Local Riders Look Forward to Hometrack Advantage at Mid-Ohio
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rebecca Ackford, 614-793-4620, rackford@midohio.com LOCAL RIDERS LOOK FORWARD TO HOMETRACK ADVANATAGE AT MID-OHIO DUBLIN, Ohio (August 2, 2006) - The AMA Superbike Championship returns to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend, bringing with it several riders headquartered in the Buckeye State for the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire. Tackling the 15-turn, 2.4-mile course August 4-6 and looking to utilize their hometown advantage, will be three riders from Ohio, including Larry Pegram, James Kerker and Douglas Duane. The trio will compete in Rounds 13 and 14 of the AMA Superbike Championship in front of friends and family. Baltimore-based Larry Pegram, currently eleventh in the Superbike Championship point standings, is racing his thirteenth full professional season this year with his very own team, Pegram Racing. With a season-high ninth place finish in the second round at Barber Motorsports Park in April, Pegram expects his season to take a turn for the better when he'll race his Honda CBR1000RR at his home track. "It's always nice to come back home and race at Mid-Ohio in front of my friends and family. I always see so many familiar faces around the paddock, it really feels like home. Mid-Ohio is a beautiful facility and I'm looking forward to doing well there." Marysville, Ohio-based James Kerker is also looking to showcase his talents this weekend. Sixteenth in the Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme Series, and also a competitor in the AMA Superbike Championship and Repsol Lubricants Superstock Series, Kerker hopes his sizeable and supportive crowd at his home track will bring him some luck. "Mid-Ohio always proves to be one of my best races each season. It will be a challenge this year being unfamiliar with the new surface, but I'm sure it will still be the same old Mid-Ohio that I love. The fans there are great and although this year has been a struggle for me, I am looking forward to turning it around here at my home track." Other riders from the Buckeye state competing during the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire include Uniontown's Douglas Duane in Superbike and Mark Hatten of Delaware in Formula Xtreme. The four Ohioans will put their skills to the test on "America's most competitive road course" against the likes of Honda factory riders Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke, and fellow title contenders Ben Spies, Mat Mladin, and Neil Hodgson. Tickets for the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire are available by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO or visiting www.midohio.com <http://www.midohio.com/> . The Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire will be the fourth event on Mid-Ohio's eight-race 2006 schedule. Still to come is the Vintage Grand-Prix of Mid-Ohio (August 18-20), National Auto Sport Association Championships (September 15-17), AMA Road Race Grand Championships & AMA Motocross Manufacturers Cup (September 22-24) and the AMA Superbike Shootout (September 30-October 1). Tickets for all events are available by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO or visiting www.midohio.com <http://www.midohio.com/> . Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a permanent road racing circuit with two primary configurations: a 2.4-mile, 15-turn, and a 2.25-mile, 13-turn circuit in Lexington, Ohio. Located 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland near Mansfield, the track has been called the most competitive in the U.S. and annually hosts a diversity of locally, regionally and nationally sanctioned racing events for amateur, club and professional riders and drivers. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, TrueSports, Incorporated is a privately held motorsports entertainment enterprise. The company owns and operates Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School, and promotes a wide variety of motor racing, driver instruction, corporate, and family entertainment events throughout the year. -30-