Brandon Robinson Riding For USC Racing And James Hart Racing in 2014
Larry Lawrence | January 8, 2014
Photography Courtesy of Brandon Robinson Racing
Brandon Robinson, coming off a breakthrough 2013 AMA Grand National Championship campaign where he was series leader for much of the season, will be racing Kawasakis for USC Racing this coming season. Teaming with Robinson again will be former racer-turned-tuner James Hart. The only major change in Robinson’s program from last season is that he no longer has sponsorship from TJ Burnett Farms.
“It’s good that I pretty much have everything in place that I had last season,” said Robinson, a 23-year-old, seventh-year pro from Oxford, Pennsylvania. “Unfortunately TJ Burnett is no longer a sponsor. We still have a great relationship, but there were some things between my two main sponsors that they didn’t see eye to eye on last year and they decided to split. It’s unfortunate, but it happens sometimes in racing. I still have a great program and am ready for the season to start.”
Robinson has been racing AMA Grand National competition since 2008, the same year he earned the title in the Basic Expert support class. The very future of Robinson’s promising career was thrown into question after a horrific crash at the Indy Mile in 2009. Robinson was seriously injured in the infamous turn-once crash, in which he was catapulted over a towering catch fence and landed in the road outside of the track. It was unclear for some months after the accident whether or not he would be able to return to racing.
His remarkable comeback culminated in a breakthrough 2013, a season that saw Robinson score his first-ever AMA Grand National victory at the Daytona Short Track and lead the championship for the first half of the season. He went on to sweep the prestigious Springfield Mile doubleheader in September, and scored additional podiums at the Sacramento Mile, Colonial Downs Mile, and the Indy Mile. Robinson finished ranked third in the final 2013 AMA Grand National Championship standings.
“I broke my collarbone and had surgery to repair it on New Year’s Eve, “Robinson said. “I think I’ll be cleared to start doing pretty much anything I want by the middle of this month, so I should be good to go by Daytona.”
In addition to USC Racing and James Hart Racing, Robinson’s 2014 campaign will also have support from Hot-Shot Motorworks and James Stevens Racing.
The 2014 AMA Grand National season kicks off March 13-14 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Larry Lawrence | Archives Editor
In addition to writing our Archives section on a weekly basis, Lawrence is another who is capable of covering any event we throw his way.
