From a press release issued by Veloce Racing:
The 2012 AMA Pro Harley-Davidson XR 1200 Champion and journeyman racer Michael Barnes will compete in the AMA Pro Racing Daytona Sportbike class for the remainder of the 2014 season on board an MV Agusta F3 675 fielded by Veloce Racing.
The team will continue testing through April and will participate in two rounds of the newly formed Superbike Shootout Series, prior to the team’s first AMA Pro round in Elkhart Lake, WI (May 30-June 1). Barnes will contest rounds 2 & 3 of the Superbike Shootout: May 3-4 at Sonoma Raceway and May 24-25 at Miller Motorsports Park.
Michael Barnes: “I’m so excited to be back riding in the DSB class on a professional team, not to mention getting to ride the ultra cool MV Agusta F3 675 . I’m really looking forward to riding the 675 Triple. I feel the 3-cylinder configuration offers a usable mix between the high revving Inline Fours and the torque of a Twin. I feel the MV’s compact size and nimble handling should suit my riding style as well. I’m excited to work with my new crew, consisting of racer/tuner Chase McFarland and racer/tuner Nobi Iso; they are both great people and dedicated to this project. Team principal Spiros Gabrilis is as passionate as I am about racing and I’m looking forward to an exciting year with a new team. The MV Agusta brand will be the 15th motorcycle brand I’ve raced throughout my career and somewhere around the 40th team I’ve raced for in the last 26 years. I have a lot of confidence in my team and can’t wait to get started”
Spiros Gabrilis: “Last year’s work with the stunning F3 convinced us of the machine’s great potential. Yet we were missing the key piece: A development rider with tremendous experience and a willingness to take on what inarguably is a challenge. When the team met to discuss possible candidates the long and short lists condensed to one name: ‘Michael Barnes.’ Veloce prides themselves in eschewing the easy route to competitiveness in favor of solving technical challenges. We welcome Michael to the famiglia and are excited about the season.”
Barnes is sponsored by RS-Taichi, Arai, Sidi, Forcefield, Motonation and Moto-Liberty
Veloce Racing is a privately-funded road race team based in Hillsboro, Oregon with a 12-year history of competition in the 125 and 250GP categories.
Veloce Racing is indebted to these fine sponsors for their generous support: SpeedyMoto, Duc Designed, Moto Forza MV Agusta (Escondito, CA), Moto-Liberty, RS-Taichi, Arai, Bazzaz Performance, Zero Gravity, Cox Racing Group, CapIt / TAW Performance, RB Components, Evol Technology, Mr. Rob Keith, MV Agusta USA.
