Young American racer Taylor Knapp has lost his ride with CN Racing in the 2012 British 1000cc Superstock series, a support class of the British Superbike Championship and will race a Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the first two rounds of the AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship.
Dwayne McCracken, a former AMA Pro Superbike Crew Chief for James Ellison and the current Crew Chief of CN Racing, recruited Knapp to CN Racing during the 2011 season. Knapp rode to top-five finishes in British 1000cc Superstock while learning a Kawasaki ZX-10R and unfamiliar tracks.
Knapp also raced full-time in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike series for Vesrah Suzuki in 2011, placing eighth in the Championship with a best race finish of fifth. And in a one-off AMA Pro Superbike ride on a very-stock, privately-owned EBR 1190RS at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Knapp placed 12th and seventh.
In November of 2011, CN Racing announced that Knapp would ride the team’s new Ten Kate-built Honda CBR1000RR in the British Series and in selected races in the FIM European 1000cc Superstock Cup, but recently the team issued a press release regarding its 2012 racing plans with no mention of Knapp.
At the same time, Knapp’s name appeared alongside Riders Discount Vesrah Suzuki and GSX-R1000 on the entry list for the AMA Pro National Guard Superbike races at Daytona International Speedway.
“It’s a weird deal,” Knapp told Roadracingworld.com. “Basically, I thought I had everything sorted out in England, and we originally planned on doing Road Atlanta by ourselves. I got talking with the Riders Discount guys, and they said they would help me out for Road Atlanta. So I was excited we were going to do that. Then we got talking about we were going to do Daytona, too, because neither of those races conflict with the British schedule. That was my plan, to do the first two AMA rounds, then head to England and do the whole season over there.
“Then I got a text from a friend and he said, ‘What’s up with the press release [from CN Racing]?’ I had no idea, because I hadn’t seen it. Apparently, I’m being replaced. I don’t really know what’s going on. No one ever gave me a phone call or anything. I haven’t heard a single word from them. Obviously, I don’t have a place on the team now. He’s got my number and apparently the rider has come in and paid for the ride is what’s happened.
“It’s a bummer for me. I haven’t really planned anything else past that. It’s kind of late now to get anything going. Fortunately, the Riders Discount guys and everyone from Vesrah Suzuki are really helping me out for these first two rounds. I’m excited about that, I guess.
“Mark Junge still has an AMA Superbike-spec engine, and I still have my Suzuki GSX-R1000 from 2009 and 2010. I’m going to drive over there to get that engine and put it in my bike. Everything’s good to go on my bike. The only thing we were lacking was power, but I think with Mark’s motor I’m going to have a really good shot in Superbike now.”
Knapp said he wasn’t sure what his plans are beyond the Road Atlanta round. If more sponsorship materializes he will continue in Superbike, and there’s also the possibility of riding someone else’s machine in the Vance & Hines XR1200 class.
“I’m just going to take it race-by-race for right now,” said Knapp.
Reached by Roadracingworld.com via e-mail, Larry Carter of Cartersport Media, the PR firm representing CN Racing, confirmed that Knapp was no longer part of CN Racing but declined to make an on-the-record comment.