The first race of the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season is approaching fast, and in less than 48 hours riders will be hitting the track in Daytona Beach for round 1 of the year at the Daytona Short Track. In a big announcement out of Daytona today, AMA Pro Flat Track announced that Harley-Davidson will be returning as a presenting sponsor of the Expert Twins Class that will see a total of $132K funneled to the riders in the form of contingency pay-outs for the top-8 finishing Experts in the 12-race Twins Class this year.
With sponsorship and contingency money on the thin side in all aspects of two-wheeled motor sports in the U.S., the return of Harley-Davidson to help pay some of the bills for the racers in The Rolling Thunder Show is a big shot in the arm for the greatest racing series on two wheels in the world. And while it may not seem like much, a big chunk like this will definitely help out the riders throughout the coming season.
In the shot above from round 11 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Springfield Mile II on September 1, riders in the first practice group get ready to storm the storied halls of the Illinois State Fairgrounds mile oval for another fast and furious day of high-speed drafting.
(L-R) On the back row, Stevie Bonsey on the #80 Zanotti Racing/RGR XR-750, 2-Time Springfield Mile winner Willie McCoy on his #59 H-D of Wausau/Independence H-D XR and Canada's own Doug Lawrence on his #73 R&J Racing/CVC Communication Agency XR. In front of this group are Briar Bauman on the #14 Werner-Springsteen/Monster Energy Kawasaki EX650, Rob Pearson on the #27 collaborative effort between Weirbach Racing and the Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki, JD Beach on the #95 TJ Burnett Farms/Red Bull Kawasaki and Jake Johnson on the #5 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Ramspur Winery Ducati. Seen off to the right talking are LBM team co-owner Dave Lloyd talking with Fight For Dirt Track.com's Tyler Porter.
Also seen in this shot are Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. on the #2 Screamin' Eagle H-D Motor Company XR (just in front of Bauman), Henry Wiles on the #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Ramspur Winery XR-750 (just over Pearson's left shoulder), Brad 'The Bullet' Baker on the #12 Dodge Brothers Racing/Sefnco Communications XR and Bryan Smith on the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports Kawasaki (both off of the right shoulder of Beach.)
As we look forward to the first race of the season in just shy of two days time, we applaud Harley-Davidson for coming back onboard to help out the racers and teams with this great contingency package and say BRAVO for doing so and a big tip of the helmet for helping out!
You can check out the full press release below from AMA Pro Flat Track as you get ready to check out the action on Thursday from Daytona Beach.
Harley-Davidson Renews Presenting Sponsorship of AMA Pro Flat Track Expert Class
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 11, 2014) - AMA Pro Racing is pleased to announce that Harley-Davidson Motor Company will again be the presenting sponsor for the AMA Pro Grand National Expert class for 2014. Harley-Davidson will bring back its $11,000 per race contingency payout to racers in the AMA Pro Grand National Twins class in 2014.
For 2014, Harley-Davidson Motor Company will provide a $132,000 contingency fund for Twins riders competing on Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the series' 12 scheduled Twins events. The Twins contingency program will pay out up to $11,000 in contingency per event to the first through eighth place finishing positions to riders on Harley-Davidson motorcycles per the following schedule:
First place: $4,000
Second place: $2,000
Third place: $1,800
Fourth place: $1,200
Fifth place: $1,000
Sixth place: $400
Seventh place: $400
Eighth place: $200
To be eligible for Harley-Davidson contingency awards, riders must display the Harley-Davidson Bar & Shield logo prominently on their leathers on the front chest and the right ribcage area.
2013 AMA Grand National Champion Brad Baker is shown aboard the #12 Dodge Brothers Racing XR-750 during the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season. In the upcoming 2014 season, 'The Bullet' will be the sole rider on the Harley-Davidson factory racing team, while H-D will be coming back as the presenting sponsor of the 12 races on the series' Twins Class schedule, as announced today by AMA Pro Flat Track. Check out below to see the contingency money they will be bringing to the teams for the upcoming year. AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.
"Much of the success of this sport has been because of Harley-Davidson and their continued support of our series," said Dan Johnsen, Director of AMA Pro Flat Track. "We have built and maintained a great relationship with Harley-Davidson over the years and I see great things for the future of our series and our continued partnership."
"Harley-Davidson is excited about the future of AMA Pro Flat Track racing, and we are thrilled to continue our support for the passionate Harley-Davidson racers who have achieved such great results for our brand over the years," said Kris Schoonover, Harley-Davidson Racing Manager. "Racing is in our blood and we appreciate everything it takes for these men and women to put on such an amazing show for fans of the sport."
DAYTONA Flat Track will once again play host to the AMA Pro Flat Track season opener as the series kicks off the 2014 season with a doubleheader on the quarter-mile lime rock track located outside Daytona International Speedway's west banking on March 13 and 14, 2014.
Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles and offers a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, riding gear and apparel, and general merchandise. For more information, visit harley-davidson.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. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.
For additional information contact:
AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com
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