Suzuki Canada and Blackfoot Picotte Racing is pleased to announce the addition of Chris Peris to the team for the 2008 season.
The 21-year-old Calgary native, who is replacing a recuperating Pascal Picotte, will join two-time Superbike Champion Francis Martin and up-and-comer Matt McBride to contest the Parts Canada Superbike and Yoshimura Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Championships.
“We’re quite excited to have a young gun like Chris join our team. Chris has never really had a chance to contest a full championship series and giving him the ride on Team Suzuki will allow him to really show his stuff this year,” said Suzuki Canada’s Nathan Naslund. “I think all in all we have a perfect mix teaming Chris and Matt with veterans like Francis and Pascal. We’re sorry to see that Pascal won’t be able to ride, but using his experience for setup, and mentoring both Chris and Matt, will give the team a very good chemistry.”
Calgary-based Blackfoot Racing’s Pat Chambers echoed Naslund’s sentiments saying that the signing of Peris infuses the team with the kind of synergy it needs to win a national championship. Chambers mentioned he has had his eye on Peris for a number of years and that he is happy to finally have him as a rider on Team Suzuki Blackfoot Picotte Racing.
Despite his young age, Peris is a much respected rider who has been heralded as one of the future stars of Canadian road racing. Although he has never raced a full season in Canada, Peris has put together an impressive record on home soil that includes many podium finishes. In addition to providing team support for Martin and McBride, Peris has to be considered a realistic contender in both Superbike and Pro 600, something Naslund and Chambers are well aware.
“I’m really happy to be joining Team Suzuki Blackfoot Picotte Racing for the upcoming championship season. It’s kind of nice to be racing for a hometown team. I’ve always worked with teams that are so far away.” said Peris. “It should be interesting working with the team and especially Pascal, who I’ve always looked up to. I know I’ll have nothing but the best equipment at my disposal which is a real confidence builder going into a season.”
Peris, who recently won the American Sportbike Racing Association (ASRA) Pro Series Superstock final at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, has a wealth of international experience under his belt. Last year, he raced the first half of the World Supersport series in Europe and the remainder of the season in the U.S. Peris has also raced in New Zealand and Australia.
“For a number of years my focus has been outside of Canada, but the opportunity to race for an established factory team like Suzuki Blackfoot Picotte, with a lot of good guys who have been in the sport for a long time, is definitely a step forward in my career and more than reason enough to give a good run for a Canadian championship,” said Peris.
Although Picotte will be on the sidelines this season in order to properly recover from the cumulative effect of injuries sustained since 2005, he will continue to function as team manager. According to Picotte, who signed a two-year riding/management contract with Suzuki Blackfoot in 2007, not actually racing will put him in a position to do a much better job running the team.
“It was a hard decision to not race but my doctor said I needed to take at least a year off. Actually, I think it’s going to be very good for the team and for Suzuki. Because I don’t have to worry about racing myself, I will be better able to help Chris and Matt perform at a higher level. Not just the technical aspect, but the mental aspect as well,” said Picotte.
From a release issued by Team Suzuki Blackfoot Picotte Racing