Team Speedwerks.com Looks for a Home Run
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. When Round 3 of the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series springs into action April 27-29 at Virginia International Raceway Brian Kcraget and teammate Melissa Berkoff will be looking to hit a home run with their Team Speedwerks.com/Yoyodyne/Orient Express Suzuki SV650.
“We definitely have high hopes for this upcoming round,” says Kcraget, who was born in Richmond, Va., and now lives in Danville, just a short distance from the raceway. “I love running here,” he continues. “I have logged a tremendous amount of miles on this track, both racing and on ‘track days’. In fact, I raced the very first weekend after they reopened in April of 2000 and won the first race of the day.”
Competing for the past 16 years, Kcraget has established an outstanding reputation in the motorcycle industry. He has earned numerous titles including the 2004 USGPRU 250 National Championship, the 2004 WERA Formula II Championship, the 2003 WERA 125 and Formula II Championship and the 2001 Aprilia Cup National Championship to name just a few.
“This is going to be a very challenging event,” explains teammate Melissa Berkoff, who lives in Silver Spring, Md. “This race will be the very first time motorcycles have run on the full course at VIR. We normally run the North Course, so this will be a whole new ball game. It can be an unforgiving track in that if you make a mistake, it can carry through an entire lap. You really need to consistently hit your marks each and every lap.”
However, it is a track that she is extremely qualified to handle. A highly skilled rider, Berkoff”s many credits include the distinction of being the first woman to make a National Endurance Podium which she did three times in 2004.
“I have worked with Brian for about 10 years,” says team owner Steve Long. “In fact, we used to compete against each other. He is one of the best riders in the country and a fierce competitor. He definitely hates to lose. Melissa Berkoff also brings a lot to the team. She has tons of endurance experience and that is exactly what we need. We are looking forward to this upcoming weekend.”
In addition to VIR, the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series will also include the Road America 500K, July 7-8 at Road America, the Iowa Speedway 500K at Iowa Speedway July 12-13, 2007 and the 8 Hours At Daytona Finale, October 19-20 at Daytona International Speedway.
MOTO-ST is organized and sanctioned by Professional Motorsports Productions (PMP) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the Grand American Road Racing Association, based in Daytona Beach, Fla., provides the series with administrative and commercial support. The MOTO-ST advisory board features some of the most respected individuals in the world of motorsports, including Hall of Fame members, respected motorcycle racing journalists and renowned officials from various forms of road racing. Learn more about MOTO-ST at www.moto-st.com.