The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) recently announced that the United States Speedway Team has officially launched its 2012 Speedway World Cup campaign. The US team plan to compete in the Speedway World Cup that begins on May 5th. Slovenia, a tiny country located in Eastern Europe, will host the 2012 Speedway World Cup.
Motorcycle Speedway World Cup
Speedway races typically involve four to six riders competing on an oval course. The riders race counter clock wise on light weight 500cc bikes tipping the scales at only 170lbs. Racers sling themselves and their machines "slide-ways" through the corners, never touching their brakes and topping speeds of 81mph on the straights. Think of it as the motorcycle version of Sprint Car dirt track racing.
The Speedway World Cup is similar to other prestigious world team competitions like Tennis' Davis Cup or Soccer's World Cup. National teams compete on multiple days with four squads qualifying for the finals. Although it was reformatted in 2001, the Speedway World Cup has been held since 1960.
United States Speedway Team
Team USA will be led by five time Champion Billy Hamill. In addition to leading the team Billy Hamill will also ride for the US team. This new effort has attracted widespread support from America's Speedway elite. So far the team has received interest from European based racers Ryan Fisher, Ricky Wells and Kenny Ingalls.
Speedway competitors Josh Larsen, Chris Kerr and Tyson Burmeister have also show interests in joining Hamill on the team. Along with Hamill, Richard Child, Steve Evans, Jason Bonsignore and Dave Joiner will serve as the AMS's Speedway advisory group and is in charge of supporting the US World Cup team. The official team announcement is forthcoming.
"Clearly, with so much talent ready to race for American pride, we're excited about our prospects against the world's best," said AMA Director of Racing Joe Bromley.
