Larry Pegram on Erik Buell Racing 1190 for 2014 AMA SuperBike

2014 AMA SuperBike Championship

Following a year campaigning a Yamaha YZF-R1 in AMA SuperBike, Larry Pegram will pilot an Erik Buell Racing (EBR) 1190 RX for 2014.

This news arrived this week from EBR; Pegram, who owns Pegram Racing, will once again with long-time sponsor Foremost Insurance Group. For 2014, EBR’s sponsors AMSOIL and Hero MotoCorp will also support Pegram’s SuperBike efforts.

Larry Pegram (Team Principal and Rider) says: “Pegram Racing is very energized by this new opportunity to run the American Superbike, EBR. We went and tested in the off-season and were convinced of the capabilities of the 1190RX.

“The alliance between our title sponsor, Foremost® and Pegram Racing has delivered excitement and top results for a number of seasons. We thrive on the learning experience of running different brands of motorcycles and can’t wait for the 2014 season.

“The unique EBR motorcycle and its story will add even more interest for the AMA race fans and the followers of our Superbike Family reality show on Velocity.”

Randy Slotten, director of marketing for Foremost, says the EBR/Pegram relationship is a great fit for Foremost.

Randy Slotten says: “Being involved in professional racing is an important aspect to Foremost and we’re excited to sponsor Pegram Racing for another race season. Larry is a motivated and passionate rider and we’re excited to see what he can do racing with EBR support.”

EBR founder Erik Buell also commented on the new relationship.

Erik Buell says: “2014 is a watershed year for EBR motorcycle racing. After two exciting seasons in AMA SuperBike, the factory EBR team of Geoff May and Aaron Yates, sponsored by Hero MotoCorp and AMSOIL have committed to race our American superbikes in the 2014 World Superbike series international competition.

“This is the first time an American brand will compete on this world-class level. But it left a big gap for us to fill in AMA Pro SuperBike. Now, being able to simultaneously compete in the United States with a team of Pegram Racing’s caliber is just great. I could not have imagined a better way to move ahead in the US, and it speaks clearly to the potential Larry sees in our motorcycles.”

Jeremy Meyer (AMSOIL Race Manager) says: “EBR has been a fantastic partner for us as we work to continuously exceed expectations with the highest quality synthetic motorcycle lubricants, capable of taking the outrageous abuse of superbike racing. We were happy to support the main EBR team on their move to World Superbike, and are really pleased that we will also be able to be part of this effort in AMA Superbike as well.”

Pegram has been without factory backing since 2009 when he campaigned on a Ducati 1098R. He rode the Ducati 2009 and 2010, taking fourth overall both years.

When he switched to the BMW S1000RR, he finished seventh overall in 2011 and 2012, For 2013, he campaigned aboard a Yamaha YZF-R1, and finished sixth overall.

The 2014 AMA Pro SuperBike season begins March 13-15, 2014, at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. A total of 5 events are scheduled with a possible sixth event being added in the upcoming weeks. Confirmed events are as follows:

• March 13 – 15 – Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.
• May 30 – June 1 – Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.
• June 21 – 22 – Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala.
• July 19 – 20 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio
• September 13 – 14 – New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, N.J.

AMA Pro Racing SuperBikes all have at least 1000cc in engine displacement from a variety of twin and multi-cylinder powerplants. Two-cylinder, four-stroke motorcycles such as the EBR 1190 must weigh a minimum post-race weight of 370 pounds and cannot exceed 1200cc displacement engines. Superbikes prepared for AMA are capable of reaching speeds in excess of 200mph, and represent the pinnacle class of American road racing.