Polen To Replace Hacking In Dunlop Lap At VIR

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

In late April, it was released that Jamie Hacking would ride a lap of honor at the upcoming MotoAmerica round at VIR aboard Dunlop’s Yamaha R6 test bike. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict, Hacking will not be in attendance. Instead, former AMA and World Superbike champ, Doug Polen will ride in his place. Polen will also be on hand at the Dunlop truck to sign autographs and hang out with fans.

Polen came up through the amateur ranks, winning races across the country before turning pro. He competed in AMA races before focusing on the World Superbike Championship, which he dominated in both 1991 and 1992 on a Fast By Ferracci Ducati. In the 1991 title chase, he set fastest lap at 13 different tracks, a single-season record that remains to this day. In 1992, he not only won the World Superbike Championship, he also competed in enough rounds of the AMA Superbike championship to finish third. In 1993, he was back in the U.S. full time, and won the AMA Superbike championship. In 1995, he won the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours with teammate Aaron Slight on Honda’s RC45. In 1997, he set his sights on the World Endurance Championship, and won it. Polen won extensively on Dunlop tires, and was known as one of the best development riders in the paddock. He worked closely with Dunlop to develop race tires throughout his professional career.

Polen will be on hand Sunday to sign autographs during and after the fan walk from 10:15 to 11:00 am. He will then ride the Dunlop Tires Lap of Honor at 11:30 on Dunlop’s test bike. He will also be the official trophy presenter on Sunday for the MotoAmerica Superbike race.

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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