Supermoto part of Summit of Speed

The idea behind the supermoto race was to see, once and for all, who were the best riders — motocrossers, road racers or flat-track riders.

The supermoto tracks blended a portion of each event into its design — dirt jumps, asphalt turns and flat-track straights.

It's not certain that the original question was ever answered, but at least a new sport in motorcycle racing was born that was called, as expected, "supermoto."

A supermoto event will be held Saturday at the Miller Motorsports Park as part of the Summit of Speed weekend event.

Practice will start a noon, followed by qualifying in the afternoon and final events beginning at 6:15 p.m.

The supermoto track is located north of the main race complex at the racing complex. The asphalt track made up of straights and turns is located in the center, with the dirt-track jumps and banked turns on both ends. Roughly 80 percent of the track is asphalt and 20 percent is dirt.

According to a history report, the sport was first introduced in the United States in the 1970s to try to identify the best riders. It would eventually leave the United States and go to Europe, where it became very popular with riders. It returned to the states in 2003 and is gaining a supportive following.

The motorcycles used in this event are a hybrid, a blend of a motocross bike with wide street-racing tires.

There are three classes based on engine size — four-stroke engines displacing 450 cubic centimeters, unlimited class with engines displacing up to 490 cubic centimeters and the lite class with engines displacing up to 250 cubic centimeters.

The current leader in the lite class is Cassidy Anderson of Provo, who has won most of the races this season.

Ticket information for this race and the Superbike Championships at the Miller Motorsports Park can be found on the Web site at www.millermotorpark.com.

---

E-mail: grass@desnews.com