AMA Pro Flat Track

About

AMA Pro Grand National Championship

The AMA Pro Grand National Championship is the oldest and most traditional form of motorcycle racing, tracing it's roots back to the early 1900's when young daredevils tested each other on county fairground ovals all around the United States. In 1954, the first Grand National Champion was crowned as Joe Leonard had accumulated the most points in the new series. Since then major changes have come to the series and now 55 years later the AMA Pro Grand National Championship Series will crown the 2009 Grand National Twins Champion, Grand National Singles Champion and the Grand National Pro Singles Champion.

While the motorcycles have evolved greatly, the close, elbow rubbing action remains. Grand National Twins races are contested on half mile and mile ovals with top speeds approaching 140 mph on the miles with twin cylinder bikes ranging from 500cc to 1250cc. The Grand National Singles races are held on short track ovals and TT courses with 450cc single-cylinder production frame machines. New for 2009, each Grand National Championship event (Twins & Singles Nationals) will include the "Pro Class" competing on 450cc single-cylinder production frame machines to support young competitors coming up through the ranks and bringing more manufacturers and teams into dirt track racing at the Grand National level.

For many years the venerable Harley-Davidson XR-750 has been the weapon of choice in the Grand National Twins Championship, but over the last few years the rules have been tweaked in an effort to open the Grand National Twins class to a variety of factories. The 2008 season saw riders entered on machines manufactured by Suzuki, Triumph, Yamaha, Kawasaki, KTM and BMW, all challenging the dominate Harley flagship.

This marks the first year of the "production" frame singles in the Grand National Singles class.  Riders will be entered on Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM and Husqvarna, which promises to tighten up an already competitive field.

Close racing and a variety of winners are the greatest draw to the series that has produced fourteen different winners in the last three years. The last three years have seen Kenny Coolbeth win two Twins and one Singles championship title, with Jake Johnson winning the Singles championship title twice. Event winners that we have seen the past three years include seven-time Grand National Champion Chris Carr who is celebrating his 25th season in the series, Coolbeth, Johnson, Joe Kopp, Bryan Smith, Jared Mees, Henry Wiles, Mike Rush, Sammy Halbert, Kevin Varnes, JR Schnabel, Dominic Beaulac, Mike Hacker and Johnny Murphree.

Most of the Grand National Championship Series events are held at prestigious tracks, however the Series will also be showcased during Daytona Bike Week, the Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP weekend, Sturgis Rally and California Bike Week, which are four of the largest motorcycle events in the nation.