American racer Chris Sarbora headed off today for the Manx Grand Prix, at the historic Isle of Man TT course. He will join fellow Americans Anthony Bakker and Travis McNerney, who alongside him will be the first Americans to race modern bikes in the Manx in over a decade. Their acceptance into the race marks the culmination of nearly a year’s worth of hard work and perseverance.

Sarbora will ride the Wylie & Holland Yamaha R6 in the Newcomer’s, Junior, and Senior races. He hopes to use his performance at this year’s Manx Grand Prix as a stepping stone to secure an entry to the 2012 Isle of Man TT, nine months from now.

“I got the bug a couple years ago when I came over to help out Brandon Cretu in his Newcomer year at the TT,” Sarbora explains. “I asked the organizers how I could do it myself and they told me that since I wasn’t a well-known rider on the world stage, I’d have to prove myself in a smaller real-roads race before I could enter the TT. Brandon did the Ulster GP, but I figured that if I was going to go to all that trouble, I might as well get some practice on the TT course for it!”

Sarbora is no stranger to either bikes or international travel. This is his fourth year of racing, and actually his second international event. Last December, he and Brandon Cretu were invited by BSB racer Hudson Kennaugh to a sweltering 8-hour endurance race in Cape Town, South Africa. The pair finished 13th as one of only two two-man teams in the event, and the only Americans in the race’s history.

Sarbora is supported in his efforts by DocuSign, the fastest way to get a signature, as well as REV’IT! Motorcycle Apparel, 01RaceFX and Wylie & Holland Racing. He’d like to thank everyone at WMRRA and WERA Motorcycle Racing, and especially Damon Wells, Brian Hintz and Steven Hildum for lending him their bikes to make sure he qualified, as well as Brandon Cretu, Katherine Perry, Mike ‘Mic’ McLane, Chris Burgess, Kevin Klemmer, Phil Cook and Barry Wressell for all their help and guidance.