Ford QC’s Chris Carr Set To Defend Syracuse Mile “Anytime you go to a mile race, you can’t count out the guys that are 40 and older,” says Carr, winner of last year’s Inaugural Aaron Creamer Memorial Syracuse Mile FLEETWOOD, Pa., (June 14, 2006) Seven-time AMA/Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship champion Chris Carr coming off his biggest win of the year so far in Springfield (Ill.) is set to defend his title this Saturday with the second running of the Aaron Creamer Memorial Syracuse Mile (June 17). Carr, who won the opening round of the 2006 AMA/Ford QC Flat Track “Twins” Championship in a thriller over Jay Springsteen at the Springfield Mile a few weeks back, says that this weekend’s race will most certainly go right down to the wire like it did in Springfield. “Any time you go to a mile race you can’t count out the guys that are 40 and older,” said the 39-year-old Carr. “(Rich) King, (Jay) Springsteen and myself are the guys to beat and there’s facts out there that will support that.” Note: King’s 43 and Springer’s 49. Carr points to the evolution of the sport and the fact that when he was the age of Jared Mees, Jacob Johnson and Bryan Bigelow there were nine to 11 mile races and five half miles. “Now the opposite of that is true,” said Carr, who figures he’s had between 190 to 200 mile starts over his 22-year career. “It would take them 15 years to experience what I did at their ages in three years.” The race itself will be extremely intense as the Syracuse Mile differs from that of the Springfield Mile in that it’s far more narrow something akin to the style of horse racing this track was built for back in the late 1800s. “The Syracuse Mile has a whole lot of history behind it,” said Carr. “But it’s nothing at all like Springfield. At Springfield, if you manage to get behind, you can burn a couple laps and catch right back up to the lead pack. Syracuse doesn’t allow for that. It’s a very, very narrow track which makes things much more difficult. “Like the area from turn two to turn three. You feel like you’re in a tunnel on I-80.” It’s because of this Carr wanted to remind everybody that he and the other racers are for sure thankful for the Roadracing World Action Fund, a non-profit entity that secures (along with Ford QC and the IMDA) the finances to purchase Airfence Safety Systems protective barriers for the flat track championships. “I don’t think we thank John Ulrich and the people that help out with the Roadracing World Action Fund enough,” said Carr. “It’s because of their efforts to deploy the Airfence that the racers feel like they have that much more confidence on the track, entering corners at greater speeds than ever. And this definitely makes for better racing.” The 2nd annual running of the Aaron Creamer Memorial Syracuse Mile takes place this Saturday (June 17) at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, New York. Prior to that on Friday, June 16, Chris Carr will be appearing at Performance Harley Davidson of Syracuse to sign autographs and hang out with the fans from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information on Carr’s event on Friday and the Springfield Mile, check out www.performancehd.com or call (315) 471-1157. The current AMA/Ford Quality Checked Flat Track champion, winningest active racer in the sport with 73 wins and seven AMA/Ford QC Flat Track championship titles, the Chris Carr legend continues. For more information on Chris Carr, visit his website at www.chriscarr.com. Combining the sport’s heritage with absolutely mind-bending speeds, this is one event motorcycle racing fans have to see “Live.” But if you can’t make it to Syracuse, the race will be broadcast on a pay-per-view basis over the Internet through LiveISports. The cost of the Springfield flat track weekend is $8.95. For more information flat track fans can check out www.liveisports.com. Also, donations can be made to the flat track racing Airfence fund through http://actionfund.roadracingworld.com/ Please specify “Flat Track” on your donation. *Airfence is a trademark of Airfence Safety Systems