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