Round 9 of the AMA Pro Road Racing series arrives at Heartland Park Topeka for the Tornado Nationals this weekend, July 31- Aug. 2. Will the American Superbike title be decided?

Ron Lieback
AllAboutBikes.com Content Editor/Staff Writer

For the second time since 1991, Heartland Park Topeka will host national-level motorcycle racing. The 2.5-mile, 18-corner Grand Prix Course that will be used this weekend only hosted one other AMA event this century, the AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT race in 2008.

Prior to that, the last AMA Pro event at the track was a Superbike weekend in 1991. Scott Russell took the win on a Kawasaki. He also rode a Kawasaki to victory in that weekend’s Superstock race, while Miguel Duhamel won the AMA Pro Supersport event aboard a Suzuki.

Though not a new facility, the Kansas circuit received some major upgrades last year, resulting in the reconfiguration of Turns 1, 2, 8 and 9, including Turn Alpha, which features an uphill blind approach. These improvements have raised the speeds an additional 15 to 20 mph...more in some spots on the circuit. Nearly 130 motorcycles will rip through the untested circuit this weekend, so excitement is expected.

In American Superbike, Mat Mladin on the Makita/Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 is leading the points race with 126 over teammate and nearest challenger Tommy Hayden. With seven consecutive wins at the beginning of this season, and a record 10 wins so far, the six-time AMA Superbike Champion can seal his seventh championship if he performs well at Topeka.

Although winless this year, Tommy Hayden is second in points due to seven podium finishes, including a third-place finish at Mid-Ohio. The only other riders who have a chance, although slim, are two Yamaha riders: Ben Bostrom, who sits in third in points, and Josh Hayes, who’s in fourth. At Mid-Ohio, Hayes took both races, the first back-to-back AMA Superbike wins by a Yamaha rider since Colin Edwards in ’94.

In Daytona Sportbike, the battle for the title is very close. Martin Cardenas on the Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600 is in the lead with 285 points, and close behind is Danny Eslick with 275 points on the controversial GEICO Powersports RMR Buell 1125 and Jamie Hacking with 241 points on the Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R.

Practice, qualifying and Suerpole will occur Friday. At 11 a.m. Saturday, the SunTrust Moto-GT enduro begins, followed by American Superbike at 3 p.m. and Daytona Sportbike at 4 p.m. On Sunday, Daytona Sportbike will be at 2 p.m., followed by Supersport at 3 p.m., and ending with Superbike at 4 p.m. The Superbike and Daytona Sportbike races are each 20 laps for 50 miles, SuperSport race is a 16 laps for 40 miles. On-site fans at Heartland Park Topeka can also enjoy a Fan Party and Rider Autograph Session on Friday night beginning at 6 p.m. in the northwest Paddock Pavilion.

Catch same-day action on SPEED at 10:30 p.m. EST Saturday and at Midnight EST Sunday.