American motorcycle racing fans hoping to see American riders do better on the world stage have had a difficult time of it in recent years. Young racer training has been spotty at best—but now, MotoAmerica is looking to change that. Folks, 2020 marks the beginning of the MotoAmerica Mini Cup, a three-round (for now) series for racers aged six to 14.
Let's Go To The Track:
All three events will be held during MotoAmerica event weekends in 2020. The first round will be held in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, at Road America (May 29 through 31). The second round will be held at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington (June 26 through 28). Finally, the series will wrap for 2020 at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (August 7 and 8).
Each event will see four classes of racing: 110cc (four speed), 160cc, 190cc (for racers 14 and younger), and 190cc Adult (racers 15 and above). Your next natural question will, of course, be what bikes these series will be racing. The answer, my friends, is absolutely joyous.
Racers will pilot Ohvale GP-0 bikes around go-kart tracks at each of the above facilities to compete in this series. These four-stroke, air-cooled mini GP bikes have been described by some as being “like Groms on steroids,” and if you’ve watched videos like this one of full-size adults riding them, you can see why.
They look and sound fantastic, and if onboard footage on YouTube is anything to go by, you probably feel like you’re going scarily fast when you’re, in fact, obeying most posted street speed limits in the U.S. Regular people can also purchase these bikes in the U.S. through Rise Moto, if you’re interested.
Watching young racers have a go on these tiny machines with 10-inch rims is going to be amazing, and I’m sure hearing those engines in person will be even better. I’m hoping to be able to catch some of this action in person, and if I do, you can bet I’ll tell you about it later this year.
Sources: MotoAmerica, Ohvale