With the current state of the economy and uncertainty in some corners of the motorcycle road racing community, the Championship Cup Series in conjunction with Pirelli Tire, is proposing a new direction for sportsman motorcycle road racing in the United States: Spec class racing. CCS and Pirelli have created a new Spec Class, the Pirelli Diablo 600 Challenge, to be run at all 51 of the CCS sanctioned events in 2010. “Pirelli, by coming on as the Spec tire, has played a major role in the formulation and direction of this new program,” said CCS Director of Operations, Kevin Elliott. “While based on Middleweight SuperSport rules, CCS wants to stress that this class will be an addition to the program, not replace an existing class.” The new class, named the Pirelli Diablo 600 Challenge, will be different because Championship Cup is actively seeking to sign Spec equipment sponsors for suspension, fuel, lubricant, and bodywork for this National Class in addition to the Pirelli spec tire requirement. “Pirelli has always been a strong supporter of grass roots racing in North America and that is why we are so excited about the Diablo 600 Challenge. A spec class, with everyone running on Diablo Supercorsas, will make for great racing and give every rider the opportunity to be competitive. With high payouts and more spec sponsors coming on board, this class should be affordable and winning will be based on rider talent, not solely on equipment.” said Pirelli Road Racing Manager, Chris Jensen. The Pirelli Diablo 600 Challenge will be open to CCS licensed Experts for 2010 with the possibility of expansion to other spec classes and license categories in future seasons. The format of the class was created with direct suggestions from riders along with input from CCS and Pirelli. Under this new format, the grid for the class will be set by timed practice or a dedicated qualifying session and an increase in the length of races. Now the race length will be 20-24 miles instead of the 14-16 mile sprint distance used by the other CCS classes. These two features are the most requested by riders so they have been added to the program for this initial season. Entry fees are expected to be set at $100. The class will pay a minimum cash purse of $300 to win, $200 for second and $150 for third and a payout to 50% of the field, up to 15 riders. The exact payout amounts are dependent on the size of the field, more riders mean more money, so it will reward those who participate against larger fields. The only catch, mandated by Spec class rules, is that machines must pass post-race inspection for the specified equipment before official results can be submitted for payment. Additional contingency and spec sponsorships for the class are being worked on. Stay tuned, more information to be released in the coming weeks leading up to the 2010 season.