Pro Superbike racer Chris Ulrich impressed seven members of the Salt Lake City, Utah, media Friday with 120-plus-mph rides around Miller Motorsports Park (MMP) on his GEICO Honda CBR1000RR two-seat Superbike.
The ride-along program was organized to help promote this weekend’s Arai Mountain Nationals, the third and final round of the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented by Yamaha, and motorcycling in general, and judging by the reaction from the guests and published works produced so far from the event it appears to have been successful.
“That was so cool!” said Chantel Galloway, an on-air personality at KEGA 101.5 FM. “We were like inches from the pavement. I was terrified, but I survived. So it was fun. I’ve seen [motorcycle road racing] on TV before and I always thought, ‘Wow, look how close they get to the ground!’ And there I was, close to the ground.”
“Oh my gosh that is so cool!” said Erin Collard, co-host of the Todd and Erin morning show on KYMV 100.7 FM. “I can’t imagine what kind of shape he must be in to do this. That’s so physical. Oh my gosh that was amazing! That was so fun! I knew it was going to be fast, but are you kidding me? The speed of that bike and the way he slows down so much faster than you think he can and the turns are just insane. Oh my gosh that was so cool!”
Collard immediately posted photos and a report on her experience to her blog page http://www.rewind1007.com/i_just_went_150_mph_on_a_bike__didnt_end_up_as_road_rash/blog/502.
“That was awesome, and I declare Chris Ulrich my boyfriend now because I love him,” joked Lexi Papadopoulos, co-host of the Lexi & Banks, Mix Morning Fix show on KUDD 107.9 FM. “Things happened on the back of that bike. I don’t know if you’ve ever ridden with him before, but not only is he handsome he handles the bike very well. All I know is going around these little tight turns here I thought we were going to die, but we didn’t. I was parallel to the ground, man, parallel! I’m really excited about this. This is a lot of fun, and I have a new appreciation for this sport.”
Ulrich also gave two-lap rides around MMP’s 2.2-mile West Course to: AJ Carson, an on-air personality for KZHT 97.1 FM; Kiersten Nunez, a reporter with KSTU-TV Fox13 News who broadcast a report on her ride at http://fox13now.com/2014/05/23/riders-to-compete-at-high-speeds-in-tooele/ ; Rick Egan, a photographer for The Salt Lake Tribune daily newspaper who posted a video from the day at http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/57982026-77/miller-motorsportspark-rickegan-chrisulrich.html.csp; and Ron Duncombe, a former racer and monster truck driver who hosts the Maverik Kick Start radio show every Saturday on 97.5 FM and 1280 AM in Salt Lake City.
MMP’s Marketing & Communications Manager John Gardner invited the media members to the track Friday, and Apex Trackdays provided track time for the two-seat Superbike rides during their lunch break.
For over a decade, Ulrich and his team have offered rides on two-seat racebikes to reporters, celebrities and fans to help promote road racing events and motorcycling in general. Ulrich has given more than 700 two-seat race bike rides since 2003.