Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Ala. is hosting the Oct. 3-4 running of the first-ever Michelin U.S. Motorcycle Championship. The competition is being billed as an exclusive, invitation-only event offering an $87,500 purse for club-level motorcycle road racers who compete on Michelin’s racing tires.

The public, of course, is welcome to view the festivities from the stands.

To help promote the event, Kevin Schwantz, “one of motorcycle racing’s living legends,” will be on hand at Barber to banter with the crowd and present trophies to the winning bikers.

Schwantz is the 1993 500cc Grand Prix world champion and the first Grand Prix rider in history to have his competition number retired. He amassed 25 Grand Prix wins, 21 lap records and 29 pole positions in addition to claiming the planet’s top spot in ’93.

For more information, visit www.michelinuschampionship.com and www.michelinmotorcycle.com.