Michael Barnes joins Anne Roberts Racing / Marietta Motorsports for Road America

Elkhart Lake, WI — Accomplished and well-respected roadracing veteran Michael Barnes will continue to support up and coming new riders this weekend by taking the role of rider coach for Anne Roberts at her first race ever at Road America. Barnes is a highly-skilled and experienced racer, having raced everything from 250 two-strokes, Harley-Davidsons, and superbikes at race courses across the US, as well as such famous events as the Macau GP and even Pike’s Peak.

“The first thing that happened when I found out ‘Barney’ [Barnes] agreed to help me was a feeling of complete calm,” said MotoAmerica Superstock 600 racer Anne Roberts, who was driving to the world-famous Wisconsin racetrack. “He’s always been someone I could bounce ideas off of and ask advice. I was really apprehensive of Road America because of its length and that I’ve never even been there before. In just a few minutes of talking to him when we proposed the idea, I’m already a lot more confident!”

Marietta Motorsports team owner Craig “Huey” Stewart: “I’ve known Michael Barnes since I’ve been involved in pro racing. He’s a rock, one of the true nice guys in the paddock. I’ve worked with Anne since her first track day, but, as owner, manager and crewchief, it’s been getting harder for me to help her as a rider at the levels she’s quickly attaining. It’s time to pass the mentoring reigns to someone with exponentially more rider experience than I’ll ever hope to have. Barney will not only help her learn Road America, but can also teach her how to listen to the bike and communicate better with the team for changes. Him coming on board is the best and biggest thing to happen to Anne since she learned to ride a bike!”

Michael Barnes has been a professional motorcycle racer since 1990. He is instrumental to the development of several successful riders currently racing and is available as a rider coach and team consultant. He can be reached at [email protected]