GAGNE AND ROBERTS AMONG NEWEST RIDERS NAMED FOR SUPERPRESTIGIO OF THE AMERICAS
LAS VEGAS (NOV. 10, 2015) – SMI is happy to announce additional riders invited and slated to race in the inaugural Superprestigio of the Americas presented by Yamaha, on Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Headlining the new invitees are 2015 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Champion Jake Gagne and MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion Joe Roberts.
With his participation in SOTA’15, Gagne could make claim to being one of the most versatile professional motorcycle racers in the sport today. In addition to his championship-winning performance with RoadRace Factory/Yamaha in Superstock 1000, Gagne also raced and qualified for a Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross National at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah in August.
Coming on board alongside Gagne and Roberts and added to the elite rider roster for the 2015 Superprestigio of the Americas roster are AMA Pro Hillclimb Champion Phil Libhart, former AMA Superbike winners Larry Pegram and Blake Young, Spanish Supermoto Specialist Dani Ribalta, British Flat Track racer Oliver Brindley, Spanish Flat Track specialist Franc Serra and Street Freestyle standout Aaron Colton.
“We couldn’t be happier to have current MotoAmerica Champions Jake Gagne and Joe Roberts involved in the Superprestigio of the Americas,” said SMI President Steve McLaughlin. “It was quite an accomplishment when Jake made the field at an AMA Pro Motocross National this summer and we’ll be excited to see if he can get into the final at the Orleans as well. And of course the riders coming over from Europe truly give us an international field, which we feel is quite an accomplishment for a first-year event.”
The first ever Superprestigio of the Americas presented by Yamaha (SOTA’15) will bring together top racers from varying racing disciplines to race head to head against AMA Pro Flat Track racing’s leading riders in a big two-day, season-ending event at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Running the day before the Superprestigio of the Americas, on Friday, Nov. 20 at the Orleans Arena, will be the AMA Pro Flat Track Championship finale where the 2015 AMA Pro Grand National Champion will be crowned.
Two spots are still open for AMA Pro Grand National riders to qualify and will be decided the night before SOTA’15 during the AMA Pro Flat Track final. The two riders who win the GNC1 and GNC2 class in the AMA Pro Flat Track final Friday night will also gain entry in the Superprestigio of the Americas presented by Yamaha. More details to come at www.superprestigio.com.
The Superprestigio of the Americas presented by Yamaha (SOTA’15) will bring together leading motorcycle racers from various motorcycle-racing disciplines from around the world to compete head to head with the stars of AMA Pro Flat Track on a specially-designed indoor short track at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Nov. 21, 2015. The special race is part of the big Las Vegas doubleheader weekend with the AMA Pro Flat Track finale taking place the night before (Nov. 20, 2015) on the same track. #VegasFT
More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 11, 2015) – Larry Pegram has established himself as a prominent road racer at both the national and global level. On Saturday, Nov. 21, the former World Superbike pilot will put his dirt track skills to the ultimate test in the Superprestigio of the Americas in Las Vegas.
Like many successful road racers, Pegram grew up racing dirt track and his first competitive races took place on clay surfaces rather than pavement. The Ohioan raced full time in AMA Pro Flat Track’s premier class for two seasons early in his career, posting three hard-earned victories. Although he began road racing in 1993, his love for dirt track racing never faded.
“I’m really looking forward to competing in the Superprestigio of the Americas,” said Pegram. “It’s an honor to be invited to compete in such a prestigious event and I can’t wait to get out to Las Vegas. My main goal is to just go out there and have fun, but the racer instinct inside of me obviously wants to perform well.”
While the pinnacle of Pegram’s career came in 2015 when he raced and managed a team in the elite ranks of World Superbike, one of his most impressive seasons came in 2009. In addition to three AMA Superbike wins that season, he also rode the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Ducati to a pair of GNC1 main event appearances at the Springfield Mile and the Indy Mile.
“I did a little riding on the short track in my back yard last week with Jared Mees,” said Pegram. “Other than that though, it has been a while since I’ve really gotten after it on dirt. I love it though, and after a couple of days of riding and getting reaccustomed with the machine, it’s like riding a bicycle. It will be great to race indoors in Las Vegas. Racing indoors is a different animal, I grew up in Ohio and that’s all I did as a kid during the winter time. It’s an exciting form of racing, that’s for sure. Next weekend should be a lot of fun.”
The Superprestigio of the Americas presented by Yamaha will bring together leading motorcycle racers from various motorcycle-racing disciplines from around the world to compete head to head with the stars of AMA Pro Flat Track on a specially-designed indoor short track at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Nov. 21, 2015. The special race is part of the big Las Vegas doubleheader weekend with the AMA Pro Flat Track finale taking place the night before (Nov. 20, 2015) on the same track.
To purchase tickets for the Superprestigio, please visit www.superprestigio.com. If you can’t make it to Vegas, be sure to tune in to the FansChoice.tv broadcast at www.fanschoice.tv/watch-live/ama/flat-track or watch the cable broadcast of the event on NBC Sports Network the following weekend on Sunday, November 29 at 9:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. PT).
About AMA Pro Flat Track:
AMA Pro Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. For more information on AMA Pro Flat Track, please visit www.amaproracing.com/ft/, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or live stream the on-track action on FansChoice.tv.
About AMA Pro Racing:
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.