AMA Pro Racing
AMA Pro Supersport has two Divisional points races and two distinct divisions under the overall SuperSport banner.
There is Young Gun and Top Gun as well as a West Division and East Division for the Young Gun riders. As confusing as that sounds, one thing is very clear, the all out racing in this class has been thrilling fans and enthusiasts across the USA all season long.
To further explain, the AMA Pro SuperSport class is a place where young and up-and-coming riders can show their considerable skills and develop their racecraft in a technically restricted class where the emphasis is focused on the riders.
The Young Gun class is for 16 to 21 year olds and they are the ones that compete for the Divisional Championships. Each rider declares their designated Division and to help with the costs of going racing, they can choose to race in their regionally located Divisional races.
The Top Gun riders are a little different. They are riders with an Expert Level License from a recognized racing organization regardless of age. These riders enter events, usually their local races, to enjoy the benefits of racing under the halo of an AMA Pro Road Racing weekend.
Local fans have a chance to cheer on their favorite riders and also to see the future of AMA Pro Road Racing as the Young Gun riders showcase their abilities for everyone to see.
As a result of this confluence of elements, the 2010 AMA Pro SuperSport season has been nothing short of spectacular.
The Young Gun West Division title has already been clinched by early multi-race winner Joey Pascarella who, first with LTD Racing Yamaha and then the DNA Energy Drink Yamaha team, was able to build on his early season run of three wins to clinch his West Division title at Mid-Ohio.
Finishing second to Pascarella in the West Division is Lucas Oil Roadracingworld.com RMR Suzuki rider Elena Myers who made history with her well earned victory at Infineon Raceway earlier this year.
Myers has shown excellent speed all year and her solid victory at Infineon is an example of her considerable talent at the age of 16.
She came close to winning the second race at Infineon and has finished no lower than eighth in eight of the eleven races in her division.
You can add another fifth place finish if you add in an out of Division race she ran at Road Atlanta. Myers is showing great maturity and speed, keep your eye on her this weekend at VIR.
The rider on the other side of the equation is East Division points leader J.D. Beach and his very capable Rockwall Engineering Yamaha team. Beach has amassed five wins this year.
Right behind Beach has been his Rockwall Yamaha teammate Cameron Beaubier who has taken two wins of his own, the first at the opening race of the season at Daytona where Beaubier won in dramatic fashion by 0.001 of a second and then another win, out of his division at Infineon Raceway.
In a late development, Beaubier has injured his shoulder and unfortunately, won’t be participating at VIR.
The other group that has been taking the fight to Rockwall Engineering is the formidable LTD Racing Yamaha team. Led by the vastly experienced Gary Medley, this team has featured heavily all year long.
Beginning with Pascarella’s early domination and ably supported by two time winner Huntley Nash and his teammate Tomas Puerta, LTD Racing are in the mix every time they take to the track. Nash and Puerta have been right in the middle of every race and currently sit three/four in the points.
Nash has had a fantastic year and he took his first ever AMA Pro win at Road America and then followed it up at the last race at Laguna Seca with a hard fought win. Puerta has put together a very consistent season, he has yet to win but will very soon.
Right behind the big teams is a rider that has shown steady improvement and speed since he joined the series at the third race of the season (only the second in the East Division) at Road Atlanta.
Running with his own family run program, James Rispoli on his ANT-Racing.com Suzuki has put together a nice solid season.
After not starting the first of the two Road Atlanta races, he came back to post a seventh place run in race two and then took a very impressive third place finish at the daunting Road America track and three more fifth place finishes along with a seventh in the West Division race recently at Laguna Seca.
Don’t miss any of the exciting SuperSport action this weekend at VIR. You can meet these riders close up during the weekend’s Pit Lane Fan Walk on both Saturday and Sunday.
The Suzuki White Lightning AMA Pro Nationals Presented by Foremost Insurance kicks off Friday, August 13 with practice and first round qualifying.
Saturday will see the first of two races in the Supersport class and Sunday, Aug. 15 will feature the second of the doubleheader weekend races and also the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 series race.
One other worthwhile activity will be the second Annual MRO VIR Food Drive to Benefit God’s Storehousein Danville, Va.