It is official! Youth road racing for ages 10-16 is taking grip in the USA. AMA Sports, the Pro-Am and amateur racing department of the American Motorcyclist Association, has come on board to help move the sport of youth road racing forward. With events alongside WERA and USGPRU already on their schedule, USMINIGP is achieving things never before thought possible in the USA. USMINIGP with support from OZBIKE, METRAKIT and Cycle Imports has worked tirelessly for 4 years to get to this point. AMA Sports has added the 72cc Metrakit USMINIGP SPEC class as the first youth class that will earn an AMA Sports national number one plate during the Road Race Grand Championships, September 22-24, 2006 at the Mid Ohio Sports Car course in Lexington, Ohio. In addition, this event will serve as the US qualifier for the World Mini Festival set for Valencia, Spain in December. This is a breakthrough and milestone in US Road Racing on this side of the Atlantic Ocean (USA). It is no secret that with current club racing memberships excluding kids under 16 due to insurance or lack thereof, the sport was heading for a shortage of young talent in the very near future. USMINIGP and AMA Sports are now working together in the hopes of preventing this. “This most recent development is hopefully a sign of things to come.” Said Ozzie Saez of USMINIGP and OZBIKES. “This is very exciting for me on a personal level. I am sure when we get another 2-5 years under our belts the level of rider coming out of the US will rival the best Europe and Asia have to offer. Who knows, for the first time in a long time if not history, we may see an all American 125cc podium at the world level.” For more details call USMINIGP at (305) 889-1800 or visit www.minigp50cc.com and to obtain more information on the AMA Sports Road Race Grand Championships contact AMA Sports at (614) 856-1900 ext. 1345 or visit www.amadirectlink.com.