Two-time AMA Champion Jason Pridmore, who will be 37 Wednesday, announced his retirement from full-time motorcycle road racing Sunday, after he placed fifth in the AMA Superbike race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

“One on hand, it’s sad that I’m leaving as far as the racing goes, full-time,” Pridmore told Roadracingworld.com Sunday at Mid-Ohio. “But I’m healthy and I’m walking out of Mid-Ohio, my final race, and I just took a top-five in an AMA Superbike National for my final race. That’s not a bad way to go.

“It’s sad that I’m leaving, but I’m not really leaving. I’m going to be around. I went out on me terms, which is good. I wasn’t just rolling around somewhere in 20th. I was charging the whole time and did the best I could.”

Pridmore, the son of three-time AMA Superbike Champion Reg Pridmore, made his AMA Pro debut in 1990. He drew recognition when he defeated Scott Russell in the 750cc Supersport race at Brainerd in 1992 and finished second to Russell in that Championship.

In 1997, Pridmore won the AMA 750cc Supersport Championship on a Hypercycle Suzuki. In 2002, he won the AMA Formula Xtreme Championship on an Attack Suzuki.

Pridmore won a total of 21 AMA races in his career, which saw him come back from serious injury time and time again.

The California native also did a lot of endurance racing during his career, culminating in winning the 2003 FIM Endurance World Championship with Phase One Racing out of England.

Pridmore is considered one of the friendliest, most well-liked and most respected riders in the AMA paddock and has often taken young racers, like his former Attack Suzuki teammate Ben Spies, under his wing and mentored them.

In his spare time, Pridmore instructs at his STAR Motorcycle Schools, is a Nationally-competitive Amateur golfer and works with SPEED Channel as a racing commentator and pit reporter.