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RACE WATCH

Brainerd scratched

Does anyone care that America consistently produces the world’s best roadracers? Apparently not, if recent events are any indication. As if the loss of the USGP at Laguna Seca wasn’t bad enough, we now also have lost the World Superbike round originally scheduled for June 12-14 at Minnesota’s Brainerd International Raceway. And the reason, again, is money.

“In addition to the 7.5-percent purse increase that we agreed upon, we were suddenly expected to pay for 60 international round-trip airline tickets and 10,000 kilos (22,000 pounds) of freight,” explained Dick Roe, vice president and general manager of BIR. “The new financial obligations meant an additional $125,000 that we could not justify.”

Brainerd has held a round of the World Superbike Championship each year since 1989. In years past, the series organizer, the Flammini Group, has helped Brainerd and the other “overseas” tracks on the calendar by covering the teams’ travel expenses. But now, in the final year of its threeyear contract with the FIM, the group has changed its policy.

“Japan has enough spectators to come up with the money, the Australian event is subsidized by their tourism department and the Malaysian promoter is rich or something,” said Dave Ferroni, public-relations spokesman for BIR. “We’re sorry to see it go, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”