NEW BERLIN, N.Y. (July 19, 2008) – Unadilla Valley Sports Center has been a mainstay on the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship circuit since 1989, when French import Jean-Michel Bayle won the 500cc class and rookie sensation Damon Bradshaw took the 125cc class. Since 1993, the New Berlin, N.Y., facility has hosted the two divisions that are now called AMA Motocross and AMA Motocross Lites.
But that’s only part of the Unadilla story. In fact, the track built its early reputation as a natural motocross track through its involvement with the old Trans-AMA Series, which ran from 1970 through 1982. The Trans-AMA races pitted America’s top riders against Europe’s best every autumn, which led to terrific transatlantic showdowns between Belgian motocross king Roger DeCoster and the USA’s wild-child Bob “Hurricane” Hannah.
The facility also began hosting Inter-Am races in 1971, a summer-time series that also matched the then-faster Europeans with the rising American stars. That series seized to exist following the 1975 season.
It was in 1978 that Unadilla Valley Sports Center also began hosting a round of the FIM World Motocross Championships in the 250cc class. The winner of that first Grand Prix was Honda-mounted Marty Tripes, who also won what is considered to be the first-ever supercross back in 1972 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Other winners of the U.S. Grand Prix at Unadilla include Hannah, Rick Johnson, Kent Howerton, and three-time winner Jeff Stanton.
From 1978 to 1992, the Unadilla Valley Sports Center hosted world championship events, and in 1987 it earned a place in the motocross history books when it became the first U.S. facility to ever host the Motocross of Nations, where various countries from all over the world enter their best riders to race for the team championship. Team USA superstars Hannah, Rick Johnson and Jeff Ward dominated the proceedings on a rainy day in September, earning a popular win in front of the partisan crowd.
For more information on the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship, presented by FMF, log on to www.amamotocross.com for live timing and scoring at @theWireLIVE!. Racer X Illustrated will host a new and improved webcast on www.motocross.com, with live racing action hosted by Jason Weigandt. The Racer X Motocross Show on Motocross.com has also been added on Saturday night of each race weekend, featuring practice footage and interviews taken earlier in the day.
About the National Promoters Group (NPG)
The National Promoters Group (NPG) comprises 12 individual promoters of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF which sanctions outdoor motocross events throughout the United States, and remains the Nation's premier outdoor motocross championship series. NPG's mission is to raise awareness of motocross racing through the production of professional championship racing events nationwide.
About AMA Pro Racing AMA Racing is the competition arm of the American Motorcyclist Association and is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its professional properties include the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship, the AMA Supermoto Championship and the AMA Pro ATV Championship. In amateur and pro-am competition, AMA Racing sanctions over 4000 events in 24 different disciplines and supports over 110 thousand active members. For more information about professional racing, visit www.amaproracing.com.
