Roadracingworld.com’s Chris Ulrich regularly gives rides on the back of his specially-prepared, two-seat GSX-R1000 Superstock racebike to help educate local reporters and on-air personalities about the sport of motorcycle road racing and to help promote AMA Superbike Championship events. He was back at work this past week at Miller Motorsports Park, in Tooele, Utah, giving rides to a local radio personality, the track announcer and to Alan Wilson, the CEO, General Manager and designer of the brand new, $80-million-plus facility. “If you could package that and sell it, you would sell a million tickets. It’s awesome,” said 60-year-old Wilson after his three-lap, 150 mph ride with Ulrich. Asked what he thought of his racetrack after the ride, Wilson replied, “I really liked it. It’s just got a flow to it, doesn’t it? What I would like to do now is ride a bike out there myself. I haven’t ridden a bike fast in a long time. That’s all come back. There’s nothing nicer in sports than full acceleration out of a smooth corner. It’s just beautiful.” “It was an honor to give such a renowned track designer as Alan Wilson a ride around his own racetrack,” said Ulrich. “It felt good to be able to make it possible for him to see what we see from the cockpit of a motorcycle, because some track designers never do. I’m actually kind of surprised he got on the back, but I’m glad he did and I hope he had a good time.” Also taking rides with Ulrich were Victor Cade, who does a nightly radio show on Salt Lake City’s 94.9 FM “The Blaze,” and track public address announcer Griff Allen. “Wow! That was bad ass! That’s all I can say,” said Cade, who is a former sportbike rider. “He was totally in control of that bike, so I got comfortable after that first lap. The first lap I was a little edgy, but I got more comfortable because he’s a good rider. It was awesome and nervous and just bad ass. I can’t imagine doing that with a track full of racers, Holy hell. I’ve watched motorcycle road racing on television before, but I’m a huge NASCAR fan. But after experiencing this, I definitely have more appreciation for this than that.” “The ride is impressive,” said Allen. “Yeah, you’re on the back of a motorcycle, and yeah, you’re going around a racetrack. But the whole system of having a briefing, having it explained to you, having all of the safety gear and being a top-prepared motorcycle with a competent rider, this whole system of giving people the opportunity to experience motorcycle road racing, even if it’s at 80%, this is a great vehicle to help people understand why this sport is just so magnetic.” All of the two-seat guest riders were given an even better glimpse into motorcycle road racing by having another motorcycle ride in close proximity to them while circulating the track. During Wilson’s and Cade’s runs, Vesrah Suzuki’s Tray Batey strafed them, and during Allen’s ride, Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Geoff May enhanced the experience. “It absolutely did,” confirmed Allen. “You can go out and buy a video game that has a simulation of racing, but nothing is going to give the sound and the sight and the sensation of someone blasting by you on the inside under braking when you thought the corner was all your own. So having another rider out there, absolutely priceless in terms of giving the whole perspective of road racing.” Ulrich’s team has been doing media rides using two-seat racebikes for about five years and will offer rides to local media representatives at all of the remaining 2006 AMA venues.