AMA Superbike Looking Up

Thursday, January 14, 2010

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Ben Bostrom will say on a Yamaha Superbike, only now for the Pat Clark Motorsports team.

The AMA Superbike grid is starting to look like it may have more than five riders next year, as we just got word that Ben Bostrom has officially signed with the Pat Clark Motorsports Yamaha team to run alongside the owner’s son Chris Clark on factory-built Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbikes. We also received an email from former factory Honda road racing team manager Ron Heben that he’s accepted a position as technical director for the Pat Clark squad.

It is also being reported on Roadracingworld.com that John Hopkins will be testing an M4 Suzuki GSX-R1000 and is in the midst of finalizing a deal to ride for the team in AMA Superbike despite rumors that he had already signed for an up-start MotoGP squad. This will be a homecoming for the 26 year old, who started his professional career with Team Hammer and was discovered at a young age by team owner John Ulrich.

Hopkins No. 121 up to his usual hijinx at Valencia.

John Hopkins in AMA Superbike on a Suzuki next year?

This is all promising news for what looked to be a seriously dismal series next year. And it all comes on the heels of AMA/DMG czar Roger Edmondson stepping down as CEO of AMA Pro Pro Racing due to mysterious ‘heath issues’, handing the day-to-day control over to fellow DMG man David Atlas. If you ask me, I’d say the step was more like a push from the owners of DMG, as Edmondson has done nothing but hurt the sport since taking it over last year.

Could this be exactly what American road racing needed? We sure hope so, as it’s probably that last shot we’ve got!

2009 AMA Superbike Gallery

Latest AMA Superbike News

See More AMA Superbike Racing News

View all articles by Steve Atlas
View all articles in AMA Pro Road Racing 2010 News

Comments

Kidracer121 -AMA racing sucks! March 7, 2010 11:41 PM
Just like my title says AMA racing sucks! I started roadracing as a kid about 12 years ago and back then it seemed like the AMA was much more interesting. Now it is underfunded, under marketed, non competitive and boring!!!!!! And if I a huge fan of racing finds it boring how is anyone going to like it? The tv coverage is horrible! There need to be differnt camera angles and it need to be in HD already! The announcers are also so boring I fall asleep almost everytime! There are so many classes that nobody even cares about! Get back to basics and get the major companies back into it! The tracks also need to be better in America. The AMA is just amature hour right now! Get your shit together AMA and let's bring American racing back and grow it as big a we can!

cpuspeed -Big 4 February 2, 2010 04:23 PM
It was a mixed bag at best NASCAR and AMA Pro Racing? The AMA is always been apples and oranges. So you have a assoc that promotes motorcycle racing in the USA but the bikes are from Japan and Europe. Most people dont get it. We all do but most dont, and am sure most at DMG dont either. AMA Pro Racing has nothing to do with american made bikes, it is simply motorcycle racing, like in the rest of the world, but on american circuits... thats all. Now I have no problem with american made bikes, but you must have the big 4 from japan participating or its not motorcycle racing. You screw things up so much as to scare just one of them away... you got a big problem.

StaceShuttle -AMA Superbike January 19, 2010 05:15 PM
This is my first time to this particular site, and I have to say that I am a bit disappointed at some of the comments from some obviously knowledgable racing fans. I agree that AMA needs to persue rules that favor that of WSB, but I'm not out to bitch about what is wrong with AMA here. Instead, as a rider and a fan, I write emails and make phone calls to AMA Pro Road Racing as well as DMG. The one thing that you do see a lack of here is big sponsorship like you do in MotoGP and WBK. Unfortunately it does take money to power the wheel. I will continue to support the AMA, but I will do so by making my voice heard as a fan and consumer...and along the way, I will hope for better days ahead. The potential is there, but if we abandon it, what chance does it have? Ride safely friends.

SamXRL -Let-er-go January 15, 2010 03:33 PM
"Put a fork in her, she's done!" This series has been six foot under for the last eight to ten years. Most of the top manufacturers pulled serious efforts long ago (only Suzuki stayed and that was because they were dominating) and now it's a sad case of it's former self. "Kind of like throwing a dollar on the table of the 50+ year old topless dancer". She'll need all the charity she can get! Sadly, she stands a better chance of success than this crap of a series!

Jerry -Norcalfilth: i totally agree AMA superbike will NEVER EVER be on par with WSBK keep dreaming January 15, 2010 03:22 PM
If you guys think that anytime in the near future or the distant feature that AMA has a chance in hell to be on par with World Superbike Class keep dreaming you are all either ignorant or know absolutely nothing about motorcycle racing.

Buzzard -none January 15, 2010 12:33 PM
too little, too late. Goodbye American superbike racing, I hope you'll be back in a few years.

MTGR -let it go already January 15, 2010 07:02 AM
I think it is time to let the DMG thing die the death it brought on itself. Once it is gone another series can jump to the for-front and submit for AMA sanctioning.

Mike -AMA Management? January 15, 2010 02:30 AM
NorCalFilth, yes, yes, I know, AMA is a national series. I WANT it to be on the level of SBK, like a lot of other people. Or at least more interesting than it has been. My "local" track is Road Atlanta. That place is now a laugh when compared to Barber MSP. I haven't been to RA since 2002-I was getting bored with AMA then and sick of the Mat Mladin show. Where's the competition that makes it interesting? Having Freddie Spencer and Ralph Sheehan call races was a mistake as well. Maybe this year will be better some how. I will just Tivo the races and go ride my old Blackbird all day, then watch the race until I fall asleep-or not if the race is MADE to be exciting to watch.

bikerrandy -AMA/DMG road race series January 14, 2010 04:43 PM
For many years now I've counted on prior AMA races to fill my need of being present to at least 1 of their weekend races. This year I'm going to wait and see what it looks like at Daytona. If the quality of racing is too far from what it used to be, I may only see the DMG races at Laguna Seca with the MotoGP races. Up to now I've been to the Sears Point May races religiously, but this time it's a wait and see if the cost is worth being there or watching it on TV. Also plan to see WSBK at Miller in Utah.

NorCalFilth -Worried about American Intelligence January 14, 2010 04:15 PM
Are American "fans" all so arrogant to believe that the AMA will ever be on par with WSBK... or are they all just that stupid???

NorCalFilth -Mike - AMA Management? January 14, 2010 04:12 PM
Mike you have totally missed it again. STOP COMPARING A NATIONAL SERIES TO WSBK. Compare the AMA to Australian SBK and British SBK. FIGURE IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS NOT A WORLD LEVEL SERIES.

Mike -AMA Management? January 14, 2010 03:46 PM
I think it is a good thing RE is out of the picture. I read somewhere else he has bladder cancer. If that is the case, well, he needs to take care of himself. As far as the AMA is concerned, they need to stick to printing their magazine and lobby for worthy causes like the lead ban in youth ATVs and mini bikes, as well as lobbying for motorcyclists issues and concerns. (One of which is noise regulation.), and get out of being the sanctioning body of any organized motorcycle racing all together. Perhaps the MIC should start hob knobbing with some of the potentates from SBK and get the ball rolling for a big time operation that will draw in the sponsors and finally ditch the amateurish method of "management" the AMA has shown recently. Like favoring Buells. What a joke. Maybe by 2014 there will be a competitive SUPERBIKE series here in the US that will encourage fans to be as rabid here as they are every where else in the world for SBK.

R23 -AMA January 14, 2010 03:37 PM
ooooooh...ouch

NorCalFilth -Atlas were do you come up with this stuff??? January 14, 2010 02:53 PM
All you do is talk badly about the American series with out any clear arguments other than "NAS-Bike sucks". Well listen here brother... AMA Superbike has NEVER been a premier league and never will. The AMA is never going to bring in the dollars, riders or sponsors that the world level series do, so lets quit with the "we deserve better" BS. More interesting is how you blame the DMG for the manufactures pulling out. Well Steve you are defiantly not a business man, because DMG had nothing to do with the pull out. There is this little thing called a recession that the WORLD is dealing with. So you and Dean Adams can keep talking sH!t but you are nothing more than the vocal minority.

Kendall -AMA January 14, 2010 01:38 PM
It’s hard to say if Hopkins returning to AMA is more telling of how far his career has fallen or how far the AMA has fallen. If the AMA was healthy and strong Hopkins would have a hard time getting a competitive ride and if Hopkins were competitive and strong he would not be looking for a ride in AMA. Either way superbike this year will be worthless just like the prize money for 90% of the competitors.

Former "FAN" -To Be or Not to Be AMA Superbike there is no question! January 14, 2010 01:29 PM
I have to agree with both irksome and W1ll. The damage has been done. They do need to go to WSBK formula, bring in a title sponsor once the crap settles and they can be shown the potential coverage for little or next to nothing in the way of funding compared to other forms of racing. As long as all the classes in the so called AMA roadracing series are street bikes I will save all my money for Laguna and also go to some local club races where I can see bikes that have more stuff on them then what races in the so called Superbike class! RE you are a disgrace to all forms of motorcycle racing and I wish they banned you for life and not Flavio!!!

irksome -. January 14, 2010 12:58 PM
The damage has been done, at least for 2010. Why DMG insists that AMA racing be more like NASCAR than WSB will always elude me. I still have my memories of the old days at Laconia to fall back on but I can't see making the pilgrimage to Mid-Ohio anytime in the near future. Not for what should turn out to be televised club racing. The only way to get full multi-factory involvement again will be to adopt WSB rules.

W1LLPOW3R -AMA Superbike... January 14, 2010 11:39 AM
Personally, i think Josh Hayes will likely walk away with the title this year....still, superstock level bikes, no miller round, reduced field and DMG still at the helm won't likely compel me to make the trip to an AMA round..