From a press release issued by Team Pongo/NCR Ducati:
Eric Wood to compete in 2008 Formula Xtreme Series with Team Pongo/NCR Ducati
Eric Wood has signed a deal that will have him riding a Ducati 848 in the AMA Formula Xtreme series. The team will be competing as Team Pongo/NCR Ducati and will attend a minimum of 6 rounds of the series in addition to select ASRA and CCS events. Eric has posted 5 top 10 results out of 6 finishes in Formula Extreme over the past two seasons of AMA competition.
Backing for the team will come from Pongo, an online resume building service that provides industry leading tools in career advancement. Pongo President and CEO Rodney Capron is a long time motorcycle enthusiast with a particular affinity for Ducatis. When asked about the deal he said “I’ve been looking at the possibility of getting involved with a professional motorcycle race team for quite some time, and when the opportunity arose to work with Eric on the new Ducati 848 I couldn’t wait to get involved”. Pongo will devote a section of the company website at www.pongoresume.com to follow the progress of the race team throughout the season.
The engines for the team will be prepared by Ducati Hall of Fame tuner Bruce Meyers of Meyers Performance. Bruce worked with Eric Wood in 1999 and 2000 when the pair campaigned a Ducati 748 owned by Steve Aspland in the AMA Pro Thunder class, winning 5 of the 6 rounds that they competed in. Eric noted “Ever since those two successful seasons Bruce & I have talked almost every year about working together again. We are very excited to run the Ducati 848 in the Formula Xtreme class. I feel that the Ducati is the best possible tool to run up front, and Bruce has the skills to provide us a very competitive motorcycle”. Carl McAllister and Todd Malvezzi will be the technicians working along with Bruce for the 2008 season.
The final piece of the puzzle came together this week when Joe Ippoliti of the legendary NCR Factory signed on as the co-title sponsor of the team with Pongo. NCR will be supplying the team with many of the key engine, chassis and technological parts developed by NCR for the Ducati 848. Team rider Eric Wood rode for Mr. Ippoliti and NCR twice in 2007 on the acclaimed NCR Millona. Eric noted, “I was completely impressed with the both the craftsmanship and racetrack prowess of the Millona. I don’t think I have ever ridden a bike that was so capable on the track and at the same time so beautiful to behold as the Millona. Having the resources of a company like NCR at our disposal to develop a Ducati Formula Xtreme contender will be a huge advantage for us this season.”
Wagner Motorsports International of Worcester, MA is a Ducati dealership that is staffed with a number of road racing enthusiasts and will be providing Ducati parts support for the team. Nick McCabe of Ducati North America and New England Ducati rep Jason Routhier were also key in bringing the support of Ducati to the effort.
The team will be running on Dunlop tires for the 2008 season and has also secured the sponsorship of Maxima lubricants, Vanson leathers, Arai helmets, Penske shocks, Leo Vince exhaust, Armour Bodies bodywork, Woodcraft, VP fuels, GMD Computrack Northeast, Street & Competition, Zero Gravity windscreens and EBC brakes.
When asked about his goals for the upcoming season, Eric responded “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I feel that this team is going to provide me with the best equipment that I have ever had. It’s been my dream, like so many other riders, to have a machine that can run at the front of an AMA event. I think we’ve finally got the tools to make it happen, and I can’t wait to get out on the track at Daytona.”