Higbee Racing - Shawn Higbee Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Motorized two-wheeled vehicles have been part of Shawn Higbee’s life since as early as the age of 7. The freedom and independence that motorcycles offer was everything Shawn’s personality would become. As a youngster, off-road mini bikes grabbed his attention and never left him bored. At the pinnacle teenage years of freedom and independence, Shawn fell in love with fast street bikes. Subconsciously he swayed toward the same model bike Tom Cruise rode in the movie, Top Gun. The next influence came from an uncle with a cool lifestyle and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. This opened Shawn’s mind to working for Harley-Davidson of Jamestown immediately upon high school graduation. Although it was not his initial desire, Shawn’s ability to roll with the flow and accept fate enabled him to begin his road-racing career aboard a Harley-Davidson Sportster.

In just a few years, motorcycle road-racing quickly became Shawn’s professional career. In 1994, Shawn moved to California and shortly thereafter, he won the AMA Harley-Davidson Twinsports Championship for Bartels Harley-Davidson. While in California, Shawn was introduced to the movie industry. Occasionally he had the opportunity to demonstrate his impressive riding abilities during filmmaking that required an experienced motorcycle rider. Upon developing a winning reputation, Shawn began racing for the Fast By Ferracci, Factory Ducati Team in 1996. Unfortunately, the Ducati Superbike Team endured a problematic season that year.

In 1997, Motorcycle Online, a very progressive and cutting edge Internet Company, offered Shawn a ride aboard a Buell. Shawn filled the year by working for Motorcycle Online as a Journalist and Test Rider for various new motorcycle products. It turned out to be a very successful year; the team won the NASB Buell Lightning Championship! At the close of the 1997 race season, Shawn was invited to race internationally at the Macau GP. In what could be described as a trip of a lifetime, Shawn returned from the race with a 3rd place cup. Perhaps more importantly, is the fact that his name was put next to Kevin Schwantz as one of the few Americans to finish on the podium at the Macau GP.

Shawn began working for Buell Motorcycle Company 1998 and raced for Tilley Harley-Davidson/Buell. Strangely, for many years, Erik Buell and Don Tilley had been great figures of inspiration for Shawn. He first noticed Erik through a photo of him aboard a Harley-Davidson RoadRacer. For years, Shawn’s only job was racing. Now Shawn contributes to the Buell design efforts by sharing his knowledge and skills within the R&D department as a Development Rider and Test Technician. Shawn’s 1998 racing year ended on a great note, with victories aboard the Tilley HD, and earning the Harley-Davidson Twinsports World Cup. The Team finished 2nd in the very competitive AMA Pro Thunder series during 1998 and 1999.In addition to racing for Tilley’s during the 2000 season, Shawn also teamed up with KWS Motorsports/Millennium Technologies to compete in the Formula USA Unlimited Superbike Series. This was a successful season, as Shawn finished 2nd in the Formula USA Buell Lightning Series and 6th in the Unlimited Superbike Series.

The 2001 season became the best year for Shawn as he focused solely on the Unlimited Superbike Series with KWS Motorsports/Millennium Technologies and won the Championship! In 2002 Higbee continued to ride for the KWS Motorsports/Millennium Technologies Suzuki team. With consistent podium finishes Shawn finished 3rd overall in the 2002 FUSA Unlimited Superbike Series. The 2003 season was another remarkable season. Shawn was accredited as the top Privateer and finished 6th in the AMA Superbike Series for KWS Motorsports/Millennium Technologies team on a Suzuki supported GSXR 1000. In 2004 season Higbee finished just outside the top ten after an eventful year.

2005 was a fresh start at roadracing for Shawn Higbee as he created his own team. Higbee was set to race the Buell in the AMA Daytona 200 event but the weekend prior had crashed and severely damage his left hand. Part of his pinky finger was amputated and his ring finger was fused solid. He accidentally broke the ring finger a second time while it was still mending. The recovery was very slow, with multiple surgeries, and caused Shawn to sit out the 2006 racing season.

In the subsequent 2 years Higbee teamed up with RMR racing on the Buells in the Moto-ST series. This was a great series for Higbee to regain his winning confidence and hone his skills. Higbee’s riding began improving dramatically and race wins came quickly. Then in 2007 a huge crash into the concrete wall at Iowa Speedway put Higbee out of commission for 3 months. Amazingly Shawn came back from a broken femur, hip, and shoulder to compete for the final round at Daytona in 2007. Throughout the 2008 season, he trained and honed his skills. By the end of the 2008 season his riding was better than ever, with an improved ability to slide both ends of the bike.