MotoAmerica Press Office

MotoAmerica has announced it is making changes to its class structure for the 2018 MotoAmerica Series with the addition of three new classes and the realignment of two others.

The three new classes are Stock 1000, Twins and the previously announced Junior Cup, which takes the place of the KTM RC Cup. The 2018 season will also see the demise of Superstock 1000 and Superstock 600 with those two classes no longer incorporated into the Motul Superbike and Supersport classes, respectively.

The Motul Superbike class will be just that beginning in 2018 – Superbikes only. The same goes for Supersport. Supersport will see an adjustment in technical rules, blending parts of both the current Supersport and Superstock 600 technical rules.

“Our focus has always been to build the Superbike class,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “The Superstock 1000 bikes have proven to be competitive in the Superbike class and the teams and riders who run those bikes are now racing near the front at every round. We also found that having the Superstock 1000 class inside the Superbike class was confusing for our fans and we feel the class will gain strength by being Superbike-only going forward. We look forward to having a Superbike class with top-notch motorcycles, riders and teams from the top of the field to the bottom – just as the premier class should be.”

The reasoning behind doing away with the Superstock 600 class mirrors the reasons behind going to Superbike-only – to do away with the confusion of having two classes racing on track at the same time.

The Stock 1000 class is designed to be a feeder class to Superbike, giving riders the chance to gain experience on 1000cc motorcycles before making the move to Superbike. The class licensing restrictions will ensure this category will be for participants with little or no current 1000cc experience at the National level.

The new Twins class is an addition that will address one of the most popular categories of motorcycles sales, as well as giving tuners some freedom to modify suspension and engine components. The class has also shown strong participation throughout the club racing scene.

The Junior Cup will be open to manufacturers who homologate machines for the category. The class will continue to have an age limit, though that has changed from 14-22 years old to 14-25 years old.

The series will further be bolstered by an impressive offering of over $1 million in prize money for the 2018 season with over $775,000 earmarked towards the Motul Superbike class.

“We’re proud to be able to announce a big increase in purse money,” said Rainey. “Most notably that comes in the Superbike class as we continue to look for ways that the MotoAmerica Series can benefit teams. We are also hopeful of continuing to provide additional funds in the years to come.”