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October 31, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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AMA Superbike Champion Ben Spies Nominated for 2008 AMA SPEED Athlete of the Year Award
PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The
American Motorcyclist
Association (AMA) is proud to
announce that three-time AMA
Superbike Champion Ben Spies has
been nominated for the 2008 AMA
SPEED Athlete of the Year award
for his dominating title-winning
performance in AMA Superbike.
The winner of the award will be
announced on Sunday evening,
Nov. 23, at the 2008 AMA Pro
Racing Awards Banquet at the
Barber Vintage Motorsports
Museum in Leeds, Ala.
The nominees so far announced
for the 2008 award include AMA
Flat Track Champion Kenny
Coolbeth and Spies. In all, five
of this year's top riders will
be nominated for 2008 AMA SPEED
Athlete of the Year.
In 2008, Spies won his third
consecutive Superbike
championship--and his fifth AMA
title since turning pro in
2000--with a series of
performances that saw him finish
outside the top two only once.
He notched a commanding 10 wins
and eight second-place finishes,
ending the season with a
95-point lead on his closest
competition, teammate Mat Mladin.
Spies said he was honored to be
nominated for the award.
"It's pretty cool that the AMA
has taken it to the next level
of involvement," he said. "That
they watch the various athletes
that they have on board and
commend them for their efforts
is good stuff."
Dating back to 1976, the AMA
SPEED Athlete of the Year award
is the highest honor bestowed to
a professional motorcycle racer
competing in AMA events. Past
recipients of the award include
such legendary names as Bob
Hannah, Scott Parker, Kenny
Roberts and Ricky Carmichael.
This is the third time Spies has
been nominated for the AMA SPEED
Athlete of the Year award.
To see first-hand whether Spies
wins the AMA SPEED Athlete of
the Year award, attend the AMA
Pro Racing Awards Banquet, where
AMA Pro Racing will honor its
professional champions, joined
by their families, friends, fans
and industry leaders. Held at
the Barber Vintage Motorsports
Museum, the banquet will take
place among a collection of more
than 1,200 historic and popular
motorcycles.
Tickets to the AMA Pro Racing
Awards Banquet are $125. Tickets
to the AMA Sports Awards
Banquet, which honors the
champions of AMA Sports events
on Saturday evening, Nov. 22,
are $85.
Tickets can be
purchased online at www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com . A
downloadable registration form
also is available. Printed
orders can be faxed to: (614)
986-1962, Attn: Cyndi
Freeze-Cain; or mailed to: AMA
Racing, Attn: Cyndi Freeze-Cain,
13515 Yarmouth Drive,
Pickerington, OH 43147.
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About the
American Motorcyclist Association
Since 1924, the AMA
has promoted and protected the
motorcycling lifestyle. AMA members
come from all walks of life and they
navigate many different roads on
their journey to the same
destination: freedom on two wheels.
As the world's largest motorcycle
organization with nearly 300,000
members, the AMA advocates for
motorcyclists' interests in the
halls of local, state and federal
government, the committees of
international governing
organizations and the court of
public opinion. Through member
clubs, promoters and partners, the
AMA sanctions more motorsports
competition events than any other
organization in the world. Through
its Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum,
the AMA preserves the heritage of
motorcycling for future generations.
For more
information, visit
www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com.
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