From a press release from the Royal Distributing Racing Team– The 2012 season will bring some big changes under the Royal Distributing Racing Team canopy. Instead of the familiar Ducati that rider Michael Leon has raced for the past three seasons, he will ride a freshly prepared Honda CBR600RR.
Michael will compete in the majority of the MOPAR CSBK events as well as the RACE Superseries. He will be the sole rider on the team as former teammate Tony Stufko moves to an independently run effort, riding a Kawasaki ZX10.
Guy Martin and Janet Brickwood of MBP, who owned the Ducati, will take a break from racing for the season.
This season will mark the fourth consecutive year that Royal Distributing will be the title sponsor for Michael’s racing efforts. With a new retail store in Sudbury joining the existing locations in Guelph, Innisfil and Whitby, Royal Distributing is set to continue to be the leader in delivering top quality products to Canadian motorcycle enthusiasts. Check out the latest specials at <http://www.royaldistributing.com/> www.royaldistributing.com or <http://www.facebook.com/royaldistributing> www.facebook.com/royaldistributing.
The CBR600RR, itself, is on loan from fellow competitor and Shannonville regular, Sean Huffman of Triple 7 Racing. “I’m so thankful to Sean. He had a spare CBR600RR that he was intending to turn back into a street bike. Instead, he is letting us use it as the platform for our race bike. It just shows how tight the racing community is, battling each other on track, yet supporting each other off it!” commented Michael.
Suspension preparation has been performed by John Sharrard of Accelerated Technologies, with support also continuing from Elka Suspension. The duo of Sharrard and Elka is the ideal choice given the extensive success that they have shown with the CBR600RR model.
Another continuing relationship is the one with Pro 6 Cycle and Dunlop. At the RACE Superseries events, Michael will use the new, US made Dunlop D211GPA tires and will hopefully take advantage of the excellent contingency program. Sandy Noce has also provided engine tuning advice, based on recent experience working with the Honda 600cc motor.
Other sponsors include: Nexo Sports, PBI Sprockets, Woodcraft, Martin Brickwood Performance, Performance Friction, Armour Bodies, LG Restorations, CVR Motors and Gianmajor Inc.
The team just completed their first outing of the season at the opening round of the Race Superseries on May 6th. Michael struggled to adapt to the 600cc machine after 7 seasons riding twin cylinder motorcycles. He finished 8th in Pro 600, 12th in Pro Superbike and 3rd in the Masters class. He also got some track time at the Calabogie Track Fever event on June 2nd.
“I can’t wait to get some more seat time at the CSBK tire test at Shannonville this week. The bike needs to be ridden with higher corner speed and once I can get more confidence we should be more competitive” reflected Michael.
Follow the team this season on Facebook or at www.leonracing.com
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