Pridmore to World Superbike Championship!

TOOELE – UTAH – Alto Evolution Honda Superbike would like to communicate to the world motorcycle media that from the USA Round up to the end of the season a new rider will take part of the Superbike World Championship together with Shuhei Aoyama.

This decision was taken after the five first rounds of the Championship because the Team needed a more experienced rider in order to help Aoyama in his process of adapting his riding style to Superbike. Unfortunately, Luca Morelli was too young to make this role, apart from his riding skills and fast style, and this was the main reason that made both him and Alto Evolution agreed on breaking their racing agreement.

This choice points to the place where the World Superbike is racing this week, and more specifically to the AMA and one of its most important riders, the Californian Jason Pridmore.

The idea of bringing Pridmore to Team Alto Evolution happened during the Monza Round of the World Superbike Championship, when his manager, Michael Murphy, was introduced to the Team Manager, the Eng. Marco Nicotari. It was around 15 days from that informal meeting up to the formal agreement, and the entire Team is really excited about having a rider as talented as Pridmore to help in the development of the new CBR-1000RR.

Pridmore has been riding at Miller Motorsports Park since 2006, when he took part in both AMA Superbike and Superstock races and during the past three years he has been coming here with his riding school, the STAR Motorcycle School. He became an AMA rider in 1992; in 1998 he took part in the American round of the World Supersport Championship in Laguna Seca and finished in 3rd place. In addition, in 2002 he won the AMA Formula Xtreme Championship and in 2003 the World Endurance Championship.

Confirming the rumours that came about in the paddock yesterday afternoon, Pridmore had been to the Alto Evolution garage and met the Team. Everybody was excited about his presence, and his technicians, crew chief and the Team Manager could answer some questions about the bike and we could learn from him a bit about the circuit and his expectations: “Being in the World Superbike is like a dream come true; I am feeling remotivated and excited to be here.”

After his visit in our garage, the Eng. Marco Nicotari has declared that “We are very happy about having Jason with us and I am sure that he can help us to reach the goals we set for this season.”

The Team has been working hard since the Monza round in order to solve all technical issues with the electronics and get the bikes ready for these races in the USA. Miller Motortsports Park is a beautiful place and having the AMA championship and World Superbike together has certainly brought more emotion and colour to the weekend. We all hope for extremely fast and competitive sunny days among the Utah mountains.

Pridmore 7th in World Endurance at Albacete, Spain

Jason and teammate Warwick Nowland finished 7th in the FIM World Endurance Championship "6 Horas Nocturnas of Albacete" in Albacete, Spain.

Pridmore on Provisional Pole in Spain

Jason and teammate Warwick Nowland qualified on provisional pole for the FIM World Endurance Championship "6 Horas Nocturnas of Albacete".

Follow qualifying and race live, log on www.circuitoalbacete.es/crono/live.html

April 2008 Newsletter

Vacation is Definitely Over

If you weren't at Thunderhill with STAR, you missed out on 3 great days of riding and instruction, including another sold-out Pro School.

Elena Myers continues her rapid ascension at the Thunderhill Pro School

STAR is at the Streets on April 14th and 15th. After the Streets, Jason and Instructor Dave Stanton head straight to Le Mans for the FIM World Endurance Championship 24 Hours of Le Mans with their new team, Maco Moto Racing. Instructors Richie Alexander, James Lickwar, and Hawk Mazzotta are off to round two of the AMA Superbike Series at Barber Motorsports Park. The AMA goes straight to California Speedway from Barber. Will Jason make his AMA return there? From California Speedway STAR is at Miller Motorsports Park on April 28th and 29th. We still have space for Miller. Come out and ride!

Take a lap of Miller with Jason on the World Superbike Layout

STAR Instructors at the racetrack in 2008 - Buttonwillow and a Warehouse?

Besides the AMA and World Championship racing mentioned above, there has been some quality club and cage match racing happening. Jason made his return to racing by dominating the AFM Formula Pacific opener at Buttonwillow Raceway. Riding a 2008 STAR Motorcycle School Suzuki GSX-R1000, JP waxed 'em. You can read the race report by City Bike's Mike Solis here.

Instructor Jimmy Wood brought home the cash in a more interesting event. He won the Dash for Cash and the Main at the San Jose Indoor Short Track. Hard to explain, it's essentially a UFC fighting cage match that they race full size flat track machines on. It's gritty, it's roots, and the money is always good for the "Paper Boy".

J Wood wonders whether the purse will cover a tetanus shot

STAR Club

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Group and Individual Disounts Available

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That's all for now. Ride Safe,

STAR

Pridmore Wins AFM Formula Pacific in World Endurance Tuneup

In the first round of the 2008 AFM championship at Buttonwillow Raceway, Star Motorcycle School owner Jason Pridmore emerged from retirement on a Dunlop-shod Jordan Motorsports Suzuki to take the win in the Kal-Guard Formula Pacific race. Despite a talented field that included top AMA Supersport privateer David Anthony, former WMRRA number one Mike Sullivan and ex-World Superbike rider Leonardo Bagnis, the AFM's top regulars still managed to claim the remaining two podium positions, with James Randolph finishing second, and Cory Call third.

"The day was great, with the exception of a little screw up we had this morning," said Pridmore, a two-time AMA national champion. "In the Production race, my bike overheated on the grid and we had water dripping into the bellypan. When I got into Turn 2, I just fell over - I had to redeem myself in Formula Pacific! Racing with the AFM has been super and everyone has really welcomed me here. I just wanted to come here, test a little for the World Endurance Race at Le Mans, and have a fun day - it just so turned out that the fun was at the front!"

The next round of the 2008 AFM Championship is scheduled to take place at Infineon Raceway on April 26th and 27th at Infineon Raceway.

Mike "MrCrash" Solis
CityBike Magazine
http://www.mrcrash.com
http://www.unofficial-afm.com

March 2008 Newsletter

School is in Session

STAR just completed a sold-out Spring Mountain Motorsports Park School in Pahrump, and our first of several 2008 Streets of Willows schools. We escaped from Pahrump without getting snowed on, the students all huddling together in the classroom Quonset hut to stay warm between sessions. That's one way to force them into the classroom.

Jason works with STAR Student and SR-71 Pilot Steve Ishmael at the Streets

The Streets of Willow school was great, with 2008 Daytona 200 winner (on the racetrack) and friend of STAR Josh Hayes showing up straight from Daytona to do some riding and answer questions in the classroom. Does that guy love motorcycles or what?

We have a Thunderhill school coming up on April 1-2, with our benchmark Pro School on April 3rd. April 14-15 has us back at the Streets before heading to Miller Motorsports Park on April 28-29. Miller is the site of the June World Superbike races, in case you've forgotten. Event signup is here.

STAR Instructors at the racetrack in 2008 - Daytona and Le Mans!

Instructor Richie Alexander and his Jordan Suzuki squad had an excellent Daytona, with his riders Aaron Yates and Geoff May finishing 1st and 3rd in Superstock. Instructor James Lickwar didn't fare as well; his rider Robertino Pietri broke his wrist in the Moto-ST race the weekend before the AMA event. Another crash during Superbike practice resulted in a suspected broken foot one hour before Superstock qualifying. Ah...Daytona. Pietri soldiered on to an 8th place finish. Alexander and Lickwar are headed to the Barber AMA tests March 17-18.

Jason and Instructor Dave Stanton are headed to Le Mans on March 26 and 27 for their first official test with Phase One prior to the start of the 2008 World Endurance Championship.

Spy photo of Stanton testing the outrageous 2008 Suzuki B-King at Pahrump

Fritz Kling Needs Your Help

Jason's first teammate Fritz Kling has been diagnosed with inoperable terminal brain cancer. There is no other way to say this - his family needs your help. Fritz is considered to be one of the good guys in racing. Besides racing with Jason, Fritz was a hard competitor to STAR instructor Dave Stanton. There is a fundraiser for Fritz, please do what you can.

STAR Club

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Group and Individual Disounts Available

Checked out the SuperSTAR Discounts? You should, It's free money.

That's all for now. Ride Safe,

STAR

Melissa Paris shakes off the Winter cobwebs at the Streets

January 2008 Newsletter

Jason Checks In

Wow! 2008 is here already, and we are gearing up for a great year at STAR. Our new Suzuki motorcycles are scheduled to arrive at the shop any day. In addition to our normal racetracks, we have one new venue on the 2008 Schedule - Hastings in Nebraska, and we are returning to VIR for the first time since 2001.

2007 was an interesting year for our school and for me personally. The schools went very well. We had a huge increase in new students and saw a lot of old friends. We did our first Military-only school at the Streets of Willow, and are looking forward to more days with the individuals who serve our country. We also saw a big increase is racers coming through – both club and National caliber. The guys had better watch out - the numbers of female racers is higher then I have ever seen. Elena Myers, Melissa Paris, and Amber Rhimes all came to STAR for instruction in 2007. Women are getting more serious than ever about our sport, and it’s starting to show on grids across America and in the respect they receive.

At JenningsGP in Florida we had our youngest student ever. Kids are now getting a jump start on American roadracing. They are the future of our sport; we saw plenty of them in 2007 and will see more this season.

For me, I missed racing. After doing it for so long, something was missing and it made last year a bit difficult. You might not know that I raced the Toyota 200 at Willow Springs in October. It seemed like it could be fun. Trusty Sportrider editor and STAR instructor Andrew Trevitt was my crew chief, and the guys at Jordan Suzuki put my Superbike back together for that race. And it was fun, right up to the point we had a…technical problem. It was great fun racing with Jeremy Toye who went on to win, but frustrating that we couldn't battle with him to the end. Maybe we’ll do it again in 2008?

4th place at Suzuka in 2003 - will 2008 be Jason's year?

In fact, I missed racing so much that I just did a deal to race the World Endurance Championship in 2008. I will be going back to race for the Phase One team that I won the World Championship with in 2003, and I will be taking STAR instructor Dave Stanton with me as a teammate. My respect level for Dave is very high, and I know that he will fit in very well with the program. Our first race will be at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in April.

I want to wish everyone a happy New Year, and let you know that STAR is looking forward to seeing you in 2008. Whether its street riding or racing that you do, there is a place for you at STAR. Take care and ride safe.

Cheers,

Jason

A Student Contemplates Lessons Learned

Student (and friend of STAR) Sam Cece is the Chairman and CEO at Strongmail Systems. He blogged about what he learned from STAR, and how it relates to business. We don't see Sam enough - he works too much!

STAR Instructors at the racetrack in 2008

Instructor James Lickwar had his rider Robertino Pietri rollin' at the annual Daytona tire tests in December. Pietri ended up with the fastest Superstock time. Instructor Richie Alexander was at the Dunlop test with the Jordan Suzuki crew, working with Aaron Yates and the newly-signed Geoff May.

Jimmy Wood spent the winter taking everyone's lunch money in Southern California flat track races. And Angie Loy picked up where Buzz left off - supermoto. She's recovering from a trip to see Dr Ting for a broken collarbone. Get well soon Angie!

STAR Club

Want to get more involved in STAR? Become a STAR CLUB Member.

Group and Individual Disounts Available

Checked out the SuperSTAR Discounts? You should, It's free money.

That's all for now. Ride Safe,

STAR

STAR School 2008 Calendar

The 2008 STAR School Schedule is online. VIR baby!

November 2007 Newsletter

2007 es finito

We just wrapped up another sold out Pahrump school to finish our 2007 schedule. More perfect weather, more great students, and Demo excitement!

Roger that!

Our Military Appreciation day on Halloween was even better. We've never had a group of students who received direction without question. You need to slow down. "Roger that". You need to stop using all the racetrack at your speed. "Roger that". By the end of the day, they all (mostly) on point.

Our military day was one to remember

2008 Schedule

Our 2008 Schedule is completed. More dates, and more great tracks, like VIR!

STAR Instructors win Club and Class Championships

At the final AFM round of the 2007 AFM Championship at Buttonwillow Raceway, Dave Stanton wrapped up the AFM Championship (and #1 plate for 2008) and Craig Mclean won the Open Twins Championship. Both riders plan on defending their Championships next season.

Stein and Craig are the Champions

STAR Club

Want to get more involved in STAR? Become a STAR Club Member.

Group and Individual Discounts via SuperSTAR

Checked out our SuperSTAR discounts? You should. It's free money.

That's all for now. RIDE SAFE,

STAR

We are working hard to make STAR better, and we're always open to suggestions.

The calm before the storm Part II

October 2007 Newsletter

Thunderhill was perfect

If you weren't at Thunderhill, you missed it. Beautiful fall weather, awesome students. And backwards!

Our last school of 2007 at Spring Mountain/Pahrump is sold out for day 1, but we still have a couple of spots open for repeat students on Day 2. That school has always sold out. You'd better act fast.

STAR Instructors rule the racetrack

Instructor Dave Stanton took another step toward recapturing his AFM #1 plate after winning the AFM Formula Pacific class during round 7 at Infineon Raceway. Instructor Craig Mclean was runner-up in the Open Twins class, and is in the catbird seat for the class Championship (and the manufacturers bonus) going in the last round at Buttonwillow.

Dave wins his 512th AFM race

Jimmy Wood returned to his roots - Southern California Flat Track. He won the Pro class, and the cash at Perris Raceway.

STAR Donates Trackday to Marine Corp Soldiers

Early this year Jason received a request from the Commanding Officer of the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to speak with his soldiers who are motorcyclists. The CO was trying to educate them - there has been an increase in Active Duty motorcycle fatalities in the last few years (as of September 27 18 Marines have died in motorcycle accidents).

In April he drove down to Miramar and gave a talk to a room filled with four-hundred soldiers, followed by a Q&A session. The base offers a Basic Riders Course, but these men and women were looking for more.

Based on the feedback we received that day, STAR and Willow Springs are hosting a track day on October 31st at the Streets of Willow. The event is free to Active Duty Service Members. It is in appreciation for serving their country and in concern for their safety as motorcyclists. We're looking forward to it!

2008 Dates on the Way!

How does VIR sound? We thought so. Jason is working on the 2008 schedule right now - they will be up on our site soon.

STAR Club

Want to get more involved in STAR? Become a STAR Club Member.

Group and Individual Discounts via SuperSTAR

Checked out our SuperSTAR discounts? You should. It's free money.

That's all for now. RIDE SAFE,

STAR

We are working hard to make STAR better, and we're always open to suggestions.

The calm before the storm