'89 AMA Superbike Champ Jamie James to Grand Marshall Duke Children's Hospital All Star Ride This W/E

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Jamie James flies by on the #2 Vance & Hines Yamaha YZF-750 while qualifying for the AMA Superbike Series Camel Super Cycle Weekend at Mid Ohio in the summer of 1992. Sponsored by V&H/Yamaha/Dunlop/Bel-Ray/Bell Helmets for this event, Jamie won the '89 AMA Superbike Championship while riding as a team mate to Scott Russell on the Team Yoshimura Suzuki squad. He ran for Ferracci's FBF/Ducati squad in '90 (where he won the GP 1/Pro Twins Championship), and then switched to the Vance & Hines team for the next four seasons before Yamaha took the program back in-house starting with the '95 campaign. He won the '94 AMA 600 Supersport Championship while riding for Vance & Hines, in a title fight that went down to the last round at Road Atlanta with Camel Honda's Mike Smith. He was in contention for the '94 AMA Superbike Championship that year as well in a fight that went down to the last lap of the race at Road Atlanta. He ended up suffering an engine malfunction that dropped him several spots in the finish, and Aussie Troy Corser claimed the crown on a Ferracci Ducati.
Always one to have a smile on his face, the Rajun Cajun was one of the easiest-going people in the paddock and at one time was considered the 'elder statesman' for the AMA Superbike Series for his calm demeanor off the track, and his set up and bike knowledge on the track.
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Jamie 'The Rajun Cajun' James, known better to some as the 1989 AMA Superbike Champion, will be the grand marshall this weekend for the 11th Annual All Star Ride that serves as a fund raiser for the Duke Children's Hospital in Raleigh, N.C.

James, one of the most popular people on and off the track to ever throw a leg over an AMA Superbike rocket, has been involved with several projects over the years with Yamaha and also while running a race school that was based out of Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, AL. I haven't heard much in the recent past about Jamie, but being as he is one of my all- and long-time favorites from the AMA Superbike Series I wanted to put this up. That and I needed a reason to post one of the boat load of pictures I have of one of the all-time heroes of AMA Superbike and one of the all-time nice guys of the sport.

Here's the official press release on the All Star Ride as posted by the great folks over at RoadRacingWorld.com:

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=41653

And here is the basic contact and event info for the All Star ride for Saturday, August 21:=



http://www.allstarride.org/
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So if you are in the Raleigh area this Saturday, go check out Jamie and the All Star Ride for Duke Children's Hospital. With Jamie on board it should be a great time, and there is bound to be some good bench racing going on there as well.
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