BROOKLYN, NY, JAN 9: The Michael Jordan Motor Sports lineup is complete with the announcement that Georgian Geoff May will return to ride the National Guard-sponsored American Superbike in the 2009 AMA Superbike Championship.
The news follows quickly on the heels of the earlier announcement that Aaron Yates, the 2008 Superstock champion, would be racing an American Superbike for the Jordan Suzuki team. May finished second to his fellow Georgian Yates in the Superstock title fight.
“We’re excited and extremely proud to welcome Geoff back to the Jordan camp,” said Kreig Robinson, Michael Jordan Motor Sports Director of Business Development. “Geoff had an outstanding first season with the team and we’re expecting more great results this coming year.”
The addition of the National Guard is a huge coup for the Jordan team, which is one of the few in the paddock to bring sponsorship from outside the motorcycle industry. The deal, which came together in October of 2008, is seen as a way to broaden the National Guard’s recruiting and retention efforts. The Jordan team would also be the perfect platform from which to launch a safety awareness program.
Though it wasn’t announced, both riders will race the all-new 2009 Suzuki GSX-R1000. The team now faces the challenge of both procuring and preparing 2009 models in time for the early March Daytona season-opener. With the new bike not expected to arrive in great quantity before late February, it isn’t inconceivable that they could show up in Daytona with their 2008 race bikes.
