DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 27, 2012) – With new teams, riders and sponsors participating in the opening round of the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series season opener at the Daytona International Speedway, the XR1200 division, now in its third season, has never looked better. And if the thrilling finish on the high banks that saw podium finishers Kyle Wyman, Tyler O’Hara and Michael Barnes cross the line separated by less than half a second is any indicator of what’s in store, it’s going to be an exciting season. But there is another twist to the 2012 Vance & Hines XR1200 Series season that is sure to make it like none seen before, and that is the introduction of the XR Showdown, a special $60,000 year-end points fund award to be battled for by the top 10 competitors in the final five races of the season, beginning with the XR1200 doubleheader at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. The key for riders to compete for the XR Showdown will be to secure a place in the top 10 in the point standings by the conclusion of the seventh round at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. After the Mid-Ohio round, each of the top 10 riders in the point standings at that time will have their championship points reset to 1,000 points. This means that the top 10 will be starting from a level playing field to accumulate as many points as possible in the final five races to vie for the overall championship and the additional $60,000 XR Showdown prize fund. In turn, this also means that it is crucial for all competitors to accumulate as many championship points as possible in the first seven races of the season to participate in the XR Showdown. The XR Showdown is a separate and supplemental $60,000 prize money fund in addition to the $10,000 purse awarded at each of the 12 races in the 2012 XR1200 season. All XR1200 competitors are eligible to compete in all 12 races and thereby are also competing for the $10,000 purse awarded for each event. “This is truly going to raise the stakes by motivating all riders to push for the best results from the early rounds of the season,” said Terry Vance of the XR Showdown. “With the combined $120,000 race purse and $60,000 Showdown purse funded by Harley-Davidson and Vance & Hines, we are doing more than ever to offset the costs of racing for the XR class competitors.” Keep up with all the latest on the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series by going to www.amaproracing.com, www.vanceandhines.com/xr1200 and www.harley-davidson.com. In a month, AMA Pro Road Racing will return to Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia for Round 2 of the 2012 championship and the first of the season’s three Triumph Big Kahuna events, the Big Kahuna Atlanta. The event, scheduled for April 20-22, 2012, is the first return to Road Atlanta for the Series since the 2010 season and marks the return of M1 PowerSports to full-time event promotion at the site of the original Big Kahuna. For event information and tickets, please visit ~http://www.m1powersports.com/big-kahuna-atlanta/~. AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.