Boise, Idaho – In 2017, the AMA Championship Snow Bike Series became the first races in the almost 100 year history of the AMA to run without any kind of wheels. The AMA recently raised awareness and prestige for the sport by announcing the snow bike racing will become a full-fledged National Championship Series in 2018.
Snow-biking is a relatively new form of winter recreation, where a ski and a lightweight, high-performance track are fitted to modern, off-road motorcycles. Snow-bikes are easy to maneuver, and weigh under 275lbs. and the cost of entry into this sport is relativity inexpensive, and allow a dirt bike rider to quickly and easily convert their motorcycle for use in the winter. AMA Competition Director, Kevin Crowther stated, “The AMA was excited to get involved with the new and innovative sport of snow bike racing last year. Now we are ready to work with the industry to help take things to the next level by making this a full-blown AMA National Series.”
Snow bike racing is not new; one round of the race series has run in Idaho since 2009, drawing well-known motorcycle competitors over the last eight years such as: John Dowd, Ronnie Renner, Mike Metzger, Brock Hoyer, Reagan Seig, Jimmy Jarrett, and many others. New for 2018 will be National Championship men’s and women’s pro classes, as well as a non-cash Senior class for riders over 40. Amateur classes will also be offered for women, kids, bikes up to 350cc, and a new unlimited trophy class that will allow turbos and NOS to be utilized, providing a great platform for testing and R&D work for teams and manufacturers.
Ron Dillon, series director, said, “We have learned from past snow-bike events that when dirt, dust and rocks are eliminated, racing gets closer. Racers will be riding inches from each other, fighting for every position, and it is an absolute blast to watch them go at it. The sport continues to evolve and our tracks will be closer to Supercross than ever before with more jumps, banked turns, and rhythm sections, taking advantage of riders’ increasing skills and increasingly better equipment. We are proud to be working again with the AMA, and we have some fantastic new race venues for 2018 including the legendary World Championship Snowmobile Derby in Eagle River, Wisconsin, and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe, Nevada. For more information about the 2018 AMA National Championship Snow Bike Series, call Ron Dillon at (208) 573-4255, or visit www.snowbikeseries.com.
2018 AMA National Championship Snow Bike Series Schedule:
Round 1: Saturday, December 9, 2017: Hill City, Minnesota, (Quadna Mountain Resort)
Round 2: Saturday & Sunday, January 20-21, 2018: Eagle River, Wisconsin (World Championship Snowmobile Derby)
Round 3: Saturday, January 27, 2018: McCall, Idaho (McCall Winter Carnival)
Round 4: Saturday, February 10, 2018: South Lake Tahoe, Nevada (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe)
Round 5: Saturday, February 24, 2018: Kalispell, Montana
Round 6: Sunday, March 11, 2018: West Yellowstone, Montana (West Yellowstone Expo)
Round 7: Saturday, March 24, 2018: Diamond Lake, Oregon, (Diamond Lake Lodge)
