Miller Motorsports Park Announces It Will Host An FIM World Superbike Event In '08
It has been three years since the WSB championship raced in America, and Miller Motorsports Park just announced that it has reached a multi-year agreement to host a round of the FIM Superbike World Championship beginning in 2008. Having the series at Miller Motorsports Park will represent the most significant racing event in the history of the state of Utah. The race will be part of the Honda Summit of Speed, scheduled for June 1, 2008.
"We are thrilled to bring the FIM Superbike World Championship to Miller Motorsports Park," said track owner Larry H. Miller. "This will be the biggest international sporting event in this state since the Olympic Winter Games in 2002. We look forward to welcoming the international motorcycle racing community to Utah, as well as thousands of new fans from across the United States and the world, who will be visiting Utah and our facility for the first time."
"This announcement marks a significant achievement for Miller Motorsports Park," said MMP General Manager and CEO Alan Wilson. "The FIM Superbike World Championship is a very prestigious event, and I would like to thank Maurizio Flammini of FGSPORT for his help in crafting this agreement."
Maurizio Flammini, President of the FGSPORT Group that has organized the FIM World Superbike Championship since 1989, said that Miller Motorsports Park is the ideal venue for the series' return to the North American market.
"We consider Miller Motorsports Park a very interesting circuit, with top facilities compared with the American standard," he said. "I am sure that the riders, teams, sponsors and media representatives who currently participate in our events - a community exceeding 2,000 people - will very much enjoy this circuit and the State of Utah. I was particularly impressed with the commitment and enthusiasm of Governor Huntsman, and with the professionalism of Larry Miller and his staff. I am sure that the FIM Superbike World Championship event that will take place in Utah next year will be one of the best-promoted and -organized ever."
The WSB round will share the Honda Summit of Speed weekend at Miller Motorsports Park with the AMA Superbike Championship (a fixture on the annual schedule at Miller Motorsports Park since its opening in '06) and its support series. The weekend will be an action-packed celebration of two-wheeled competition for fans, with double-header races for both the World Superbike and AMA Superbike Championship. Unfortunately, it appears at this point that the World Supersport Championship will not accompany the WSB riders; it would have been interesting to see any differences in speed between the World Supersport and AMA Supersport fields (the AMA Supersport bikes have tighter engine rules, while the WSS bikes all run on Pirelli spec tires). "We are very excited to once again share the stage with the World Superbike Championship, and look forward to bringing the American fans a Superbike weekend they will cherish forever," said AMA Road Race Director Keith Kizer.
The tentative schedule has practice sessions for the AMA Superbike Championship on Thursday, May 29, with practice and qualifying sessions for both the WSB and AMA Superbike Championship on Friday, May 30. The WSB Superpole session plus the first of two AMA Superbike races and the AMA Superstock and Formula Xtreme races are scheduled for Saturday, May 31, and both WSB races plus the second AMA Superbike race and the AMA Supersport races will take place on Sunday, June 1.
A new web page has been established for ticketing and event information for the Honda Summit of Speed at www.millermotorsportspark.com/sbk08. For more information, call the track at (435) 277-RACE or visit the website at www.millermotorsportspark.com. For more information on the FIM SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, visit their website at www.worldsbk.com. For more information on the AMA Superbike Championship, visit www.amaproracing.com.