DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With just a little under three months remaining before the 2008 SunTrust MOTO-ST Series thunders into action, teams around the country are already getting ready for a major assault on this extremely popular two-wheeled series.

“Testing is definitely one of the important keys to winning races," explains Daytona Harley-Davidson team owner Richie Morris, who ran both his Buell XB12 and the new Buell 1125R at the recent Pirelli Tire test at Daytona International Speedway.

“We took second overall in the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series BMW Grand Sport Touring Class (GST) last season," he continues. “Next year our goal is to compete in both the the Buell Motorcycle Company SuperSport class (SST) as well as the GST class."

Utilizing the talents of team pilots Shawn Higbee and Clint Brotz and top-ranked rider Michael Barnes, the Daytona Harley-Davidson team were more than pleased with their results at the test.

“The new Buell is really impressive," said Morris, obviously pleased. “We took it straight out of the crate, added a throttle stop to comply with the 118-horsepower limit of MOTO-ST's SuperSport Twins class, took the blinker off, put on Pirelli racing tires and hit the track. We nailed the race pace right off the bat and that pretty much says it all."

Just off the production line, the all-new Buell 1125R delivers a true balance of street and track performance. Offering power, plus an artful combination of engine performance, precise-and-agile handling, advanced aerodynamics, and superior rider environment and control, the 1125R boasts race-inspired agility and handling, while holding to the three principles of the Buell Trilogy of Technology – chassis rigidity, low unsprung weight and mass centralization.

“The 1125R definitely delivered all it was supposed to and more," says Higbee. “We ran over 200 laps during the test and it performed flawlessly the entire time. We had no mechanical issues and were able to turn laps times over a second faster than last year's race pace."

“We are all really looking forward to next season," adds Morris. “Shawn should be 100% recovered from his injuries suffered at Iowa this past year and that will make us really strong. We will definitely be ready to tackle the competition when the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series gets underway at Daytona International Speedway in March."