The AMA released a “preliminary” calendar for the 2011 road racing season Wednesday, consisting of just eight rounds. After a much-ballyhooed rescheduling of the Daytona 200 to a night race, 2011 will again see the premier race of the season in the afternoon. With plenty of time between the currently scheduled races at Infineon Raceway, Miller Motorsports Park (the same weekend as World Superbike), Road America, Mid-Ohio, Laguna Seca (the same weekend as MotoGP), Virginia International Raceway, and New Jersey Motorsports Park, it does appear possible that the schedule could fill out as the off-season progresses.
The 2011 season marks the return of AMA road racing to Miller since 2008, and is only the fourth time the series has descended on the circuit. Roger Hayden, returning to AMA racing and riding for Michael Jordan Racing alongside Ben Bostrom in 2011, claims he is “probably the only person bummed not to see road Atlanta on the schedule,” according to his . It is surprising that Road Atlanta is not featured on the schedule, though the lack of racing at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California isn’t exactly shocking, as that round was never as successful as hoped. Since neither of those two races have been carried over from last season’s schedule, just over two months passes between the 200 and the next race at Infineon.
Despite not being on this preliminary schedule, the AMA press release noted that, “A return to Barber Motorsports Park, located in Birmingham, Ala., is still being negotiated and the June date and confirmation are to be determined.” Additionally, “One additional season-ending event is also under consideration and will be announced at a later date.”
Preliminary 2011 AMA Pro Road Racing Schedule:
March 10 – 12, 2011 Daytona International Speedway
May 13 – 15, 2011 Infineon Raceway
May 28 – 30, 2011 Miller Motorsports Park
June 3 – 5, 2011 Road America
TBD [likely to be filled by racing at Barber]
July 8 – 10, 2011 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
July 22 – 24, 2011 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
August 12 – 14, 2011 Virginia International Raceway/TBD
September 2 – 4, 2011 New Jersey Motorsports Park
Source: AMA
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