by Paul Carruthers, motoamerica.com / photo (above) by Brian J. Nelson
MotoAmerica, North America’s premier road racing series, has announced that the 2023 MotoAmerica Mini Cup Presented By Motul series has expanded to a six-round championship in 2023, with four of the six running in conjunction with the MotoAmerica Championship and its premier Medallia Superbike series.
The Mini Cup Presented By Motul, which showcases MotoAmerica’s youngest racers, aged six to 14, will also feature three new cost-effective classes – Stock 50, Stock 110 and Stock 125 – that will utilize motorcycles such as Honda’s CRF, Yamaha’s TTR, Kawasaki’s KLX and Suzuki’s DRZ. Those three classes will be in addition to the existing Mini Cup Ohvale 160 and Ohvale 190 classes.
The Mini Cup Presented By Motul series will kick off its season with a round at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina, on May 5-6, and will conclude with the MotoAmerica season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey, September 23-24.
In between will be rounds with MotoAmerica at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama (May 19-20), Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (June 2-3), and Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Wampum, Pennsylvania (August 18-19), with a second standalone Mini Cup round at New Jersey Motorsports Park (July 15-16).
“We are very excited about expanding the Mini Cup Presented By Motul program for 2023,” said MotoAmerica COO Chuck Aksland. “Our aim is to get more young racers involved in our sport. By adding more events and additional classes, our hope is to create more accessibility for those that want to give road racing a shot. We look forward to getting the season started and watching the progression of our future stars.”
MotoAmerica has also announced the hiring of former American Flat Track (AFT) Champion Cory Texter as its Mini Cup Presented By Motul series Manager. Texter, a two-time AMA Production Twins Flat Track Champion, announced his retirement from racing at the conclusion of the 2022 AFT season.
“I’m excited to get started,” Texter said. “I’ve been around motorcycle racing for my entire life as both a racer, a race promoter and now as the father of a young racer. I think my lifelong experiences in racing make me the perfect fit to help grow the exposure of MotoAmerica’s Mini Cup racing for the riders and their families, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
2023 MotoAmerica Mini Cup Presented By Motul Schedule
May 5-6 Carolina Motorsports Park, Kershaw, SC
May 19-20 Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, AL*
June 2-3 Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI*
July 15-16 New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, NJ
August 18-19 Pittsburgh International Race Complex, Wampum, PA*
Sept. 22-23 New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, NJ*
*In conjunction with MotoAmerica