(Tucson, AZ) “” Evan Steel Performance and Iron Horse BMW recently tested the BMW S1000RR Superbike in Arizona. The purpose of the test was to determine the competitiveness of the new BMW Superbike in the AMA American Superbike class. Like many teams going into the 2010 racing season, ESP was forced to suspend their racing efforts due to a lack of budget. Not wanting to watch the entire AMA series from home, the team started looking at other partnerships and opportunities that could see them participate in a few AMA Superbike rounds. That search brought them together with John and Jennifer Cartwright of Iron Horse Motorcycles, a Tucson, Arizona BMW dealer. Iron Horse BMW was looking to race one of their BMW S1000RR motorcycles to prove it’s track worthiness to the local racer and track day crowd, a group of enthusiasts who might have overlooked the BMW in their search for a new ride. According to Cartwright, “we have this great new product in the BMW S1000RR and we were looking for a way to introduce the bike to the sportbike crowd who may have never set foot inside a BMW dealer before.” Cartwright rode an S1000RR across town to the ESP shop to inquire about taking one of his demo bikes to a track day. That conversation led to Evan Steel calling up former ESP rider Chris Peris to come down to a ‘Take it to the Track’ event at the brand new Inde Motorsports Park in Wilcox, Arizona. Peris was familiar with the track, having set the motorcycle lap record there in recent months with a time of 1:55.60 on his AMA Superstock spec.–VIR podium finishing– GSXR1000. The day of the test, Peris rode a bone stock BMW S1000RR, complete with headlights and all street equipment- minus the mirrors and passenger footpegs. The only performance enhancing equipment fitted to the bike was a set of racing slicks. In the first 15 lap session, Peris was getting a feel for the motorcycle and how it reacted when he turned up the pace. By the fifth lap of his second session, he bested the lap record by over a second, turning a 1:54.07. Evan stated, “the bike was hugely impressive for a stock machine, the fact that Chris was able to lap faster on it than on his race bike is incredible!” Chris added, “Wow. I’ve never ridden one of these new BMW’s before, I can’t believe I went faster on a stock bike with headlights, then I did on my own personal racebike. I can’t wait to ride it after the ESP boys turn it into more of a racebike.” Based on the strength of their first outing with the BMW S1000RR, Iron Horse Motorcycles and ESP have decided to join forces, creating Team Iron Horse BMW/ ESP for the upcoming AMA Superbike race in Fontana with Chris Peris riding. Although the team would like to contest the remaining AMA Superbike rounds, the budget is not currently in place. Team Iron Horse BMW/ ESP is actively seeking sponsorship to campaign as many additional AMA rounds as possible in 2010. For Sponsorship inquiries contact Murph at Syndicate Motorsport Management, LLC: (+1) 831 464 3458 or email: [email protected] Team Iron Horse BMW/ ESP Win on Sunday, sell on Monday. Team Iron Horse BMW/ ESP was created to maximize the strengths of both organizations. Iron Horse BMW is focused on their customers’ ownership experience. ESP is an independent sport bike shop that focuses on the racer and track day rider. This is the reason Iron Horse BMW teamed up with ESP. ESP understands the sportbike market, and they have the skills and experience Iron Horse BMW needs to be able to sell the S1000RR to new customers with the knowledge only racing provides. Iron Horse BMW/ESP will use their racing experience to further develop the S1000RR. Team Iron Horse BMW/ ESP will use AMA Superbike competition to develop chassis, suspension and motor parts and accessories that will be made available to S1000RR owners, allowing them to enjoy the BMW S1000RR for years to come. Evan Steel Performance Evan Steel Performance is a small, personal, specialized shop located in Tucson, Arizona that deals with all aspects of motorcycle road racing. ESP bikes have had some of the highest trap speeds in their classes at AMA Nationals, as well as the highest top speed at start/finish at the 50th annual Macau Grand Prix. In 2009, ESP clinched the Supersport East title with numerous victories. In 2008, ESP scored a very rare privateer podium at the VIR AMA National in the Superstock class with Chris Peris. ESP is open to any level of racing, from basic race prep to planning a season at the Nationals. ESP can be reached at (520) 294 3050 or www.evansteelperformance.com Iron Horse BMW Iron Horse BMW is Arizona’s premier BMW dealer, located in Tucson, Arizona. Iron Horse is dedicated to providing their customers with the best possible ownership experience. The staff are passionate and avid motorcyclists from motocross to roadracing and everything in between. They have the experience and ability to help riders get the most out of their motorcycles. To make your dream of S1000RR ownership a reality, contact Iron Horse at (520)327-0773 or www.ironhorsemotorcycles.com