Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

The Formula USA National Road Race Series has several changes in the works for the 2003 season and announced most of them at a meeting with racers and team owners Friday night, August 23 at Pocono International Raceway.

To start with, 600cc Sportbike will be the premiere class in the 2003 Formula USA National Road Race Series, CCS Event Manager Kevin Elliott told reporters Saturday, August 24.

“We chose to go with Sportbike because it is in line with the original concept of the series. It’s competitive, it’s fairly well paying and it’s attractive to both local guys and national-level traveling teams,” said Elliott. Based on input from what Elliott called “the powers that be and the people affected,” the Sportbike class will retain its current 115-horsepower (maximum) and 365-pound (minimum) limits and will run in a single leg of still-to-be-determined length, based on how long DOT-labeled tires can reasonably be expected to last.

Unlimited Superbike will convert from 750cc machines to 600cc racebikes. The possibility of adding 250cc, two-stroke Grand Prix race machines also exists. “It’s an interesting point that we will consider,” said Elliott. “But we’re afraid it will bring in an overdog.” Elliott elaborated by saying a very good rider on a very good 250 could dominate the series but stopped short of naming any specific racers.

Ducati 748/800s will be legal for the new Superbike class and will continue to be legal for the Sportbike class.

The switch to 600cc-based Superbikes comes from a request by motorcycle manufacturers for a class to do research and development work in. As a result, Formula USA will probably run the Superbike class with a 660cc displacement limit and a minimum weight limit of 330-340 pounds. The class will require that machines start with a production frame and production engine cases, with no horsepower limits.

“This is our opportunity to show the naysayers that the manufacturers will step up and support the class,” said Elliott. The “naysayers” Elliott refers to are racers currently in the F-USA series who doubt the manufacturers will provide the support, to individual teams and the series as a whole, that they promised in exchange for the new 600cc Superbike class.

“The manufacturers said they are also interested in rider development,” explained Elliott, who then went on to say the factory men like Formula USA’s revival of the Grand National Championship series, which combines 600cc Sportbike road races and Pro Singles dirt track races into a single Chamionship.

Plans call for Sportbike to keep its current $50,000 Championship points fund, Pro Singles to keep its current $50,000 Championship points fund and the $50,000 Championship points fund for the combined Grand National Championship series to remain.

Superbike will have a $5000 event purse supported by entry fees.

Formula USA officials are also trying to refine horsepower and weight limits to increase competitiveness in the Thunderbike support class. Thunderbike is a class similar to the now-defunct AMA Pro Thunder class, only F-USA does not allow Ducati 748/800s in Thunderbike. Currently, the class is popular with Buell Lightning Series riders and Suzuki SV650 racers.

When asked what stage the proposed 2003 rules were at, Elliott said, “They are proposed changes, but we will have no more open meetings on them, only fine-tuning instead of wholesale revisions.”

Under the reorganization of the Formula USA National Road Race Series, Elliott will control all at-track race operations in 2003 because the National Road Race Series will always run with a CCS event next year. Current F-USA Road Race Event Manager Kenny Abbott will move laterally into a position that centers around marketing and promotions.

“The reason I took my current job with Formula USA in the first place is because I thought I could make things better for teams and riders,” said Abbott. “I still think I can by doing this new job, but it takes a dedicated person to work with all of the manufacturers, the local dealers, the local sponsors and still do hospitality, group ticket sales, media relations and things like that. I will be looking to produce creative revenue sources.” When asked what his title would be if he could select it himself, Abbott said it would be something similar to Road Race Promotions Manager.