Photography by Brian J. Nelson
MotoAmerica has released the schedule for its debut season of the AMA/FIM North America Road Racing Championship – a series that consists of eight rounds but one that does not include the Daytona 200 or any races at Daytona International Speedway.
“After having multiple discussions with Moto America/KRAVE regarding a sanction agreement for 2015 Daytona 200, we were unable to find common ground on a business model that would be beneficial for both parties,” said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III in a release issued this morning. “We wish MotoAmerica/KRAVE the best as they begin their inaugural season in 2015.”
Chitwood, however, says the Speedway will continue to look for partners to run the Daytona 200.
“Daytona International Speedway will continue to be the driving force behind Bike Week, hosting a wide range of activities for all ages including the Daytona Supercross, the Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross and the AMA Pro Flat Track doubleheader, as well as demo rides, displays and vendors,” Chitwood said in the release. “We will continue to look for partners to assist in running the Daytona 200.”
The Daytona 200 has been run at the Speedway every year since 1961.
MotoAmerica’s tentative eight-round schedule has the series starting at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, with two of its classes running in conjunction with the MotoGP World Championship, April 10-12. From there the series will head to Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, in a return to one of its most popular venues on the weekend of April 17-19. Round three will be held at Virginia International Raceway, May 15-17 before heading to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, for round four, May 29-31.
Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, will host round five, June 12-14, with the series scheduled to join MotoGP again for the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, August 7-9. The championship will conclude at New Jersey Motorsports Park, September 11-13.
MotoAmerica will also hold a round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, in conjunction with its yet-to-be-announced World Superbike round.
“The MotoAmerica Road Racing Series is shaping up nicely,” said KRAVE’s Chuck Aksland. “The positive responses from racetracks and the road racing community have been great, and because of this support we were able to build a solid road-racing series schedule for 2015. Our aim is to have a nine-race 2015 MotoAmerica Road Racing Championship. We are working on confirmation of an additional venue and hope to have this completed very soon.”
The 2015 MotoAmerica Road Racing Series schedule is as follows:
April 10-12: Circuit of the Americas – Austin, Texas
(2 classes, MotoGP support races)
April 17-19: Road Atlanta – Braselton, Georgia
May 15-17: Virginia International Raceway (VIR) – Alton, Virginia
May 29-31: Road America – Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
June 12-14: Barber Motorsports Park – Birmingham, Alabama
August 7-9: Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Indianapolis, Indiana*
(2 classes, MotoGP support races)
September 11-13: New Jersey Motorsports Park – Millville, New Jersey
TBD Laguna Seca – Monterey, California (WSBK Support Race)
*To be confirmed
