Triumph->ke1864 Motorcycles America is going to have a very busy 2015 racing season in North America. The company announced as much, saying that its “racing presence” for the year will cover a host of series throughout the US and Canada, including the AMA Pro Flat Track, MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series and Canadian Superbike Championship. Castrol will be its primary partner, although its racing teams will also receive support from the likes of GE Capital and FreedomRoad Financial.
Much of the attention focuses on Triumph’s involvement in the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Expert Twin class where the company will have a pair of Top 10 riders from last season joining the Team Triumph. Brandon Robinson is the more accomplished of the two riders, having finished eight in last season’s points championship race to go with a fistful of race wins back in 2013. Robinson will race for the Latus Motors Racing/Castrol/Triumph team, joining Jake Shoemaker who will be suiting up for Bonneville Performance/Castrol/Triumph. Shoemaker is still a relative neophyte in the sport, but in the two seasons he’s been racing in AMA, he’s already scooped up a few awards, most notably being named the 2013 Saddlemen Rookie of the Year award.
In addition to its participation in the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National, Triumph will also compete in the Supersport class of the inaugural MotoAmerica AMA/FIM Road Racing Series where Bobby Fung gets back on the saddle for Latus Motors, a year after a successful run that saw him win the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Pro Sportbike round at Auto Club Speedway to go with a podium finish at Barbers Motorsports Park.
From there, it’s on to Canada where Triumph will defend its first Canadian championship after winning the 2014 Canadian Pro Sport Bike championship. Kenny Riedmann returns with a Triumph Daytona 675R in tow, aiming to somehow improve on his 2014 season when he scored two wins and added two more podium finishes in the five-round championship.
Click "continue reading" to read more about Triumph's 2015 racing schedule.
Why it matters
Needless to say, Triumph will have its hands full trying to keep up with the intense racing schedule it has this season. Judging from the success it had in previous years, I don’t think the company is going to have a lot of trouble juggling through all the racing series this year.
Whether success comes with that is another matter entirely, but I wouldn’t put it past the company as it continues to make huge strides towards becoming a major player in the motor racing scene in North America. Who knows, Triumph might even break through and join other racing series in the future if the opportunity presents itself.
But as of right now, the company is only focusing on where its competing, as it should. I for one am interested to see how it does to at least replicate the success it had this season. I’ll be rooting for the company to do well because I see bigger things in store for Triumph’s racing participation in this region down the proverbial road.