Kit Palmer | November 13, 2018
Well-known in the Southern California area, the AMA District 37 Big 6 Grand Prix Series (WCGP) is getting national championship status (and a new name). The new off-road championship will be called the AMA Grand Prix National Championship Series, and will be organized and run by Big 6 Grand Prix Series, Inc.
The AMA made the announcement today via a release:
AMA Grand Prix National Championship
Welcome the new AMA Grand Prix National Championship. Photo: Mark Kariya
The American Motorcyclist Association is sanctioning a new off-road championship in 2019, the AMA Grand Prix National Championship Series.
The series, organized and run by Big 6 Grand Prix Series Inc., features eight rounds of off-road racing at circuits in California, Arizona and Nevada.
The inaugural season as an AMA National Championship Series kicks off Jan. 19-20 in Adelanto, Calif. The off-road series previously was sanctioned by the AMA at the regional level as the AMA West Coast Grand Prix Championship Series.
“This is the first AMA national championship in the grand prix off-road racing discipline,” AMA Off-Road Racing Manager Erek Kudla said. “Grand prix is the latest racing discipline to be recognized in the AMA, and we look forward to working with Big 6 Grand Prix Series Inc. to build interest and participation in this exciting form of motorcycle racing.”
Off-road grand prix racing encompasses elements of motocross, off-road and track racing into a single discipline. Typical grand prix race courses are between 5 and 10 miles long, with races lasting between 45 and 90 minutes. The format has been used for many years at events throughout the United States, and was added to the AMA Amateur Racing Rulebook in 2017.
This new national championship features classes for motorcycles and ATVs, as well as youth classes.
“We are honored to have the opportunity to operate the new AMA Grand Prix National Championship Series,” Big 6 Grand Prix Series Inc. Chairman Kurt Hintz said. “We look forward to partnering with the AMA to grow its newest national championship and are looking forward to an exciting 2019 season.”
The Big 6 Grand Prix Series was started in 1995 by six motorcycle clubs in AMA District 37 and has 23 years of experience operating a grand prix racing series.
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