Ian McLeod, who has worked with Harris Performance for 10 years and was heavily involved in the development of the race kit for the inaugural season of the one make series last year, has been appointed by Harley-Davidson UK as the new Race Series Manager for the 2011 XR1200 Trophy.

He has responsibility for running the championship this season, and his main focus is on promoting the series to a wider audience in addition to maintaining the currently high levels of support from the Harley-Davidson UK dealer network. He is keen to attract more entries from individual riders and to improve the overall experience provided for spectators.

Harris Performance will remain heavily involved in the race series, which continues to run within the British Superbike Championship, and are currently working on developing new items for the race kit including rear sets, oil pipes and captive wheel adjusters. Other new items that are permissible for the 2011 XR1200 Trophy are Dunlop wet tyres and crash protectors.

Due to popular demand, the calendar for this year has increased from seven races at five events to nine races at seven events. New circuits on the calendar include Donington Park, Thruxton and Snetterton, while old favourites such as Oulton Park, Brands Hatch and Cadwell Park will also be revisited. There will also be an attempt to stage a double header at Knockhill in Scotland this year, with the hopes that the weather will be more favourable than the rainy conditions faced in 2010.

The attractive prize fund remains in place this year with each race winner claiming a £1,000 cash prize and a set of Dunlop tyres. Second place for each race receives £500 and a Dunlop rear tyre, while third place secures £250 and a Dunlop front tyre.

The overall championship prize of a brand new motorcycle is still in place; however, in 2011 there is an option to take a £5,000 cash prize instead of a new XR1200X.

“I’m delighted to be working with Harley-Davidson to help to push this race series to the next level this year,” said Ian. “I’ve been heavily involved with this project since inception and I’m really passionate about what it can offer – great fun and cost-effective racing with an attractive prize fund and a fantastic sense of community.

“Last year was limited to dealer-supported entries only, but there has been a huge amount of interest from individual riders for this year, showing that there is great scope for growing the series this year. The cost-effectiveness of the series is a major draw, as is the fun environment that Harley-Davidson supports within the paddock.”

“We’re delighted to have Ian on board for 2011” said Harley-Davidson UK and Ireland Marketing Manager, Jessica Tideswell. “2010 was a huge success and the momentum seems to be building already ahead of this season. For that reason, we needed somebody that could focus purely on the race series and Ian was the perfect candidate. He knows the bike and championship inside out and already has great relationships with the dealers, riders and everybody else involved so we’re looking forward to the season ahead.”

To register interest in taking part in the series or to request details of entry packages with participating UK dealers, email xr1200trophy@rbpinternational.com