A Busy Grid and an Enthusiastic Audience Are To Be Expected

CONCORD, ONTARIO (April 5, 2011)

Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada is proud to announce a full commitment to running the highly anticipated Harley-Davidson® XR1200® Cup Series in Canada in 2011. With the potential of veterans such as Steve Crevier participating in the series, the XR1200® Cup Series promises to become a captivating and entertaining show of passion, performance and artistry in racing.
After the recent announcement of the launch of www.csbk.ca, hosted by the newly appointed management company of the Canadian Superbike Championship, Frontline CSBK Inc., Darren James, owner and racer #29 for Ruthless Racing Inc. commented, “To see this XR1200® Series kick off in Canada in 2011 is a dream coming true. I have wanted nothing more than to make sure we start with a full grid, so it’s amazing to see the level of enthusiasm of riders wanting to participate in this new Harley[-Davidson®] Racing series. Who knows, we may have to actually hold qualifiers for the XR1200® Series this time next year! The feedback we have received so far is great. Guys love the fact that they can easily alternate U.S. AMA race dates with our Canadian racing events. I am very grateful for the support that Vance & Hines and Elka Suspension are giving the series. It’s going to be a ton of fun out there!”

Together with the established Floridian Racer #123, Dave Estok, Darren James, Manager of Ruthless Racing Inc., will be competing in two classes this year – the Harley-Davidson® XR1200® Cup Series and the Pro Sport Bike Class. The two-rider team will be racing on Harley-Davidson® and BuellTM motorcycles, respectively, prepared by Ruthless Racing Inc.
Having won the 1996 Harley-Davidson® 883 World Championship and in the same year the BuellTM Lightning® Championship, Dave Estok brings a wealth of experience, which will prove to be consequential in the upcoming racing season. Dave also has three ASRA Thunder Bike Championships under his belt (2003, 2005 and 2007) and has been participating in the Canadian Superbike Series for the last five years. Most recently, Dave put forth a strong fourth place finish in the Pro Sport Bike Series in 2010.

On the other hand, Darren James has two Canadian National Thunder Bike Championships (2005 and 2006) and a CCS National Thunder Bike Championship in Daytona (2003) under his belt. Teamed up with the renowned Jeremy McWilliams, Darren spent the 2010 season racing for Warr’s Harley-Davidson in the U.K. and participated in the Harley-Davidson® XR1200® Trophy Series in the British Superbike Series. Darren finished fourth overall for the year, while teammate McWillams took the Championship.

Thomas Morin will be returning as Crew Chief of the Ruthless Racing Inc. team, sponsored by Deeley Harley- Davidson® Canada. When asked about the difference in prepping the XR1200® motorcycles for racing verses the BuellTM motorcycles, Thomas noted, “The Harley-Davidson® XR1200® [bikes] are spec bikes so it will really come down to the rider’s skills. Maintaining the motorcycle will be more important than ever! We are looking forward to getting some test days on our bikes soon and getting us and the bikes tuned up and ready to roll out for the first round.”
Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada is now ready to extend high profile, title sponsorship opportunities around the Harley-Davidson® XR1200® Cup Series in Canada to interested companies.

For further information on sponsorship opportunities or on participating in the Harley-Davidson® XR1200® Cup Series, please contact Darren James, Manager, Racing Programs, by phone at 604-273-5421 or by e-mail at darrenjames@deeley.com.

About Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada
Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Harley-Davidson® motorcycles, Genuine Motor Parts and Accessories, and MotorClothes® apparel, which are provided through a national network of authorized Harley-Davidson® Retailers. Office and distribution warehouse facilities are located in Richmond, British Columbia, and Concord, Ontario.

Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada Media Contact:
Alex Carroni – Public Relations Specialist – (905) 482-4236; email: alexcarroni@deeley.com

1. How was it to be back on a Harley?  
Great!  I miss the old 883 days and the close competition those races created.  It is awesome to see Harley Davidson out there competing again.

2. How was it riding the Harley at Daytona? 
At first the it wasn't fun.  We had some stability problems that we had to work out.  By the second day we had the bike suspension stiffened up and were able to handle the high speed banking of Daytona... and the fun started.  It was a blast being on the same equal equipment as my competitors racing around the new smooth surface.  The Harley was good through the corners and had some impressive torque.

3. What did you think about running the Dunlop Tires?
The tires worked great!  I know there were complaints of front end push on the banking from the Sportbike and Superbike competitors, but we didn't have that problem on the XR's.  The best thing about the tires is how equal they are, you know your competitors are on the same tire so the racing is close.

4. Which suspension did you prefer, the Race Tech or K Tech?
When I got on the bike we had the Race Tech suspension in, but it was set up way to soft (Barney was the last one to ride the bike at Barber in the rain).  The next day we changed to the K Tech and had it set up for this track and my weight.  It was way better!  It gave me stability on the banking and wasn't bottoming out everywhere.  To answer your question, the K Tech was way better but that was because it was set up for me, not because the Race Tech suspension was inferior.

5. How was it working with your team?
The Black Hills Harley Davidson team was great to work with.  I have past history with a couple of the guys.  The team manager, Lance Jones, I used to race 883's with, he was both a professional flat tracker and road racer.  The crew chief, Brett Singer is from here in Florida and is also a road racer.  I have competed against Brett as well as raced for him, he ran an endurance team competing in the AMA 3hr races back in the day that I raced for.  So we all just clicked right off the bat.  We would of had a run at the front runner's in the race, but we leaned out a bike we should have made rich and slowed it down big time.  I screwed up the start which didn't help either, but we couldn't even hang in the draft for the first half of the race.  We hope to go to the next round to run up front and redeem ourselves.

Ruthlesss Racing Inc. will ride 2 classes with a 2 man team - excited to be part of the Harley-Davidson XR1200 Class as it appears for the first time in Canada!

Ruthless Racing Inc. is proud to officially announce their continued involvement in the Parts Canada Superbike Series for 2011.  Ruthless Racing Inc. will be running 2 classes this year; the Harley-Davidson XR 1200 Class and the Pro Sport Bike Class.

Darren James, team manager and racer #29 commented, “I am really excited to see this XR1200 Series come to fruition this year in Canada.  It’s the first year this class  runs in the Parts Canada Superbike Series and I have wanted nothing more than to make sure we start with a full grid.  There has been a ton of interest from racers wanting to get on a Harley-Davidson and, come Round 1 at ICAR, I really hope that they all end up on that grid.  A full grid makes for exciting racing and that’s what we want to show the fans. These bikes are all so evenly matched that it really comes down to the rider.  It’s going to be a ton of fun out there!”.

In 2011,Ruthless Racing Inc. will support a 2- rider team consisting of Dave Estok, racer #123 and Darren James, racer #29.  Dave Estok will race on a Ruthless Racing Inc. prepared Buell and Harley-Davidson XR1200.  Estok won the 96’ Harley-Davidson 883 World Championship and in the same year the Buell Lightening Championship. He also has 3 ASRA Thunder Bike Championships under his belt, in 2003, 2005 and 2007.  He has been participating in the Canadian Superbike Series for the last 5 years and put forth a strong 4th place finish in the Pro Sport Bike Series in 2010.

Darren James comes to the grid this year on his Harley-Davidson XR1200 and his Buell, both motorcycles prepared by Ruthless Racing Inc. Darren has to name 2 Canadian National Thunder Bike Championships in 2005 and 2006.  He also won the  CCS National Thunder Bike Championship in Daytona in 2003.  Teamed up with Jeremy McWilliams, Darren spent the 2010 season racing for Warr’s Harley-Davidson in the U.K. and participated in the Harley-Davidson XR1200 Trophy Cup in the British Superbike Series.  Darren finished 4th overall for the year while teammate McWillams took the Championship. 

Thomas Morin will be returning as Crew Chief of the Ruthless Racing Inc. team.  When asked about the difference in prepping the XR1200’s for racing verses the Buells, he noted that “The Harley-Davidson XR1200’s are spec bikes so it will come down to the rider....maintaining the motorcycle will be more important than ever!  It’s down to the nitty -gritty details.We are looking forward to getting some test days on our bikes soon and getting us and the bikes tuned up and ready to roll out for the first round.”

Ruthless Racing Inc. is grateful for the continued support of wonderful sponsors such as  Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada, Arai Helmets, Dragon Eyewear, Ogio, Flexi-Glass and Twist Sport Conditioning

For further information about getting involved in the 2011 Harley-Davidson XR1200 Series in Canada, send an email to Darrenjames@deeley.com

Check out more about the team at www.ruthlessracinginc.com