KTM to Make AMA Superbike Series Debut

KTM announced it will race a full factory entry in three rounds of the 2011 AMA Superbike Championship.

The Austrian manufacturer is teaming up with HMC Racing and racer Chris Fillmore to enter the series with the KTM 1190 RC8 R Race Spec.

HMC Racing owner Mitch Hansen and KTM have worked together in the past, winning ten national Supermoto titles together. Hansen also played a major role in the U.S. Red Bull Rookies Cup which featured KTM racebikes. Fillmore raced for two seasons on the HMC KTM Supermoto team, finishing second overall in the 2008 championship.

The Race Spec edition of the KTM 1190 RC8 R is a track-only version of the streetbike with a number of upgrades from KTM’s powerparts catalog. The Race Spec version is equipped with an anti-hopping clutch, Akrapovic EVO 4 exhaust system, quick shifter and adjustable footpegs. With a claimed dry weight of 381 pounds, it’s also about 29 pounds lighter than a stock RC8 R.

The KTM HMC team will make its AMA Superbike debut at the July 8-10 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course round. The team also plans to race the Aug. 12-14 Virginia International Raceway round and the Sept. 2-4 New Jersey Motorsports Park round.

[Source: KTM, photo by Schedl R.]

HMC/KTM to Debut 1190 RC8 R in AMA Pro Superbike Road Racing Championship

KTM Motorsports has teamed up with HMC Racing to formulate the first official KTM Superbike Racing effort in the AMA Pro Superbike Road Racing Championship Series.

The HMC/KTM Superbike Race Team will compete in three rounds of the AMA Pro Superbike Road Racing Championship Series. The three rounds are scheduled to be: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (July 8-10), Virginia International Raceway (August 12-14) and New Jersey Motorsports Park (September 2-4). The team will be headed by HMC Racing owner, Mitch Hansen and will be taken to the track by Chris Fillmore.

Hansen and Fillmore both have an extensive history with the KTM brand. Hansen led the HMC/KTM Supermoto Team to 10 National Championships from 2003-2009 and was also the face behind the U.S. Red Bull Rookies Cup effort from 2008-2009. Fillmore raced for the HMC/KTM Supermoto Team at the young age of sixteen in 2003 and again in 2008 where he finished 2nd overall in the AMA Pro Supermoto Championship while also competing on the KTM 990 Super Duke in select events.

“Together, Mitch and Chris formulate the perfect team to launch the development of our Superbike racing effort in the United States,” stated KTM North America, Inc. Vice President of Sales Brad Hagi. “They have both been tied to every major road racing effort KTM has assembled in North America and we are excited to see it escalate to this level of competition. With the national success KTM has had in the German Superbike Championship (IDM) and with a brand nucleus of “Ready to Race” it is the obvious move to take our motorcycle to the next logical step: U.S. AMA Superbike Racing.”

Hansen remarked, “After seeing the improvements in the KTM 1190 RC8 R over the past three years we are excited about the opportunity to race it in AMA Superbike. We are confident Chris will deliver and provide decent results for the bike in its first year of competition. We are thrilled to work with KTM and see where this will lead for the future.”

Fillmore will compete aboard the KTM 1190 RC8 R Race Spec motorcycle. “The RC8 R Race Spec is a new production model for 2011 and it is built specifically for competition use. This is a unique motorcycle in that KTM has taken the necessary steps to remove the parts that are not necessary for racing and then added only the best race specific parts, directly from the factory,” acknowledged KTM Product Line Manager, John Hinz.