AMA STAR MELISSA PARIS TO WILDCARD AT BRANDS BSB FINALE AMA Daytona Sportbike star Melissa Paris will travel to Britain in October to race in the final British Supersport Cup round at Brands Hatch on a Motodex-backed Yamaha R6 with a view to competing in the series full time in 2012. Melissa, who rides an R6 in the Stateside series and has been a front-runner at the Daytona 200, is using the weekend as a taster to see how BSB works and just how competitive she is in the Cup championship. Two good race results could see the California resident up sticks and move to Britain for the whole of next year. “I am so excited to ride the Motodex Performance First Yamaha R6! I know that learning a new circuit on the fly will be a challenge but I look forward to it,” said Melissa. “I owe a huge thanks to HT Moto and Yamaha and all of my sponsors here in the US for being so supportive as well as Tony Dexter for putting together this incredible opportunity for me.” The deal has been constructed by Tony Dexter of Motodex Performance First. Dexter is a former RAF engineer who started the Germany-based business just last year supplying high-performance parts to racers and race teams worldwide. He has secured a bike from SMR Performance for this initial outing but hopes to run Melissa on it for the whole of 2012. “MotoDex Performance First UGmbH is absolutely delighted to be taking Melissa Paris to the grid for the first time in the last round of the prestigious British Supersport series at Brands Hatch, in our own livery and in our first year of business,” said Dexter. “We are not just coming to play. We have a totally professional setup, a simply awesome Yamaha R6 and Melissa has proven herself time and again that she can run with the ‘big boys’. Be in no doubt, she is a tough cookie and an out-and-out racer. “We’ve put together a stunningly competitive package and support crew for her, with the help of On the Grid, SMR Performance, Yamaha, PDM Racing, HEL Performance, Seton Tuning, Jon Jessop Photography and the series organisers Motorsport Vision Racing.” MotoDex Performance First UGmbH has just been appointed HEL Performance manufacturer and distributor for Germany and this is a big ‘thank you’ to all of the firm’s worldwide customers who will now see the products sold to them performing at the highest level on the race track.