EBR’s veteran riders bring valuable experience to Buckeye SuperBike weekend LEXINGTON, Ohio – To the uninitiated rider, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is not unlike any other track the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Series, but the AMSOIL-backed veteran riders in the National Guard SuperBike class know better. Erik Buell Racing’s Geoff May and Aaron Yates have been a part of the Buckeye SuperBike Weekend presented by Dunlop numerous times in the past and they know exactly where all the bumps and quirks in the racing surface are located. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have multiple podium finishes there on both 600cc and 1000cc bikes,” said May, rider of the Team Hero/AMSOIL EBR. “I’m good with the track and I like the layout. We also draw really big crowds that truly appreciate what we do so we feel this extra obligation to put on a good show for everybody.” May said the track’s character changes from the morning to the afternoon, so practice times aren’t always an accurate barometer of what is going to happen in during the race. “There are patches on the track that are made of huge squares of this sealer material,” May said. “They are very smooth, so if they get any form of dust or liquid on them they get slippery, and you have to know this or you can get in trouble. During the afternoons, those spots reverse and tend to get very grippy. It’s a different sort of issue that’s unique to Mid-Ohio.” Yates, who rides the AMSOIL/Hero EBR, likes the character of the 2.4-mile, 15 turn layout and the extra challenges the older track presents. “I’ve raced pretty well there ever since I started racing at that track back in 1993,” he said. “I’ve won in just about every class I’ve raced there over the years. The track has changed a lot during that time. It used to have a lot of irregularities, now it’s pretty technical and you have to push a little harder to go fast. It’s always been a lot of fun because it’s a different challenge every time.” Yates said with the way the EBR program has been progressing this season, a podium from either himself or May is within reach. “We’ve got high hopes for the weekend,” Yates said. “I think we can get these EBRs up in the top five or on the podium. Our two teams have been working hard since the last race to improve the bikes. We’re making progress and hopefully this weekend will be another big step.” Practice for the Buckeye SuperBike Weekend gets under way at noon EDT Friday from the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The first National Guard SuperBike qualifying session is at 3 p.m. On Saturday, the second qualifying session rolls off at 9:40 a.m. with the first race at 3 p.m. The second race of the weekend starts at 3 p.m. Sunday. CBS Sports Network will broadcast the races starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.