Dirt Bike News – 2005 Suzuki RM-Z450 Dirtbike Makes Its US Racing Debut At Reno AMA Supermoto – Dirt Rider Magazine

Suzuki is introducing its highly anticipated RM-Z450 four-stroke motocross racer at the Reno round of the AMA Supermoto Championship on Saturday, October 2. Former 500cc Grand Prix World Champion road racer Kevin Schwantz will ride Suzuki’s new machine in its American racing debut, also marking his first AMA Supermoto race of the season. Schwantz will give U.S. fans a preview of the RM-Z450 in its supermoto guise.”It’s going to be fun to debut the new RM-Z here in America,” Schwantz said. “It should make a great supermoto bike.”Schwantz recently made his return to road racing by competing in the prestigious Bol d’Or 24 Hour Endurance race. One of Schwantz’s teammates crashed the team’s bike in the second hour and they later retired, but not before the 40-year-old Schwantz managed to show he still has plenty of skills by riding the bike from 18th to fifth place during his stint.”Riding the Bol d’Or was good preparation coming into the Reno Supermoto race,” explained Schwantz. “I’ve been riding my motocross bike and putting in miles on my bicycle to get ready as well.”Schwantz said he would get his first taste of the RM-Z450 Supermoto bike next week.”I’m going to California the last week of this month to do some testing with the bike,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll build up some major calluses on my hands before it’s all said and done.”While Schwantz will debut the new Suzuki, he isn’t the only rider hoping to get his hands on the RM-Z450 in AMA Supermoto competition. Former AMA Motocross and X-Games champ Travis Pastrana said he’s hopeful his Cernic’s Racing Suzuki squad will have the new bike by the end of the season. Pastrana made a successful AMA Supermoto debut earlier this month in Nashville, Tenn., riding a highly-modified Suzuki DR-Z400-based machine.Suzuki will field its new bike alongside Honda, Yamaha, KTM and Husqvarna supermoto machines presently in the series.The race is free to the public. A $10 paddock pass can be purchased and will allow fans to meet the riders and see the trick supermoto bikes up close. The race will be taped and later nationally televised on OLN.For additional information on the Reno event visit www.amasupermoto.com or contact 303/377-3278.