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2013 American Team News2014 TEAM USA WORLD CUP DRAW / FIM SCHEDULEThe 2014 FIM schedule and Monster Energy World Cup draw was announced in Geneva this weekend at the FIM Congress. USA / AMA was represented at the Congress with committee members Dave Joiner and Richard Child in attendance. Dates and allocations for our entries were confirmed in accordance with a revamped strategy and blueprint from the AMA Committee. The main focus will once more be the Monster Energy World Cup, where USA, in the words of the world's speedway media 'Shocked the World' with 5th place in 2013. This year, for the first time in 7 years, USA goes straight to semi finals and bypasses the qualifiers and as this year, will go to King's Lynn on Saturday July 26th. Their opponents will be 3rdranked Australia, 7th ranked Great Britain and the winner of an earlier qualifier (In Italy) that will feature Russia, Slovenia, Italy and Hungary. The second semi final is Tuesday July 29th in Vastervik, Sweden. This features #2 ranked Denmark, 4th ranked Czech Republic, 6th ranked Latvia and the 8th ranked hosts. The final will be on Saturday August 2nd in Bydgoszcz,Poland, the world champions and hosts being seeded and joined by the semi final winners. The second and third placed semi finalists go to the race off, also in Bydgoszcz, two days earlier on July 31st for the last place in the final. In accordance with this strategy, USA will not enter the Under 21 World Cup in 2014 due to our rider being too small at present, but with the expected graduation of many junior riders in the coming few years, the AMA Committee is planning to re enter in the future at the appropriate time. The AMA Committee has retained all 6 members for the 2014 season – Billy Hamill, Dave Joiner, Richard Child, Steve Evans, Ken Saillant and Bill Cumbow. The AMA National Series will continue in 2014 and all promoters, whether they run weekly AMA programs or not, are encouraged to join in as equal partners, in what was a hugely successful 2013 campaign. FIM Dates 2014 World Cup – Semi Final 1, Kings Lynn, 26 July – Australia V USA V Great Britain V Qualifier Grand Prix Qualifier – USA has 1 spot in Qualifier Abensberg, Germany June 9 – Top 10 Qualify Under 21 World Championship – USA has 1 spot in Qualifier at Leicester, England, May 10th 250 Youth Gold Cup – USA has 1 spot, Aug 6, Badia Calavena, Italy. Steve Evans dreamteamspeedway@sbcglobal.net (November 23, 2013) Stars and Stripes Club Members - A Nice Thank You Bonus!The Stars and Stripes Club definitely did its job and more this year - fueling Team USA to a best in 12 years World Cup finish as we achieved 5th in the World! The Members, though motivated only by helping the team, also get some goodies in return. Over the next few week I will be getting these together for you all. As a special bonus, each member will also receive a special gift courtesy of GP rights holders BSI. There are also three prize draws overdue. I will get to these as soon as I can but the prizes on offer are; You only have to read one of the many interviews that team manager Billy Hamill gave to the press after our sensational run to know how much the funding created by the club helped and made a difference. We have always intended to put the best team out there and the funds created by the club made it possible. It is no understatement than to say without the sheer volume of support you all created, we may not have gotten #5, so if you helped, feel very proud now and feel very proud in the future because 2013 SWC Team USA will be talked about for years to come. You helped us make it happen! Thanks again! Steve Evans dreamteamspeedway@sbcglobal.net (August 23, 2013) MONSTER ENERGY FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP SQUADSMONSTER ENERGY FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP SQUADS: Team USA World Cup ShirtsThanks again to Joker Machine we have done a final restock of Team USA 2013 World Cup shirts. Once more we will have them on sale tomorrow at The Grand (Carol and Kelly and CO - thanks again) and Saturday at Ventura. If you have a shipping order best get it in NOW as likely after the weekend we will send what we have in bulk to the UK - please contact me for payment details. Due to demand we have XXXL and S (fits kids) as well as the usual XXL, XL, L and M. They will sell out and soon due to overwhelming demand so don't miss out! Thank you to all who have bought so far! Steve Evans dreamteamspeedway@sbcglobal.net (June 25, 2013) Ventura, the PAS and the restJust back from Hungary where the USA pulled off a historic win to qualify for the semi finals of the World Cup. What a great atmosphere and team effort this was! Billy is a great leader and the whole crew and staff worked hard for this one. Obviously I've been following the posts and wanted to give some information which might answer some questions that have arisen on these events. Much planning goes into the World Cup and for Billy and I it is a year round job. Whilst victories like Mondays are milestones, the real work comes from building the base of riders that will see us eventually winning this. One area we have talked about is getting races on bigger tracks, ones that are similar to those they will race in Europe. Right now the only way to get bigger track experience is to go to England on a tour but that, even with discounts on costs we have set up, it still costs. Some time last year Scott Daloisio from the PAS contacted me as they had expressed in doing a speedway race in 2013. Also late last year, on a total whim, I called Ventura and honestly expected no response. So it was quite a surprise that within a day we had pretty much agreed to stage a race. Riders that want to progress and race in the World Cup one day need laps at tracks like this! Each promoter was given options of races they could stage - low budget, middle and high. Both felt the appeal of the AMA events they are staging and sent in their sanction and charter applications. The tracks will be set up for Speedway - DG, and safety will be top of the list of priorities. Note the NZ GP runs on a car track and what a great event that is! I have the highest level of respect for all my fellow promoters - Brad, Dave, Kelly, Shawn, Jason, Steves. Its perhaps the most thankless and underpaid task I ever have known. All of them have a passion for speedway ahead of anything else. I also respect their weekly shows and our unique kind of speedway. I have spent many hours defending American Speedway to outsiders in Europe who have called it 'Mickey Mouse' because the tracks are so short. I'm sure one trip to Costa Mesa would have their tongues hanging out! That said we also need to sometimes look out of our bubble and recognize that we are part of a worldwide sport. Of course things like the SWC and Monster Invitational do put us in touch with the world, but anyone who is critical of races on bigger tracks is keeping their eyes closed to this worldwide sport called speedway. We need to reconnect to the world scene and the world scene also needs us. Races at bigger tracks (and the two venues above need to get it right) can only grow the sport and make our riders better. It is also a stone cold fact that most every rider who has gone to Europe on the Dream / Touring Team has come back much better and this enhances the weekly shows. So, perhaps having races at these bigger tracks can so the same without the expense of going to Europe. Thus the riders will have more $ in their pockets to race the weekly tracks. It should also be noted that my intention in speedway is not to send all our young riders to Europe to race on teams. There simply are not the team places available like their used to be and of all of our young talent I would say less than 10% will make it to that level. Going to the AMA Series, well, this has been going on since 1998 I believe with 2 Nationals. I wasn't there to create this mess but I'd sure like to one day be part of solving it! All interested promoters were contacted regarding the 2013 Series and every one gave great and positive feedback on the blueprint early this year, perhaps Brad gave the best input. Each track had legitimate reason why they could not enter the series this year - some could not afford even the new purse, another had scheduling issues and one more committed at first but then wanted to adopt a 'wait and see' based on past issues with AMA. The series this year is going to be excellent using the GP format and it will be fun for the riders. Part of why Victorville came on board was to show our weekly promoters, "Hey, here is a 3 round workable series, look at how it plays out and maybe you can stage a round next year?" The fact is as it stands, the two biggest races in 2013 by a mile will be the Costa Mesa National and Monster Invitational. The AMA Series isn't trying to compete with these events, it is simply trying to rebuild itself to the point where tracks like Industry and Costa Mesa, who have run rounds in the past, would be willing to step back in. It won't ever make it to its former glories without these tracks on board. As far as the choice of venues, well maybe this makes the 2 Nationals a little more easy to separate now - Costa Mesa will be the one night only edge of your seat down to the wire race it always is. The series will crown an 'all round champion' with the best rider at three very different venues. The politics of the sport is always its downside. But, judging by the fact that most every top line has signed up for the series, I think the riders simply want to race. The positive end of all this is that with the series, Long Track and SRA Qualifiers there is a lot of improved purse money this summer. Though the LOI deadline passed I am in Europe a few more days so if its in my mailbox, email or on my desk when I return it will be entered onto the shortlist. No rider is excluded and in fact the son of the riders father who made his usual comedy jabs is most welcome to apply - I've even continued to sponsor his entry at Victorville a couple of time despite his fathers odd behavior towards me this past few years. Go to www.speedwaybikes.com and the LOI can be downloaded. In closing I wanted to say that passions on these subjects run high sometimes. Brad and I have no personal issue - we watched the season opener Costa Mesa Main event together out of turn 2 and our mutual enthusiasm there matched any kid in the stand. There's much to learn there that despite key differences professional respect remains. When I see Brad next I'll give him the warm handshake I always do. Myself, along with several of the AMA Committee simply want to help the sport. At the end of the day, two races at big tracks, if done right, should only enhance the other tracks. Red Line Oil Joins Team USA at Monster Energy Speedway World CupRed Line Sponsors Top US riders in International Motorcycling Event Benicia, Calif. (May 16, 2013) – Red Synthetic Line Oil announced today its sponsorship of Team USA in the Monster Energy Speedway World Cup. The team for the first round of the competition consists of Red Line-sponsored Billy Janniro, as well as Ryan Fisher, Ricky Wells and Gino Manzares. Led by team manager Billy Hamill, Team USA will make its way to Miskolc, Hungary for the first qualifier on May 20. If the team advances to the next round and racing schedules allow, Team USA may be joined by 2011 World Champion Greg Hancock."We feel we have assembled a young, talented team that is capable of qualifying and taking Team USA to the next level," said Hamill. "The date choice by the FIM made it virtually impossible for Greg Hancock to be there with his GP, Polish and Swedish schedule and all I can say is he tried his absolute hardest. He is helping out the team in other ways and plans to be back for Kings Lynn, if the boys can get us through Hungary." "Many of us at Red Line go back a long with many of the racers and organizers within this American Speedway team," said Cameron Evans, Red Line's VP/COO. "To work with our country's best in an event that is so unique within motorsport, we are thrilled and can't wait to see if our boys can make it through to the final in Prague." To view results, stats and receive live updates visit www.speedwaygp.com/speedwayworldcup. Red Line Synthetic Oil Corp. manufactures more than 100 quality products for the automotive, racing, motorcycle, marine and industrial markets. Its complete line includes a wide variety of motor oils, gear oils, additives, and greases. For more information, please visit www.RedLineOil.com or contact Red Line Synthetic Oil Corp., 6100 Egret Court, Benicia, CA 94510. Steve Evans dreamteamspeedway@sbcglobal.net (May 15, 2013) Team USA Captain for SWC Qualifier in HungaryRyan Fisher has been nominated to serve as captain of the four man team for team USA's assault on the Speedway World Cup in Hungary on May 20th. "I am looking forward to the challenge and hope to lead by example," said Fisher. "We are without Greg Hancock, but if we can go to Hungary and win that would be a big statement and show we mean business!" Fisher will captain the four man squad which includes himself along with Billy Janniro, Gino Manzares, and Ricky Wells. They will go up against Hungary, the host nation, Italy and France. "After Consulting Ricky Wells, Steve Evans and Ryan, we all agreed that Ryan was the man for the job." I feel Ryan and Ricky both grew as professional speedway riders from their experience in Slovenia and Poland last year. They learned a lot from Greg and me and have been applying it to their racing ever since. Their scores around the globe will validate that," said Team Manager Billy Hamill. Billy Hamill - hagonshocks@yahoo.com (May 13, 2013) Team USA Stars and Stripes Club - The Final Push!Billy Hamill announced the USA World Cup Team yesterday, and the feedback and response we are getting is, as usual, phenomenal! When we knew Greg had impossible logistics the decision was made to push on and track the best team we could in his absence. Throwing the towel is not our style!Ricky and Ryan of course were obvious choices and Gino was always in contention though it is fair to say his pace and attitude at a team practice in Tulare in March was perhaps the defining point in his selection. His scores in England last week including the defeat of Cardiff GP reserve and Elite League rider Josh Auty justifies the faith Billy has placed in him. Of course that brings us to Billy Janniro! Billy J had earlier expressed a desire to race for Team USA again and to help us qualify. When you look at Billy's inclusion you can see how deadly serious we are about trying to qualify. There were much more convenient options, but we wanted and have got the best. Whilst Billy J has 0 personal money motivation for doing this race, it is a fact that budget wise, it raises the overhead quite a lot when you are including a rider who lives in the USA and does not have equipment in the UK. We want him scoring as many points as possible so their is no compromise in quality. Had we gone for a convenient option (and likely elimination) our budget would already be covered. It would also be a waste of all the good sponsor money we have gotten so far so not track the best team. We are close to where we need to be but need a final, last push! Our corporate sponsors cover other needed areas, but it is the fans, as Billy said last week, who fuel Team USA! Team USA needs both at this stage. So, if you haven't already, join the club and help our world stage push! Levels start at just $50 and up. If you have joined, consider moving up to your next level if you can. PayPal is accepted to the above email address. Thanks again for everyone who has helped! Thanks for all the huge support. Team USA is going places now and for the long term future! We will do our very very best for you! Team USA Press ReleaseI am pleased to announce Team USA squad for our Speedway World Cup Qualifier in Hungary on May 20, 2013. We feel we have assembled a young, talented team that is capable of qualifying and taking Team USA to the next level. The date choice by the FIM made it virtually impossible for Greg Hancock to be there with his GP, Polish and Swedish schedule and all I can say is he tried his absolute hardest. Logistically it could not be done. He is helping out the team in other ways and plans to be back for Kings Lynn, if the boys can get us through Hungary. Ryan and Ricky are much more seasoned and prepared for this event than they were 12 months ago. The experience they gained from last year will be invaluable and we look for them to lead the team. Gino Manzares is in the team as he has shown true commitment and desire to further his career on and off the track. The experience he will gain is much the same as Ryan and Ricky did last year and we are looking towards the future. Billy Janniro is making a one off European comeback and is very enthusiastic and looking forward to this opportunity as I'm sure his European fans are. Janniro always brings a certain amount of team spirit which is a positive and when he is on song, look out! I would like to extend my personal thanks to all our sponsors and Stars and Stripes members who are making it possible for us to compete at the highest level. We are not underestimating the job at hand but we will give it 110% and do all we can to win!! Billy Hamill - hagonshocks@yahoo.com (May 6, 2013) Under 21 World Cup ResultThe USA finished 4th place in the semi final in Germany today, Denmark were clear winners followed by Australia and Germany. I will try to find a box score to post later. Reports from the riders and management in Germany are emphasizing the positives and things learned from today's 'Mission Impossible.' Captain Gino Manzares just messaged me very upbeat despite the scoreline. These riders are looking at the longer haul and the bigger picture, not necessarily the David versus triple Goliath they just rode! Its quite clear that our young riders need all the time they can get on big tracks and that is why an event like the Ventura AMA round on June 29th is another milestone of progress in our mission back to #1. I wish to pass my thanks on to Gino, Rocco and Jamison for their utter professionalism for the past few months in the build up to the race and the race itself. Also huge appreciation to the off track team who have been working with the riders this past week. Next weekend the riders get 4 outings in the UK at National League level which will be much easier than today's race. Gino also rides at Ipswich next Thursday in the Star of Anglia meeting. Thanks to everyone for the fabulous support. All eyes now focus on the big World Cup Qualifier in Hungary 22 days from now. Expect a team announcement from Billy Hamill in the next day or so. Steve Evans dreamteamspeedway@sbcglobal.net (April 28, 2013) The most recently posted lineups for the FIM Under 21 Team World Championship Qualifier in Neustadt Donau, Germany are listed below: USA (Red): Laurence Rogers - Team Manager Australia (Blue): Travis McGowan - Team Manager Germany (White): Sonke Petersen - Team Manager Denmark (Yellow): Anders Secher - Team Manager Team USAI just wanted to take this opportunity to inform the American Speedway public that Team USA is working hard behind the scenes to once again make an impact on the world stage. The logistics of the U21 team qualifier this Sunday in Germany and SWC qualifier in Hungary are, for the most part, all in place. Our young and enthusiastic U21 riders have been preparing for this for months and are all over in Europe already. We truly are the underdog here but, regardless of how many points are on the board, I would like to say thank you to the riders and their families for making the commitment to their country. On May 20, in Miskolc, Hungary, we will make another assault on qualifying for the 2nd year in a row for the SWC semi- final. Last year, we made it to the big show and we intend to do the same this year; hopefully, taking it a step further and making it to the race off. This would give us a World Ranking in the top 7 and build on what we accomplished last year. While the groundwork is being laid in the USA to develop the next generation, it is vitally important that we hold our own and keep a decent World Ranking as a nation in the meantime. When our young, talented Mini and Juniors advance onto 500cc in the near future, we can then plan our rise to gold! Team USA is very unique as we are the only country that is funded by the people - hard core fans that feel the passion and are willing to give generously to help fund the future of our national speedway team. For those of you who would like to help with donations, it's not too late. You can contact Steve Evans or me. We need all of the help we can get here; without these donations through the Stars and Stripes Club, none of this would be possible. I would like to thank all of you personally for your kindness and belief in what we are going to achieve. All of you are a part of the Team. I would also like to let everyone know that Monster Energy has once again agreed to fund our Team USA racing suits so we are going to look the part; Kelcey at NJK designed the coolest team suits ever; the AMA has worked hard to find funding towards our assault on the SWC; Hagon Shocks and Joker Machine are also helping with equipment and support in many ways. So, a big thank you to Bruce Stjernstrom, Bill Cumbow, Martin Hagon, and Geoff Arnold for their vision and unwavering support. It has been a lot of work for the riders, organizers and me working on team matters, but we are very serious about doing the very best we can. We hope to be reporting success and qualification to the final stages of the SWC in 4 weeks time. Billy Hamill (April 23, 2013) Spring Tour / Under 21 World Cup / Fan Pack UpdateSome updated info on the Younger end of Team USA! Our Dates for the Spring are as follows; April 6-7th - 250cc World Championship Gold Cup, Teterow, Germany- Broc Nicol One more date will be added UK wise. Our squad so far; 1-2 more riders will be added. Please get in touch if you have interest! Must give a shout out to Jamison and his family. Though there are more experienced riders out there he thoroughly deserves his spot - rode great at the Gumball last weekend but most importantly he has displayed a level of professionalism that fits a rider representing Team USA. All inclusive fan packages are being offered if you want to travel with the team and be a part of this historic trip! Please get in touch - profit from fan packages goes straight into Under 21 / Tour expenses 100%. Additional outings to UK tracks on off nights! Please get in touch if you would like more info! Steve Evans dreamteamspeedway@sbcglobal.net (February 22, 2013) Stars & Stripes Club 2013 - Launched at Gumball RallyThe 2013 Stars and Stripes Club, supporting the 2013 Team USA World Cup Teams, will be officially launched this weekend at the Gumball Rally. New features for 2013 include; - A brand new level at the top, as several donors by their own choice and support, surpassed the top level last year. This includes a beautiful Crystal Glass Trophy befitting such support! - A monthly prize draw for all members with souvenirs and goodies to be won (March - July) - Each member gets their name on an 'Honor Roll' Plaque that will be presented to each rider on the team at the end of the season. - While supplies last, each member who signs up at Gold level or above receives a Team USA pit shirt in addition to their usual gifts. Team USA intends to fully build on upon our hugely successful 2013 - we are fueled by the fans and believe me, donations at ALL levels make the difference! The 2013 levels are as below; DIAMOND - $2,500 – Personalized Engraved Crystal Trophy, Bib with riders of choice name, Race Programs,Large Team Photo, 15 Monthly Prize draw tickets SAPPHIRE- $1,000 – Personally Engraved Large Plaque – Bib with riders name of choice, Race Programs, Team Photo, 10 monthly prize draw tickets PLATINUM - $600 – Personally Engraved Plaque, 2013 Team Race Bib, Race Programs, Team Photo, 6 monthly prize draw tickets Steve Evans dreamteamspeedway@sbcglobal.net (February 10, 2013) Spring UK Race Tour InfoUK's newest Speedway Team, the Kent Kings, will open on Monday 6th and I'm pleased to announce that the opponents will be the USA Touring Team. The promoter is Len Silver, who at 81 years of age is now opening his 2nd current track (Len has run Rye House for the past 14 seasons and the King's will be the 8th club he has run!) He retired from racing 49 years ago when he had a role as a joint Rider / Promoter at the legendary Hackney venue in London. He has been pursuing us to be the opening night opposition for the past several months and finally an agreement was reached a couple of days ago. The tour will also see an event at Silver's Rye House track on the 4th where an American style program of Handicap and Scratch racing will run. On the 5th the team has a visit to rural Buxton, which is always a popular venue to race at. One more date will be added but the plan is to keep the tour short and compact so that riders can travel and race without missing too much work / school and domestic action. Two spots remain on the team if any riders are interested they can contact me. Division One or upper Division Two may apply. The events are being scheduled in between the Under 21 World Cup (28 April) and Individual Under 21 round (11 May). The SWC Qualifier is 9 days later on the 20th May. We also will offer fan packages for those who want to travel with the team and experience life on tour as well as local Elite and Premier League matches. Anyone who would like to travel, let me know! Links to the races; http://www.kentkings.co/news/2013/feb/20130206.html Steve Evans dreamteamspeedway@sbcglobal.net (February 7, 2013) Team USA - Fuelled by Fan Power!Coming soon - Stars and Stripes Club 2013! New levels! New Goodies AND a monthly prize draw for all members! Once more fan power will be the fuel that gets Team USA World glory! 2013 dates:
Steve Evans dreamteamspeedway@sbcglobal.net (January 14, 2013) Team USA - Spring Tour - Team Places AvailableTeam USA will be taking a team of riders to Europe in April in preparation for our International FIM Events this Spring. The team would leave mid April and will take in approximately 4 events between 17 and 23 April. After this four riders will be traveling to Germany for the World Under 21 Team Semi Final on the 28th. There is also the possibility of another (and quite prestigious) race in the UK on May 6th for any riders who can stay on. Whilst the emphasis of the team is on Under 21 riders spots are open for all riders who would wish to be considered. It's likely that unlike earlier tours the team will be an official Team USA side versus a Touring Team or Dream Team. Riders who have already pledged their intent to race for Team USA in the Germany meeting are three of the best young prospects for now and Team SWC in the years to some - Gino Manzares, Austin Novratil and Rocco Scopellite. Any riders who would like some Euro action in Spring should contact me asap. Rider packs will soon be available. Following the Under 21 event the Under 21 Individual World Championship qualifying round for 2 Americans is on the 11th May at Lonigo Italy. The 'big one' - SWC 2013 - begins in Hungary on May 20 where USA aims to qualify for the TV stages for the 2nd year in a row when we take on Hungary, Italy and Argentina with the winner going to King's Lynn on 15th July to race GB, Sweden and Denmark. Steve Evans dreamteamspeedway@sbcglobal.net (January 7, 2013) Team USAIf the purpose for us Americans putting Teams together to race these prestigious events is to enter the best possible Team that we can. Why not utilize the guys that are already on schedule to be touring Europe at this same time. The American Eagles have been assembled to take on the task of touring Europe to better get themselves ready for these events. The Eagles have been working on their schedule since July of 2012 and they have 6 confirmed riders. Of these riders are 2 that are Under 21 and these 2 I myself would want to use if I was taking a team over. I am not asking to be involved just saying its stupid to put another tour out there when there is already some guys over that can do the job. You would just need to add a couple more under 21's. This is not aimed at anyone it just makes sense to me. I would even stay home and let someone else take these guys over. Shawn Moran has also offered to work with these guys with events planned in England, Germany.
Just my thoughts Gary Gomez TMGracing@aol.com (January 1, 2013) 2013 Under 21 World Team CupIn 2013 USA will compete in the Under 21 Team World Cup. The competition has been streamlined and the qualifying round has been eliminated, leaving 8 teams to contest 2 semi finals. The winner of each semi and the top scoring runner up team join the hosts, once more the Czech's, in the final at Pardabice on September 28th. The success of Team USA in 2012 and our highest World Ranking in over 5 years has secured us entry to this competition - the top 9 ranked countries were the teams who got the invites. Its great that the success of the senior team would have a positive knock on effect. The USA races its semi final at Neustadt Donau, Germany, on Sunday 28th April. The opponents are Germany, Australia and Denmark. Its a tough meeting for us for sure. Its also the first time we have been in the semi finals. There is a lot of rider interest already being registered and any rider who would wish to take part can contact myself. In preparation for the this competition there will be a small tour of 4-5 events arranged in mid April. The destination of this is currently being worked on - aside from the UK, where the team is highly in demand to race, there are also offers from two other European countries to do meetings that are being investigated. The majority of the Touring Team would be riders who are eligible for the Under 21 round on April 28th but riders who are older are welcome to apply as there will be additional spots available. There will also be a chance for two Under 21 to go for Individual glory - USA has two spots in the May 11th Qualifying Round at Lonigo Italy. Once more its going to be a busy Spring for the Stars and Stripes. Steve Evans dreamteamspeedway@sbcglobal.net (January 1, 2013) 2013 World CupAfter the huge success of 2012 and the return to the TV stages of the Monster Energy SWC, plan are already underway for the 2013 competition. The track action for 2013 begins on Monday May 20th in Miskolc Hungary where the USA will line up in Qualifying Round 2. The opponents on the day will be Hungary, Italy and first time competitors Argentina. The track is big and tricky and the home nation will certainly be at an advantage in that respect. The Italians and Argentineans also have some very good riders and should not be underestimated. The goal is to win this meeting and once more make the TV stage. The TV stage will once more have 9 countries contesting. The final and race off will be in brand new territory - Prague in the Cezch Republic. Whilst its good the tournament goes to pastures new, it does make the job at hand for Team USA a little harder in that the Czechs are seeded straight to the final and perhaps they would be the next country we wanted to overtake in the World Rankings. Our semi final would be on Monday 15th July at King's Lynn, England Versus World Champions Denmark, Sweden and Great Britain. The King's Lynn track will be more familiar to our riders than Bydgoszcz was and though the semi we would race in is very tough to say the least, our goal will be to get at least 3rd place and make the race off. It is too early to say the team members at this point of course but rest assured, the goal is to track the best team we can out of the riders we have available. The Stars and Stripes Club will be re launched early in the new year to give needed and valuable backing to this and the Under 21 World Cup. There will also be merchandise and other fund raising events in the FUN tradition we did this year. The team belongs to the fans, the management are just the current custodians but the fans will own Team USA long after our current tenure is long done. Thanks to all once more who made 2012 happen. This was just the first step and the team management are fully committed to a long term successful future for the National Team. Long term - we want to win the World Cup. Steve Evans Steve Evans dreamteamspeedway@sbcglobal.net (January 1, 2013) 2013 USA World Cup - Under 21 World Cup and FIM DatesMONSTER ENERGY SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP UNDER 21 WORLD CUP GRAND PRIX QUALIFIERS UNDER 21 WORLD INDIVIDUAL 250 YOUTH GOLD CUP Steve Evans
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