1998 Superbike Tour Heads for Phoenix Kick-off
22 January 1998
R98004 January 19, 1998 For Immediate Release 1998 MBNA SUPERBIKE TOUR TO IGNITE PHOENIX WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- With returning champions, additional riders from the World Superbike circuit and an intriguing new mix of factory teams and riders, the 1998 MBNA Superbike Tour promises a season of pulse-pounding battles for the checkered flag. The 1998 MBNA Superbike Tour kicks off Feb. 13 - 15 at the Cruise America Arizona Superbike Challenge at Phoenix International Raceway. The opening round in Phoenix will showcase all six series of the MBNA Superbike Tour: MBNA Superbike; Teamline 750 SuperSport; Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport; Elf Race Fuels and Lubricants Grand Prix; Pirelli Formula Xtreme and Progressive Insurance Pro Thunder. The three-day race weekend is presented by Buell motorcycles and preceded by special events in conjunction with Arizona Bike Week. The 1997 MBNA Superbike Tour was full of the high-tech intensity that attracts riders and audiences the world over, and 1998 promises what could be the most competitive season in decades. Californian Doug Chandler earned the 1997 MBNA Superbike series title -- his second consecutive MBNA Superbike Championship and the third Superbike title of his career. Chandler and the Muzzy Kawasaki team return to the 1998 MBNA Superbike series fielding a ZX-7, and Chandler is also competing in Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport aboard a ZX-6. LaSalle, Quebec, native Miguel Duhamel won his fifth Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport Championship in 1997 and was the runner-up for the MBNA Superbike title. In 1998, Duhamel and the American Honda team seek to take another Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport title with the Honda CBR600F3. Duhamel also promises to apply his all-out riding style to recover the MBNA Superbike title, which he owned in 1995. Jason Pridmore took home his first national championship by capturing the 1997 Teamline 750 SuperSport title on his HyperCycle Suzuki GSXR750. In 1998, the Californian will defend his Teamline 750 SuperSport title and will also contest the Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport series. Granada Hills, Calif. resident Eric Bostrom captured the very last of the Progressive Insurance Harley-Davidson SuperTwins Championships in 1997. (This year, Harley-Davidsons will run alongside Buells, Ducatis, Triumphs and other single-, twin- and three-cylinder bikes in the new Progressive Insurance Pro Thunder class of the MBNA Superbike Tour.) Eric and his older brother, Ben Bostrom, fielded Team Zero Gravity Hondas in the 1997 Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport series. Ben also competed in the 1997 Teamline 750 SuperSport and MBNA Superbike series. In 1998, Ben is riding for American Honda in MBNA Superbike, and Eric is contesting the Pirelli Formula Xtreme and Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport series for Erion Racing. Grand Prix Champion Rich Oliver had his second consecutive perfect season in 1997 and won his fourth consecutive Elf Race Fuels and Lubricants Grand Prix title. Oliver has moved into MBNA Superbike for 1998 and is fielding a YZF750 for Yamaha. Jamie Hacking will join Oliver on Yamaha's MBNA Superbike team, and will also run a YZF600R in Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport. New Zealander Andrew Stroud rode the Erion Racing Honda CBR900RR to win the 1997 Pirelli Formula Xtreme Championship in the premier season of that class. Tripp Nobles will take Stroud's place on Erion's Pirelli Formula Xtreme team, riding the Honda CBR900RR. Nobles will also compete in Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport. Fuel to the Fire: Several other riders are adding to the 1998 MBNA Superbike Tour's combustible mix of cutting-edge machines and sharply honed rider talent. Australian Mat Mladin was ranked third in the 1997 MBNA Superbike series and won four races, including the season opener at Phoenix International Raceway and the finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In 1998 Mladin returns to MBNA Superbike, riding for the power-packed Yoshimura Suzuki team. Mladin's teammate and 1996 Teamline 750 SuperSport Champion Aaron Yates, of Georgia, is also riding a Yoshimura Suzuki in MBNA Superbike. Mladin and Yates are joined by Ohioan Larry Pegram and British Columbia, Canada, native Steve Crevier, who are riding a pair of Yoshimura Suzuki TL1000Rs... Australian Anthony Gobert left the World Grand Prix series in 1997 and is riding a Ducati for the Vance & Hines MBNA Superbike team, joining Georgia resident and 1991 Superbike Champion Thomas Stevens ... Quebec's Pascal Picotte and Ohioan Thomas Wilson aim to take a pair of factory Harley-Davidson VR1000s to the MNBA Superbike podium... Former MBNA Superbike, Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport and Teamline 750 SuperSport Champion Jamie James is also fielding a Harley-Davidson VR1000 in the 1998 MBNA Superbike season... Texan Mike Hale has returned to the U.S. after two years on the World Superbike circuit and set his sights on winning the 1998 MBNA Superbike Championship for the Fast by Ferracci Ducati team. Former Teamline 750 SuperSport and Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport Champion Tom Kipp is also riding a Ferracci Ducati in 1998...There are great expectations for 1997 AMA Pro Racing Superbike Rookie of the Year Tommy Hayden, who is piloting a ZX-7 for Muzzy Kawasaki in MBNA Superbike... Chuck Graves and Shawn Higbee will ride a pair of Buell Lightnings in Progressive Insurance Pro Thunder for Team Corbin/Motorcycle Online. For tickets and information about the Cruise America Arizona Superbike Challenge at Phoenix International Raceway call (602) 252-2227. Arizona Bike Week begins Feb. 7 and includes nearly a dozen events including bike shows, dances and tours. For details about Arizona Bike Week call (602) 970-3757. -30- Connie Fleming American Motorcyclist Association Public Relations Administrator http://www.ama-cycle.org 614-891-2425
