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BUELL
RACERS SET FOR 2008 RACING SEASON OPENER AT DAYTONA
New
1125R to Make Racing Debut in SunTrust MOTO-ST Daytona 300
MILWAUKEE,
Wis. (February 22, 2008) – Buell racing champions and contenders return
to action as teams open the 2008 motorcycle roadracing season at Daytona
International Speedway next week. Deeley H-D/Buell Canada/Ruthless Racing
rider Dave Estok will defend his 2007 American Sportbike Racing
Association (ASRA) Pro Thunderbike championship aboard a Buell Firebolt
XB12R in the first round of the ASRA National road racing series on March
1, while five Buell teams are entered in the SunTrust MOTO-ST Daytona 300
endurance race scheduled for March 2.
SunTrust
MOTO-ST Series
The
new Buell 1125R will make its racing debut in the hands of two veteran
teams entered in the Buell Motorcycle Company SuperSport Twin (SST) class
for the SunTrust MOTO-ST Daytona 300, the opening round of the seven-event
2008 SunTrust MOTO-ST season. Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing team will
enter a Buell 1125R with riders Shawn Higbee and Dan Bilansky, while Deeley
H-D/Buell Canada/Ruthless Racing will enter the race with riders Darren
James, Steve Crevier, and Estok on another Buell 1125R.
“We’ve
had some great tests and are extremely pleased with the performance of the
new Buell 1125R,” said Richie Morris, owner of the Bruce Rossmeyer’s
Daytona Racing team. “In the SST class it will be a dogfight at the
front because it’s a big field with a lot of good riders and good teams.
We are really excited about bringing Buell to the top class in MOTO-ST and
we are ready to go all the way this season.”
The
SunTrust MOTO-ST series is for production based four-stroke twin-cylinder
motorcycles ridden by teams of riders in longer-distance events which
feature pit stops and fuel strategy. SST is the
top-performance class in MOTO-ST, for bikes making at least 90 horsepower
and no more than 120 horsepower, as measured in post-race testing. The
Buell 1125R will de-tuned with intake restrictors to meet the
120-horspower limit for SST.
Three
Buell teams are entered in the BMW GrandSport Twins (GST) class for the SunTrust
MOTO-ST Daytona 300. The Richie Morris Racing entry
sponsored by Hal’s Harley-Davidson/Buell/Ocean Deck/Brotz Motorsports
will feature riders Clint Brotz and Tripp Nobles on a Buell XB12R. The
Richie Morris Racing squad won three MOTO-ST GST events in 2007 and
finished second in season points, helping Buell clinch the 2007 GST
Manufacturer Championship. The James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing team,
sponsored by Buell of Appleton and Darkhorse Crankworks, will open the
2008 season with riders Paul James and Jeff Johnson aboard a Buell XB12R.
The James Gang/Hoban Brothers team will aim to improve on its third-place
finish in 2007 GST points, with one class win and three additional podium
appearances. The new RnR Repsol Racing team will enter GST at Daytona with
riders Rick Beggs and Rachel Sasse on a Buell XB9R.
GST motorcycles must produce at least 75 horsepower and no more than 90
horsepower in post-race testing.
ASRA
Pro Thunderbike Series
Deeley
H-D/Buell Canada/Ruthless Racing rider Dave Estok rode a Buell XB12R to
win six of eight races and dominate the ASRA Pro Thunderbike National
Championship series in 2007, winning his second Thunderbike title in three
years. For 2008, Estok is back with the Deeley H-D/Buell Canada/Ruthless
Racing team, which will also field former Canada Thunder champion Darren
James.
“I
do not expect to win like that again this season,” said Estok. “This
really is a very competitive class, and I think some of the other riders
in Pro Thunderbike had some bad luck last year. But the Deeley Team puts
me on great Buell equipment, and I think we’ll be racing up front and on
the podium at every race.”
Estok
will be challenged by Hal’s H-D/Buell/Hal’s Speed Shop rider Dan
Bilansky, the 2006 Pro Thunderbike champion who was second to Estok in
2007, racing for another title on a Buell XB12R in 2008. Harley-Davidson/Buell
of Frederick will open the 2008 Pro Thunderbike season at Daytona with
rider Bryan Bemisderfer, the 2004 class champion, aboard a Buell XB12R.
Also contending will be the Sound Waves/Hal’s Speed Shop team with rider
Joe Rozynski, who was third in Thunderbike points in 2007, and his
brother, Sam Rozynski, who placed fifth in 2007, aboard Buell XB12R
motorcycles.
To
learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today
and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only
found on board a Buell. For the Buell dealer nearest you, pull into www.buell.com.
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