From Gordy Lunde:

I just finished watching the 600cc Supersport race from Pikes Peak. Does anyone at AMA read their rulebook?

Kurtis Roberts crashes on lap two of the 600cc Supersport final and is out of the race. A red flag comes out on lap three for a different incident. The rulebook reads the riders are credited for the lap they are on which would be four. For scoring purposes they go back to the last complete lap which would be two. In this instance they can do a complete restart…..
but………

The rulebook reads on page 18, roadrace rule #8, subparagraph f: In Superbike only, when a race is restarted following a red flag, a rider who was present at the starting grid, but was unable to start or dropped out after the start, is permitted to restart on a back-up motorcycle using the following procedure: (1) rider must obtain permission from the Chief Stewart or Race Manager. (2) Rider will be gridded on the last row of the restart grid.

OK, Superbike only….. How does this relate to 600cc Supersport?

Roberts was allowed to restart on a back-up bike and on the pole again! Somebody needs to explain this. Yes, he crashed again and was out of the race but he never should have been able to restart on a back-up bike.

Am I correct or did I miss something? Was there an update to the rule book that allows this in Supersport or any other class?




And now the answer, from Jeff Wilson of American Suzuki’s Sports Promotion Department:

Roberts did in fact start on the original bike. Parts were removed from the back-up bike to repair the original.

I specifically went and verified this after the red flag–just in case.