A Return To Grand Nationals

Paul Carruthers | April 22, 2002
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

Paul Carruthers | Editor

Paul Carruthers took over as the editor of Cycle News in 1993 after serving as associate editor since starting his career at the publication in 1985. Carruthers has covered every facet of the sport in his near-28-year tenure at America's Daily Motorcycle News Source.