Winning formula for Henderson Harley-Davidson XR1200 Trophy

An overall prize fund of £50,000 plus additional product is set to increase the already high level of interest in the recently announced Henderson Harley-Davidson XR1200™ Trophy one-make race series for 2009. The attractive package includes £2,000 and a full set of Dunlop tyres – one front and two rears – for every race win.

Prizes of £250 are also on offer for the pole setter and fastest lap of the race to ensure an even spread of winners, while a full set of Dunlop tyres for the following round will be awarded to the Man of the Meeting at each event on the calendar. A road-going version of the Harley-Davidson XR1200™ motorcycle is also up for grabs for the series champion.

The prize fund is set to make the cost of entry to the series an even more interesting prospect for individual riders and Harley-Davidson UK and Ireland dealers who are planning to support a team. It will also help to keep the grid full for the whole season, which will run from the opening round at Brands Hatch on 11-13 April until the penultimate round of the British Superbike Championship at Silverstone on 25-27 September.

The series will now run at eight events across the calendar with double-headers taking place at the popular Donington Park and Cadwell Park race circuits. Harley-Davidson UK & Ireland has confirmed that the cost of the race bike will be £12,999. This includes a Harley-Davidson XR1200™ motorcycle, full race kit supplied by Harris Performance, a Termignoni exhaust and a set of race series-branded BKS leathers.

In addition, entrants will need to pay the entry fee of £1,800 direct to race series organisers MSVR and a preferential deal has been agreed with tyre manufacturer Dunlop. The partnership will see all entrants getting one set of free tyres for the first and last round of the championship, as well as tyres for the remainder of the season at a reduced cost. The deal ensures that the maximum cost for tyres for the whole season would be £2,397.

“We’re really pleased with the package that we have pulled together for the series in a relatively short space of time,” says Harley-Davidson UK & Ireland Marketing Manager Greg Willis. “Thanks to strong partnership agreements with title sponsor Henderson Insurance Brokers and tyre supplier Dunlop, we have been able to offer a very attractive prize fund package for the series.

“One issue that we were conscious of was ensuring that we did not focus all of the prizes on first place. Some entrants may never win a race, but that is not to say that they will not improve throughout the season or reach other achievements and we have measures in place to ensure that the rewards are distributed fairly. This should help to keep motivation high and provide an exciting and competitive race series on a realistic budget.”