MotoAmerica announced today that it will combine the Supersport/Superstock 600 class for the 2016 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship due to an unfortunate lack of Supersport entries.
"While entries as a whole were well up from last year across the board, the exception was in the Supersport class," said MotoAmerica partner Chuck Aksland.
"This has forced us to make a change, but I think the option we came up with is a good one. The races will be entertaining for our spectators while also providing top-notch competition for our riders and teams. Over the course of this season, we will study our options to ensure that we have a suitable direction for the 600cc category for 2017."
MotoAmerica has come up with a formula that will allow only the fastest Superstock 600 racers to be on track with the Supersport riders in practice, qualifying and the races. Thus practice will be split into two groups. Group 1 will feature the Supersport class riders and those Superstock 600 competitors with enough championship points to put them in the top half of the championship standings. Group 2 will consist of those riders with the fewest points in the Superstock 600 category.
After the final Superstock 600 qualifying session, the top 15 riders will automatically be seeded to the main event along with the Supersport qualifiers. Last Chance Qualifier races for Superstock 600 riders will be held each day with the top five from those races advancing to the main event.
The main event on both days will feature all of the Supersport class entries plus the top 20 Superstock 600 riders who qualify within 110 percent of the fastest rider. Supersport and Superstock 600 riders will be scored separately with separate podiums, purses and championship points.
The Last Chance Qualifier that will be held on both days will not be a points-paying race.
The opening round of the Supersport Championship at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, April 8-10, will be a Supersport-only race. The opening round of the Superstock 600 Championship will take place at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, a week later, April 15-17.
Main Photo: Brian J. Nelson.
