1998 champions

1999 MBNA Superbike Tour presented by Parts Unlimited champions

Mazda Trucks 250 Grand Prix: Chuck Sorensen
Lockhart-Phillips USA 750 SuperSport: Tom Kipp
Progressive Insurance Pro Thunder: Shawn Conrad

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- World Sports Yamaha rider Chuck Sorensen has won the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Mazda Trucks 250 Grand Prix championship after taking the win at last weekend’s race at Brainerd International Raceway. The Brainerd win expanded Sorensen’s lead over his closest competitor to 71 points, giving him a lock on the title with the Sept. 17-19 season finale at Pikes Peak International Raceway still remaining. 

Sorensen, of Sunnyvale, Calif., needed only an 18th-place finish at Brainerd to lock up the title, but he clinched in style -- by winning. The victory was especially poignant for the 29-year-old rider, who took his first professional win at Brainerd back in 1994 and now has three career wins on the fast, 3-mile Brainerd road course.

“I wanted the weekend to go like any other, and try not to think about the championship,” Sorensen said. “I’m excited to trade my number 90 for the number-one plate, but I don't see it changing my race program. I think being the champion gives me something to look back on when I’m old, but for now I’d like to concentrate on making my race program that much stronger. I’d like to thank Team World Sports, Mazda Trucks and the AMA for a great year.”

Sorensen finished the 1994, ’95 and ‘98 seasons ranked in the top three in AMA 250 Grand Prix, and has accumulated 10 series wins over the course of his eight-year career. This year’s championship, earned with six race wins, is his first AMA National title.

One of Sorensen’s rewards for the championship effort is a new, Troy Lee Edition four-door pickup, courtesy of series sponsor Mazda Trucks. The Mazda Troy Lee Edition pickup features raised suspension, custom alloy wheels and exterior graphics, embroidered interior trim with mock carbon fiber panels, and a sound system by Kicker.

AMA 250 Grand Prix Champions

Year    Name, Hometown                  Mach.
1999    Chuck Sorensen, Sunnyvale, CA   Yamaha
1998    Roland Sands, La Palma, CA      Yamaha
1997    Rich Oliver, Fresno, CA         Yamaha
1996    Rich Oliver, Fresno, CA         Yamaha
1995    Rich Oliver, Fresno, CA         Yamaha
1994    Rich Oliver, Fresno, CA         Yamaha
1993    Jim Filice, Modesto, CA         Yamaha
1992    Colin Edwards II, Conroe, TX    Yamaha
1991    Jim Filice, Modesto, CA         Yamaha
1990    Doug Brauneck, Dallas, GA       Yamaha
1989    John Kocinski, Modesto, CA      Yamaha
1988    John Kocinski, Modesto, CA      Yamaha
1987    John Kocinski, Modesto, CA      Yamaha
1986    Don Greene, Novato, CA          Honda
1985    Don Greene, Novato, CA          Honda
1984    Don Greene, Novato, CA          Yamaha
1983    Randy Renfrow, Falmouth, VA     Yamaha
1982    Gary McDonald, Sapulpa, OK      Yamaha
1981    Eddie Lawson, Ontario, CA       Kawasaki
1980    Eddie Lawson, Ontario, CA       Kawasaki
1979    Freddie Spencer, Shreveport, LA Yamaha
1978    Randy Mamola, Santa Clara, CA   Yamaha
1977    Dave Emde, National City, CA    Yamaha

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- A fifth-place finish at last weekend’s American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Lockhart Phillips USA 750 SuperSport race at Brainerd International Raceway was all it took for Chapparal Mazda Suzuki rider Tom Kipp to secure the championship. Kipp put a mathematical lock on the title with the season finale at Pikes Peak International Raceway, Sept. 18, still remaining. 

Kipp, of Chardon, Ohio, won five 1999 Lockhart Phillips USA 750 SuperSport series races and took three additional podium finishes. The strong season allowed Kipp to finish the Brainerd race with a 48-point lead over his closest competitor. 

“We had some stiff competition,” said Kipp. “It wasn’t like I just had one guy to worry about. There were at least four other guys gunning for me every race, and that made it a challenge. But the championship is really a feather in the cap for Suzuki and the Chaparral Mazda team. It’s no small feat to do what (team manager) Kel Carruthers and (team owner) Dave Damron did with a brand new team in it’s first season.”

Kipp came to the rescue of the Chaparral Mazda Suzuki team earlier this year, when he was called up as the last-minute replacement for teammate Damon Buckmaster, who was injured in a pre-season training accident.

Kipp is also the 1992 AMA 600 SuperSport champion and the 1994 and ’95 AMA 750 SuperSport title holder. He has accumulated a combined 24 wins in the SuperSport classes during his 13-year professional career. Kipp has also spent eight seasons ranked in the AMA Superbike series top 10, including the 1995 and ’96 seasons, when he ranked third in Superbike points.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- Team HMC Ducati rider Shawn Conrad has won the 1999 American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Progressive Insurance Pro Thunder championship, tying up the series title with a 54-point lead and one race remaining on the season schedule.

Conrad, of Sheboygan Falls, Wis., locked up the title with a second-place finish at the Aug. 1 Brainerd International Raceway event. The finish characterized Conrad’s championship drive, which has been marked by consistent podium appearances. He took seven second-place finishes, one third, and he never finished outside the top four all year.

“I had two mantras this season,” said Conrad. “The first was to win the championship, and the second was to win races. I haven’t accomplished the second one just yet, but I’ve always been focused on the championship.”

Conrad credited his competitors for keeping him on his toes. “Running with those guys, like (1994 AMA Harley-Davidson SuperTwins Champ) Shawn Higbee, really pushed me harder. I’m always willing to learn from other riders, and they helped elevate me to the next level.”

Conrad also attributed the championship effort to his mechanic, Travis Schultz, HMC team owner Mitch Hansen, as well as sponsors HMC Racing, Bridgestone Tires, Rymar Wood sealer, Virgil Kreder, Pecard Leather Care, Dowco, EBC, Factory Pro Tuning, Maxima, Yoyodyne Titanium and Vance & Hines.

The championship is the first of Conrad’s three years of professional racing. He completed the 1998 AMA Pro Thunder season ranked sixth at season’s end, and entered several AMA Formula Xtreme races. In 1997 he competed in the AMA Harley-Davidson SuperTwins series race at Road America, his home track. He spent three years racing regional and national amateur series before turning pro.

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