AMA Pro Mid-Ohio: Pre-Race (updated regularly)

NEWEST AT TOP

Paradigm Racing

Braselton, Ga. (July 16, 2009) – Paradigm Racing is returning to the track for Round 8 of the 2009 AMA Pro Racing Daytona SportBike Series. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is the scene for the Honda Super Cycle presented by Dunlop Tires. The weekend kicks off this Friday, July 17 and wraps up on Sunday, July 19.

The upcoming event weekend will feature the debut of a new rider for the team. Current and two time AMA Moto-GT National Champion Ty Howard has made the move to the team and is excited by what the future may hold. “I’m really looking forward to working with Perry and the rest of the Paradigm crew. They have proven in 2009 to be a very professional team with the ability to be really competitive on a consistent basis,” Howard said.

Howard brings with him a new, outside of the industry, sponsor to the team by partnering with Comedy Defensive Driving School.

“We are really excited at having a rider the caliber of Ty joining the team. Ty is a veteran with a lot of experience and a good bit of seat time at Mid-Ohio. On top of that he really enjoys the track so we are all looking forward to this weekend’s races,” said Melneciuc.

Rider Damian Cudlin is eager to get back on the Paradigm Racing Yamaha R6 following a bit of time off. Cudlin is looking for another solid weekend despite being completely new to the track. “Racing at Mid-Ohio will be another new challenge for me, but I’m excited to get out there on the Paradigm R6 and get amongst it,” Cudlin said.

For more information about Comedy Defensive Driving School please visit: www.comedydefensivedriving.com

For more information on Paradigm Racing please visit: www.paradigmracing.net or follow the team on Twitter at www.twitter.com/paradigmracing

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Ducati

This weekend’s AMA Pro American Superbike event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is the home race for Ohio-based Larry Pegram and the Foremost Insurance backed Ducati team.

When partnered with his Ducati 1098R Superbike, the Baltimore, Ohio native has been remarkably competitive in 2009, from running at the front in the season opener in Daytona to qualifying on the front row at the last event at Laguna Seca. Pegram, a winner at Road America last month, is excited to return to action at the 2.4-mile circuit near Lexington, Ohio.

“Hey, it’s my home race so Mid-Ohio is always important to me and the team. Everyone that supports us is going to be out there rooting for us so of course we want to put on our best performance,” said Larry. “I always seem to do pretty well at Mid-Ohio and it’s a good riders’ track, for sure. We’re also disappointed about how the Laguna Seca race went. We could have done really well but I got taken out on the first lap. My leg should be 100% for Mid-Ohio, though. After the win at Elkhart, our confidence is high and we’re really excited for the races at Mid-Ohio.”

Pegram showed his mettle in the Laguna Seca race when he was knocked down by another rider’s crash on the first lap. Despite a leg injury and being forced to start at the rear of the field, Larry charged back to tenth place and more valuable points. In their first season back in Superbike racing, Pegram and his Ducati team are a solid fourth in the season’s point standings.

There will be a 21-lap, 50-mile race on Saturday and Sunday.

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Mid-Ohio

DUBLIN, OH (July 14, 2009) – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, owned and operated by TrueSports, Incorporated, is hosting the American Superbikes of AMA Pro Racing as part of the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire on July 17-19.

For the 19^th year, the nation’s premier two-wheeled series takes over the Lexington, Ohio-based track.  The weekend full of races is highlighted by the Wiseco Superbike 100 Doubleheader, featuring the series’ top class, the AMA Pro American Superbikes.  With a 50-mile race on Saturday and another on Sunday, there will be two chances for the field of riders to end class points leader Mat Mladin’s recent dominance of the circuit.  The Australian Mladin swept the last two seasons at Mid-Ohio and captured a win in the second leg in 2006 for a five race streak.

Columbus-born Larry Pegram hopes to perform well at his down-the-road track after capturing his first win in a decade last month at Road America.  “I always love coming to Mid-Ohio.  For one; it’s a great track, and two; it’s my home track.  Just like every, year I have a ton of family and friends coming and I really would like to have a good race.”  The Foremost Insurance Pegram Ducati rider currently sits in fourth place; 164 points back form the top spot.

Mladin will also be tested by teammate Tommy Hayden, who has finished on the podium six times in 2009 but has yet to capture his first victory, as well as Ben Bostrom, the Yamaha factory rider who has notched a Top-10 in every race this season.  Mladin has finished first in 10 of 12 races so far with the only exceptions being Pegram’s win at Road America and Yamaha’s Josh Hayes taking the checkered flag at Infineon Raceway.

In other action, the Daytona SportBikes take to the track for their own set of doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.  First place rider Martin Cardenas looks to extend the 39-point lead his Suzuki enjoys over Jamie Hacking of Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki.  Cardenas has put together a nice season with six wins including five in his last seven races.  Nipping at Hacking’s heels is SuperSport graduate Danny Eslick, just four points out of second place on the strength of three wins early in the season.

Supporting class AMA Pro Moto-GT showcases a variety of makes and models with over 40 two-wheeled beasts taking the track for the Saturday, July 18 two hour race.  Its split class system with two riders sharing riding duties makes it a fun event to watch for the casual fan.  On Sunday, July 18, the SuperSport class and its up-and-coming riders between the ages of 16 and 21, loop around Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.  The amateur SuperSport class is led by 17-year old Leandro Mercado, who has two wins in 2009.

The on-track bike action is not just for the professionals, however, as Mid-Ohio celebrates its 19^th straight year of the dealer ride promotion.  This opportunity allows riders from all walks of life to take a lap of the track on Sunday, July 19 during the lunch break.  With over 140 dealers spanning eight states participating, 2009 is set to be one of the biggest in almost 20 years of dealer rides.

TrueSports, Inc. is a privately held motorsports entertainment enterprise. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, the company owns and operates Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School and promotes a wide variety of motor racing, driver and rider instruction, and corporate and family entertainment events throughout the year.  Tickets, schedules and more information are available by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO or visiting www.midohio.com.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines.  From its Daytona Beach headquarters, the organization operates and manages AMA Pro Road Racing, which includes AMA Pro American Superbike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT.  AMA Pro Racing also manages and works closely with the day-to-day operational organizations of the AMA Pro Flat Track Championship and the AMA Pro Supermoto Championship Series in addition to other two-wheel and ATV series.  Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.