For the third time this year, the superstars of AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles will collide in California to battle it out on west-coast soil in the second-to-last event of the season. Opening ceremonies for the 2013 rendition of the legendary Santa Rosa Mile will kick off at 1:00 p.m. local time this Sunday, September 29, at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, Calif.
Dryad, Wash.'s Brad Baker (Dodge Bros Racing) enters Round 12 as the overall Grand National Expert points leader, 10 points ahead of archrival and Flint, Mich. product Bryan Smith (Crosley Radio). Baker, who just recorded his first win at the Grand National Expert level earlier this season, has never been this close to the coveted title before in his career and it will be interesting to see how the 20-year-old keeps his composure under the heavy pressure he will face at Santa Rosa this weekend.
Last season's Santa Rosa Mile victor and Graham, Wash. native Sammy Halbert (Flat Track Live) will race this weekend for the first time since the Peoria TT in August. Halbert has been recovering from concussion-like symptoms that kept him from being able to compete in the last few rounds, but the Harley-Davidson-mounted competitor has been cleared to ride and looks to repeat the success he had a year ago at the Northern California venue.
Defending Grand National Champion and Clio, Mich. product Jared Mees isn't mathematically out of contention for this year's crown, but the stars would have to align just right. Mees currently sits fifth in the point standings, 25 points behind Baker. One bright spot for the defending champ, however, is that he finished in second-place at the Santa Rosa Mile a year ago and will look to one-up last season's performance with a victory on Sunday.
After dominating during a quick stint in AMA Pro Basic Twins competition at Springfield, Willow Street, Pa.'s Shayna Texter (Crosley Radio) will be back on her single-cylinder Honda CRF450R for the J&P Cycles Pro Singles portion of the Santa Rosa Mile. Texter placed eighth in the 12-lap shootout last year and will certainly be looking for better results this time around as she currently sits in fourth in the J&P Cycles Pro Singles point standings.
Current J&P Cycles points leader Wyatt Maguire (Kirkland Racing) has had consistent performances week in and week out, allowing the Mead, Wash. native a slim lead in the points chase with just two races remaining. Maguire leads nearest rival Ryan Wells by 5 points, 121-116, and the duo have been battling for the top spot all season long. Expect the two to be in the front pack of riders yet again at Santa Rosa, both with hopes of claiming their first AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles championship.
Defending J&P Cycles Pro Singles Champion Stephen Vanderkuur remains 19 points back from Maguire and will need to be absolutely perfect this weekend if he plans on giving himself any kind of chance to defend his title. Nevertheless, the Davison, Mich. native will arrive in Santa Rosa with confidence this weekend, having claimed victory here one year ago by a margin of over nine full seconds.
For tickets and more information regarding this weekend's Santa Rosa Mile, scheduled for Sunday, September 29, 2013, please visit http://www.circlebellmotorsports.com/.
For fans that are unable to attend, AMA Pro Racing will be live streaming multiple channels of in-depth and behind-the-scenes multimedia content from the Santa Rosa Mile on the AMA Pro Live streaming video website. AMA Pro Live puts fans in the director's chair, allowing them to choose from a variety of viewpoints while listening in on series PA announcers Barry Boone and Scottie Deubler. Alongside the streaming video content, AMA Pro Live features Live Timing & Scoring data and play-by-play commentary via Twitter. Log on and tune in at http://www.amaprolive.com/ft/.
In addition to the live streaming cameras that have been offered at each round of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles season, Circle Bell Motorsports recently announced that this year's Santa Rosa Mile will also feature full-production live streaming in a Premium Access Pay-Per-View (PPV) format. Just as they did at this year's thrilling Sacramento Mile, Circle Bell Motorsports will have a full broadcast production crew on hand at the Santa Rosa Mile to provide AMA Pro Flat Track fans around the world with all the live racing action.
Beginning at 10:15 a.m. PT (1:15 p.m. ET), fans will be able to tune in and watch free live streaming of timed practice and opening ceremonies. At the end of Opening Ceremonies, at approximately 1:00 p.m. PT (4:00 p.m. ET), Premium Access PPV live streaming will be made available for $4.99. Fans can stream the Premium Access PPV broadcast for $4.99 by purchasing a ticket on race day at http://www.amaprolive.com/ft/ or in advance at http://ustre.am/12oOf.
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AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles is a national motorcycle racing series in North America. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, the Series is one of the oldest forms of motorcycle racing and is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track racing in the world. The 2013 schedule consists of rounds on the country's finest dirt track courses. For more information on AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles, please visit www.amaproracing.com/ft.
Consider this a completely new AMA Flat Track race fan communication vehicle. Existing fans will be able to catch up on their favorite racer's season accomplishments, meet the rest of their racing team and learn some of their racing and tuning secrets. New fans will be able to learn about the roots of the competition, the classes, the sanctioning bodies and race promoters, as well as how to take the first steps into the race arena themselves.
