The AMA Pro Road Racing National Guard American Superbike championship makes its New Jersey Motorsports Park debut over Labor Day weekend, and is already one of the most anticipated events in the South Jersey facility’s short history. Motorsports fans can get a free sneak peek of the fastest two-wheelers in North America when New Jersey Motorsports Park hosts the stars and bikes of AMA Road Racing for two days of testing, July 21-22.
Following the testing on Tuesday, July 21, New Jersey Motorsports Park will host a bike night through 9 p.m. in the Thunderbolt Raceway paddock. The evening gathering, still free of charge, will include music and available food and beverage. Star riders from the AMA Pro American Superbike and Daytona SportBike will be on hand for autographs and photos.
The AMA American Superbike and Daytona SportBike testing on Tuesday and Wednesday on the 2.25-mile Thunderbolt Raceway is just the beginning of nearly a week of motorcycle activity at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The Championship Cup Series Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship Series featuring the Michelin Pro Series concludes the week on the 1.9-mile Lightning circuit with a weekend of racing, July 24-26.
New Jersey Motorsports Park will offer tickets to the AMA Superbike Championship, rounds 19 and 20 of 20 for the premier classes, at a 15% discount for those attending the test days and bike night.
Though the July test will be the first visit to the year-old facility for almost every rider in the championship, many are looking forward to the visit.
"I think anytime that we can add another racetrack to the circuit, it’s a great thing," said Blake Young, who currently sits eighth in the American Superbike standings as a rookie on the No. 79 Rockstar/Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000. "The more and more times I can throw a leg over a bike and get out on the racetrack and win races and get the sponsor’s name out there, I think it’s a good thing. It definitely gets some more fans from all over the states to come. That’s not an area that we go to now, so I think it could be good. I think it’s great to add another track to the series, for sure."
Another series young gun, 19-year-old Josh Herrin, is looking forward to the challenge of a new track.
"I think going to New Jersey is going to be awesome," said Herrin, rider of the No. 8 Graves Yamaha YZF-R6. "It’s a track I’ve never been to, and it’s nice to be able to go to a new track. It’s really refreshing. I grew up racing and going everywhere. If there was a track I hadn’t been to, my dad would take me there and we’d learn the track just because he wanted me to be good at everything, not just one track. I’ve heard good things about it."
The AMA Superbike Championship, September 4-6 at New Jersey Motorsports Park, is the season finale for both the American Superbike and Daytona SportBike classes. The doubleheader weekend will see races on both Saturday and Sunday for each class.
In addition to the National Guard American Superbike and Daytona SportBike season finales, the New Jersey Superbike Championship weekend also features the AMA Pro SuperSport and SunTrust Moto-GT classes.
