East Bay Native Gets Motorcycle Ride of his Life with Michael Jordan SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) “” It wasn’t long ago that Lafayette native Steve Rapp was a struggling motorcycle rider, working part-time as a bell-hop at the Lafayette Park Hotel in the East Bay. Now, he’s riding in the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) for one of the biggest sports figures in the world: Michael Jordan. Yes, that Michael Jordan. Jordan, an avid motorcyclist, joined the AMA last season at a minimal level with rider Montez Stewart in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport class. He’s kicked it up a few notches in 2005 with a three-rider team, having signed Rapp and veteran rider Jason Pridmore, to go along with Stewart. Michael Jordan Motorsports will run the full season, including a stop at Infineon Raceway, May 13-15, for the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, presented by Supercuts. “Basketball is his first love but motorcycles are something he’s enjoyed but didn’t have the time for when he was playing,” said Rapp, who will focus on Superstock, but will also race Superbikes in 2005. “Now that he’s retired he has the chance to get back into it.” Rapp is off to a rapid-fire start this season, sitting in sixth place overall in the Repsol Lubricants Superstock class, and eighth in Superbike. He is coming off a season-best finish of third place in Superstock in Fontana last weekend. He also had two top-10 efforts in Superbike in Fontana. Jordan attended the race at Infineon Raceway in 2004 and is expected to visit the Sonoma Valley again in May, this time with a much stronger team. Pridmore, who will compete in Superbike, is the 1997 AMA 750 Supersport champion, as well as the 2002 AMA Formula Xtreme champion. He is rehabbing from an early-season injury and it was not confirmed whether he would compete at Infineon Raceway. “Michael is so fired up about racing and he’s so excited,” Pridmore said. “Is there really anyone bigger or better to help the sport grow than Michael Jordan?” “I was getting ready to sign another contract with another team and I got the call from Jason (Pridmore),” said Rapp, a graduate of Acalanes High School in the East Bay. “He asked what I was doing for 2005 and I told him I was about to sign. He then told me about Michael Jordan and that sounded pretty good. It all worked out.”