The AMA Grand National Singles event for Billings in 2009 was taken off the schedule. The promoter, Mike Marsh of RASE LLC said in an interview that the economic downturn has hurt local businesses, and there was simply not enough capital available to hold the event in 2009. BMC Short Track - Saturday August 1, 2009 Fortunately, The Warm Up will be held in an abbreviated way in 2008. Due to a rained out short track race in June, there will be a short track race held at the Billings Motorcycle Club's short track on Saturday night August 1, 2009. This is a BMC points race, and entirely promoted and staged by BMC staff. Mike Marsh of RASE will be promoting the race for the BMC. For more information about the 8/1/2009 race, please call Mike at (406) 656-9960 or send an e-mail to mmarsh@midlandclaims.com. We hope to see many riders on their way to Sturgis again this year. And we'll do everything we can to have a better race surface than last years "motocross" track. :)
Ride The Big Sky®
The Warm Up®
The 2009 AMA Grand Nation Singles 1/2 mi event previously scheduled for Billings has been cancelled.
Thank you to the many thousands of riders and spectators that have come to Montana to take in some of the best road riding and flat track racing in the United States since 2003. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, primarily the economy and its impact upon local businesses, the finances were not available to state the event in 2009.
We hope that you will still consider including Yellowstone Park and Billings, Montana in your pre-Sturgis ride plans.
AMA Grand National Singles in Montana in 2008
The AMA Grand National Flat Track series made a stop in Billings, Montana in 2008. Since 2003, The Warm Up, held the weekend before the Sturgis Rally each year, has included hundreds of profesisonal and up-and-coming motorcycle and quad flat track racers. In 2008, the best athletes in the sport of professional flat track came to Billings to compete on the MetraPark 1/2 mi dirt track. AMA pro racers from the US, Canada, Australia and Japan were on hand to battle it out under the beautiful Montana Big Sky. The two day event was the first of its kind for Montana, and the only AMA GNC race west of the Mississippi in 2008.
Congratulations to Kenny Coolbeth for winning the first ever GNC Singles race in Montana, and moving on to win his 3rd consecutive GNC Twins Number One plate in 2008. Great Job Kenny!
The Warm Up
® - 2008
Results from the Friday night AMA ProAm short track 8/1/2008...
Friday night AMA 450 Pro Dash for Cash - Jake Johnson took home the $500
AMA Magazine (Oct 2008) story about 2008 GNC Twins National Champion Kenny Coolbeth...
Cycle News On Line story about the 8/2/2008 GNC Singles race at MetraPark - Billings, MT...
AMA Pro Flat Track article about the 8/2/2008 GNC Singles race at MetraPark - Billings, MT...
AMA Pro Flat Track Results for the 8/2/2008 GNC Singles race at MetraPark - Billings, MT...
AMA Pro Flat Track lap time summary for the 8/2/2008 GNC Singles race at MetraPark - Billings, MT...
Recap Video of the 2009 AMA Grand National Pro Flat Track Season
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Mike Marsh and RASE are proud supporters of the
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Short Track at Billings Motorcycle Club. This is a return to club level flat track racing. The event is unsanctioned. This is BMC's return to the "good old days" with Saturday night flat track racing. The 1/8 short track will be held under the lights at BMC's club grounds. Pro and Amateur classes. This past fall, we put 150 tons of organic material into the soil! With the new racing surface, racing will be faster and closer than ever!
 | For directions to the Billings Motorcycle Club, or for more information about the Billings Motorcycle Club or tracks on the BMC grounds, please click here to go to www.billingsmotorcycleclub.us... |
Number 39j shown above is Mike Marsh. Mike started going to the Sturgis Rally back in 1973. In those days, you could show up with race bikes in the truck, pitch a tent in the city park, and have a great time racing and street riding throughout the area. Each year a contingent of flat track racers from the Billings area would head to Sturgis to take it up with racers from Florida, California, Texas and virtually every other state in the US and some from Canada. Each year the Rally received more press, and with the additional press came well deserved recognition...and many, many more attendees. A quick visit to Sturgis Rally HQ and you'll see just how huge the event has become.
Billings, Montana is located about 4 hours northwest of the Sturgis area. We know, we've made the trip a BUNCH of times. Whether going to Sturgis for the annual Black Hills Classic Rally or returning from the Rally, Billings is a great place to stop over and get out of the hot August sun. The City of Billings boasts a revitalized downtown area, museums, art galleries, theater, malls, big box stores, camping and other exciting activities between the "Rims" and the winding Yellowstone River . Learn more about the Billings area on the Billings Chamber of Commerce web site. Billings is the gateway between the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains. The city is within a comfortable riding distance to such famous sight seeing attractions as the Custer Battlefield, Pompey's Pillar, the Beartooth "Great American" Highway, and Yellowstone Park. In fact, Billings has served as the home city for a number of motorcycling events such as the national HOG Rally, the Honda Gold Wing riders' Wing-Ding and other groups. We encourage anyone traveling to the Black Hills to come on through Billings and see what it is like to Ride The Big Sky®.
Beyond the attractive, scenic beauty of Montana, the state has been host to some of the most competitive flat track racing in the country. Beginning in 2003, we formed Recreational Action Sports Entertainment, LLC ("RASE"...pronounced like 'race') to reenergize the sport of flat track in the mountain west area as well as offer Sturgis-bound motorcyclists a great place to stop for a day or two. The August flat track event has grown since 2003, leading to the announcement that RASE will host an AMA Flat Track Grand National Singles seried event in Billings. In the past, The Warm Up® flat track races have hosted nationally known riders and AMA national number riders including Stevey Bonsey, Dan Stanley, Davey Durrell, Beau Brown, Todd Giesick, Wyatt Maguire, Dustin Pruczinski and others as well as several regional and national amateur champions. The racing has been awesome, and gets better each year.
For 2006, RASE joined with a number of other promoters and clubs to form Mountain West Flat Track Series. Over 150 riders competed in the series' first year. The Warm Up® flat track events continue to build into bigger, more competitive events known for our rider-friendly tracks and staff, and exciting shows. For a long time it said on this page something about our hopes (dreams) that the AMA would bring the Grand National series to Montana. In 2008, it is a reality.
VIDEO
Visit the Photos page on this site to see images from our past events. Also, please visit the MySpace.com/ridethebigsky page to see a collection of flat track and hill climb videos and photos, including a 40 min low res movie of The Warm Up® - 2007 on the half mile and the full Open Pro Dash for Cash and Open Pro Main Event from The Warm Up® - 2006, both events won by 2006 AMA ProSport National Champion Stevie Bonsey. Go to Ride The Big Sky® on MySpace...
The 2008 AMA GNC riders came to Montana for the first time ever, and their only National stop west of the Mississippi in 2008. Click on the link below to see some of the video clips from The Warm Up® - 2008
Despite our attempts to give the 2008 National riders a cushion track for the short track event during The Warm Up® (that came apart and got way rough...sorry guys), the show put on by the National flat track pro riders was awesome. Below is a clip of the National riders tearing up some Montana soil as they Ride The Big Sky®
