be all that surprising to learn that motocross racers have so far proven to be the most suited to the new discipline. As the discipline matures and grows, expect supermoto racing specialists to rise to the top.
The Tracks
What makes supermoto unique is the race course that the discipline utilizes. It's a combination of dirt sections, jumps (can be both dirt and steel), and long high-speed straightaways and corners. The course requires a rider to master all types of track surfaces, something of a rarity in today's specialized motorcycle racing disciplines.
What makes AMA Supermoto unique is the location of the events. AMA Supermoto tracks are built to suit the environment that the race is to be held. AMA Supermoto races have been held in downtown settings and traditional oval car racing facilities. Sometimes the tracks are more pavement, sometimes they're more dirt.
The Championship Structure
During the inaugural 2003 AMA Supermoto Championship, riders who advanced to the main event at any one of five season races were qualified to enter the winner-take-all championship finale at Las Vegas. Final 2003 rider rankings for the entire field were also determined at the season finale.
In 2004 AMA Pro Racing adapted the AMA Supermoto Championship structure to mirror a more traditional cumulative-points championship, while still placing emphasis on the season finale. Points are awarded to the top 20 finishers in every event, and points are doubled for qualified riders at the championship finale. The AMA Supermoto Team Championship will also be presented, with points awarded to the top two finishers from each team entered in all series final events, including the season finale.
To be eligible for the championship finale, riders must qualify for a main event in any of the regular-season events leading up to the last round. Additionally, former FIM (Federation Internationale Motocyclisme) World Champions and any rider who has earned points in a current season FIM World Championship event is eligible to enter the season finale.
In Superpole, winners of the eight qualifying heat races each take a single flying lap to determine their position on the first and second rows of the starting grid. The rider with the fastest lap time is the Superpole winner and receives an additional point at regular season events, and five additional points at the finale.
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