The AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Series is making preparations for its New Jersey Motorsports Park debut, headlining the AMA Superbike Championships at the South Jersey facility September 4-6. The American Superbike class will be joined on the weekend by the Daytona SportBike, SuperSport and SunTrust Moto-GT classes.
The event is a historic moment for the year-old New Jersey Motorsports Park and the AMA Pro Road Racing series. The fastest riders in North America will make their first visit to the Mid-Atlantic region since racing at the road course at Pocono in 1986. To put that in perspective, 22-year-old Daytona SportBike championship co-leader Danny Eslick was born in that same year.
There’s plenty to watch for throughout the weekend, as the inaugural AMA Pro doubleheader on the 2.25-mile Thunderbolt Raceway is the final round for both the American Superbike and the Daytona SportBike classes. The Daytona SportBike championship battle is sure to come down to the wire, with Martin Cardenas and Eslick currently tied for the points lead.
Even with all of that, the most significant moment may be the recent announcement that Superbike legend Mat Mladin is retiring, running his last two races on the doubleheader weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park on his Rockstar/Makita Suzuki. Mladin is by far the all-time leader in both Superbike race wins (82, 50 more than runner-up Miguel Duhamel) and championships (6, with a seventh in sight).
“Everything really has aligned to make the AMA Superbike Championships a ‘can’t miss’ debut at New Jersey Motorsports Park,” said Kevin Wittman, New Jersey Motorsports Park General Manager. “Not only is this our inaugural Superbike event, but it’s the last chance to see the greatest Superbike racer ever to run the AMA Pro series. This is going to be a great event for motorcycle fans in this region.”
In addition to the National Guard American Superbike and Daytona SportBike season finales, the New Jersey Superbike Championship weekend also features the AMA Pro SuperSport and SunTrust Moto-GT classes.
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