“Dreams come true, I’m racing MotoAmerica”
Levi Badie will make history in 2022 by becoming the first Belgian rider to race in the MotoAmerica Championship. He will contest the Junior Cup series aboard a Kawasaki after inking a deal with BARTCON Racing – one of the leading teams within the category in recent years.
For Levi, who raced the Yamaha bLU cRU European Cup alongside World Superbike last year, the opportunity to head stateside with BARTCON Racing was something he couldn’t refuse. He will fly to the US ahead of the opening round at Road Atlanta to take part in several days of testing.
Badie proved in his debut season on the world stage that he is a fast learner, challenging for the podium in the latter half of the 2021 season at circuits he had never previously ridden. This bodes well for his American debut.
In addition to joining BARTCON Racing, Levi will represent BISON Track and X-Lite in 2022.
Levi Badie: “I can finally announce that one of my biggest dreams has come true – I will be racing in MotoAmerica this year! I will race for the BARTCON Racing team and I can’t wait to get to America and meet them in person. The first contact with the team has been so nice. They are so friendly, and I am so happy that they have added me to their racing family. I’m looking forward to discovering all the new tracks and to race at some iconic ones on the calendar like Laguna Seca. I have seen that the fans can get really close to the riders in MotoAmerica and so I hope to meet many of them during the year and hope that they follow all of my adventures. My expectations are that everything will be big because everyone tells me that everything in America is big and so I can’t wait to see for myself. I am also looking to meet my new team mate Dominic. He has lots of experience racing in Junior Cup and Supersport and so I think I can learn a lot from him. I want to also say a huge thanks to Rob and Tosha at Bison for their support this year. I am proud to be part of the herd both in the states and in Europe. And a big thanks to X-Lite for their support too. I know it will be a big challenge, but I am confident that together with the BARTCON Racing team we can fight for the podium and who knows even the title – that’s the goal!”
In addition, it is hoped that Levi will compete in several European events, including a number of races in WorldSSP300 later in the year.
More, from a press release issued by BARTCON Racing:
A 2nd Slice of Europe Joins Irish BARTCON Racing Team
“I hadn’t planned on fielding a Junior Cup entrant this season as there was no super talent kicking down our doors and frankly myself and my Crew Chief Mike Skowronek had agreed that our Twins Cup campaign with Dominic Doyle would necessitate all our time, focus and commitment to secure a Championship,” said BARTCON Racing owner Colin Barton. “But when a golden opportunity dropped on my lap, it was hard to turn it down.
“Because of new FIM World Supersport rules and regulations being enforced this season in Europe, several super talented young riders found themselves unable to make the grid before the season had even started due to the new grid limit of 30. Then this golden opportunity came in the form of Belgian rider Levi Badie, who did come knocking on BARTCON Racing’s doors.
“After some research into the logistics of Levi traveling back and forth from Belgium and BARTCON securing additional mechanics and crew to compete in the MotoAmerica Junior Cup series, I am delighted to announce that Levi Badie will be joining BARTCON Racing for the 2022 season onboard our Triple Strong Racing-built Kawasaki Ninja 400 along with his teammate Dominic Doyle onboard his SA-Moto-built Yamaha R7.
“Keep an eye out for further press releases and development to come in the near future and be rest assured that BARTCON Racing aren’t coming to take part this season! We’re Coming To Take Over!”
