The Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) is pleased to announce its participation in the third annual National Capital Region Joint Services motorcycle safety event on Friday, May 1, 2009 at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Last year's event (www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49766) drew hundreds of bikers, enthusiasts, and an assortment of guest speakers including congressional staff, military commanders, and Hollywood actress and rider Catherine Bell.

For this year's event, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation will host legendary 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz, who has also long been involved in rider training and safety through his track-based Kevin Schwantz School, which recently relocated to the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.

"The MSF continues to partner with the military to find ways to get safety messages and training out to our soldiers, sailors, airmen - all of the members of our Armed Forces," said MSF President Tim Buche. "Having Kevin Schwantz, one of the most popular race champions of all time, participate in a national safety event of this stature is sure to get the attention of our target audience - the military sport bike rider with a pent-up need for speed. Kevin will talk about the lessons you learn out on the track and how they apply to making better judgments on the street - lessons that can save lives."

Schwantz will be one of several featured dignitaries who will address representatives from all five branches of the combined Armed Forces. Following the speaker portion of the event, he will demonstrate some of the advanced riding skills and strategies from the MSF's Military SportBike RiderCourse curriculum.

The Military SportBike RiderCourse was developed in close collaboration with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army Safety Center and is now available to all branches of the Department of Defense.