- press release -

With a season kick-off on May 24/25 at Ste. Julie, QC, another CMRC Nationals series is rapidly approaching. Everyone involved, from behind-the-scenes to the actual riders, is ready and eager to tackle the nine-round Monster Energy Motocross Nationals’ cross-country tour. For the teams and riders, this translates into one of two objectives: win either the MX1 or MX2 Championship, or improve on their 2007 national ranking. 
 
“At CMRC, we always look forward to the start of a new racing season with a lot of excitement and anticipation and this year is no different. Everybody has been reenergized and is ready to get down to the business of racing,” said CMRC President Mark Stallybrass. “Every year we go into a new season convinced it will be the best on record because of all the hard advance work we have put into making it the best season yet. And I’m not talking just about what we do at the administrative end, but of the tireless preparation done by our sponsors, the race teams, and the riders as well. Without them there would be no national title chase.”
 
What’s new for 2008? Lots! A new venue, a new series, new teams and riders joining the lineup, and a new transponder system. As of this season, CMRC will be using AMB transponders and a new software system to go along with them. AMB is the same system used by all the major racing organizations in the world including the AMA and the FIM. The new transponders are affixed directly to the backside of the bike’s forks behind the number plate as opposed to the riders’ ankles, ensuring more trouble-free scoring.
 
“The AMB system is a lot more reliable and consistent than the previous transponders we used so there is a much smaller chance of error in recording each rider’s position and lap times,” said Stallybrass. “This is just another step we’ve taken to take the series to a new level of excellence.”
 
The other big news for 2008 is the introduction of a nine-round MX2 National Championship, which has replaced the four-round MX2 East, MX2 West series and East/West Shootout at the series finale in Walton.
 
“Since we introduced it in 2000, the MX2 East/West Championship has kept growing in prestige and popularity to the point where a true coast to coast national series is now warranted,” noted Stallybrass. “This wasn’t just an arbitrary decision, but one that has been endorsed by the majority of the factory teams and even privateer teams and privateer riders. For any one of them, a national top ten plate carries more weight than a regional top ten plate, and it makes more sense logistically and financially. What all this boils down to will be a more hotly contested MX2 series.”
 
Also new for 2008 is Castrol Raceway. The facility, just south of Edmonton, AB, is joining the CMRC national tracks lineup as a replacement for Calgary’s Wild Rose MX Park. The organization in charge of the national also promotes other high-calibre motorsport events at the facility including IHRA drags and four-wheel car racing.