AMA: Hart will race in Utah, Despite I-15 Fire

Hart will race in Utah, despite I-15 fire
By Lya Wodraska
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 06/20/2007 04:03:36 PM MDT

Posted: 3:56 PM- Motocross star Carey Hart plans to race in Utah this weekend, even after nine of his bikes were destroyed in a fire on Interstate 15.
Hart has acquired back-up motorcycles and his team is working to get them shipped to Utah in time for Friday's practice at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele.
"He's still gonna go," Hart's agent, Steve Astethen, said Wednesday. "His sponsors are going to have to work hard. We've got everybody working full time to get everything together."
The fire broke out Tuesday evening in a 35-foot semi-trailer belonging to Hart & Huntington Tattoo Co., a Las Vegas tattoo shop co-owned by Hart. Losses on the bikes and equipment - which belonged to Hart, team manager Doni Wanat and racers Tyler Evans and Travis Marks - is estimated at $300,000.
The fire was ruled an accident. Salt Lake City Fire investigators said the fire started in the trailer, but they could not determine exactly where because of the fire damage. The fire snarled traffic for two hours Tuesday night, closing I-15's northbound on-ramps at 1300 South and 2100 South. The driver, who was uninjured, safely uncoupled the truck from the trailer.
Hart and his racing team are slated to compete in the Plaza Cycle AMA Supermoto Challenge, part of a weekend event at Miller Motorsports Park. The Supermoto event gets underway Saturday with practices for Supermoto, Supermoto Lites and Supermoto Unlimited beginning at 10 a.m. followed by heat races at 1 p.m. The main event is set for 5:45 p.m., following an autograph session.
It's only the second time Hart, famous as a freestyle motocross rider, has raced in Supermoto, a hybrid of asphalt and dirt racing. "He just does it for fun, more than anything," Astheten said. "His teammates are better than he is."
Hart became the first to complete a backflip aboard a 250cc motorcycle, a trick known as the "Hart Attack." He retired from freestyle racing after an injury, Astethen said.
Hart's celebrity extends beyond racing. He and his Las Vegas tattoo parlor, Hart & Huntington in the Palms Casino Resort, are featured in the reality series "Inked" on the A&E network. Hart was one of residents of VH1's "The Surreal Life" in 2005. He has been married to the rock star Pink since January 2006

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