From a press release issued by Ducati North America: Cupertino, CA – Ducati North America is proud to announce today that Pegram Racing will serve as the official Ducati supported racing team in the 2008 AMA Roadracing Championship. The team will campaign the new 848 Superbike in the Formula Xtreme Class, and will be led by veteran racer Larry Pegram. The 2008 racing season will mark the second year of this relationship, and will see the team gain stronger support from Ducati North America. The initial season yielded successful results, and the team was able to finish a credible 4th place in the championship on the Ducati 749 R race bike. “I am pleased that we were able to continue our program with Pegram Racing for 2008. Larry had a strong season last year, and was able to secure several podium finishes while making the absolute most of tight resources,” said Nick McCabe, Business Development Manager for Ducati North America. “The 848 is a huge step forward in performance, weight and handling, and is already showing great potential in our early season testing and development.” Larry’s 848 race bikes began life as showroom-stock motorcycles, delivered through Larry’s local dealer in Columbus and will be built entirely at the team’s race shop in Ohio. The Pegram Racing crew will be receiving intellectual support from Ducati Corse in Italy, and have hired engineer Alessandro LaBarba from Moto GP to join Dave Weaver, Perry Melneciuc and Jim Pegram. The 2008 season will kick-off Saturday, March 8, 2008 with the 67th running of the Daytona 200. For more information on Ducati and Pegram Racing, please visit www.ducatiusa.com, or www.pegramracing.com.