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CHRIS CARR BIO
He turned pro in 1985, earned rookie
of the year honors, and finished
seventh in the final points
standings. His first Grand National
Race victory came at the age of 19,
and in 1986 finished fourth in the
points chase and continued to
improve each year until securing the
1992 Grand National Championship.
Chris competed full-time until
1995, when he finished third in the
Grand National Dirt Track
Championship, while at the same time
earning rookie of the year honors
competing in the AMA Superbike
class, a class which he chose to
pursue full time in the 1996 and
1997 season.
Championships, Chris Carr has won
the 1992, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003,
2004 and 2005 Grand National
Championship, a series competed on
“750cc” motorcycles. In addition
Chris also competed in the “600
Series”, winning seven
Championships, 1988, 1989, 1990,
1991, 1992, 1993, 1995 and won the
2000 Formula USA Dirt Track
Championship.
He was in contention for the 2006
Grand National Championship in the
final race of the year at Scioto
Downs in Columbus Ohio, before
dropping out with rare mechanical
problems, and finishing tied for
fourth in the points that season.
In 2007 and 2008 Chris had a
strong season just coming up a few
points short of securing another
Grand National Championship
finishing third in the points. Both
years He will return to the 2009
season looking to regain that form
that has made him a champion and one
of the most exciting racers to
watch.
Land Speed Record, On September
5, 2006 Chris Carr broke the land
speed record on a motorcycle at the
Bonneville Salt Flats with a
two-pass run averaging 350.8 mph.
His fastest run was 354 mph and his
successful run was established
aboard the BUB’S racing “Number
Seven Streamliner”. Chris remains
the fastest man in the world on two
wheels…and this record is recorded
in the 2008 edition of the Guinness
book of world records.
Educational Activities, Chris
Carr has ownership in American
Super-camp, a nationally renowned
dirt track school available to those
looking to improve their skills,
which are taught on 100cc
motorcycles.
Off-Track Activities, Chris
enjoys teaching, reading and golf as
well as spending time with his
family.
Sponsors Chris has been a
tremendous spokes person for the
sport and those sponsors involved
since his career began, from 2002
through the 2007 seasons, The Ford
Motor Company division, Quality
Checked Certified Pre-owned was team
sponsor for Chris Carr Racing as
well as title sponsor for the
series, 2005 through 2007. Chris is
as dedicated to his sponsors as he
is to his racing. Fords successful
sponsorship ended at the conclusion
of the 2007 season, creating new
sponsor opportunities with “Chris
Carr Racing” whom will be looking to
fulfill for the upcoming 2008 and
2009 seasons.
From a recent article published
by Cycle News Magazine…
“Quality Checked Certified
Pre-Owned Ford has been Carr’s main
backer for the past six years and
the collaboration was mutually
beneficial. Carr continued to win
and Ford had an effective and
articulate spokesman on the dirt
track trail.
But on the same day Ford pulled
their series sponsorship, they also
withdrew their support of Carr. It
wasn’t for lack of results. Rather
it was due to the current
restructuring at Ford Motor Company.
Carr said a shift in the
distribution of funds within the
company prevented the partnership
from continuing. He also said that
from the beginning of the program,
back in 2002, it has provided
measurable results. In conjunction
with a Detroit-based marketing
company, iCMS, a program was put in
place to track and measure the
effectiveness of sponsoring his
team, and later of Ford as the
series sponsor.
In all six seasons, the
partnership was able to produce a
positive measure of Ford’s
association with Chris Carr Racing,”
Carr said and he hopes another
sponsor will see that as he searches
for sponsorship for the 2009 - 2010
seasons”.
The 2009 season has scheduled 25
races, starting in March and ending
in October, which includes stops in
the Northwest, Northeast, Southwest
and Southeast areas of the country,
cities like Daytona, Florida,
Indianapolis, Indiana and
Springfield, Illinois, play host to
some of the largest venues in the
dirt track racing industry.
Chris Carr has enjoyed a
relationship with his fans over the
years, which have kept many
returning to the races and it’s this
recognition that has attracted many
sponsors.
By supporting Dirt Track Racing
many companies find they keep its
trusted brand connected with
customers and more of the activities
they enjoy. Dirt Track Racing offers
a chance to be associated with motor
sports at a fraction of the cost
compared to NASCAR…
AMA Grand National Championship
History, Prior to 1954, the fast and
smooth Springfield Mile at the
Illinois State Fairground was the
nation’s focal point for flat track
racing and although riders competed
at race tracks around the country,
the Springfield Mile remained the
most prestigious event, a 25 mile
race,
Which also determined the coveted
AMA National Dirt Track Champion.
This venue still a major race on the
circuit, has been won by Chris Carr
12 times out of the last 23 seasons
and to this day Springfield remains
Dirt Track Racing’s “Daytona 500”.
Following the 1954 season, AMA
announced the establishment of a
Grand National Championship series,
consisting of point paying races.
AMA produces some of the most
exciting racing events in the
country, and they are one of the
world’s largest motor sports
sanctioning body. Its AMA Pro Racing
division oversees more than 80
professional championship-racing
events all over the United States,
on and off road.
Chris Carr was the dominant rider
in the AMA Grand National
Championship during the early 2000s.
Through the 2005 season, the
Northern California native had won
seven national championships and was
second on the AMA Grand National
all-time wins list. He rode for
Harley-Davidson as a factory rider
for much of his early career, but
gained the majority of his success
as a private team owner. He was also
one of the few riders in his era of
Grand National racing to attract
major corporate sponsorship, being
backed by Ford Motor Company.
Carr was born on May 6, 1967, in
Stockton, California. His father was
an amateur racer and put young Chris
on a motorcycle at an early age. He
lived only a few miles from the Lodi
Cycle Bowl, which spawned the racing
career of many top riders. His
parents were members of the Lodi
Motorcycle Club and young Chris (an
only child) practiced countless
hours on the track and began racing
at the age of 6. His first racer was
a 38cc Moto Villa. He counted Alex
Jorgensen and Kenny Roberts his
heroes as a kid.
He progressed through the junior
ranks chasing older Northern
California riders such as Doug
Chandler and Fred Merkel. By the
time he was 17, Carr had earned
numerous Northern California and
national amateur championships and
was already turning lap times
comparable to the top pros.
In 1985, Carr turned pro and
embarked on his rookie season in the
AMA Grand National Championship. He
showed great promise in his debut.
In his first national, the Houston
Astrodome TT, he scored a
ninth-place finish. It was but a
preview of things to come. In his
first pro season, Carr tallied a
slew of top-10 finishes, including
podium results at the San Jose Short
Track and Peoria TT Nationals. He
finished ranked seventh in the
championship and was named AMA Flat
Track Rookie of the Year.
Carr continued to climb the
ladder in 1986, his sophomore pro
season, taking fourth in the final
Grand National standings and scoring
his first national win in August of
that year in the Peoria TT. It would
mark the first of many wins at
Peoria for Carr. He became so
dominant at the historic race in the
1990s he became known as the “Prince
of Peoria.”
“I remember in my rookie year I
finished third at Peoria behind
Ricky (Graham) and Bubba (Shobert)
and realized I needed to be in
better shape to run that pace,” Carr
said. “The next year, I came back
better prepared. The Woods Rotax
kept getting better too, and by then
I think it was better than the
factory Hondas. I cut some blazing
laps that year and won my first
national fairly easily.”
Carr’s steady climb continued as
he scored two wins in 1987 and then
finished third in the final AMA
Grand National Series standings in
1988. He was made a full-fledged
Harley-Davidson factory rider in
1989. In 1990, he nearly reached the
pinnacle, holding the points lead
longer than anyone else that season.
But an engine failure in the Labor
Day Springfield (Illinois) Mile took
him out of the series lead. He was
unable to match Harley teammate
Scott Parker's late-season drive and
had to settle for the runner-up spot
in the final standings.
In 1991, it was even closer
between Carr and Parker. The two
tied in the final standings, but
Parker won the title based on more
national wins.
In 1992, Carr’s time finally came
and he scored his first AMA Grand
National Championship, taking four
national wins along the way. He was
by now becoming a complete rider,
winning on Miles, Half-Miles, Short
Tracks and TT courses. Only 5’ 5”
and 135 pounds, Carr developed a
unique riding style, learning to
finesse his race bikes rather than
muscle them.
“I always felt if you could find
a way to use less energy that it
would pay off in the closing laps of
tight races,” Carr said of his
finely tuned technique.
In 1993, Carr lost his title to a
red-hot Ricky Graham and in 1994
Parker again nipped him by a scant
three points.
Carr was offered the opportunity
to compete in the AMA Superbike
Championship in 1995 as part of the
Harley-Davidson factory team. That
year, he contested both the AMA
Grand National and Superbike
Championships and still managed a
third in the Grand National Series,
despite focusing on road racing.
Harley-Davidson’s VR1000 Superbike
proved to be underpowered against
its competition, yet Carr did an
admirable job as a road racer. He
won AMA Superbike Rookie of the Year
in 1995 and in 1996 gave
Harley-Davidson its lone AMA
Superbike pole, topping qualifying
at the Pomona (California) round.
His best Superbike result came in
1996, a fifth on the factory Harley
at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma,
California.
Also in 1995, Carr earned a
record seventh AMA 600cc Dirt Track
Championship, making him the
all-time king of the single-cylinder
dirt track racing class.
The 1998 season marked a return
to the AMA Grand National
Championship for Carr after a
two-year absence. Early in the
season he split his time doing
select road races in addition to his
full Grand National schedule. He had
a notable runner-up road race finish
in the Laguna Seca Formula Xtreme
race aboard a Muzzy Kawasaki. He
again led the Grand National Flat
Track Series most of the season, but
was caught by rival Parker in the
closing races and lost the title by
two points.
The 1998 season marked a return
to the AMA Grand National
Championship for Carr after a
two-year absence. Early in the
season he split his time doing
select road races in addition to his
full Grand National schedule. He had
a notable runner-up road race finish
in the Laguna Seca Formula Xtreme
race aboard a Muzzy Kawasaki. He
again led the Grand National Flat
Track Series most of the season, but
was caught by rival Parker in the
closing races and lost the title by
two points.
The turning point in the long
Carr/Parker rivalry came in 1999.
Carr, now running as a privateer,
dominated the season, scoring nine
podium finishes, including five
wins. Carr finally dethroned Parker
in what he calls his most satisfying
championship.
“Scotty and I pushed each other
throughout our careers and raised
the level of competition,” Carr
explained. “He was six years ahead
of me in experience and gained a lot
of speed during the years of him
chasing the factory Hondas. It was
also a Mile-dominated series during
much of that era and Scott was a
master of strategy on the Miles. It
took me a while to discover the
nuances of winning on the Miles. By
’99, I was at the top of my game and
it was very gratifying to win the
championship in a dominant fashion.”
After a short sojourn winning the
Formula USA Dirt Track Series in
2000, Carr returned full time to AMA
Grand National racing in 2001 to
begin one of the most commanding
runs in AMA Grand National history,
winning every AMA Grand National
Championship from 2001 through 2005,
including the 50th anniversary
season of the championship in 2004.
Tuner extraordinaire Kenny Tolbert
built Carr’s bikes during this
fruitful period.
Carr was named AMA Pro Athlete of
the Year in 2003 and persevered to
become the second-winningest rider
in AMA Grand National Championship
history. In 2002, Carr brought Ford
Motor Company on board as his team’s
sponsor, marking one of the few
times a major corporation backed an
AMA Grand National team during that
era.
Carr continues to race and run
his racing team. He and wife Pamela
are raising a family in eastern
Pennsylvania.
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