ESP signs Jake Holden to ride BMW’s potent S1000RR in AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike ESP is proud to announce they have secured the services of multi time AMA race winner Jake Holden to race their BMW S1000RRs in the AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike class for 2012. Holden started racing at a young age in dirt track, before moving on to a successful road racing career. Jake has finished third overall in two AMA national championships, the 2008 Superstock class and the 2010 XR-1200 class. He has 14 AMA national podiums, 10 of which were achieved on a 1000cc motorcycle, including three wins. In addition Jake has earned three pole positions, four track records, one of which was in the Superbike class, and many top five finishes in Superbike. He was also an excellent substitute rider for John Hopkins and Ben Bostrom in 2010 on their factory supported Superbikes. He joins the ESP crew, which ran BMWs in the 2011 AMA Superbike series with success, including two front row qualifying efforts, a top five finish, and numerous top 10 finishes. ESP has numerous AMA podiums and wins, including winning the 2009 AMA Supersport East championship, as well as one Superbike pole position. Additionally ESP has achieved success in the Canadian national road racing series, with wins, podiums, race lap records, and third overall for the 2009 season in the Pro Sportbike class. Jake Holden: “I am really excited to be back in the Superbike class, especially on a BMW. The bike is so fast, and fun to ride. The S1000RR has more motor than anything I have ever ridden; 2012 is gonna be good! I have moved down to Arizona so I will be close to the ESP shop, and with the weather out here we should be able to test quite a bit over the winter. I have been riding a lot of supermoto at the Mussleman Honda Circuit, a kart track in Tucson, as well as testing on the ESP boys’ S1000RR to make sure I’m ready to go when the season starts. I’m really looking forward to working with Phil and Evan; they have the drive and desire to build a competitive team. It’s going to be tough to beat the factory teams, but we’re eager for the challenge. I love being the underdog!” Evan Steel: “We’ve tested with Jake several times now and I’m really impressed with his professionalism, focus, and speed. His past results and level of experience make him the most successful racer to have ridden for the ESP team to date. I am really happy to welcome him on board, and the whole ESP crew is eager to work with Jake. He is a calm and determined rider, and his work ethic suits our team very well. I’m hugely excited to be running a BMW again; the S1000RR is an amazing platform for a privateer team to launch from. Phil Allison will be our primary engine builder as always, and we are welcoming Grant Guerrero onto the team as a chassis mechanic. Tom Savoca is returning, this time to help with management and logistics. Dave Ciesielski from U.S. Mega-Max will be continuing to help with geometry and chassis set up, as well as welding and machining. I’m proud that Jake chose to ride with us; I feel we have an incredibly strong team for 2012.” ESP would like to thank their loyal sponsors, GPR, Speedcell, Driven, KyleUSA.com, Ohlins, OTL magazine, Hot bodies, KurveyGirl.com, U.S. Mega-Max.com, Carrozzeria, TGP Racing, XCEL Trackdays, RunGP, ASMA, Cortech, Sidi and Shoei. For sponsorship inquiries contact [email protected]. We will be announcing title sponsorship shortly- stay tuned! For more information about the team go to evansteelperformance.com or check out the facebook pages for Evan Steel Performance and Jake Holden.