2013 Suzuki GSX-R1000

Near the end of the 2013 race season, I was starting to think about what I was going to do in 2014.  I have been racing 600cc for 4 seasons now and my Honda's eligibility for contingency money was up at the end of the season, so I was starting to seriously consider a move to a 1000cc bike.  I wasn't planning on winning any races in my first year, so I wouldn't be earning any contingency money to offset the huge cost of buying a new bike and converting it to a race bike--so that option was out.  My best/cheapest option would be to buy a used race bike.  So, I poked around a few bikes that some friends had for sale and found a couple that were super viable.  Then I got a call from the crew at Honda Suzuki of Salt Lake.

They wanted to show me something.  I came in and they walked me back to the warehouse and I saw this:

It was a brand new 2013 GSX-R1000 that had been damaged during shipping.  I said, "I want it."  Over the next couple months, they worked through lots of red tape with Suzuki, the shipping company, and the accountants to make this happen.  Ultimately, I got a sweet deal on what was considered a totaled bike.  Most of the damage is cosmetic; so for a race bike, it's perfect since I'll take all the street plastic and headlights off anyway.  

I owe those guys a lot--they pulled off nothing short of a miracle to get this thing and by doing so, tremendously helped my move into the big bike classes for 2014! 

More to come as the build progresses.