Eddie Kraft

Racer: Eddie Kraft, #48

Hobbies: Cycling, mountain biking, basketball, mini-motard racing

Classes: 600cc Superstock, 600cc Superbike, 750cc Superstock, 750cc Superbike

Motorcycle: 2012 Yamaha R6

Bio: I started racing with the help of my dad in 2001. He had been racing and was quite good at it. I hadn't ridden bikes much at all up until that point, but once I saw the track and the bikes running around, I wanted to give it a try. And after riding on the track for the first time, I was hooked. And after winning my first race, I was addicted.

I learned how to race and over the course of the next two seasons I did pretty well on a Honda Hawk and Suzuki SV650, which is where things started to look promising. From there I went to a 2005 Yamaha R6, a 4-cylinder, 600cc machine which is in the most competitive class here in the U.S. It took a season to get used to the bike (it's a bit different from riding a 650cc, twin-cylinder machine), but this past year I began to get the hang of it, winning races and two class championships (WERA's 600cc and 750cc Superstock classes), which was a very promising end to the season.

The one thing I love about racing is it's not like every other sport. I've always played team sports like basketball and baseball growing up. Racing is different. Once the flag is thrown, it's all in the rider's hands and I love that aspect about it. But yet at this level, there is so much teamwork involved behind the scenes and before the race, it truly makes for a team sport and a great environment.

Looking back, I would have never thought I'd be competing at this level when I first got into racing. I thought it would be something I'd just do for fun or as a hobby, but it's become much more than that. Looking forward, my goals are to go faster than I did last year. I want to win races, championships and ultimately compete at the highest level here in the U.S. on a 600 machine, which is in the AMA Supersport series. And without question, Honda East's backing and brand new R6 will be a big part of working to make that happen. I can't wait.