ROGER HAYDEN RETURNS TO FLAT TRACK AT THE SUPERPRESTIGIO OF THE AMERICAS
LAS VEGAS (OCT. 23, 2015) – Roger Hayden will make his return to flat track competition at the Superprestigio of the Americas on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015, at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Hayden, the MotoAmerica Superbike star who races for Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing, was a leading up-and-coming pro flat track racer before turning his focus to road racing. Because of his extensive flat track background Hayden is considered by many experts, the one rider from the road racing ranks who has the best chance to score a podium finish in the Superprestigio of the Americas.
Hayden, the 2007 AMA Supersport Champion, has been a leading AMA national road racer since the early 2000s. In addition to his extensive and successful road racing career in America, Hayden also has international experience in World Superbike and as a wildcard rider in MotoGP and Moto2. While best known as a road racing, SOTA’15 marks a return to his roots as a flat tracker. Hayden is a former AMA Dirt Track Horizon Award winner and might have gone on to be a successful AMA Pro Grand National racer had it not been for more lucrative road racing opportunities.
Hayden’s biggest highlight in flat track racing was when he finished third and shared the podium with his brothers Nicky and Tommy at the Springfield (Ill.) TT Grand National in 2002. It marked a historic first for the prestigious series where three brothers filled the podium of a Grand National.
Hayden could not disguise his enthusiasm upon hearing he was invited to participate in the inaugural Superprestigio of the Americas.
“I’m pretty stoked about it,” Hayden said. “This race has got me excited and really gives me something to train and look forward to during the off season.”
Even though he has a deep background in flat track racing and owns a Grand National podium finish, Hayden is realistic about his chances on the short track in Orleans Arena.
“Even though I’ve got a lot more flat track experience than some of the riders racing in the Superprestigio, I laid off of flat track for a long time,” he explained. “This past year I’ve started training again on flat track bikes, so hopefully that will help. My goal is just to get into the main event.”
Hayden said he relishes the opportunity to race against the current stars of AMA Flat Track racing like Jared Mees, Bryan Smith, Sammy Halbert and the other stars of the series.
“I look forward to getting to race those guys, but I have to make it to the main event first,” Hayden said. “I know how fast all those guys are. It will be cool to race with them and see what they do and try to learn from them. I grew up racing Bryan Smith in amateurs, but it’s probably been 12 years since we’ve raced each other so it will be pretty cool to race with him again in the main if we get there.
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s kind of a no-pressure event and it gives me motivation during the off season instead of just waiting for next year. It’s a race and we’re all competitors, so even though we say it’s just going to be a fun event, you know how we are, we’ll manage to turn it into a huge competition.”
Hayden is the second road racer to be named to the Superprestigio of the Americas 2015 event, along with his Superbike rival Josh Hayes. Look for more competitors to be added to the roster in the coming weeks.
Spots are still open for additional AMA Pro Grand National riders to qualify and some of those won’t be decided until the night before SOTA’15 during the AMA Pro Flat Track final on Friday, Nov. 20, 2015, also at the Orleans Arena. The two riders who win the GNC1 and GNC2 class in the AMA Pro Flat Track final Friday night will also gain participation in the Superprestigio of the Americas. More details to come at www.superprestigio.com.
The Superprestigio of the Americas (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
For additional information go to www.superprestigio.com or call toll free 1-844-722-6453.