MotoAmerica, the road racing series that includes the AMA Superbike Series, will hold its opening round May 29-31 at Road America without fans in attendance.
In a release Tuesday afternoon, MotoAmerica announced the decision was because of Wisconsin’s safer-at-home order under the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The 2020 MotoAmerica Series’ five racing classes – Superbike, Supersport, Liqui Moly Junior Cup, Stock 1000 and Twins Cup – will compete in the opener at the Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, track.
“We worked hard with Road America to try to make the original date work with fans, but after Governor Evers extended the safer-at-home order to May 26, we couldn’t make it work due to the unknown restrictions on public outdoor gatherings,” MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey said in a release. “But we still intend to run the event May 29-31, without fans and air it on Fox Sports and MotoAmerica Live+.”
Here’s the release from MotoAmerica:
IRVINE, CA (May 12, 2020) – MotoAmerica, the home of the AMA Superbike Series, has announced that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the Governor of Wisconsin’s safer-at-home order being set to expire on May 26, the racing portion of the opening round of the 2020 MotoAmerica Series, May 29-31, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, will continue, but without fans.
Although Road America and MotoAmerica worked diligently to find an alternative, the task proved impossible due to unknown restrictions that may be placed on public outdoor events. MotoAmerica, however, is planning to return to Road America, June 26-28, along with all previously scheduled activities, including Vintage MotoFest. The June 26-28 event will also feature the MotoAmerica Heritage Cup and the opening round of the Mini Cup by Motul.
All five classes of the premier National motorcycle road racing championship in the U.S. – Superbike, Supersport, Liqui Moly Junior Cup, Stock 1000 and Twins Cup – will compete in the series opener, May 29-31.
“We worked hard with Road America to try to make the original date work with fans, but after Governor Evers extended the safer-at-home order to May 26, we couldn’t make it work due to the unknown restrictions on public outdoor gatherings,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “But we still intend to run the event May 29-31, without fans and air it on Fox Sports and MotoAmerica Live+. This is not something we ever imagined, but then again we never thought we’d be faced with something like COVID-19. We will continue to work towards making the event special for everyone tuning into the broadcast and will keep everyone posted moving forward for the next event in June. In the meantime, we urge our fans, teams, and riders to continue to do the right things to keep them safe and healthy.”
“This event attracts competitors and fans, not only from the U.S. but around the world,” said Road America President and General Manager, Mike Kertscher. “As of today, we cannot predict when we will be at a point that our public outdoor events meet the proper criteria for mass public gatherings in the state of Wisconsin. Make no mistake, we intend to come back stronger and ready to continue with our existing June events – including the WeatherTech Chicago Region SCCA June Sprints, June 12-14, and the IndyCar REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR, June 18-21. We also anticipate by mid-June, there will be further transparency to safely host outdoor events, which is a primary factor for why we added a weekend in June.”
Customers who have already purchased tickets, camping or other items, for the May 29-31 MotoAmerica Superbike Series weekend, are encouraged to hold onto those items for the MotoAmerica Superbikes at Road America weekend, June 26-28.
For more information on Road America tickets, etc., visit https://www.roadamerica.com/ticket-exchange. For the full 2020 MotoAmerica Series schedule, click HERE. For information on how to watch the 2020 MotoAmerica Series, click HERE
