2012 is shaping up to be a really exciting year for supermoto racers in Ontario. Supermoto Ontario (SMO) has announced a two-race regional and national series to be held at Shannonville Motorsports Park. So mark these exciting weekends on your calendars — June 17th and September 16th. These two dates will also include practice on the Saturday from 5:30 until dusk, with the racing taking place on Sunday. These two dates make up the regional series as well as the national series. The national series will have the supermoto racers shredding asphalt and banging bars in Ontario and Quebec; trust me, it will be an all-out war!
The limited number of races will push riders to race hard for a podium position. This is an open invitation to anyone who raced supermoto in past years to dust off their wheels and brakes and come out to battle once again! I am expecting to see some old rivalries renewed, and new ones formed in the upcoming season.
Supermoto Ontario is looking to add sponsors to sweeten the deal for racers. They plan on providing championship winners with prize packages at the end of the year. This will give riders an extra incentive to push their bikes and skills to the limit in pursuit of the championship. I am so stoked for the upcoming season! SMO has secured a number of sponsors already including Maxima oils, who have donated product for the series. Check out Maximausa.com for product information and be sure to support those who support you. Mission Cycles, a local KTM dealer located in Angus, Ontario, has offered all SMO riders special tax-included pricing for all purchases. Every rider knows the costs associated with their motorcycle, and we can all appreciate an amazing offer when we see it, so be sure to call Mission Cycle with your pre-season wish list in hand. Don’t leave it to last minute!
Nineonenine designs are the official graphics sponsor for the 2012 race season, so contact them to replace those tired looking number plates. If your bike looks anything like mine, it’s a necessity to freshen up for the upcoming year. Some other friends of SMO who need mention are Pete from Supermoto Specialities,who is a knowledgeable guy and a tireless supporter of supermoto. I want to take a moment and thank Shannonville Motorsports Park’s owner Jean Gauthier for supporting the plight of supermoto and SMO, and making his awesome world class facility available for 2012.
SMO is also working with Shannonville to make changes in the dirt section. Here’s what’s happening: The guys have started making arrangements to introduce a new berm turn after the first table-top jump to make the dirt battle more exciting while keeping safety in mind. The new berm will enable riders to carry more speed through the dirt and provide two race lines for rider preference. Some riders with motocross backgrounds can really impress with the amount of speed on slick tires. In addition, a new rhythm section before the first steel ramp will level the playing field, changing the previous dirt track corner to a more technically challenging obstacle.
All of these additions and modifications have been carefully considered with one thing in mind. Make the existing track more challenging for riders, while making the race action more exciting for race spectators! Talk about bang for the buck. Great work guys!
Supermoto Ontario is sponsored by NineOneNine Designs, Mission Cycle, Maxima Oils, Artisan Complete, Supermotospecialties@rogers.com , and SuperShow Events,