Team USGPRU Academy will compete in the full USGPRU National Championship in the REV’IT! Moriwaki MD250H Powered by HONDA class as well as the Pilot Moto3 class in 2011. The idea behind the formation of this team is simple, take young racers that haven’t learned all of the bad habits already, and teach them the right way to roadrace, right from the start. The USGPRU Academy Team will be led by three-time National Champion, Nobi Iso. He has assembled a team of young racers that will focus on the development of riders on and off the track. Iso will act as team manager and riding coach as he helps to teach the racers how to prepare for a race season, prepare a motorcycle properly, bike setup, track analysis, qualifying techniques and strategies, and finally how to race to win a National Championship. For 2011, the team will be comprised of 3 young talents: Mario Alvarez, Nick Kosan, and Chris Kosan. All three boys have experience racing motorcycles, but have relatively little experience on the GP bikes. Mario comes from the northwest and has a strong dirt-track and road racing experience on a 125GP bike with WMRRA. He is the oldest of the teammates at 14 years old, and states, “I am super stoked for this season! I have never raced in USGPRU, but I am hoping to do well. I just plan on doing my best each and every time I get on the bike. I am sure that with Nobi’s help, my best will be much better at the end of the season, than what it is now. So I am hoping to do well throughout the season. I’m stoked to meet, learn, and ride with the other racers that are doing the USGPRU academy, as well as all the other riders!” The 13-year-old twins, Chris and Nick, hail from Florida and have been actively racing mini’s down with SEMRA and FLAMRA. According to Nick, “When we started riding minis with SEMRA and FLAMRA we had a two-year plan. The first year [was] to learn to race, learn the tracks, and improve our lap times. The goal for the second year was to be competitive — to make the top-three.” His brother Chris adds, “We have the same plan for the next two years. We first want to learn about setting up the bike, learn the tracks, and learn the best way to ride the bike. Next year our goal is to be really competitive — hopefully in the top three again.” Team captain, coach, and mentor, Nobi Iso wants to teach an independence of mind, and a sense of personal responsibility in the students. He believes that, “Similar to the way students approach tests in school, if you want to get a good grade, you have to prep/study for it. I will teach them how I prepare for a race. But as part of this team, they will also be taught that racing is a team sport. Cooperation between riders, mechanics, and coach is a key part that I want them to learn being under the Team USGPRU Academy tent.” The team will be competing primarily on the East Coast in 2011 with a to be determined race on the west coast to gain maximum National Championship points before the Finale race at Putnam Park in October.