Busy preseason for Parker

From John Parker Racing

WINONA, ON -- For John Parker, the winter break from dirt track racing has never meant letting the dust settle until the next season arrives. You can take John out of the racing, but you can’t take the racing out of John.

In addition to riding his 2011 Kawasaki KX 450F dirt bike as often as he could on the trails and practice tracks (for a little physical conditioning), he has been ice racing (for a little fun and friendly competition) on frozen surfaces at a number of Southern Ontario locations including Jordan Harbour outside of St. Catharines and the old Welland Canal in Welland.

On the business side, Parker attended the International Motorcycle Supershow to promote his sponsors and do a meet-and-greet and autograph session. He was also pleasantly surprised to receive a plaque for winning the 2010 CMA Provincial 450 Pro Dirt Track Championship.

The pre-season has also meant dealing with more than a dozen sponsors and prepping the 2011 dirt track racing bikes. On the sponsorship end, Parker has announced that all his 2010 sponsors are aboard again for this season, which kicks off in Welland, ON, on June 4.

One major change is his contract with Scorpion Helmets, which for the past four seasons was channelled through the American company’s Canadian distributor. This year the California-based manufacturer is dealing directly with Parker, opening up more of its product lines to him. Hot Cams, another US-based sponsor, has stepped up its program with John Parker Racing as well, which will further facilitate and enhance product availability.

“I’m grateful to all of my sponsors for backing me for another season," Parker said. "This is certainly a vote of confidence on their part for both my work on the track and behind the scenes. I’m especially excited about my new relationship with Scorpion in California, and closer collaboration with Hot Cams. Everything is basically the same for this year but a little bit more of everything.”

Sponsors for 2011 include Canadian Kawasaki, Inglis Cycle Centre, Scorpion Helmets, 26 Suspension, Hot Cams, Pivot Works, Vertex Pistons, IM Leathers, Bickle Racing, Extreme Measures Kustom Paint, Saddlemen, Ron Wood Racing, A&A Racing, Garrett 64 and Bull’s Eye Media Relations.