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Interview with EBR Founder Erik Buell

30-1-2013 - NEWS January 28, 2013 UPDATED - MORE NEWS REGARDING ERIK BUELL RACING

PHOTO BY BRIAN J NELSON

 

 

Aaron Yates is the newest rider to announce he will compete on an EBR 1190RS for the upcoming 2013 season. The AMSOIL/Hero rider suffered a serious injury in May of 2010 that kept him out of action until he returned at Indianapolis last year. The Georgia product’s best performance in 2012 came on the final event of the season at NOLA Motorsports Park where he finished fourth.
 
Yates tested the EBR at Jennings in Florida in December along with teammates Geoff May and Blake Young and impressed Erik Buell and company enough to earn the ride.
"We are very happy to announce that Hero MotoCorp will be returning as the title sponsor for the Team Hero EBR 1190RS in the 2013 AMA Pro Racing American Superbike series," said Erik Buell in a team release. "This year the Team Hero entry will be for the #99 with Geoff May riding. Geoff will have Mike Fitzgerald as crew chief, with last year's crew of Ryan Kelly and Grant Singley. Expect to see several Hero technicians working with the team while sharpening their expertise for future racing in India."
 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 28th) – The American crafted Erik Buell Racing 1190RS motorcycle is making headlines across the western hemisphere of motorcycle racing. After inking a deal with RSRacecraft, EBR is currently one of the hottest commodities on the circuit. AMA Pro Racing got a chance to chat with the founder of EBR, Erik Buell, himself as he shared some insight as to what his plans are for the upcoming GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing season.
 
AMA Pro: It has been recently announced that RSRacecraft will race EBR 1190RS motorcycles in 2013, how exactly did this come up and what do you expect to gain from the newly formed partnership?
 
Buell: We’re very excited about having another team with our bikes. They are known for their expertise in engine development and I believe working together will be extremely beneficial for both sides. Our goal is to be as integrated as possible as far as combining our products with their experience in working with so many different engines in the past.
 
AMA Pro: Last year, you guys were a two-rider team, now EBR is selling their bikes to other race teams, can you talk about the overall development of the EBR 1190RS and how it has become so competitive in such a short period of time?
 
Buell: We had a number of teams approach us about getting our bikes. They all saw how much success we had last year and I think that’s good, people see a lot of potential there. It’s also something special for these guys to be able to ride American bikes in an American SuperBike season.
 
AMA Pro: Obviously you are pulling hard for the newly acquired riders gunning for the podium on your product, but can you give us realistic predictions as well as goals you’d like to accomplish for 2013? 
 
Buell: Well our goals are always to be better than the previous year. Even though we exceeded our predictions in 2012, we’re always looking to improve. It will be interesting, racing is always exciting. We certainly have the talent to make a run. I’m not going to sit here and say we’re going to blow away the competition and run away with the championship, but I believe we’re definitely going to be serious contenders and be in the hunt all season long.
 
AMA Pro: Finally, your company is 100% American, what kind of positive impact does the continued success of the EBR 1190RS have on the sport of road racing in the United States? 
 
Buell: I think having American superbikes is something the sport has needed for a long time. We’ve proven that we have world class riders dating back to when I used to ride but have never really had the motorcycles. My goal is to show that we not only have the riding capability here America but that we’re also capable of building a modern high-tech motorcycle for road racing as well.

 

 

 

Jan 28, 2013, ©Copyright 2013, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

 

From a press release issued by Erik Buell Racing

Jan 28, 2013, ©Copyright 2013, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Geoff May (99) on his EBR 1190RS Superbike.

 

INDIAS HERO MOTOCORP TO SPONSOR EBR AMA PRO RACING AMERICAN SUPERBIKE TEAMS FOR 2013 SEASON

 

East Troy, WI: EBR (Erik Buell Racing) announced today the awaited news on sponsorship for the 2013 AMA Pro Racing season.

 

We are very happy to announce that Hero MotoCorp will be returning as the title sponsor for the Team Hero EBR 1190RS in the 2013 AMA Pro Racing American Superbike series", said Erik Buell. "This year the Team Hero entry will be for the #99 with Geoff May riding. Geoff will have Mike Fitzgerald as crew chief, with last year's crew of Ryan Kelly and Grant Singley. Expect to see several Hero technicians working with the team while sharpening their expertise for future racing in India.�

 

The AMSOIL/Hero team will return also for 2013, this year on the exciting entry of Aaron Yates riding the #20 EBR 1190RS. Aaron's core team will include the proven AMA Superbike experience of Evan Steel as crew chief, joined by Phil Allison and Willie Vass, who have years of AMA Superbike experience with Evan. "Joining EBR to help put American motorcycle in the front of AMA Superbike is a dream job for Phil, Willie and myself" said Evan, "We have been passionate about sport bikes and racing for a long time, but what EBR has done is really special, and something we truly respect. Aaron is such a talented rider and a friend as well, so this is going to be a great year."

According to Pawan Munjal, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Hero MotoCorp Ltd, We are delighted with our participation in the AMA Superbike Championships. This is our second consecutive year at these races and we are excited with the progress that our teams have made. Our partnership with Erik at AMA Pro Racing is a natural extension of our technology alliance with EBR. Personally, I am happy to see brand Hero make its mark with EBR 1190RS on this competitive platform. 

The core teams will also add Robbie Jensen for suspension work, and Mike Kirkpatrick for transportation and logistics. Michael Tjon, who has been at the track with EBR since the first outing, will be focusing on powertrain development as the lead on this work in East Troy. "I do love racing and the track excitement, but after the last two and a half years doing that, it is to get off the road for a while so I can focus on the technical part that I love best," said Michael. "We ran all last year with stock engines, and we need to push further this season."

Managing both teams will be Rick Kress, who will be returning to his home state of Wisconsin much of the year, although keeping his residence in Alabama. "I have had a really rewarding career as a crew chief in AMA Superbike for many years," said Rick "but I have been wanting to step up to manage more, and this team is just the right fit for me."

We have been very happy with our sponsorship of Geoff May, and are delighted to have Aaron Yates on board this year," said Jeremy Meyers, Race Program Manager, AMSOIL. "EBR has been a great partner for us in racing and product development, especially as the new EBR products get closer to volume production. Erik has aligned himself with super riders and sponsors like Hero MotoCorp, and I believe our value with both Aaron and Geoff will be great this season."

Erik also added, "We at EBR truly enjoy competing in the AMA Pro Racing American Superbike series, and I want to take the time to thank all the other teams, sponsors and of course, the fans who come to the track and follow on TV. We have a spectacularly competitive show that spectators love, so tell your friends to come and see a race. They will walk away amazed at the incredible talent we have here in America."

 

Hero MotoCorp is the world??s largest motorcycle manufacturer in terms of unit volumes by a single company in a calendar year. Hero sold over six million motorcycles and scooters in the calendar year 2012.