There’s only one way to truly experience what it feels like to compete in MotoAmerica–get on a bike with an ex-MotoAmerica racer. This is what Team Hammer’s Two-Seat Superbike Program has done for the past 16 years, and it’s expanding for its 17th year.Dunlop has signed on as title sponsor and key partner for Team Hammer’s two-up superbike track rides during 2017 MotoAmerica rounds.
The program—now titled Dunlop M4 Suzuki Two-Seat Superbike Program—has already proved itself as a highly effective tool to help increase awareness of and engagement in the sport of motorcycle road racing, Team Hammer says.Chris Ulrich during a Two-Seat Superbike Program ride (photo courtesy of Team Hammer)“We’re really excited to expand the two-up program for this season,” says Two-Up Superbike Program rider Chris Ulrich, an ex-M4 Suzuki racer. “We have a brand-new 2017 Suzuki (GSX-R1000) we’ve built, plus we have more involvement from industry partners and, of course, Dunlop.“The best thing of all is that the fans can now experience it. It has been a lot of fun for me doing the VIP and media rides over the years but this is going to be awesome. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal and a unique program where you can feel what it is really like, on a real Superbike, on the same course, in front of the fans. We think people are going to get an experience they will never forget.”As dynamic and compelling as the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship is for spectators watching on television or at the track, some aspects of the sport just cannot be fully appreciated without actually climbing aboard a superbike.The power, acceleration, and lean angles routinely achieved by a MotoAmerica Superbike piloted by a national caliber rider such as Ulrich on a closed circuit create a genuinely eye-opening experience.“The Dunlop M4 Suzuki Two-Seat Program is really a unique opportunity for the fans and media to go around the racetrack and get the feel of what a racer feels, the acceleration of the bike, the hard braking, the lean angle in a corner. It’s the entire experience. It’s better than any ticket you’d get at any amusement park by a long way,” says MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey.The Dunlop M4 Suzuki Two-Seat Superbike Program provides an otherwise nonexistent opportunity for members of the media, VIPs, and regular fans to get a taste of that experience first-hand, during an actual MotoAmerica event weekend.Mike Buckley, Dunlop Motorcycle’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, says, “Team Hammer’s Two-Seat Superbike Program has been extremely successful in its efforts to expose the sport of motorcycling to mainstream press. At Dunlop, we believe it is our responsibility as an industry leader to support these types of programs to deliver a positive message about our sport to potential new customers and the efforts of Team Hammer deliver that in an impactful way.”Furthering the program’s reach in 2017, VIP and media rides will be available on Thursday and Friday at each stop on the 2017 MotoAmerica calendar beginning at the Road Atlanta event.Additionally, two-seat rides will be open to the public on race weekend Sundays, for people who purchase a $300 ticket package, which includes event admission and a $250 donation to the Roadracing World Action Fund (RWAF).Tickets will be sold online on the MotoAmerica website prior to each race.The Roadracing World Action Fund (RWAF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit focusing on improving racetrack safety through the deployment of soft barriers.
