Clear Channel Entertainment’s motor sports division has announced that Formula USA will crown a Grand National Champion, along with offering $150,000 in point funds for the Formula USA National Road Race Series, the Formula USA National Dirt Track Series and the new Grand National Champion Championship Series.
Formula USA will sanction eight National Road Race events along with 12 National Dirt Track events during 2002. Five events from each series will award Grand National Championship points, along with road race and dirt track Formula USA series specific championship points. Grand National Points will be awarded in the Pro Honda Oils 600 Sportbike class at the National Road Race series and the Pro Single class at the National Dirt Track series as follows:
1st place – 20 points
2nd place – 18 points
3rd place – 16 points
4th place – 15 points
5-18th place – one-point increments through 18 places.
A $50,000 National Road Race Series point fund will be awarded in the Pro Honda Oils 600 Sportbike class, with another $50,000 in the National Dirt Track Series Pro Single’s class. The Grand National Championship series will consist of an additional $50,000 giving riders a shot at over $150,000 in point funds. Each championship will pay $20,000.
Mike Kidd, vice president of Clear Channel Entertainment’s motor sports division, said, “This is the return of a classic winning combination, winning my championship back in 1981 consisted of both dirt track and road race points. If you look at most of the top road racers in the world, their background is dirt track. We will see new dirt track and road race talent making for great racing in both series.”
Bill Syfan, Formula USA road race director, said, “We have been inundated with road race guys who are interested in dirt track. This will certainly create even more excitement in our series.”
Bob Moran, Formula USA dirt track director, “I know there is a lot of road race talent each week at our dirt track races. Before now, they just could not afford to go road racing. You will now see new racers competing in both series.”
The Grand National Championship Series, tentative schedule stands as follows notated as GNC events.
March 2-3 – (road race) Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona International Speedway
April 27 – (half mile) Baytown, Texas, Houston Raceway Park
May 4 – (half mile) Mesquite, Texas, Devil’s Bowl Speedway
May 24-26 – (road race) Summit Point, West Virginia, Summit Point Raceway
June 8 – (short track) Plymouth, Wisconsin, Sheboygan County Fairgrounds
June 14 – (half mile – Grand National) Rochester, New Hampshire, Rochester Fairgrounds
June 14-16 – (road race – Grand National) Loudon, New Hampshire, New Hampshire International Speedway
June 22 – (TT – Grand National) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, OK State Fair Speedway
July 19-21 – (road race) Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Mosport International Raceway
July 20 – (half mile) Duluth, Minnesota, Proctor Speedway
August 1-4 – (road race – Grand National) Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Road America
August 7 – (half mile) Rapid City, South Dakota, Black Hills Speedway
August 22-25 – (road race – Grand National) Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway
September 5-8 – (road race – Grand National) Portland, Oregon, Portland International Raceway
September 7 – (half mile) Boise, Idaho, Les Bois Park
September 14 – (mile – Grand National) Sacramento, California, Cal Expo
September 21 – (short track – Grand National) Tacoma, Washington, Tacoma Dome
October 5 – (short track – Grand National) Del Mar, California, Del Mar Fairgrounds
October 6 – (mile) Del Mar, California, Del Mar Fairgrounds
October 16-20 – (road race – Grand National) Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona International Speedway