Eric Bostrom will race Team Cycle World Attack Performance Kawasaki ZX-10R at Daytona

Photo by Jeff Allen.

Team Cycle World Attack Performance and rider Eric Bostrom will debut Kawasaki’s all-new 2011 ZX-10R at Daytona International Speedway March 10-12. Led by crew chief Richard Stanboli, the newly formed team will begin its pre-season development program by participating in the January 17-18 Dunlop Tire Test at Daytona.

Rising star JD Beach will also test with the team aboard a Kawasaki ZX-6R in preparation for his first crack at the Daytona 200. Kawasaki’s ZX-6R has won Best Middleweight honors in Cycle World’s Ten Best balloting for the past two years. Bostrom is scheduled to race in the 200, as well. Phil Baker of BCS Management has joined the team to handle contract negotiations, sponsorship acquisitions and other business matters. Baker also works with factory Yamaha MotoGP star Ben Spies and stunt rider Jason Britten.

This new program builds on the success last year of the four-race-weekend Team Cycle World Attack Performance Yoshimura Suzuki AMA Pro American SuperBike project. With a front-row qualifying performance at Virginia International Raceway and a pair of seventh-place finishes at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and VIR, Bostrom and Richard Stanboli proved that a stock motorcycle built with over-the-counter parts can be competitive at the national level.

With that effort put to bed, we now want to explore what it will take to make Kawasaki’s new ZX-10R competitive on the racetrack. With its potent blend of high-performance engine and chassis specifications combined with an exceptional electronics package, the ZX-10R is arguably this year’s most significant new liter-class sportbike.

Bostrom has made a remarkably quick recovery from the horrible leg injury that he suffered at the final round of the 2010 AMA Pro Road Racing Series at Barber Motorsports Park in September.

“I’m extremely happy with my recovery,” said Bostrom. “Initially, it was frustrating and slow, and I began to wonder how long it was going to take to get back to full strength. I began participating in cyclocross races, including December’s USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships in Bend, Oregon, with Team Sho-Air Specialized. Talk about throwing myself into the fire! Though my results were initially disappointing, I’m now in better condition than I was before my injury.

“I’m so excited to get down to Daytona. I’m probably going to have trouble sleeping for the next few nights. I haven’t spent much time on the ZX-10R yet, but even in stock trim, it is clearly very capable. With our program coming together pretty late, Richard and the rest of the crew had to work really hard to get the bike ready for this test. Basically, they made the impossible possible. I really appreciate their big effort.

“I also want to thank Scott Tedro of Sho-Air. I couldn’t have done this without him. I’m glad that he will be back supporting our team again in 2011.”

Look for new installments of Bostrom’s personal musings, “Eric’s Take, Bostrom Blogs!,” this season.