XC1 Pro ATV Racer Chris Bithell to Race on Two Wheels at The Gusher GNCC
Tuesday, September 17, 2013 | 3:35 PM
The KR4 Arrive-n-Ride program is pleased and proud to announce Chris Bithell, GNCC "ATV XC1 Pro Racer" and current holder of 4th overall in the series championship will race a MOTORCYCLE this weekend, September 21-22, at "The Carmate Gusher" at Riverstone Estate in Foxburg, PA. Yes, he will give up two of his wheels and compete in the 3-hour afternoon Pro Bike Race!
This is very significant for several reasons, including:
- Three hours is one more hour than he usually races in the ATV pro races on Saturday.
- He plans to race both the 2-hour ATV Pro Race on Saturday and the 3-hour Pro Bike Race on Sunday.
- Although he often rides a bike for fun and practice he has never actually competed at this level on a bike before.
Around Round 6 at the Limestone GNCC in Indiana, Bithell paid a visit to the KR4 AnR team asking what it was all about. Chris is known as a proficient two-wheeled bike rider as he regularly practices on a bike. He says it makes more economic sense to practice on a bike because with a third less components to wear or damage, plus the increased weight of the ATV, and how he really pounds them at his intense level of riding - maintenance can be extensive and costly. In addition, the exercise from a training standpoint is similar on two wheels or four, as well as the principles of going fast in the woods are almost identical - only different in a challenging sort of way!
When Chris came by the KR4 pit at the Limestone all the AnR riders were excited to see his interest and said, "Hey, you should try this. All you need to do is get KR4 to prep a bike for you and other than you doing the riding, they do the rest! The bike will be especially set up for you, they bring the bike to the race, and provide pit support during the race." Well, needless to say all the plans fell into place including him coming to the KR4 shop and practice compound for test-n-tune, and now Chris will compete in 4-Stroke A Lites on a KR4 250F prepared especially for him.
Again, we are very excited and proud to support Chris in this racing adventure and encourage fans and friends to come by and watch his performance at The Gusher this weekend!
What is KR4 Arrive-n-Ride?
KR4 Performance is a unique motorcycle racing business in that we are an Arrive-n-Ride contracted service "Race Team" that races in the Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC). The GNCC series is considered to be “America's Premier Off-Road Racing Series” and is made up of 13 rounds in a single season. In 2013, the KR4 AnR team has 10 riders racing the series including XC1 Pro Chris Bach who sits 3rd overall in championship points. Our program is made up of Youth, Women, A, B, and C level riders - who want to get to the pro level and be the next Chris Bach, Charlie Mullins, Kailub Russell, or Maria Forsberg! We help the rider live out their dreams and help cut some of the burden and high cost of racing. We hope to expand the team to 14 riders or more in 2014.
How A-n-R works?
A rider can lease a bike from KR4 for a single race or a full season if they like. We provide all the gear, mechanic, tires, parts, fuel, transport the bike, race prep, and hospitality at the track. We also provide a fuel man and spotter at the track. Each rider basically just shows up by either flying in or driving a compact (high mpg) car to the race. This saves the cost of pulling a trailer or driving a motorhome to each race. It also allows the serious racer another few days of riding and training at home instead of wrenching on bikes, or if they decide to fly saves them travel and personal days off work. In most cases, if planned enough in advance, it's actually cheaper to fly.
What's the cost?
We have a few packages available. A full blown package is $15,000 which includes the bike and everything needed for 13 races. We also have another package in which the rider provides his or her own bike and that cost is $10,000 and includes everything but the bike. Finally, the one-off package is $1,800 which is for one race and includes the bike and gear. We are getting a lot of interest from riders in other countries who want to fly to America and race one event!
We are not manufacturer specific this year but we hope to change that for next year as we are talking to one now and hope they get involved.
Our track presence is up there with all the factory teams at the races. We have a 48 foot black trailer in team matching graphics that’s always lined with KR4 canopies and the bikes sitting ominous all in a row! We also bring a 45 foot coach that houses the hospitality area for food and drink. We believe our look is most important and having said that we make it easier for a title, feature, or associate sponsor to want to be involved.
Current Sponsors are:
Fly Racing
Stickman Graphx
Dunlop
Sunstar
Silkolene
Off Road Viking
ACERBIS
Matrix
DP Brakes
PR2
Keegan Wireless
KR4 is competently managed by a board of industry moguls and racing enthusiasts: Frank Keegan - KR4 Owner, is a former pro level GNCC racer and successful business man; Craig Martin - Action Motorsports Owner, is a former Team Green rider and manager of that program; Bill Beam - KR4 Operations Manager, has an extensive background in autosport with numerous feeder teams; Brian Keegan – Team Consultant, former pro level GNCC racer and teammate to Fred Andrews on Factory Kawasaki.
The GNCC's are televised and for next year we hope to get a title sponsor, a few feature sponsors, as well as associate sponsors. For more information on how to become an AnR rider or be a sponsor of the team please visit our website at: www.kr4performance.com or call 251-586-5836.