AUSTIN, Texas (March 27, 2014)– Circuit of The Americas (COTA) and motorcycle racing legend Kevin Schwantz have amicably settled their legal differences and have reached a new agreement to collaboratively promote motorcycling racing at the Austin circuit and across the United States. Schwantz will serve as an official ambassador for COTA and work to promote the upcoming Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas MotoGP™event set for April 11-13, 2014. 

“Kevin is a great champion and partnering with him gives us an opportunity to learn from his deep knowledge, as well as continue to celebrate his accomplishments,” Circuit Chairman Bobby Epstein said. “Kevin and I have always shared the desire to see him be a part of COTA, and it's awesome to finally see it become a reality. A great American track and a great American champion in the same city can't be kept apart. As a result, casual riders, current racers, future stars and the fans all win.”

"I look forward to being the ambassador for two-wheel racing for COTA, especially as the 2014 MotoGP season begins and returns to Texas,” Schwantz said. “Grand prix motorcycle racing has been my life, and to help COTA market and promote that moving forward is exciting!"

As a COTA ambassador, Schwantz will play a prominent role in a variety of promotions for the upcoming Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americasevent in April, including media availabilities and fan activities. For example, Schwantz will serve as Grand Marshal for the MotoGP race on Sunday, April 13, and will lead the parade laps scheduled for COTA’s personal seat license holders on Friday, April 11, between grand prix practice sessions.

Additionally, COTA will work with Schwantz to raise money for an important charity he supports, the Simoncelli Foundation, which was established in memory of Schwantz’s good friend, Marco Simoncelli, a MotoGP competitor from Italy who will be inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame as a MotoGP Legend this May. Simoncelli died after an accident during the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix. Today through Friday, April 4, COTA will donate $1 for every ticket purchased for the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas to the Simoncelli Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting humanitarian projects that benefit the disadvantaged.

"I am thankful for COTA's support of the Simoncelli Foundation, a charity that's important to all of us who knew Marco personally and fans that followed his career," Schwantz added. “Marco was a great competitor and a very special friend. Now racing fans everywhere can honor his memory and help a cause important to Marco by purchasing a ticket to Austin’s MotoGP race."

Tickets for the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas start at $39 and are available for purchase at http://circuitoftheamericas.com/motogp/. Children ages 12 and under receive free general admission with a ticketed adult.

Terms of the legal settlement between COTA and Kevin Schwantz were not disclosed.

About Kevin Schwantz
One of the most popular motorcycle racers of all time, 1993 500cc Grand Prix World ChampionKevin Schwantz is one of just 20 riders to have earned the status of MotoGP Legend.

Born to parents who ran a Texas motorcycle shop, Schwantz learned to ride at a very young age, and he soon began competing in observed-trials events, where he developed a fine sense of balance. Unsatisfied with the slow speeds in trials, he quickly moved on to hare scrambles, flat track and motocross racing, but following a bad crash at a 1983 supercross race in Houston he began road racing in the competitive WERA series.

Schwantz immediately earned a reputation for riding any motorcycle at the absolute limit, and in 1984 he caught the attention of journalist/racer John Ulrich, who arranged a test ride with Yoshimura Suzuki. That led to a spot on the team in the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) national series the following year, and even an appearance in a Japanese race at Suzuka, where Schwantz finished second.

Schwantz continued in the AMA for the next two years, although Suzuki also sent him to Europe on several occasions for wildcard appearances in the 500cc Grand Prix World Championship. Upon winning the AMA’s season-opening Daytona 200 in 1988, Schwantz was promoted to Suzuki’s grand prix team full time.

The late 1980s and early 1990s are generally considered to be the Golden Era of grand prix road racing, in which Schwantz had epic battles with his arch-rival Wayne Rainey and other motorcycling heroes like Eddie Lawson, Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan. Schwantz soon attracted a legion of enthusiastic fans who were inspired by his charismatic personality, his aggressive style aboard a bike that was often slower than those of the competition, and his propensity for spectacular crashes.

Between 1989 and 1992, Schwantz finished the season fourth, second, third and again fourth in the final standings, while Rainey collected a trio of crowns. Finally, Schwantz landed the 500cc World Championship in 1993. An injury-plagued title defense saw him finish fourth, and the Texan participated in the first three races of the 1995 season before announcing his retirement from grand prix racing, at which point his racing number, 34, was also retired from grand prix competition. This was the first time in the history of the sport that a rider had been so honored.

Currently seventh on the list of premier-class grand prix race winners, with 25 victories, Schwantz remains a favorite with the fans, many of whom have benefited from his riding instruction at the respected Schwantz School. He was named to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famein 1999 and the MotoGP Hall of Famein 2000.

Still an active racer, Kevin entered the prestigious 2013 Suzuka 8 Hours with Yukio Kagayama and Noriyuki Haga, finishing on the podium. In June 2014, at the age of 50, Schwantz will return to the race with a special Yoshimura Suzuki “Legends Team” that will pair him with Satoshi Tsujimoto, with whom he finished on the podium in the 1986 Suzuka 8 Hours.

Kevin Schwantz Personal Information

• Birthdate: June 19, 1964
• Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA
• Residence: Austin, Texas, USA

Kevin Schwantz Racing Accomplishments

• First Grand Prix (500cc): 1986, Netherlands
• First pole position (500cc): 1989, Australia
• First fastest race lap (500cc): 1988, Japan
• First podium result (500cc): 1988, Japan
• First GP victory (500cc): 1988, Japan
• GP starts (500cc): 105
• GP victories (500cc): 25
• GP podiums (500cc): 51
• GP pole positions (500cc): 29
• GP fastest race laps (500cc): 26
• World Championships (500cc): 1 (1993)
• Last GP victory (500cc): 1994, Great Britain
• Last Grand Prix (500cc): 1995, Japan
• AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame - 1999
• MotoGP Hall of Fame - 2000

About Circuit of The Americas
Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, is the home of world championships and a world-class destination for premium sports and entertainment. COTA has been nominated as the 2014 “Sports Facility of the Year”by SportsBusiness Journal/Daily.  The same publication named COTA’s annual marquee event, the FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX, “Sports Event of the Year”for 2013. Additionally, COTA isthe new North American home for the summer edition of ESPN’s X Games.  More than one million visitors come to COTA each year for events such as MotoGP™, United Sportscar Racing, the FIA World Endurance Championships, business and social functions, and more than 20 performances at the venue’s acclaimed Austin360 Amphitheater,winner of Pollstar’s “Best New Major Concert Venue”award for 2013 . COTA’s 1,500-acre campus includes a variety of permanent structures, including a 44,000-square foot Event Center, an impressive Main Grandstand with hospitality suites and the Velocity Lounge, a 270,000-square foot Paddock Building with 34 garages, and an iconic 25-story Observation Tower at the heart of the facility. For more information and downloadable video and photos, visit: www.CircuitofTheAmericas.com, www.Austin360Amphitheater.comor COTA’s dedicated FTP site, media.circuitoftheamericas.com. Follow COTA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CircuitofTheAmericasand Twitter @circuitamericas and @COTAmedia.

For more information, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , visit our website   schwantzschool.comor call 512.484.3493. Follow Kevin Schwantz on   Facebook.com/Kevin Schwantz Official Pageand Twitter: @KevinSchwantz.

Dazzling outback Australian scenery and terrain, a hot shower each day, fully catered meals, and comfortable swags are among the rare luxuries guaranteed on all of a series of spectacular motorcycle tours hand-picked, organised and led by former 500cc grand prix ace Daryl Beattie. The highly respected winner of three 500cc world motorcycle grands prix and runner-up to Mick Doohan in the 1995 world championship has formed a new business called Daryl Beattie Adventures. Beattie is planning a hectic 2014 that will include no fewer than seven adventure motorcycle tours into the Australian outback. This is in addition to his ongoing MotoGP television commitments for Network Ten.

The guy who owns the business will be leading the way into stunning wilderness areas every day. The first Beattie tour - a six-days/five nights Birdsville-to-Alice Springs ride including a spectacular Simpson Desert crossing - starts on March 27. Other fully supported, handsomely catered tours include Alice to Birdsville and three Cape York rides starting in Cairns and finishing at the tip of North-Eastern Queensland. A second, longer, Birdsville-to-Alice adventure will shadow the legendary Finke Desert Race, with the Beattie tourists camping among the competitors, soaking up the atmosphere and listening to war stories.

Another highly anticipated longer journey is Beattie’s Uluru-to-Broome ride which incorporates the famous Canning Stock route to Halls Creek, and then to the Indian Ocean. Beattie will head every tour, leading small groups of riders through some breathtaking scenery and terrain. For safety reasons, a sweep rider will follow the paying customers. A fully equipped, goanywhere Unimog will be at every stopover with personal luggage, kitchen facilities, mattresses and bedding, and fuel and spares.

The outback adventures are a far cry from Beattie’s competitive days and role as a network television sports commentator, but he says there’s a simple reason why, “I have spent many years in the outback. This is a personal passion and something I want to share with others.” “I’ve spent a lot of time travelling to spectacular and remote parts of Australia,” said Charleville-born Beattie. “I reckon I’ve picked out some awesome routes for our bike tours.” He says the adventure programmes have been tailored to cater for competent riders with dirt-bike experience. Beattie has rated the routes in difficulty from one (the easiest) to five (the most difficult).

The rides to the Cape have been handed a three toughness rating; the Canning Stock Route a five. “We’ve got tours that should suit the skill levels and budgets of most riders,” Beattie said. Each tour has limited capacity. “A small group is easier to manage and I will be able to get to know the group better. We feel six-to-eight riders is ideal,” Beattie said. Six brand spanking new Honda CRF 450X four-stroke off-road bikes have been fettled with special 21-litre endurance fuel tanks, Michelin all-terrain tyres and other small mods. Beattie, a serious dirt-bike rider before and after his GP career, has left nothing to chance. Sleeping swags with extra ground sheeting and mattresses will ensure comfortable nights under the stars.

A keen chef, Beattie promises fine tucker at the end of every day’s riding - casseroles, BBQs, fish and other tasty fare. Wines and beers are available on tabs. “Every evening, our guests will be relaxing with a cold one, reminiscing about the day’s riding, and chatting about all things on two wheels,” said Beattie.

All tour riders will leave with a tangible record of their unique experiences. “I love my photography and we’ll be encouraging people to stop and record what we will be doing and seeing. Go Pros are welcome and I’ll be blazing away at every opportunity with a new Canon video/still camera.” For more details of the tours, dates, prices, inclusions and bookings, go to www.darylbeattieadventures.com.au

Australian and international media please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more details and extra photography.