Archive for January, 2009

2008 proved, against all odds, to be a great year for the ACU/AMCA British Supermoto Championship. With virtually no budget and not much time we pulled off what many riders believed to be the best British Championship for some years. The challenge is to build on that success for this coming season. 

For 2009 we managed to get our dates out early to ensure riders could manage their year and then we set about refining the existing series and hopefully improving the offering for all concerned. The following newsletter deals with most of these changes and we are sure it will generate much debate and comment and if you want to talk through any aspect of the changes please contact Ken, Stuart or myself. What is important is that the changes we have made will form the basis of the championship for the next 3 years. This will give continuity to the series and allow competitors to invest in the sport knowing that their equipment will not become obsolete overnight. 

CHAMPIONSHIP NAME 

We have no headline sponsor yet for this year, however we are still talking to a number of party’s, but if you know of any company that would be interested in sponsoring the series with the resultant TV coverage please pass their details on to us. We can create innovative solutions to any funding offer and as well as the main championship most individual classes are available to support as well. 

CLASSES 

We have made changes to some of the classes as follows. 

BRITISH ELITE - This is the old S1 & S2 championships now combined into one open race. The main reason for this change was for the TV coverage as well as spectator benefits. One race with the order you pass the chequered flag makes more sense to viewers and is less complicated. The additional benefits it brings are that the racing is less complicated on the track; basically you pass the man in front as everyone is in the same class rather than worry who is S1 or S2. We also have the minor benefit of not having to worry about engine size protests as it is an open cc class. Last year proved that the modern 450’s from Aprilia, KTM Husqvarna etc are more than a match for the older open class bikes. To reflect the increased competiveness of this class the end of season trophies will be awarded to the top 6 finishers. Open to National licence holders. 

SM LITES - This is the old S3 class (250 4 stroke, 144cc 2stroke) which remains unchanged except for additional awards for best UNDER 16 and best 2 STROKE. 

JUNIOR - The old S4 (85cc 2 stroke 150cc 4 stroke) class continues subject to enough interest from competitors. Without enough riders we will look at running in conjunction with the SM Lites class.

SUPERMOTO CUP - The Clubman’s class gets a new name for 2009 to reflect the high standard of competitor and to create a proper stepping stone from Junior to Elite. Additional awards will be added for best NEWCOMER, best VETERAN (over 40) and best 2 STROKE, the latter award is to encourage people back to the sport that have the old CR’s etc still kicking about. Open to Novice & Clubman licence holders only. 

ALICE RACING SXV CHALLENGE - As per last year’s Aprilia cup but with new title sponsor. 

QUADS - for 2009 we will be introducing Quads to the British Championship. 

POINTS (1^st - 15^th)

20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. 

TYRES

For 2009 we are running a one make tyre series for all classes EXCEPT JUNIOR & QUAD. The decision has been made to go with Michelin. When we made this choice we took into account a number of factors and even though Michelin was NOT the best financial package we decided to go with the French company as the best balanced choice for all competitors.

•   Any Michelin tyre is eligible for the series.
•   There is NO requirement for competitors to purchase tyres from any particular supplier and there is NO fixed price on tyres.
•   A maximum of TWO rear and ONE front slick/cut slick can be used per meeting. This will help minimise competing costs and reduce the advantage of supported riders.
•   For safety reasons there will be NO restriction on the use of wet weather tyres. A system for the replacement of damaged tyres will be used by referral to the Chief Technical officer.
•   Part worn tyres can be used and there is no minimum requirement for number of tyres.
•   A full tyre fitting and supply service will be provided at each round by GRAY’S BIKES.
•   3 new rear tyres per meeting will be given away by ballot. 

ENTRY FEES 

Bearing in mind the current economic situation we are happy to announce that for 2009 ENTRY FEES will be REDUCED. However to obtain the cheaper rate you have to help us help you. 

REGISTRATION FEE £100 - All competitors wishing to earn championship points will need to pre-register for the Championship. Riders can still enter a meeting without registering but will not be eligible for points but would still win Trophies on the day. Only registered riders would be eligible to compete in the BRITISH GP support races that are being organised by BSMC. 

ENTRY FEE £75 - Registered riders that pay before closing date 1 week before the meeting. If a registered rider enters on the day there will be a £20 late entry fee. Non-registered riders will pay £95 entry fee with a £20 late payment fee. 

ADDITIONAL CLASS £20 - to give even better value for money an additional class is only £20 to enter. 

TRANSPONDER HIRE £5 - Transponders will be available for hire at £5 per day. We are currently working on a deal to offer a cheap purchase option for transponders however any rider who owns or can borrow a compatible AMB orange MX type transponder will not need to pay the fee. 

LICENCES 

The championship is open to all riders who possess a current AMCA (£45) or ACU (£43) Supermoto competition licence. One event AMCA licences are available at a cost of £20. 

 We have now confirmed an official upgrade path with the ACU for Supermoto that will end the previous problems in obtaining start permissions for International (including Ireland) events. All competitors should remember that only ACU licence holders can obtain start permission to compete in overseas events. To upgrade from Novice to Clubman you will need to have competed in 5 meetings at 3 different tracks at an ACU/AMCA sanctioned event in the last 3 years. From Clubman to National you need to have finished in the first 50% of a race final at 5 meetings at 4 different circuits. To upgrade from National to FIM Non Championship International you need to have competed in a minimum of 3 meetings in the past 12 months and a medical examination is required.  

Please note most 2008 British Championships were double headers so count as two meetings. For 2007 all events held by NORA that counted towards the British Championship are eligible for licence points. We will be happy to provide signatures on licences backdated where required for all registered riders. 

DATES  

All rounds count towards championship points.

2009 British Supermoto Championship Race Calendar

APRIL 4^th & 5^th ROWRAH STADIUM CUMBRIA

MAY 16^th LYDDEN HILL KENT

MAY 17^th LYDD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY KENT

JUNE 27^th & 28^th EAST FIFE KARTING CRAIL SCOTLAND

JULY 18^th & 19^th SPORTCITY MANCHESTER

AUGUST 15^th & 16^th TEESSIDE AUTODROME MIDDLESBROUGH

SEPTEMBER 19^th & 20^th SPECTACULAR NEW VENUE IN THE SOUTH!!!!

OCTOBER 31^st KIRKISTOWN NORTHERN IRELAND 

NUMBERS 

Championship numbers will be allocated on a first come first served basis based on registration forms returned. The only exceptions are the numbers 1 – 6 which are reserved for the following riders 1 = Matt Winstanley 2 = Christian Iddon 3 = Ady Smith 4 = Keith Farmer 5 = James Addy 6 = Ricky Higgs. Should these riders not choose to use their allocated number then they will be allocated to the person who first requests it. Back ground colours are as 2008.

TV 

All 2009 events will be televised, the editorial content will be determined by us and we will be looking for a balanced view of all classes but with lots of meeting riders in the paddock to help publicise individual sponsors and create a human interest in the faces behind the helmets rather than just purely track action. At the time of going too press the proposed channels taking the series wereDAVE, PULSE (Extreme) and MOTORS. We expect the programming will be approximately 10 days after the races.

WEBSITE 

A new dedicated website is being prepared www.britishsupermoto.net This site will be all singing & dancing with a results page, download section and a rider profile area where registered riders can add their own profiles, sponsors and photo’s to further increase exposure. For a flavour of the type of site we are having please check out www.britishmastersmx.com .

BSMC OFFICE

The BSMC office has now moved, the new address is BSMC 2008 Ltd Quarry House, Healey Lane, Rochdale OL12 0SX.There is also dedicated telephone line 01706 241100 and dedicated email info@britishsupermoto.net

Good luck & good racing for 2009

David J Dearden

Championship Secretary