FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  
PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 23, 2008) -- Overflowing with colorful characters, cutting-edge machinery and countless stories to tell, the Honda Summit of Speed AMA Superbike Championship and HANNspree Superbike World Championship will converge at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, from May 29 to June 1.
 
This double billing features the best Superbike racers from around the globe. They're super-fit athletes with hand-eye coordination to rival a heart surgeon's skills. The bikes have power-to-weight ratios that would make the superest of supercars blush. Combine these elements and you get exciting, wheel-to-wheel racing as the competitors scrape their knees through corners, then tuck in tight while accelerating up to 180 mph.
 
AMA Superbike Championship Media Relations is available to assist you in gaining access to the people, places and things you'd like to share with your audience.
 
The following are a few ideas to fuel the creative process.

America's World Champions: In 31 years, 15 racers graduated from the AMA Superbike Championship and went on to score 30 world titles. This tally includes five men who won eight Superbike World Championships in the series' 20-year history.
 
These SBK World Champions include:
Colin Edwards (2002 & '00)
John Kocinski ('97)
Scott Russell ('93)
Doug Polen ('92 & '91)
Fred Merkel ('89 & '88)
 
International Riders Top the AMA Record Books: A true testament to the AMA Superbike Championship's popularity and prestige, dozens of racers from around the world have donned their leathers to race in America-and they've been quite successful.
 
French Canadian Miguel Duhamel holds the record for AMA race wins, with 86 victories in his 18-season AMA career. With this hard work, he sits atop the all-time Supersport class win list, amassing 41 victories, and is second in the Superbike tally, with 32 wins.
 
Australian Mat Mladin, who began his winning ways in 1997, holds the record for Superbike wins at 66, all of which were earned exclusively in the AMA's premier class, Superbike. The 34-year-old leads the 2008 title chase via three wins and a trio of runner-up finishes.
 
The Only Racer to Win AMA and FIM World Superbike Championships: Troy Corser, a 36-year-old Aussie, walked away with his 1994 U.S. title and went to Europe, nabbing a runner-up finish the next season and taking the '96 and '05 Superbike World Championships. He's currently sixth in the 2008 world title chase.
 
Former World Superbike Champion Races the 2008 AMA Series: Isle of Man, U.K. native Neil Hodgson, the 2003 FIM World Superbike Champion, has joined Honda Racing and brought great depth and good humor to our domestic series.
 
Celebrity-Owned Team: Michael Jordan Motorsports - Suzuki is enjoying a successful 2008 season, where veteran rider Aaron Yates is leading the Superstock championship.
 
All in the Family: Larry Pegram is a long-time AMA racer. Like most kids who grew up in Ohio's close-knit racing families, he began as a parentally backed dirt tracker. In time, he and the family moved on to road racing with motorcycle-industry-related sponsorship they garnered along the way. Eventually, Pegram made his way up the ladder to all-expenses-paid, factory-sponsored rides with Ducati and Suzuki. Through these years of hard work, one constant has remained: his family.
 
After living the life of a factory racer and marrying a fashion model, today Pegram is a father himself and owns a factory-sponsored race team: Leo Vince Foremost Insurance Ducati. Two constants remain: his mom and dad, who are still behind the scenes and in the pits.
 
A Defending Champion and His Motorcycle-Racing Wife: On weekends off from the AMA Superbike Championship series, Josh Hayes, Erion Honda Racing's defending Formula Xtreme champion, supports his wife, Melissa, in her racing endeavors, just as she does when he's "at work."
 
Female Riding Instructor Racing with the Guys: Misti Hurst, a 32-year-old Canadian from Lions Bay, B.C., who works as a riding coach for the California Superbike School during the week, is on a quest to compete in all 11 Supersport races in 2008. This 5'2", 125 lb. dynamo's blond hair and blue eyes are a refreshing contrast on the starting line in a sport dominated by men.
 
Shining Star: Road racer, rock climber, cyclist, surfer and businessman Ben Bostrom does it all. He's ridden for the Honda and Ducati factory teams and now, riding for Yamaha's AMA Supersport team, Graves Motorsports Yamaha, he leads the title chase.
 
After winning the AMA Superbike Championship in 1998, he went on to explore the globe-racing in the World Superbike Championship and living the life of an international superstar. In 107 races, Bostrom took seven wins, stood on the podium another 14 times and placed as high at third in the world series of Superbike.
 
Back on American soil, Bostrom is one of the brightest, most charismatic racers in the AMA Superbike series paddock--a true shining star and celebrity.
 
Apprentice Mechanic: Michael Jordan has a long history of giving back to the many communities in which he moves. That said, at each of the AMA Superbike Championship events, Michael Jordan Motor Sports - Suzuki enlists one student from the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute to work on--site throughout the weekend as part of its technical team.
 
Helmet Maintenance: Believe it or not, motorcycle helmets require periodic maintenance. Shoei and Arai, manufacturers of high-end helmets, send master technicians to each of the AMA Superbike Championship rounds to fulfill the needs of their racers in the paddock. They can explain what it takes to keep a helmet fresh and prepare it for racing or street use.
 
Safety Gear 101: Alpinestars, a manufacturer of high-tech motorcycle riding, racing and casual gear, also sends a support team to all AMA Superbike Championship events. Learn about the cowhide and kangaroo-leather skins that protect motorcyclists' hides, hands and feet. Arrangements also can be made to interview racers and other motorcycle enthusiasts about these important items.