Franks Biker News June 25th archive

D&D Performance Enterprises is happy to announce a sponsorship agreement with Chris Carr Racing for the 2009 season.

D&D designs and builds special race-tuned exhaust systems for Carr's Harley-Davidson XR750 and Honda 450cc motorcycles.

Chris Carr Biography

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 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 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 Chris' main backer for the past six years and the collaboration was mutually beneficial. Chris 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 Chris. It wasn’t for lack of results. Rather it was due to the current restructuring at Ford Motor Company.

Chris 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

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 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.

Growing Up Chris Carr

Chris 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, Chris had earned numerous Northern California and national amateur championships and was already turning lap times comparable to the top pros.

In 1985, Chris 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, he 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.

He has 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 Chris. 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,” Chris 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.”

His 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, Chris' 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, he 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,” Chris said of his finely tuned technique.

In 1993, he lost his title to a red-hot Ricky Graham and in 1994 Parker again nipped him by a scant three points.

Chris 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 Chris 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, he 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 Chris 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. Chris, now running as a privateer, dominated the season, scoring nine podium finishes, including five wins. Chris 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, Chris 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 Chris' bikes during this fruitful period.

Chris 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, Chris 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.

Chris continues to race and run his racing team. He and wife Pamela are raising their two sons, Cale and Cameron, in eastern Pennsylvania.