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INTERVIEW I MOTOAMERICA CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: CHUCK AKSLAND
that if kids can participate in a
local region and they want to be a
national champion, a lot of fami-
lies could schedule their vacation
around
one weekend. You're not
trying to burn six weekends."
The series and its participants
are also getting help in the form
of $130,000 in contingency
payouts from Yamaha, Kawasaki
and Honda, proving you're never
too young to start making money
in racing.
It's early stages yet for the
MotoAmerica Mini Cup series, but
there's never been a shortage of
motorcycle racing talent in this
country, it's more been a problem
of where and what to race, and to
have a structure that allows the
bright young stars to shine and
they need to for their own purpos
-
es, that's fine this first year. We're
being
pretty flexible on it and just
trying to get this program intro
-
duced and get it underway.
"Another
difference is when
we were doing the champion-
ship previously, you had to get a
license to
do it, which was kind
of expensive, plus pay your entry
fees and all that kind of stuff. To
help make it easier, now you just
buy an AMA membership, sign
up and go have some fun."
Part of the need for a split
series is the fact that America
is a massive country, far larger
than road racing hubs like Great
Britain and Italy, and racing is ex
-
pensive enough without having
to
factor in cross country travel
with all your bike gear.
"The travel is expensive!"
Aksland says. "So, we're thinking
make a real go of it. And besides,
motorcycle racing as a kid is
about as much fun as you can
have, especially when it becomes
a real family affair.
"We've even got a Street GP
class, which is essentially Honda
Groms and the Kawasaki Z125
Pro. That's for 12 years and up,
but we're hoping that maybe the
dads want to come along and
have some fun as well."
A bit of family rivalry is always
a good thing. But more important
than that is ensuring the junior base
of road racing is strong and con
-
tinues to grow long into the future,
producing
champions who once
again bear the Stars and Stripes.
Visit the MotoAmerica Mini
Cup website for more informa
-
tion, including a breakdown of
Mini Cup classes,
eligibility, and
contingencies.
CN
Nathan Gouker charges under the
checkered flag at Barber in 2023.
