Monday, November 30, 2009

Chris Ulrich Turned 180 Two-up Laps (414 miles) At Auto Club Speedway To Raise Money For More Airfence


AMA Pro American Superbike racer Chris Ulrich, working with significant support from track day provider Fastrack Riders, broke several records during the fifth annual Thanksgiving weekend fundraiser for the Roadracing World Action Fund November 28-29 at Auto Club Speedway, in Fontana, California.

For a minimum $50 donation to the Roadracing World Action Fund, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization which advocates and promotes the use of soft barriers to help prevent rider injuries at racetracks, Ulrich took donors for fast, multi-lap rides on his 185-horsepower Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R1000K8 racebike around the 2.3-mile, 21-turn infield road course. And by the end of the two-day fundraiser, Ulrich had set records for number of two-up rides given, 57; two-up laps completed, 180; and money raised, $3270.

Over the last five years Ulrich has raised a total of $9000 giving two-up rides. That's in addition to raising the awareness of motorcycle road racing by giving general interest media representatives rides at AMA Nationals, the two-seat Superbike's primary mission.

“We had a really good turn out,” said Ulrich. “We’ve been building this event over the years, and we promoted this one pretty well. In spite of some inclement weather and delays on Saturday we ended up taking 57 people for rides. 

“We couldn’t have done that many if it hadn’t been for the durability of our AMA-spec Dunlop slicks. We used one front the whole weekend, and one Dunlop 6680 Medium compound rear lasted for well over 90 laps of two-up rides, which is really impressive.

“It’s really good that even in these trying economic times people are willing to come out and donate their hard-earned money to help keep racers and track day riders safe. I just want the thank all of them for coming out and supporting the Roadracing World Action Fund and to thank all the people who made it possible -- everyone at Fastrack Riders, the staff at Roadracing World Publishing.”

In addition to his other records, Ulrich also set a new personal two-seater lap record. After mounting a new Dunlop rear tire on Sunday, Ulrich took 14-year-old USGPRU racer Ryan Matter around the track in just 1:34.606, undercutting his previous best, a 1:36.2 he did last year with racer Melissa Paris riding as a passenger. To put that in perspective, Ulrich’s best lap times during the AMA American Superbike National earlier this year at Auto Club Speedway were in the low-to-mid-1:26 range.

Fastrack Riders has partnered with Ulrich and the Roadracing World Action Fund to hold the Thanksgiving weekend fundraiser each year for the last five years, providing track time, riding gear and staff support.

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Saturday, November 21, 2009

Ride On The Back Of An AMA Superbike And Help Raise Money For More Airfence

Team Roadracingworld.com and professional racer Chris Ulrich, the 12th-place finisher in the 2009 AMA Pro American Superbike Championships, will be holding a fundraising event November 28-29 at Fontana, California's Auto Club Speedway, in association with Fastrack Riders Association (FRA).

In exchange for a cash donation, which will go to the Roadracing World Action Fund--a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization which advocates and promotes the use of soft barriers to help prevent rider injuries at racetracks--Ulrich will take donors for a couple of fast laps around Auto Club Speedway’s 2.3-mile, 21-turn infield road course on the back of his 185-horsepower, 195-mph Suzuki GSX-R1000 racebike, which has been fitted with a passenger seat, passenger foot rests and a grab handle on the fuel tank.

Ulrich normally uses the retired racebike as an outreach tool during the race season, giving rides on the racetrack to local mainstream media representatives prior to AMA Championship events to help them better understand the sport of motorcycle road racing.

Prior to past AMA events at Auto Club Speedway, Ulrich has given KTLA-TV Sports Anchor Damon Andrews, KNBC-TV’s Amanda Maynard and G4 Network “Attack Of The Show” correspondent Alison Haislip two-seater rides. And over the course of the last several years, Ulrich has given rides to people ranging from small town newspaper reporters to Indy Car drivers to TV/movie stars to 1993 500cc Grand Prix World Champion Kevin Schwantz.

This Thanksgiving Day weekend will be the fifth consecutive year Ulrich, Team Roadracingworld.com and FRA have held the ridealong fundraiser to benefit the Roadracing World Action Fund.

Full professional riding gear will be provided on loan free of charge courtesy of FRA and Team Roadracingworld.com, however, due to limited supplies, all sizes may not be available and not everyone will be able to ride. All rides will be on a first-come, first-served basis. No reservations are required.

The minimum donation amount will be $50. Larger donations will earn additional laps. Photos and videos of the rides may be available for an extra donation.

For additional information on the Roadracing World Action Fund, go to: http://actionfund.roadracingworld.com/

To see actual video footage from a two-seat ride with Ulrich at California Speedway, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9G1kVY0OPo

Or go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpeCEPSjRxI&feature=fvw

To see the “Attack of the Show” segment with Chris Ulrich, go to: http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/exclusives/64491/Road-Report-Suzuki-GSXR600-Motorcycle.html

For more information about Fastrack Riders track days, go to http://www.fastrackriders.co

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