James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing has announced that Brice Cooper will join the team for the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 class, the 2010-2011 Triumph Thruxton Cup Series Champion set to make his XR1200 class debut at Daytona.
Cooper, a former host of HGTV’s “Design on a Dime”and fill-in pit reporter for Speed-TV, will join co-owner Paul James, who finished fourth and ninth in the first two seasons of the XR1200 championship, on the two-man team.
“I’m looking forward to having Brice as a teammate in the Vance & Hines XR1200 class,” said James. “Multi-bike teams have an edge when it comes to finding the right set up each weekend and it’s always great to have a drafting partner in a class with such close competition.”
“Teaming up with Paul and Hoban Brothers is a great opportunity for me to get up to speed faster during the season and gain some valuable insight from their years of experience,” said Cooper. “Vance & Hines and the AMA have put together a rather unique animal with the Harley XR series that provides some great opportunities for our current sponsors to see actual ROI this season and hopefully attract some new ones.”
Ben Schmidt will also join James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing as crew chief, replacing veteran Mike Kirkpatrick, now with Erik Buell Racing’s AMA Pro Superbike effort. Hoban Cycle’s John Dahmer will continue to serve as the team’s general manager.
“It’s great to have the energy both Paul and Brice bring to our team,” said Dahmer. “The XR1200 series has gained so much momentum over the last two years and showcases our commitment to the high-performance Harley-Davidson market and our Darkhorse Crankworks brand. We’re looking forward to a great season working together.”
